31 weeks.

One week closer to meeting this baby! 

One of the changes happening in the last couple of weeks is that I'm eating so little and getting so full! Also, no matter if I have dinner at 5pm, the heartburn and reflux is hitting me hard. My stomach must be all squished inside me! The baby must still have lots of room for moving, though, because he's pretty intense, kicking and punching and making the "wave" and overall I think changing positions all the time. I truly wish I could see what's going on in there :D

Good news: I went to the dr on Friday and the results from the glucose blood test came out NEGATIVE! After 3 months of glucose coming up high I was sure I had developed gestational diabetes so I was in shock, happily in shock to know things are OK after all and that I don't have to worry about that. But still, I plan to keep with the healthy, low sugar, low carb diet, just in case and also, because it's better for me and the whole family. Still, I ate a few desserts over the weekend and had white bread toast (homemade bread!) this morning for breakfast, LOL! But it was a sort of celebration, I'm getting back to good things already ;D

Thanks so much for reading this. Have a lovely week!
Iveth

Documenting

30 weeks + 3 days.

I've been so bad documenting the growth of the baby bump, I started to feel a bit sad not to have taken more pics from the earlier weeks. I think the reason I feel like this is because very probably this will be my last pregnancy, I mean, I'm 38 so everything feels like "I need to really enjoy this because maybe I won't experience this again!". 

I always dreamt of having at least 3 kids but of course, once I had one I realize that, as my mom use to say "no es de enchilada otra" which means "is not as easy as making enchiladas"(LOL!). Of course is not as easy, it took me a good five years after Amelia was born to feel like I could do this once more. And it worked great at the end, I've been so happy to have a family of 3 for all this time and being able to put all my attention on my sweet girl. And then when I felt that the right time to have another baby had come, nothing happened for 2 years. I started to think we weren't going to be able to have more kids and suddenly it happened *happiness*

But at the beginning I was skeptic, we had tried for so long that I was feeling all the time like something would happen so I kind of didn't let myself fill with illusion until we were sure things were looking good with the pregnancy and such. So not many things documenting the first trimester and even half the second trimester even when by this time I was feeling confident and finally allowing myself to get really excited about it. 

And then time has gone so fast in the last couple of months! We are close to the final line now, wuuut! So now I'm determined to keep a better track of all that happens and how I feel and how the bump grows, etc. 

I have this app called Baby center, where you see each week's progression and stuff and Amelia is a huge fan, she's checking on it all the time and discovered you can take "bumpies" each week and make a gallery. So it's been a few weeks since she's been documenting the baby bump, asking me to pose for pics or just taking pics of the bump without my notice. Obviously the pics are not the most flattering hahaha but I appreciate so much Amelia's initiative and care. She's just so sweet and interested on everything that's going on. 

Today I took a few self portraits, with my face freshly washed and my hair not looking a total mess so I can share them with you, haha!

I feel I have a huge bump but looking at the pics it kind of looks normal-sized I think! I guess is just how I feel, all clumsy and heavy and can't believe I still have a lot to grow in the next following weeks. I was gaining weight steadily but haven't gained in the last few weeks. Tomorrow I'll see my dr and see what he has to say about it. Definitely eating less than before, I feel like I get so full so fast + as I'm probably dealing with gestational diabetes, I've cut on sugars and reduced carbs so it may be that. Anyway, tomorrow I'll get the results for the blood test checking for diabetes and I'll let you know how that goes. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading!
Iveth

Lately

Illustration by Rachel Levit

30 weeks pregnant.

I'd be nice to feel like the lady in the illustration. She seems to me relaxed and focused, exercising and stuff. It has been different here as I'm feeling particularly tired lately!

It's so weird and funny how the last months of 2016 I was so focused, so energized, so productive and now I feel completely the opposite. I believe is the third trimester of pregnancy hitting me hard and oh boy, can't wait (NOT) to see how it goes in the following weeks with this lack of sleep and feeling so utterly unfocussed and distracted, not to mention tired. 

Anyway, other than that, which is normal (just frustrating anyway), I'm feeling good. i'm having SO much fun with this unborn baby, who is so freaking active and keeps me looking at my belly at all the alien-like movements and making me smile, wondering what the heck is he doing in there.

In other things, I'm starting to feel the nesting instinct kicking in and I just want to give the house a huge cleaning and work on the baby's room and organize his clothes and go buy a stroller and stuff. I was so lucky my neighbour gave us so much clothing and baby things! She had a baby boy less than two years ago so she had all these things that we could use; I am so happy I won't have to buy them, it's so expensive and most get so little use, plus it feels good to reuse instead of buying and buying! now I need to go through all that and organize. We don't have much things from Amelia's baby years save the crib which I need to see if it's still in good condition and buy a new mattress and the carseat which probably has expired already. I saved a lot of blankets which is awesome and also almost all her clothing, unfortunately won't be of much help because probably half of it too girlish (yep, there was a lot of pink and ruffles and little dresses back them with my Amelia) and not many things gender neutral. I think I always felt I would have another girl if I ever became preg again but I was obviously wrong, this boy shook me and now I can't wait to meet him.

And about family, I am amazed by how loving and protecting Amelia already is with the baby bump, she's just SO sweet, so interested in all what's happening, reading pregnancy books with me and checking the Baby Center app. She's so curious, I can't wait to see her with her brother, I wonder how is going to be, but judging by how's she's acting right now, I believe she'll be a great big sister. Fingers crossed!

So now, let's hope that I find a bit of energy somewhere to at least do some stretches like the lady in the illustration.