Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Tonight...

I sit and can't sleep.  I have 21% left on my comp battery, and 101% of life to type out...

Where to start?
Well, let's state the obvious, I'm a HORRIBLE blogger.  Maybe even BEYOND horrible.
yeah, okay... there I said it. =]

So, I've been feeling even more horrible than the horrible of my non-consistant blogging.  Like, deathly horrible.  Promise, I'm not being over dramatic, but ohemgee.  I've never felt so bad in my entire life.  Laying on the couch everyday for 4 weeks straight plus the worst type of nausea imaginable.  No no no no no... I'm a full time stay at home mom and business owner... my life was literally flashing before my eyes.  I understand it happens during every pregnancy, but this type of nausea... no.... its unbearable, and NOBODY should have to endure it "because making a baby takes a lot out of you".  Yeah, it does take a lot of you, but your LIFE?  No.  Plus, I'd rather my preggo behind be happy, up, active, and eating healthy, than suffering the rest of my 1st trimester, if I'm lucky it doesn't carry over into the 2nd or 3rd.  Muscular atrophy.... yeah, I saw that in my very near future had I not figured out what in the world was making me so sick.  I kid you not, I got up off the couch to pee, and feed my child, and THAT WAS IT.  I couldn't do anymore, no matter how hard I tried.  I love my baby Cupcake, but I need to LIVE.  Sooo, as of right now, I'm just waiting on the doctor to give me a call back regarding an alternative to these specific prenatal vitamins. Just imagine the stomach flu times a gazillion!  I can function with a stomach flu... did it when A was a tinyyy baby and Jr worked a thousand hours a week.  I'm fully capable of sucking it up, and moving on... mind over matter is how I see just about everything (call me insensitive, and not to toot my own, but I trained with US Marines every single day for over a year... never went on to become one, but that experience still lives deeeeeeep down in my heart and mind. "Pain is weakness leaving the body." Life is a mental game, and so on), but anywho... THIS... nah-uh.  I will not die to my family when there are alternatives just to save my pride.  Call me a horrible mother, nope... I don't care.  Your way isn't necessarily the ONLY way. Just sayin'. {<<<--------- Preggo hormones talking.}

ps. I'm already 2+ months!  Once, I get into my 2nd Trimester, I hope to take weekly photographs of myself.  We'll see how that goes! ha!  I tried to do a daily "Thankful" on my photo blog, and after Day 14, I feel like a total failure, because it looks like that's all the days I can count up to in the month of November.  Truth is, my camera was the least of my worries... I just wanted to lay on the couch and drown in my preggo sorrows. womp womp.


Work is coming along... Tonight, I stayed up and inspired... myself.  Its been a while since that last happened, and I think I'm finally ready to take the leap of faith with my business.  I want to photograph exactly how I envision my work... not just because people will "typically" like it, but because it stands out and becomes dare I say it, "ART".  I want to get out of the "norm" and jump into my "photographic dreams".  Truth be told though, I'm absolutely TERRIFIED.  The work I love... I haven't seen much in Texas... and quite frankly that freaks me out.... we're more of a traditional state with traditional values, but my work... I can honestly say, its not much traditional.  However, I feel like I need to clean out my website of all the wonderful work that made me smile, yet wasn't my vision.  Its going to hurt... really.really.bad.  But I know God is in control, and if He wants my business to boom or to boom in the hearts of only a few, I am blessed and grateful regardless.  Just asking for prayer... for me to have the guts to take that leap of faith, and for God's grace to shine in and throughout my entire business... I give it to Him.... Fully, this time.  {January 2012... here I come.}


Hmm... Thanksgiving was wonderful! I enjoyed spending time with my in-laws!  They're always great company!  The turkey... I could have puked on, it made me so sick to even think about... still does. BLAH!  BUT, it was a wonderful day!  Black Friday wasn't too shabby either!

Hope you all had an amazing holiday as well... minus the my personal turkey experience. ahem.
Gobble Gobble!



ps.  Meet Cupcake, who is already 5 days bigger than he/she should be! ha!


Love y'all!


Faith, Love, and Everything Going On NOW,
Casey

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Week 6 and a Grain of Rice.

This week, I am feeling MUCH better.  Still have a bit of nose drainage, but other than that, the cold went out the door.  However, I'm still very much exhausted, and I know I'm making a baby, but I feel like making a baby has stopped me dead in my tracks to where I am unable to go on about my day as I typically would, and I'm still feeling guilty about not getting things done around the house daily.  Granted, I feel better, I'm just not 100%, and heck, I might not get there until after my 1st trimester, which is when I hear the tiredness usually dissipates.  Geez. I sure hope so.

The girls are ACHING.  Either its because I'm 2 cup sizes bigger than while preggo with Miss A, or this pregnancy is entirely different than my first.  Either way, its time for some new bras.

Hmmm... I haven't gained any weight, and I only plan (and strive) to gain 15-20lbs throughout my entire pregnancy.  However, my tummy looks like baby is already umm 3 months along or so.  Maybe, I'm over exaggerating, or maybe... just maybe, I am seeing truth.  After a summer of wearing workout clothes (thanks to my feet surgery), I went out this past weekend in search of some jeans.  I grabbed the biggest pair I thought my preggo butt would fit into, and thankfully, my sweet hubby, grabbed my "normal" size just in case, because I came out of the fitting room with a smile on my face; I still wear the same size!  ::insert big sigh of relief::

Not sure what it is, and I hear every pregnancy is different, but this one is on the other side of the spectrum.  The nausea, the exhaustion, the tender gals, and an extremely bloated tummy... all of which, I didn't have with Miss A.  Guess there's a first time for everything, eh?  =/  Jr is scaring me with his non-fleeting thoughts of TWINS.  Yikes! I know...  He says for some reason, he feels it in his knower.  Hmm... yeah... waiting on my 1st ultrasound. ha!

(I promise, I'll get a pic of me up here, soon.  Feeling so boo boo isn't having me in a picture mood.)


Today, I am 6 weeks and 5 days!

How far along? 6 weeks and 5 days.
Maternity clothes? No.
Stretch marks? No.
Sleep: That's ALL I want to do. =/
Best moment this week: Realizing I'm half way through my 1st Trimester. =]
Miss Anything? An appetite.
Movement: None yet.
Food cravings: All I want is fruit and cold cereal.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Pretty much everything.
Have you started to show yet:  I haven't gained any weight, but my belly sure does look preggo.
Gender: Not sure... the twins possibility is still in the air. haha
Labor Signs: Um no. ha
Belly Button in or out? In, and it better stay that way. =P
Wedding rings on or off? On... for now.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  I feel stressed because I feel lazy.  I feel lazy, because I'm so dang tired.
Looking forward to:  My first ultrasound!
Size of Baby:  Grain of rice. =]




Faith, Love, & Cupcake, 
Casey

Friday, November 11, 2011

Week 5 and a Sesame Seed.

Geez. 

This week has been something else.

Preggo.
Sick.
And Preggo.

It hasn't been the start of the pregnancy that I envisioned, but it is what it is, and I am just grateful I am able to stay home to rest and recover.  However, it hasn't been as easy as it sounds.  I'm used to getting up early and getting my day started, and keeping it going with everything under the sun to-do.  I'm used to having dinner cooked and ready for my husband when he gets home.

This past week has been a much different story.

The tv has been on longer this week than it has the entire YEAR.
My bed hasn't been made; not once.
The clothes are piling up along with the dishes.
I haven't gotten dressed and left the house, besides sitting on the door step watching my dogs prance outside in our backyard, enjoying the much needed cooler weather. 
I can't enjoy food. 
I can't kiss my hubby or Miss A.
My dogs feel neglected.
My nose is chapped.
My throat is sore.
I've had to cancel my photo sessions, and meet-ups with good friends. =/

ahi.

I'm sooo ready to feel BETTER!  I'm beginning to feel LAZY, and GUILTY for all that I haven't done this week, and for all that I am now, behind on.  With Jr working much over time this week, its just been me and Aislynn, and she has been THE sweetest helper.  Blessed!

2 nights ago, she also lost her VERY first tooth!  Stay tuned for that post, tomorrow! =D



Today, I am 5 weeks and 6 days!

How far along? 5 weeks and 6 days.
Maternity clothes? No.
Stretch marks? Besides the ones I already have from the 1st go round, nope, nothing... YET.
Sleep: Huh?? What's that??
Best moment this week: Aislynn losing her very first tooth!
Miss Anything? An appetite.
Movement: None yet.
Food cravings: Not this week.
Anything making you queasy or sick: The taste of phlegm with this cold.
Have you started to show yet:  Does being bloated count??
Gender: ? Jr and his co-workers think we're having twins! ha!
Labor Signs: Um no. ha
Belly Button in or out? In, and it better stay that way. =P
Wedding rings on or off? On... for now.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, other than being sick and feeling boo boo.
Looking forward to:  My first ultrasound this month on the 21st! WEEHOO!
Size of Baby:  Sesame Seed




Faith, Love, and Cupcake! 
Casey

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Shamu & The Fam!

This week was JAM packed with pure goodness!! Wednesday, we found out we're expecting. Thursday, we saw Chris Tomlin in concert  (that's an entirely different post).  And Friday, we headed to San Antonio for the weekend! 

We left kinda late, thanks to me, and this not so lovely tiredness. BLAH! I just feel so lethargic, and prenatal's aren't exactly helping.  I'm not used to do nothing, and to "resting".  I need to be active and taking care of business. SO, basically nothing was packed until about 20 minutes before we headed out the door.... which was the beginning of our Griswald trip.  Of course, it wouldn't be a trip without some Griswald drama! ha!

On the way there, we could have made a list of stuff we had forgotten, it was horrible.  Soooo, as usual, we made a trip to Wal-Mart as soon as we checked into our hotel. 

Now, now... I love Houston, but I don't LOVE Houston.  The traffic and the heat; 'nough said.  But San Antonio... wow.  Major major change of pace.  As some of you know, half of my family lives in NC, and its like night and day between here in Houston and there in Dunn, NC.  However, I LOVE it, and I'm used to it.  I expect it when I go to visit... I expect to not be in a rush, and to well... stop and smell the roses.  But on our trip to San Antonio + my new raging hormones, it wasn't pleasant, and it was rather annoying, really.  I couldn't believe we sat in the drive-thru line at McDonald's for 20 mins for a mere 3 Happy Meals.  And the traffic lights... oh geez.  So yes, moral of the story.... We are spoiled Houstonians. ha!

Except we don't have Sea World, or really, anything close to Sea World.  Yeah, our Zoo rocks, but I love marine life, and I literally could sit in an aquarium the entire day in amazement. Call me a dork, but its true.


So, we got to Sea World, and it was a GORGEOUS day!!  BEAUTIFUL! The sun was shinning, and the wind blowing!  Shamu was happy, and so was Miss A! 

ps. I will say, the last time we went was about 3 years ago... Yeah, we've gotten older since then, because we were BEAT when we left.  Plus, strolling around a 50+ child up and down mini slopes wasn't exactly a "walk in the park". hehe


At the hotel. 
The Shamu you see in the bottom left hand corner isn't real (lol), its the elevator doors.

 Arriving at Sea World!

 When we rented this stroller, I immediately thought "recession" and that thing had gotten smaller, but then I remembered "yes, recession, but yes, Aislynn DOES indeed GROW." ha


 The Ayala's. <3

Trick or Treating! 
Miss A got extra goodies bc it was her birthday weekend!

 Sea World and Halloween!! 
I wonder what's its like for Christmas!

Shamu show: "One Ocean"



Disclaimer: These were all taken with my point and shoot.  If they look "unprofessional", its because the "professional" took a weekend off.  hehe




Faith, Love, and Shamu!
Casey

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

A Pinterest Kind'a Surprise!

Since we planned for Cupcake, and since Pinterest in my new BFF, I figured.... hmm, let me browse the preggo world, and see what's new!  And um wow... Everything "new" these days, make Miss A seem like she's a century old!  I kid you not, I saw an ipad looking baby monitor at Target!  My jaw literally dropped, and my eyes went "cha-ching!"

After discovering Cupcake was baking in this oven, I knew EXACTLY how I wanted to tell Jr, only thing was, I'd actually have to keep it a secret for almost 12 entire whole hours!  Geez.   I can't keep anything from that man, and he's the same way with me.  We just love to share our excitement, even if its over how much we paid for gas that day. ha!  I made a promise to myself, and asked God to put His hand over my big mouth, and to give me patience and agility.  Yes, agility!  I had to make a bee-line to the store in between all of my errands for the day in order to get exactly what I needed and put it all together before baby-daddy arrived.

It HAD to be SPECIAL.  A phone call? No.  Text? No.  Trip to his job? Tempting, but no.
All I knew was that this may (and very may) well be our last baby, and I wanted to go out with a BANG! When first finding out Miss A was "Coming Soon", it wasn't exactly a scene from a Lifetime movie... or maybe it was... maybe Juno?? Yeah... Juno.

We looked at each other like this (picture it with me, now):
 
{Excuse the language, but I'm pretty sure this is exactly what we both said.
It was a scary time, and very surreal.  Obviously, we knew the consequences of not using protection, but we were two dumb kids in love, and obviously, nothing else mattered.  These days, we look back, and that was THE best "Oh Sh*t" EVER!}



SO yes!, Back to the SURPRISE! While browsing Pinterest, I came across this piece of brilliance:


And this is pretty much exactly what I did.  I really wish I had taken pictures, but I was in such a rush, I barely had time to even wrap the box. Boo.

The first piece to the surprise: 
Earlier that morning, my sister and I went painting with Miss A in honor of her birthday celebrations.
See?



I immediately saw this and immediately new I had to paint it:
Before:
That little opening, there?? What the heck is that for?? Any ideas?? 
Well, I used it to place my positive preggo stick.

Of course, I had to put my Picasso skills to use (ahem).
The result?


ps. please excuse my poor quality camera pix.  I have a Blackberry, and no, not the new ones.  
<<<--- Wishful iphone user. =(



My original idea for a box came from the Baby aisle at CVS in the shape of a pack of diapers, however, $25 for a present (or really, the box alone) just didn't seem wise.  Plus, the big bold HUGGIES lettering would probably give it away before the box was even opened.  Needing to improvise, I scoured my dad's office for a box.  Found one.  Headed to our local Dollar Tree, and grabbed some yellow wrapping paper as well as crumbled tissue paper in yellow, brown, and white (I now, regret the brown, but at the time, I thought it looked pretty)  I also scoured the balloon wall for the perfect "Baby" balloon.  Found one, had someone pump some helium in the sucker, and was out the door in a matter of minutes.

The clock was ticking, and Jr would be getting off work in 20 minutes, and it only takes him 3 minutes to get home, so time was of.the.essence.  PLUS, I had to explain and re-explain (or try to) why on earth we bought a "Baby" balloon when "there is no baby", said Aislynn.  This was tricky, because I knew the second Jr were to walk in the front door, Miss A would open her mouth, and spill the beans before I could even tell daddy I had a bean growing inside of my belly. {this was a task in itself}

I put together the box, thew in the tissues paper, tied the balloon ribbon around my painted baby bottle, carefully placed the balloon inside, making sure it would float to a nice distance, preferably eye level to Jr (I know. I know, I'm so thoughtful), closed the box, taped it, and wrapped it.

DANG! Forgot the pretty bow! Oh well!
Okay, now, let's make it look like I was doing something important... 
doodeedooodeeeedoooo.


Jr walked in, showered, changed, and with minutes to spare before we had to all head back out the door, Jr opened the box, and it happened just like I imagined (that hardly ever happens, so I was pretty giddy).  We laughed, we cried, we hugged.  And then REPEAT


It was a good day. 
A good day, indeed




Faith, Love, and a Pinterest Surprise, 
Casey

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

First Response.

Yes.

Let me tell you.


This test.
HA!



You see when I was in Preggersville with Miss A, we took about 20 at home pregnancy test... Okay, maybe not 20, but def more than 5.  I even had Jr take one to see how it worked.  Fail. ha!  So we took the test, and anxiously waited.  I read the directions and re-read the directions, and still, I do not think my brain of crazy comprehended what I saw before my eyes.  SO, I made up my mind, that test was indeed BROKEN; it was FAULTY, a dud... whatever you want to call it.  It just simply didn't work.  I wanted to see TWO CLEAR lines. CLEAR! So we headed to the store and bought the rest of our pregnancy test supply.  We took yet another one, and immediately that sucker read, "PREGNANT".  And as you all know, the rest is history. =]


Now, mind you, it has been 5+ years since I've taken a pregnancy test, and I really honestly didn't expect myself to remember EXACTLY what brand I originally took with Aislynn, so I just grabbed the one that was able to read hormones earlier than the next test.  Plus, there was an extra test in the pack FO FREE.

I waited a few days after purchase, and took the test.


waiting.... waiting...

NEGATIVE.  (one line)

hmm... okay... it still may be too early to tell.  So I waited until early Wednesday, morning.  I woke up, let my dogs out, fed them, and sat on the royal throne, preggo test in hand... still half asleep, but whatever.

A little tinkle here. A little tinkle there.

waiting... waiting...

ONE line.... OKAY!

Another....ehhhh... hmmm... what is that?? IS that a line??? I dunno... (half asleep still)


Geez... What the heck is that thing??

::searches YouTube::
Finds live pregnancy test! YES!! Exactly what I'm looking for!!!  Watches about 5-6 of the same videos!

hmmm...

::comparing test::

Geez!! Am I going to have to go out and buy another test, but this time one that reads "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant"??  WAIT!! OMG! THIS is THE test I took with Aislynn!! No friggin' way! Way to go Casey! Way to go!

::compares again::


Googles, "First Response test results"

THERE WE GO!


::reads::


PREGNANT
TWO PINK LINES in the Result Window. One line may be lighter than the other.  Appearance of the results may vary.

NOT PREGNANT
ONE PINK LINE in the Result Window.



"One line may be lighter than the other."

OH.

I'm pregnant.  That's what it says!!

PREGNANT!


EEEEK!!!
And there ya go! I'm a preggo! A one way trip back to Preggersville!
Legggggooooo!




 ps. I then later read that I could have saved $2 on the test! Ayyyooo!  You can too... just sayin'.

pss. one of the videos I watched... I cried with her! Get a tissue ready!





Faith, Love, and First Response,
Casey

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