Coming soon...

I have been pregnant with my second child for almost 38 weeks, which doesn’t seem possible. Where does the time go? I have such mixed emotions about it, especially since this will probably be my last pregnancy. Here’s a recent update:

On Thursday, April 16th my doctor said I was dilated to 2cm and effaced at 25%. I was having lots of contractions for the following couple of days, but fortunately made it through the weekend. Ryan was the caterer for my cousin Shannon’s wedding on Saturday, so it would not have been good timing. We prayed about it and thankfully God answered our prayers. =)

On Wednesday, April 22nd my doctor said I was dilated to 3cm and effaced at 50%. He gave me the option to schedule an induction for next week (once I’m 38 weeks and full-term) or according to him, "let mother nature take it’s course". I explained to him how well my induction went with Ethan, since I had a different doctor and asked him if he thought it would go just as well this time. Basically, I wanted to know if he thought my body was ready and would work with me, not against me like it did with my first induction. I was dilated and effaced with Ethan, but needed a little nudge to help me establish a regular contraction pattern.

He said he felt very good about it, especially since I’m petite and carrying a decent size baby of approximately 7 – 7 1/2 lbs. He agreed with me that it's probably not a good idea for her to get too much bigger, since I’ve been dealing with bulging varicose veins this pregnancy that are both painful and unsightly.

My induction is scheduled for this Monday, April 27th at 8:00 a.m. as long as a room is available. Thankfully, my family has been very supportive and will all be with me when Emily arrives. Ryan, my mom, and mother-in-law will be with me for the entire labor and delivery. I’m both very excited and anxious to meet my baby girl! It’s hard to believe that I will be a mother to not one, but two children in less than a week.

Preggo pics

A good friend of mine (our wedding photographer), Inma Ruggieri took my pregnancy photos last month. She did this on March 13th when I was 32 weeks. Her website is: www.sevillaphoto.com.

In the beginning of the photo shoot, Ethan struggled with me exposing my belly and refused to be photographed. In a whiny voice he kept saying, "Close the door mommy!" Of course, he was referring to my shirt. It was the funniest thing! :) He finally calmed down once Grandma Mary, Inma, and I sang songs with him.

I really like a bunch of photos that she took, but here are a few of my favorites...

My hard-working hubby

I am so blessed to have married a handyman. Ryan is such an amazing, selfless man who puts a lot of time and energy into home improvements for our family. This past weekend he definitely outdid himself with projects.

He has always been very artistic, which definitely showed when he got the idea to give the nursery an abstract bubble effect. Here is a brief list of what he recently did in Emily's room:

1. He painted two different sizes of crown molding – one red and one black. His dad came over last weekend to help him put it up.
2. He traced four different sized circles on the wall using paint cans, a bucket, and a soda can.
3. First he painted the circles with primer, and then did one coat of Heirloom Red. He’ll complete the bubble effect this week by painting another coat of red and doing some touch-up work.
   
4. He installed a clothing bar in Emily’s closet underneath the existing one. My fun project yesterday was hanging up the rest of her adorable baby clothes!
5. He glued wooden ladybugs on the "Emily" wall letters and mounted a hook on the side of her crib for the diaper stacker.

He plans to have her room completed by the end of the week (excluding the windows and wood blinds, which he will install in about 1 - 2 weeks). I am definitely looking forward to the finished product.

As for the rest of the house, here is a brief list of other projects that are either in progress or were completed over the weekend:

1. We finally got some of our wedding pictures printed and framed. Ryan used his creative eye and mounted them in our hallway.
2. We found a beautiful oil paining of a vineyard that Ryan hung, which completed our dining room wall decor.
3. He hung a mirror on the back of our bedroom door and bought green paint for two of our bedroom walls, which will contrast nicely with our existing tan colored walls.
4. My laundry area in our garage will be completed soon. We made a trip to Lowe's, so I could pick out things to hang on my white pegboard (metal buckets for misc. items, white bucket for trash, paper towel holder, etc.). The only thing I need to do is label the metal buckets and buy a countertop laundry basket. Ryan enjoyed helping me make my side of the garage look as organized as his.
   

Ryan painting the circles with primer

Abstract bubble effect (first coat of paint)

Not quite finished yet...

Letters made by Amber, Teresa & Mary

Wooden ladybug that Ryan glued

Decor above the changing table

Wedding photo collage in hallway

Wedding photos in hallway

Proud mommy

Ethan is growing up...
(more pics down below)

I can't go to bed without expressing how proud I am of my son. As of tonight, he is officially a big boy! His bunk bed was brought into his room on Sunday and now, two nights later he is sleeping in it for the first time!

Here's a quick recap:

• Sunday, March 8th - Ethan's Grandpa Al, Uncle Kurt & Daddy knocked out his old window from 1951 and put in his newly stained bunk bed. Then they installed a brand new, energy efficient window. All of Ethan's baby furniture was moved into baby Emily's room, except his crib. We decided it would be best to keep his crib in his room until he's well adjusted.

• Monday, March 9th - We tried putting Ethan in his bunk bed for his nap, but he was scared that he would fall. As he pointed to the head and foot of the bed he kept saying, "Gonna crash, gonna fall off the bed." Ryan put his creative mind to work after finding some extra wood in our garage and decided to make a mini headboard and footboard. We went to Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores and purchased some batting and navy blue fabric. Then Ryan cut and wrapped them around the wood. He completed the project by using his staple gun. Ethan was very excited about them, but not enough to get him to sleep in his bed. His exact words were, "Ethan's bed safe now. Daddy fixed it."

• Tuesday, March 10th - I could not get Ethan to stay in his bunk bed for his nap, so he slept in his crib again. When it was time for bed I gave him the option of sleeping in his crib or bunk bed and he immediately chose his bunk bed. After several frustrating attempts to keep him in his bed, I was about to give up and put him in his crib. I even tried cuddling with him and promising him stickers in the morning, but nothing worked. We said several prayers asking God to comfort him and give him a good night's sleep in his bed. After his final escape from his room for the night I calmly put him back in his bed, whispered "goodnight" and "I love you" and closed his bedroom door behind me. He immediately cried for me, but I didn't give in. I stood by his door for several minutes and listened to him cry. I even heard him jump out of bed and try to open his door. He quickly gave up and within 5 minutes his crying began to fade. I figured he must have climbed back into bed and went to sleep, but waited 15 minutes to check on him. Sure enough, he was sound asleep in his bed surrounded by all of his animal friends and blankets. I am so proud of him that he was able to transition from his crib to his bunk bed only after two nights. I'm taking him to the store first thing in the morning to get him some stickers, since I must keep my promise. My big boy definitely deserves it. :)
  

The night before Ethan's bunk bed arrives

Ethan showing off his new bunk bed

Fire truck, helicopter, ambulance & police car drawer knobs

Ethan sound asleep in his bunk bed for the first time

Ethan sleeping peacefully in his big boy bed

A work in progress: Ethan's big boy room

Ethan watching daddy paint his "big boy" room

Daddy taking a quick break from painting Ethan's room

Fire truck night light we bought on eBay

Adorable drawer knob we ordered for Ethan's bunk bed
www.coolknobsandpulls.com

Adorable drawer knob we ordered for Ethan's bunk bed
www.coolknobsandpulls.com

Adorable drawer knob we ordered for Ethan's bunk bed
www.coolknobsandpulls.com

Adorable drawer knob we ordered for Ethan's bunk bed
www.coolknobsandpulls.com

Ethan's cute new wallpaper border for his "big boy" room

We've been busy getting Ethan's big boy room ready before his little sister is born, so he'll have some time to adjust. I've been the one online bargain shopping, while Ryan has been the one doing the physical labor (although I have to give him credit for finding the cool knobs). Don't we make a great team? :) We never realized how much work can go into a toddler's room, but feel it is definitely worth it for our little man.

The first thing we bought was the wallpaper border. We went to Vista Paint and fell in love with one, then came home to look online to make sure it was the one we wanted. We ended up finding it much cheaper online through a wallpaper website than in the store. Next, we bought Ethan's adorable drawer knobs online at: www.coolknobsandpulls.com.

After I searched online for weeks, we finally decided to buy two Home Expressions Cotton Reversible Comforters in navy/red at JCPenney for Ethan's bunk bed. They were on sale, plus I found a coupon code through Google. We bought his sheet sets (Fair Haven Stripe) online from Domestications. Not to complain, since I'm extremely grateful of the gorgeous bunk bed we were given, but it was not the easiest task to find bedding in an extra long twin size. The last item that we've purchased so far is the cute fire truck night light that I found on eBay for $10, including free shipping.

Ryan painted Ethan's room a calming shade of blue on Thursday before he went to work. I was amazed at how fast he did it. My husband is quite the workaholic. Ethan loves it! He now refers to his room as "amazing" and told his Grandma "Aba" (Abihider) today that "Daddy painted it, Ethan picked it". I had no idea how excited he was going to be over a new shade.

Ethan's Grandpa "YayYay" (Ethan's nickname for Big A/Allan) and Uncle Kurty are coming over tomorrow to help Ryan bring in his bunk bed through his window. Ryan has made several trips to Hemet this past month to stain the bunk bed a dark walnut shade, which looks really good. In order to get the bunk bed into Ethan's room, his old window has to be knocked out, which means the guys are installing a brand new energy efficient window! Soon we're going to buy wood blinds for it, which I'm looking forward to.

I definitely have mixed emotions about Ethan's transition from a baby's room to a big boy room. This is possibly the last night that he'll be sleeping in his crib. All of his furniture will be moved to Emily's room tomorrow. I feel sad that one chapter in all of our lives is ending, but happy that a new chapter is beginning. As soon as Ethan's room is finished we will start working on the baby's room, which I am very anxious to do.

Stay tuned for an update and pictures of his big boy room once it's completed...

ULV Graduation

I can't believe my graduation has already passed! I received my B.A. in Communications/Journalism in August 2008, but had to wait for the Winter Commencement to actually walk. It took place last week at the University of La Verne.

It was definitely a bittersweet experience. I was so excited to close a chapter in my life, yet kind-of sad at the same time. Even though I plan on going back to visit, it was weird saying "goodbye" to my old work study boss, Shane Rodrigues and adviser, Eric Bishop. I was also disappointed that I didn't get to talk with any of my professors, since it was impossible to find them afterward.

Even though Ethan is only 25-months-old, I could tell how happy he was for me by the way he was glowing and how he squeezed me tightly, grinning from ear to ear. Then there was my proud husband who kept taking pictures of me. All of my family members who came to cheer me on seemed very proud. I am so blessed to have family and friends that have supported me all throughout my college years. Thank you so much! I love you all!

Motherhood Survey - First Born

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? No, but not unwanted!

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes, a newlywed.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I was overwhelmed with joy!

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Absolutely not!!!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 24-25

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I had pre-menstrual symptoms all week long and didn't start my period, so I took a pregnancy test in the morning and another one in the evening (just to make sure...LOL).

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My husband, who was in shock!

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes...I don't like secrets.

9. DUE DATE? It got changed several times...but my last due date was December 25, 2006.

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Off & on...I had more nausea and dry heaving than vomiting.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Carls Jr. Santa Fe Chicken Sandwiches, regular coffee (that I had to give up), frozen yogurt, and fruit.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? I wanted to get the nursery ready right away, but since my husband changed jobs and we had to move I had to patiently wait.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? *Boy*

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No way...I wanted a boy to be the first born!

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 40 lbs.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, a couple's shower.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew about it. Again, I don't like surprises.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? No, praise the Lord!

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Wildomar, CA

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? I was admitted at 6:00 a.m. I was scheduled for an induction, which took place at 8:10 a.m. and went well, since I was contracting on my own. When the doctor went to break my bag of waters at 10:15 a.m. it already had a slow leak. I was 10 cm at 3:00 p.m. and Ethan was born at 4:05 p.m.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? My husband drove me, my mom, and mother-in-law.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? My husband, mom, and mother-in-law were all my labor & delivery coaches. :)

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? I had a low dose of Pitocin to help induce labor and a low dose of Nubain (which I was told is similar to Tylonel). By the time I had to push the medication had completely worn off, but once I saw my precious baby the pain went away. <3

27. WHAT WAS YOUR CHILD'S WEIGHT/HEIGHT? 8 lbs. 3 oz. 19 in.

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? December 29, 2006

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Ethan Thomas

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? He is 25-months-old. Where did the past two years go?!