33 & 34 Weeks.

seems like fo-ever since i've blogged.
so so much has been going on, and finally, i am sitting here at my kitchen table catching a breath before i begin dinner for two.

these last couple of weeks have been something else....
with moving the entire week (yes, the entire week) to having my very last ultrasound on Tuesday...
life has been hectic.


so yes, we are finally moved in. i can't believe the day finally came...
we're still unpacking boxes, so at times it feels like we're living temporarily in a hotel. ha!
organizing rooms is tough being that was downsized our living space, however, i absolutely loveeeeee walking from room to room in a matter of seconds rather than climbing the evil stairs of death.  this casita is such a blessing, already!  thankful thankful!  i'll try and have pics up, soon... you know, minus the boxes and all. =]

*moving day*

today, i am 34 weeks and 4 days, and tomorrow....
well, tomorrow is June.  Will JUNE be the month, or will she wait until July 2?? ::shrugs::
either way, mama is carrying a 7lb baby.... yes 7lbs.  average weight for 34 weeks is nearly 5lbs. sooo, with that being said, i have to re-do my glucose test... yes, again. BLAH! that evil drink... i'm sure i would have LOVED it at the age of 5, but now... different story. ::gag::  we are pretty sure she is just long like her sister, however Aislynn was delivered at 40 weeks and was 8.5lbs.  if Bella decides to wait until 39 weeks, she'll be around 9-10lbs. ::OHEMGEE::   HOWEVER, the ultrasound is merely a guesstimate. so i could or could not have a gordita growing inside of me.

they also found very slight fluid in her left kidney... the doctor said, "its nothing to lose sleep over." but me?  well, i lose sleep over knowing there are dishes in the sink.  so, i cried and cried.  this entire pregnancy i have felt so completely helpless, especially with this move, which i probably did too much work anyway, however, its the one thing that bugs me.... not being able to help as much as i would like, and as much as some would need.  so you can imagine, knowing there is ANY fluid in my baby's kidney has me feeling like there is absolutely nothing i can possibly do.  we called the doctor again, today, to gather more information on the matter and perhaps schedule a 2nd ultrasound, but she did reiterate that it is nothing of concern, and should clear itself up before Bella even gets here.  i know God is in control and i have faith everything will work out according to His plan for my Bella Boo.  i am thankful nothing more severe was discovered, and that otherwise Bella is looking BELLA!  ps.  girlfrannn has A LOT of hair!

33 Weeks:

34 Weeks:

How far along? 34 weeks and 4 days
Maternity clothes? one maxi dress, 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts...still. 

Stretch marks? YES! I have 2 that are about 1/4 of a inch long. =(

Sleep:  horrible horrible. the pain down below is crazy bad. when turning from side to another, there is ONE joint that ALWAYS pops, and I ALWAYS have to prepare myself for it. OUCH!

Best moment this week: Seeing Bella's ultrasound.... even if she was a stubborn chickadee!

Miss Anything? STILL dyingggg to head to the beach! Yes. Still.

Movement: All the time... however, its beginning to actually hurt a bit... i mean she's 7lbs already, so yeah. not much room for her to move, but she is already in position. the weirdest thing is feeling her arm or shoulder brush up against my pelvic bone... superrr freaky. lol

Food cravings: I just discovered Panera Bread. 'nough said.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing that hasn't in the past.... but my appetite has faded a bit.

 Have you started to show yet: very much so.... my belly feels like a basketball filled with entirely way too much air.

Gender: Princess
Labor Signs: YES! About once every hour or so.
Belly Button in or out?  In.
Wedding rings on or off? On, and SO happy its been on this long! I had to cut it off with Aislynn. =/
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to:  Finishing up Bella's room and Baby Shower. =]

Size of Baby: According to the ultrasound.... 7 whopping pounds! Geez!

Faith & Love,

Casey

31 & 32 weeks {and a bare belly!}

this month has been crazy.
however, i think i have noted that repeatedly in the last 20 blog posts or so. ha!

the time is drawing near.
my belly is growing over night and Bella is a little fighter. that girl, i tell ya.  its getting to the point where she has less and less room to move around, so it hurts from time to time and she tries to get comfy.  Aislynn never moved quite so obvious, and i'm guessing because i ate so much, there was always plenty of room to move and grow. ha!

other than being extremely tired all.the.time. the pain down below is starting to subside a bit.  orr perhaps, i'm just becoming immune to it.  orr, perhaps, i'm just too busy to notice.  either way, i'm not complaining. braxton hicks are starting to kick into over drive.  today, i've already had 4-5, when normally i have 2 MAYBE 3 a day.  girlfran has hiccups at least 6-7 days a day. poor babe.  she also has seemed to have dropped justtt a tiny bit.  i no longer feel her as strong at the very top of my belly as i did just last week. however, i feel her quite well down um, below.

Aislynn is about to burst with excitement and anxiousness! she'd much rather have me place my cell phone on my belly and watch it dance, than put her tiny hand on my belly and have Bella karate chop her.  she's superrr excited to "share everything with Bella", and is actually rather upset that Bella hasn't made her debut yet.  i'm thinking once Bella Boo gets a hold of Aislynn's Barbie's, a whole other story will be told, and i expect it to be narrated in an annoyed yet whiny tone.

tomorrow, WE MOVE! YAY!
i can't wait until all of this is over and done with. exhausted is an understatement, and my brain is officially MIA.  my calendar looks like it threw up, and my nerves are seriously shot.  sometimes, i just want to sit and cry, but i'm a big girl, and hold it in, thus giving me a monster headache. =/  i told my friend tonight, "if Bella comes early, i'm pushing her back in!"  sorry, sweetheart, the Ayala Casita is way too crazy for a wee little one right at this moment. stay nice and tight until July 2.  please and thank you.

so with all that said, insomnia is in high gear.
my brain does not want to shut up or shut down. REM stage is a thing of the past, and i have massive bags under my ojos.  not cute.

prayers please!

this is my belly at 21 weeks. 

i am being SUPER brave and debuting a bare belly, so be nice, now. ha!

if you look closely, you can see allllllll of my battle scars. yeah, aislynn done fought the good fight. and please tell me why mosquitoes seem to go for my belly, ONLY?? super weird.

and lastly, those are my maternity panties... ones which i figured i would grow into. its been 4 months, and they're still big, so if you see me hiking them up, you know why. =P

32 Weeks!

the week of pure exhaustion!

ps. instagram NOW has "tilt shift".

holla!

Hope you all have an AH-MAZING weekend!
BLESSINGS!



faith & love,
casey

the vow.

its 12am.
couldn't sleep.

decided to order The Vow on demand, and watch it solo. ::sigh:: the life of a wife of a machinist.
funny how Nicholas Sparks always finds ways to make your own personal story relate-able to the story written.

i was thinking of what life was like before i met Jr...
wondering what life would be like now if i hadn't met him.
we have this talk from time to time, and we always come to the conclusion it would be nothing compared to what actually is... the life we live, the happiness that has grown not only together, but as individuals. then, we get to thinking of how much we have overcome, and gleefully giggle at what the future holds.

before i met Jr, i enlisted in the Marine Corps.
yes, you read correctly. ha
i enlisted because years prior too, i was always infatuated with the Discovery Health Channel. i recorded shows to watch later, and the sight of blood was the most awesome thing to me. i was also completely obsessed with CSI, and it even got to the point where i could solve the case before the show was over. training was easy, and i knew college was something i wasn't particularly interested in at the time, so why not join the Marines?  after completing the ASVAB, i set my MOS to "legal assistant" in hopes of learning the ropes and jumping hoops in order to become my very own CSI investigator, and then perhaps surpassing a zillion applicants straight on into the FBI. (ahhh, to dream.)

yes, this was the life i had planned.
but God had something different up His sleeve.
completely different.

2 weeks before my ship date, i bailed... exactly what a Marine would not do. ha!
i needed to loose a few pounds (literally 4-5), and after training extra hard and eating like a champ for over a month, those pounds hung around. now, after being able to lose 5+ lbs a couple weeks before prom, i knew the stars weren't aligning, and my decision to drop was indeed the right one. (ps. i think i would have made an excellent marksman. pss. one thing i learned: females cannot become snipers. no fair. no fun.)

with no plan in sight, i got a job at Target, where i met Jr....
the rest is obviously history.

2 completely different lifestyles.
the one i had laid out, and the one the good Lord set out.


it just amazes me!
we are meant for so much more, and when we let go, and let God, our true personality comes to light, and that light shines brighter than it ever would have had we held on to the life that wasn't meant for us, and embrace the life He has designed for us.


if you've read all the above and are wondering how on earth my story relates to The Vow, go watch! its an excellent movie. loved it. very sweet, heartwarming, and umm soo Nicholas Sparks. =P

 here's Jr assembling his new "toy", while we watch Iron Man instead of "The Avengers".

hehe

faith & love,
casey

are we there yet?

lately, we've been gathering goodies for bella.
getting ready to move on the 18th.
attending dr's appointments for myself, mini me, and the hubby.
and pretty much everything else.

i've been feeling kinda down.
not sure what it is... i think more of time moving so slowly, yet not slow enough.
if that makes sense?

i want this new chapter to begin sooo sooo bad!
Jr is already having dreams of Bella and how her little personality is going to be a 180 of Aislynn's... how her hair is going to be dark brown. (i've had the latter part of the dream, as well but add some loose curls)

i follow other fellow bloggers, and see their cute little kiddos bonding and smiling at each other, and it makes my heart so very very warm.  i can't wait to capture those exact same memories, and now, that i actually know how to use a camera, i know investing in a another hard drive will more than likely be a must and perhaps a weekly printing allowance. ha!

then i think, we have sooo much to do before she gets here.
SO much.

before we got pregnant, i had lots and lots of hope and dreams for my business, but as of lately, i feel God is pulling me a different direction. over the last couple of months, i have really really enjoyed and come to really really love being a SAHM.  there's so much i want to do.... learn to sew, to cook, and finally put my desire to decorate to use (i used to rearrange my bedroom and decorate it when i was in elementary throughout HS. thought interior design was going to be what i majored in, because i loved it so much)  i know my business will always be there, and its not like i can never shoot, but right now, the focus is on my growing family.  i know once Bella is here, a new wave of inspiration will overflow, much like it did with Aislynn, who catapulted my love photography that i never knew i had. just a love for arts, period. i can't ever get enough of being creative. sometimes, i wonder what Jr's life would be like had he married a much simpler gal... ha! i'll just say "boring".


anywho, i went to the doctor on wednesday.
things are getting umm complicated down below. very sore and very achy.
to describe it, would be like the gal on youtube did... (there is no other way, really)...
pretend you don't know how to do a split (these days i don't have to pretend), and you went into a center split, and WHOOPS tore your muscles. yeah... that's exactly what it feels like.  sitting for a long period of time is painful. walking or moving about for a long period of time is painful. getting up off the floor would be easy, if it weren't for the pain.  while sleeping, rolling from either my side or onto my back - painful. i literally drag myself out of the bed, and if i somehow make my way to the middle of our king mattress, i have to grab onto our bedpost, and then drag myself out.  very annoying.

braxton hicks are starting to kick in. i get at least 2 or 3 a day. not pleasant, but i've had menstrual cramps wayyy worse. however, i'm not trying to go into labor at 30 weeks.

other than that, everything is looking great!

funny.... looking through my old preggo pics with Aislynn (all 5 of them), and i was bigger then at 7 months than i am now in my 8th month.  my feet looked like blimps, and everything was just ew.  for those that don't know, i gained a lovely 70lbs with Aislynn.... lost 30lbs, and hung onto the rest. never again.

so, here's me at 30 weeks!

 Happy Friday!

 

faith & love, 

casey

worst.moment.ever.

i feel so completely sick to my stomach, i could throw up.

why?
well, if you scroll down and through old posts on this here blog, you will find all images have been deleted.
poof.
gone.
...forever.

as i laid in bed the other night trying to bore myself into a deep slumber, i decided to "organize" and clean out my cell phone (android).  i headed to the gallery section, where i have well over 1300 images.  without thinking and without a fair warning from google OR android, i delete ALL of my blog images.  why would i need them on my phone, anyway, right?

little did i know, by delete these galleries, i also deleted every single image from not one, not two, but all three blogs.  1000+  images gone... literally in seconds.

all of my hard work, early earlyyy morning blogging, 3 years worth... GONE.

this KILLS me, because i a SO beyond paranoid about computers and hard drives crashing, i back up ALL of my images multiple times in various places.

with that being said, i would be in the hospital had i completely lost all of images.... as in never seen again.  the images on my phone, however, those alone will never see the light of day on blogger ever again. BUT, they are safe and sound on my computer, external hard drive, and DVD's.


i guess i'll live.
i mean, what else can i do, right?

start over.
start fresh.

at least, i kept the images from my actual layout, which my blogger illiterate behind took 5-6 hours working on. ::phew::

my photo blog, however...
well, that is a complete goner.
can't say i'm too too sorry.
old work on there, and i was already planning on starting a new one after my maternity leave... a professional blog/website.  <<<------- this is me being somewhat optimistic. ha.


DEEP BREATH.

SO, just thought i'd share.
don't make the same mistake i did, or you too, will find yourself up at 2am wanting to take an ax to both google and android's throats. (some smart phone, huh?)



faith & love,
casey