IT'S A.....

Anticipation is killing me!!!!

Finally we have reached 19 weeks and hopefully the half-way point!!! This week couldn't get here fast enough!, tomorrow is the big day when we find out if Baby Pitt is a boy or a girl and we are so thrilled and anxious to hear the news!!!!! This week, baby is working on the five senses, nerve cells for hearing, taste, touch, and smell are developing in the brain. Also a protective coating over the skin is forming to help protect the baby from amniotic fluid.

As far as pregnancy symptoms go, I feel pretty good and I know I've said it a million times, but I thank my lucky stars that this pregnancy has been fairly easy. My heart seems better controlled with the increased dose of medication although certain simple things are very hard to do! Back pain seems to be getting a little worse but I try to stretch a few times a day at least and I think it helps. As far as cravings, I haven't craved anything specific, but I continue to have my daily mango and a daily cup of coffee!

Life truly couldn't be better. Craig and I visited Babies R Us the other day and started seriously looking at baby things we want and will need in the near future and had a wonderful time! It was cute to see him take pictures of the different items and then research the safety and recommendations from other parents. While I was looking at practicality and cuteness, he was focused on functionality and safety.....we really complement each other well, ha?

Tomorrow is the BIG day before the BIGGEST day (delivery of course) and we have planned a fun way of telling our family the sex of the baby. Our appointment is at 10:45 in the morning and everyone is invited to our house at 7:30pm for dessert.  I went to the store and got a few things to decorate around the living room both pink and blue to throw everyone off until we finally debut a movie trailer I've been working on that gives it away at the end!.....I better get to bed so tomorrow can come....good night!

H-U-N-G-R-Y!!!!

One more week down and one more to go before we find out if Baby Pitt is a boy or a girl!!!! We each have our instincts (although Craig's instinct is like that of every other guy that is about to have a baby and can only picture himself throwing a football, kicking a soccer ball and wrestling around with a BOY!) I, on the other hand, have a feeling we are having a GIRL...!!! I think maybe that's why we are having a harder time deciding on names :)

This week, our little potato is yawning, hiccuping, sucking, swallowing, twisting, rolling, punching and kicking....AND I'M ANXIOUSLY WAITING TO FEEL ALL OF IT!!!! About 2 days ago I thought I felt something, but since I didn't feel it again, I'm not sure if it was the baby or a bubble popping in my lower belly!!! Oh well....soon enough! I've definitely been hungrier lately so I'm thinking that this weight issue won't be an issue much longer! I'm not really craving anything in particular but yesterday I couldn't eat enough cocktail onions (eewwww, I know!!!) and tonight I ate a whole stuffed pepper for dinner (which I usually only eat 3/4 of one)...a pig, I tell you, Im feeling like a PIG!

The last couple of days, as busy as we have been at the shop, all I can think of is the nursery!!! and even though we had our hearts set on owls, we decided on BEARS!!! We wanted something neutral and cute, and now of course I can't wait to start painting, and putting our little peanut's room together! (This is keeping me busy as I "patiently" wait for Tuesday!!!!)

As far as next week, I can't stress enough how excited we are to find out the sex of the baby!!! We have a couple of friends and co-workers that are pregnant and everyone is right around us, so everyone is starting to share the news over facebook and phone calls....we have an idea to reveal the baby's gender and name when we find out so we have decided to have people over that night and........STAY TUNED!!

Craig owes me BIG time!!!!

This past monday marked our 17th week and now that the belly is poking a little farther, everything is becoming more and more real. This week, the baby is working on getting stronger and getting bigger!!! Cartilage is growing into bone and baby is starting to fatten up :)

In general, this has been a busy week. Business is booming thanks to livingsocial.com that featured our shop and offered a wonderful deal for a dozen cupcakes. Also we have a raffle going on to win a dozen free cupcakes for those who guess the 2 teams that will make it to the Super Bowl this year, so that has brought a lot of new people in!!!

Craig spent this past weekend in DC at a conference so unfortunately he couldn't take off this past tuesday for a doctor's appointment (which I wasn't too worried about, since I figured it would be a quick in and out appointment to check my weight)...and I was partially right!!. My mom ended up going with me, which was great since she got to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time!!! Strong at 155 beats per minute!!!! then she got to meet Dr. Dattel.  The doctor came in and told me that I had gained 2 pounds which almost brings me back to my pre-pregnancy weight, so I was happy and the doctor seemed happy as well, nonetheless she wanted to check the baby! I love quick ultrasounds, which although they are SUPER fast, it gives me (and this time my mom) a chance to see our little peanut!. As she was moving the doppler over my belly, she asked "If I can see the sex of the baby, do you want me to tell you?" I took a deep breath in, looked at my mom (her eyes were WIDE open and she had a HUGE smile on her face) but I said "no, not yet, my husband couldn't be here! But we will be back in 2 weeks to find out"....UUUUGGHHHH!!!! I'm dying to know!!!!!! so I called Craig the second that I left that office and said "You owe me HUGE!!!!", he laughed but I think he appreciated my ability to control my emotions!!!! Now we are eagerly waiting for January 31st to get the news and make the announcement to everyone!!

After seeing the OB, I headed to Norfolk to see the cardiologist.  When I made it to his office, there was no parking. I drove around for a few with no luck and had to park across the street. With all that walking, I felt like I barely made it to the desk upstairs. I couldn't talk, I was so out of breath that all I could think about was "please don't let me pass out, I don't want to go to this emergency room!!" The nurses made me sit down and after about 15 minutes, I was called up. This nurse (who I didn't know), was like "you dont look so good" as she walked me to the room. She then proceeded to place the pulse oximeter in my finger and my heart was racing at 161 beats per minute and I was exhausted, dizzy and really fatigued!!! She didn't seem to pay too much attention to it and began asking me questions about my daily medicines and got my blood pressure. Since I was sitting while this was happening, I was starting to feel a little better, so by the time she looked, my heart rate was down to 132. She had a concerning look on her face so she told me she wanted to do an EKG. She hooked me up and while she put my information in, my heart rate was down to 106 and I was feeling back to normal!!! The doctor of course came in and said that I looked "great" but wanted to increase my medication and would see me again in 4 weeks. He mentioned the possibility of "modified bedrest" in my near future and possibly having to add another medication although "the longer we wait, the safer it is", which this phrase sent chills down my spine. I went home frustrated, hoping and praying that the baby is under no distress when I'm in distress....only time will tell.....and prayers are heading up every minute of every day...

Loving my little Guacamole!!!!

With the belly growing, I'm feeling more and more like a mommy-to-be and my anxiety level is through the roof....I'm so happy I don't think I can find words to describe this emotion!!! The email today explained how our baby has grown to be the size of an avocado. Baby is growing taste buds, eyelashes, eyebrows and hair and the email even gave me a heads up on the "fluttering" or movement that I should start feeling soon...and I can't wait!!!!

A very important development is that the baby is starting to hear voices, so starting tonight and every night from now on, Craig and I are reading a story to the belly and playing the music from our little giraffe that grandma Manis gave us as a gift. We gifted a giraffe like this one to our friends Ciara and Dustin when they were pregnant and now that their baby girl is 6 months old, Ciara says that the music helps soothe her when she's crying and we like to think is because she played it over and over again while pregnant!....we'll see if our little one responds the same way :)

This past week has been pretty good....actually, my pregnancy has been pretty good!! I feel pretty lucky and blessed that my pregnancy has been uneventful and an amazing experience. My back is starting to bother me a little and the heart thing seems to be going a little crazy at times, but one more week and we see the cardiologist!!! My belly now seems to be growing by the minute! (or at least that's how I feel.) It's funny to think that a few weeks ago, I was having issues with weight, and now (although I refuse to get on the scale at home), I feel like I've gained all the weight I was supposed to plus a few extra pounds, just in case!....next week I will face the fear of getting on that scale at the doctor's office and we'll see...!!!

The view from our hotel room!

I spent the last 4 days in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Craig was working 72 hours straight and my cousin Eduardo and his new wife Mira were having a wedding celebration on saturday, so the last possible minute  on Thursday night I decided (with the help of my mom and aunt Tere) to go and have fun!. The weather was beautiful and the best part was that after 2+ years some cousins (and their loved ones) reunited!!! We had a blast, had time to catch up, had great food, stayed up late, played drinking games (not me!), danced all night and watched football!!!

Asa, Camilo, Daniela, Guseppi, Me (and belly), Mira and Eduardo!

BOOM!!!

Last week Craig and I went to a doctor's appointment, just to do a quick check up! We started thinking about how much we wanted to meet the attendings from our practice so that we can pick our favorite and hopefully schedule delivery with them, but we were expecting just a quick routine visit!. It always starts with the weight!. I thought "for sure, I've gained at least 5 pounds" since my belly is poking out and getting rounder, but to my great surprise I had actually lost 4 pounds. I went into the room to tell Craig and a little fear came over me....shortly after, a very upbeat woman in a white coat entered the room and introduced herself. Finally one of the attendings!!!! Dr. Datell was wonderful. She shared stories with us, laughed with us and even did a quick ultrasound and said "everything looks amazing, baby is growing just like it should!!!" With a huge smile in my face, I asked her if I needed to be concerned with my weight but she said "no, you are not spilling protein in your urine, therefore, you are getting all the nutrients that you and baby need". With peace of mind, Craig and I left the office feeling amazing!!!

The rest of the week went great, and on monday vacation ended and we reached 15 weeks!!!! Baby is the size of an orange, moving joints and limbs, practicing breathing movements and probably having the hiccups (which I can't feel yet, but soon enough). The increased in blood volume has definitely made it a bit harder for my heart medicine to keep up! But we see the cardiologist in a few weeks and the OB didn't seem too concern at this point.

The last 2 days or so, I've felt like "BOOM", all of a sudden I blew up!!! Like I said before, the belly is definitely out there!! I feel beautiful though and just knowing what's happening makes me look forward to this whole process!!!!.....plus don't tell Craig but I had a dream last night that it was a girl....again!!!!!