Nursery

Whenever I look through baby magazines, stores, websites, I'm constantly bombarded with ideas about how a nursery should be decorated. Being artsy, I have always had this huge dream about how I want my first child's nursery to look like, and then I get a little sad that we won't be able to provide that for Alana.

Now don't get me wrong, I am blessed to have amazing parents that are willing to house us while we save up for a house of our own, but I always envisioned myself having a home prior to having a child. Our situation is a little off though because of the fact that we do technically own a home with other people, but it's not an environment that's fit for a child. With parties thrown at least once a week, loud music in the middle of the night, and visitors constantly in and out, it's a wonder that any of us get much sleep. I couldn't put Alana through that. And to disturb the roomies with a baby crying in the middle of the night wouldn't be fair.

I've been trying to plan for Alana's nursery and I think that I can make do with what we have though. I've picked out a quote that I want to post near her crib and there are already clouds on the ceiling so hopefully a few more personal touches and the room will be baby friendly :) Now to get the shelves off the walls and the TV mounted and we're all set.

The quote to be posted above Alana's crib :)

A little teary eyed

Throughout my pregnancy I haven't been as emotional as I expected. Everyone always talks about crying over silly commercials, bouts of anger, stress, etc., but I haven't really experienced this too much...until now. (Francis may disagree though :P) Every time that I watch Alana's 3D ultrasound video or look at her pictures I get a little teary-eyed. It's so exciting to know that in a few short weeks she will be in our arms. I can already imagine myself staring at her for hours while she sleeps.

The one thing that hasn't hit me yet is the nesting phase. Same as always, our room looks like a tornado blew through it. Boxes stacked near the closet, clothes on the floor (and more in the hamper waiting to be washed) and an almost broken bed. It's a wonder we're able to walk around in our room right now. I'm literally rolling out of bed every morning cautious to not step on something. I think once I'm on maternity leave I will be cleaning like crazy.

Because of this, I'm realizing that I have a little more than a week of work and as much as I'm glad that I will be able to rest, I'm probably going to be extremely bored before the baby comes, wishing I was at work. I must say, I will miss my coworkers. But they got nothing to worry about...I'll be back soon enough :)

Baby Shower #1

 For our family baby shower, Francis and I woke up early to reserve the spot and this is how it looked like at 4 in the morning :P Although it was a grueling morning, it was worth the wait to have a great spot by the lake to celebrate with our family and friends.

4:00am

Still gloomy

Hello Sun!!

A special thanks to our families for planning this beautiful event!! This year has been one event after another and it means so much that you all have been here supporting us from day one!
Cristine Mae and Stuart: Thank you for waking up so early to wait at the park with us at 4 in the morning even though you guys hadn't slept yet!!
Ate, Chiqui and Ceci: Thank you for hosting/planning the games for the day. They were hillarious as you can see from the pictures below! Ate, thank you for your generosity. I promise it doesn't go unnoticed. I love you :)
Our parents: Thank you for providing everything else at the shower and for the constant support. We couldn't ask for better parents!

One of the games of the baby shower

Lily and Amaya

Ryan, Lily and Amaya with the pinata

3D ultrasound (part 2)

Today we went for our second session of the ultrasound and the pictures couldn't have turned out more perfect. This time around, my mom, dad. and Francis' mom were able to share the moment with us.

When I arrived at the office, the technician instructed me to take 4 laps around the office and drink my fluids before the session to wake Alana up. I immediately did what I was instructed but I couldn't finish it. I thought I just needed to drink half, but when I got back in the office she wanted me to drink more. I think I drank at least 30 oz. of fluid within 5 mins or less, but it worked like a charm. She was pretty happy with the strawberry lemonade as you can see below.

Whenever I see these pictures, my first thought is, "Wow, that little baby is in my belly....she's in there right now!" Then I think about how much of a little miracle baby she is. I look at her and am immediately amazed at what Francis and I have made together. What once was a passing thought is now less than 2 months away. The days grow closer to meeting her and even though I'm extremely scared of what's to come, whatever happens will be worth it.

I have a little less than 3 weeks of work left before I go on maternity leave and I'm a little overwhelmed with all the things that I need to do before she gets here: pack bags, wash her clothes, build the crib, write thank you cards, clean the house/room, prepare the nursery, finish work, stay active, prepare my desk for a 4 month leave...and the list could go on and on.

At the end of the day, my motivation are the sweet faces of our little girl that you see below.  I love you Alana!!! You make my day so much happier!!!!

Smile :)

Tasting the juice the technician made me drink

I could stare at this one forever

Happy!

Frustrated already?

Belly Photoshoot

Today Michelle was nice enough to offer to take our maternity photos. I wasn't planning on taking any pictures, but when she offered I thought we might as well take this opportunity to record moments of our first baby. After looking at the pictures, I was really happy that we decided to take pictures. Thank you Michelle!!!

After the photoshoot, we went to have dinner together at Bubba Gumps and it was so good! The waitress even quizzed us on the movie Forrest Gump :) I thought we were gonna win something but no such luck. Maybe next time!

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite pictures from the shoot. Enjoy!!!

*Apologies for a few of these that are not right side up. Will fix soon.