we picked a name.

Ryan, Xander, Me.

Ryan and I had a date night on Tuesday. We haven't talked about "the name" since we found out we were having a little diva. I just looked at him and said "So...do you think we have a name?" and without any hesitation he said, "We do." 

My heart started to really beat. I can't believe it. 

This little being growing in me and dancing around on my bladder everyday is...real. 

My house looks like a tornado hit it after a hurricane got to it first and it's all because we are getting the nursery ready for her...

It is all becoming so real.
"The name" is what made it REALLY real.
now I can sing to her...talk to her...read to her...all while saying her beautiful name :)

It is a name we cherish. So because of that, we are keeping it under wraps until we get to gaze into her beautiful eyes.

Ryan and I ADORE...absolutely ADORE our nephew, Xander. The love I have for him is so unreal...not because he is so FREAKING adorable and hilarious but because I just LOVE him.
Ryan and I always talk about just HOW MUCH we LOVE him.


So while playing with him over the weekend, Ryan looked at me with tears in his eyes and said..
 "I am really going to LOVE our little girl."


And I thought to myself while my eyes started to water.... I love this man more than ever.

Maria is a Luna.

Maria is a Luna.


Whoa. How crazy.

Maria and I have been through many of life's journeys together from family problems...boy problems...personal issues...multiple Latin clubs...different countries...etc.

We've been friends since 2000 and our friendship has continued to grow and grow!

She is one of my "go-to" people to talk to, be with, and spill my heart out with complete and utter honesty without a fear that she will love me any less.

She is one of the people that really know me. When judgements are/were placed, she is the first to rebuke them without a millisecond of hesitation.


During my hardest moments of my life, Maria is there. She's even jumped in the car at the moment she heard bad news to drive over an hour just to come and sit with me...and cry with me. That's the type of friend she is. She has defended me. Uplifted me. Continued to encourage me. And ALWAYS ALWAYS loves me. Even through my selfish moments, she is selfless.

I don't know what I would do without her in my life...honestly. In the beginning of my relationship with Ryan, when everyone else but a couple people doubted him and me, she stood by me 100%. 


My secrets are her secrets. Vice Versa. I can say with 100% confidence that she is one of the few people I trust wholeheartedly.

I can't put into words the type of person she is...a beautiful person inside and out can't begin to describe her because it's still not enough.

She was one of my maid of honors alongside our other best friend, Rosie, and now I had the opportunity and honor to be apart of her big day as she married the love of her life, Oscar.

I wish them all the happiness and LOVE. Marriage has been such a blessing in my life & I only hope it will be a blessing for them as well.

24 weeks.

Growing baby! 

How far along? 24 weeks 

Total weight gain? 2# (Total: 13 #)

Maternity clothes? So I couldn't keep this up forever but I caved and bought maternity clothes. I bought 2 pairs of maternity jeans and 2 pairs of harem-type pants AND I am in love. That's the extent so far of my maternity clothing but I am happy I finally gave in:) The picture actually features one of my awesome pairs of jeans I purchased! I love love love them!

Sleep?  Sleep has improved overall but I still feel a little uncomfortable. 

Best moment this week? Being able to be apart of my best friend's wedding and Baby D joining in on all the fun:) 

Miss Anything? Feeling NORMAL overall. 

Movement? She is a little dancer & I love it. It feels amazing. I get nervous when she doesn't move as much but then the moment I do, she gives me a big kick in my bladder! :)

Food cravings? My cravings are very random and dissipate once I have it. But they are so strong that I NEED it.
Main ones in the past 2 weeks: Baskin Robbins Chocolate Ice Cream, Happy Wok Chinese Food (mmm), and....that's it! 

Anything make you queasy or sick? Motion sickness, avocados, fish....the saga continues. The smell of greasy food like fried chicken! Ick!
Gender? My little diva 

Symptoms? Sinus congestion, muscle aches, and yes POLYURIA.  

To add to the list recently: SWOLLEN ANKLES. They aren't TOO bad but I am starting to get cankles. Oh and the CALF pain! ouch!!!!! 

Belly button in or out? In! 

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody? Happy in general but I find myself getting mildly/moderately irritable at times. Eek...sorry! 

Looking forward to? Nursery and hanging up all the wonderful clothes she received! 

Delilah wanted to get in on the photoshoot too!

In general, I feel great. Don't get me wrong, I do love being pregnant but sometimes...just sometimes, I miss my old body.

The one that didn't have the baby and all the skin tension...and weight gain! 

Everytime I start to miss it, little Baby D kicks me back into reality and I smile and feel better. 

My bestfriend got married this weekend (Maria & Oscar), and I am so glad Baby D was there with me every time of the way! 

Tomorrow I will finally post some wedding pictures and dedicate the blog to Maria! 

Nursery is coming along though. Paint is finally on the walls and we are having a garage sale next weekend to get rid of a lot of duplicate stuff and any other "stuff" we don't use anymore to make room for our little diva! If you are interested in coming, holler and I can give you the information! <3 

a snippet

My beautiful best friend married the love of her life.

My blog tomorrow will be dedicated to her! :) 

Goodnight! 

hectic

today was so hectic. many reasons. but so hectic that i could not post anything interesting. i also owe you guys a 24 week update. brb.

THE WEDDING!

I can't write a lot because I have to go get dolled up and all but my BEST FRIEND is getting married today!!!!

Pictures will be posted soon! 

the pregnant BM

Being a pregnant bridesmaid has its difficulties. 

Worrying about needing to pee during the ceremony is the least of my concerns actually.

The dress doesn't fit.

Can't wear any special bra because those don't fit either.

In the words of my husband..."Wow you have THREE babies." Thanks babe.

Standing in very high heels is going to be....interesting.

WALKING IN THEM is going to be even more interesting.

But all that matters is that my best friend is marrying the love of her life.

And I get the honor of being apart of it.

:)

errands

no interesting blogs today. and probably not tomorrow. been running errands all day and doing wedding stuff. woowoo

Wedding!

The wedding extravaganza starts tomorrow for me! 

Starting the day off with a mani/pedi doesn't seem too bad though;) 

bonjour chicago!

My aunt from France came to visit us briefly in Chicago! 

She's full of awesome and fun stories and it's great to have full conversations with her because I get to use my Laos to the fullest ;) 

Baby D also loved walking all over downtown Chicago and mama is feeling great!! 

I FEEL pregnant so I can't say I feel 100% like myself but I do feel GREAT overall! 

All the little kicks and turns she does in there makes me smile but so excited to meet her soon...

dancing baby ;)

Burlesque baby! 

Over the weekend, we celebrated my best friend's Bachelorette party! I got to take Baby D out for a day full of dancing and eating...and loud music :(

I can't believe that Maria is getting married and I am having a baby! We've been friends for over 10 years and she has been a huge support in every small, big, negative, and positive aspect of my life! 

Enjoy the pictures of our girls night out. 

i feel it.

"you're so pregnant now."- Ryan Dorough

Yes. I feel it. I'm exhausted from the weekend to write anything.

My entry will be somewhat more interesting tomorrow. 

Goodnight.

last night .

my last night out. for reals. celebrating my bestfriends journey into marriage. woot.
some pictures will be posted ;)

girls just wanna have fun!

spent the day in chicago getting ready for maria's bachelorette party. woooooohoooo 

first night of REST

The SNOOGLE

Okay. I couldn't believe it myself. I am in LOVE...again! 

I named him Sebastian. 

Ryan bought me a standard body pillow during my first trimester (I named him Benjamin). But it still didn't do the trick. I was always uncomfortable (when I got bigger), felt bloated every single morning, and couldn't sleep through the night...restfully. 

For Mother's Day he bought me the SNOOGLE! 

I was so excited when I opened the box and couldn't wait to try it out! Look at the picture! There are so many ways you can use it! When I got it, I used "The Swirl" right away while watching TV and felt bliss.

Then when I got in bed, I couldn't stop expressing my love for Sebastian. He wrapped right around and supported my back AND belly. I had unwanted pressure just melt away. I love it. 

And Ryan really loves it. 

I woke up this morning feeling so well rested. The first time in such a long time.

I wasn't bloated. My back didn't ache. I felt gooood! 

So yes. after this dramatic post, I HIGHLY recommend it. It may not work for everyone but I am in LOOOOVEEEE! 

Sebastian is coming with me to Chicago tomorrow for the weekend and back home to Rockford with me next week! :)

huge announcement

Okay everyone.

I did it.

I know I know. 

I said I wouldn't. 

But nothing fits me anymore. 

So there was a huge sale.

And I did it.

I bought 2 pairs of maternity jeans and 2 pairs of casual harem pants (maternity).

And I am in love.

Now I know why people do it. 

I guess I've accepted it.

I AM DEFINITELY PREGNANT. 

chinese friendship

I am too tired to write anything substantial today however if you ever want to experience a culinary explosion of flavor, you must visit Friendship Chinese Restaurant on Milwaukee in Chicago. 

Tuesdays- all their main entrees are $9 (orig up to $20) and the food is absolutely divine! 

Yum! :) 

happy birthday mama:)

Happy birthday to my mama! 

I love you!! 

Dedication to my mama 

mama...i love you!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas, baby mamas, future baby mamas, and grandmamas! 

Especially to my amazing and beautiful mother! 

I am the youngest out of all her kids...her baby girl. So yes you can guess, I was spoiled..still am:) 

Growing up I never really knew my life was any different than the average person and that was all because of her. Through all the adversity we experienced. Lack of things and people in our lives, she never made us feel like we didn't have a fulfilling childhood. 

She tried her hardest to take ALL the burdens that are so apparent to me now as an adult on her own shoulders so that we could be happy kids, have the things we wanted (most of the time), while teaching us how to be responsible, loving, and just good people. 

I can't say that my brothers and I gave her the easiest time. We saw the holes...we felt it. The missing pieces that were obvious to the world of the things we didn't have...even though my mother tried her hardest...working 2-3 jobs after coming to America while raising 4 kids (3 boys and 1 girl) all on her own.  

Emotionally we felt we were missing. We saw kids with two parents. Steady incomes. Material things. Fancy vacations. They were normal. So she tried. She gave us what she could. Spread her arms as wide as possible to fill that void. Let her protection go for a bit so we could be normal. But it turns out, she was all we ever EVER needed. 

22 week update! :)

22 weeks :)

How far along? 22 weeks 

Total weight gain? 2# (Total: 11 #)

Maternity clothes? I still refuse to wear maternity clothes. I have browsed some websites & stores though for some basics...but have not yet jumped on that bandwagon. Buying L/XL (clearance!) will have to do for now :) We'll see how long I can keep this going. 

Sleep?  The humidifier has helped me sleep a lot better with my constant sinus issues. It doesn't fix the need to pee though. But overall, my sleep has improved. Getting a belly & back massage every night helps <3

Best moment this week? I had many best moments. But if I had to pick one, it would be when Ryan felt a big kick from his baby girl :) That melted my heart. 

Miss Anything? Peeing like a normal person. Whatever that means.

Movement? She is constantly moving. It feels ABSOLUTELY amazing. Definitely weird considering I've never felt this before. I just recently could SEE her kick and wiggle. I love LOVE love it.

Food cravings? My cravings are very random and dissipate once I have it. But they are so strong that I NEED it.
Main ones in the past 2 weeks: apples (organic, cold, & crispy) with peanut butter, Mario's Italian Ice on Taylor Street in Chicago (I drove to the city just to get this & I ordered a jumbo size one to take home! I ate about 1/2 by myself.), and Cinnabon cinnamon rolls (not just any cinnamon roll. I ate 2 minibons hehe).
I still love eating Laos food and raw veggies everyday! 

Anything make you queasy or sick? Motion sickness, avocados, fish....the saga continues. Eggs and me have become friends again but very distant friends. I can only tolerate it in small amounts and it has to be scrambled! The yolk = ew!
Gender? Princess Baby D

Symptoms? Sinus congestion, muscle aches, and yes POLYURIA.  

Belly button in or out? In! 

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody? Happy in general. Ryan does a great job making me laugh every single day. I will be honest and say that I've had my "sad" moments thinking about too much..but the little kicks, nudges, and heart beat make me remember how good my life really is. 

Looking forward to? Getting the nursery done. We started finally clearing out all the junk of the "office" & Ryan will start painting this weekend hopefully! :) 

Do you want to hear her heart beat? :)

Our baby girl at 22 weeks:)
What a cute nose! :)

We had to do another ultrasound today because our last one didn't get enough anatomy. We got over the financial aspect really quick. We were both so excited we got to see our beautiful baby girl once again. 

Finding out that she is perfectly healthy was amazing. But hearing her heartbeat and seeing her move was priceless. 

It reminds me that all the work I'm doing to stay healthy including resting at home is all worth it. Now I get to watch this quick video anytime I want to remind me of what life is truly about. I am so excited! :) 

It's a very short video & the ultrasound tech wanted the sound off so she could concentrate (haha) but it's still awesome to hear! Enjoy:)

22 week updates with photo coming tomorrow!! :) :) 

old school.

Spent the day cleaning and preparing for the nursery.

Our house is small and we have very very limited closet space so we have to be very creative how we store things! I almost want to hire a professional organizer! Bleh! 

Well during my clean up...I found some interesting photos :)

thor

Went to see the Avengers tonight. 

OMG.

Amazing. 

Thor is...amazing ;)

28 memories

Happy HAPPY birthday Rosie!!! 

Rosie and I are cousins. Her dad and my mom are siblings! We were not always as close as we are now but after my family moved to Illinois from California, we were literally FORCED to like each other. She was forced to have a shadow. 

We went through elementary, middle, and high school experiences together. Spent summers together. Went to high school dances together. If I told my mom Rosie was going to be there, I could go and vice versa. And now it's crazy and amazing to think we continue to share life experiences together as we both "grow up".

Everyone that knows Rosie loves her. For many reasons! You just have to meet her and you'll feel blessed. And best of all, she's really really good at praying. (hehe) 

Not only do I want to share embarrassing pictures of her (and I) but I want to dedicate my blog today to her with TWENTY EIGHT memories! 

trying to stay..useful.

I graduated April 19th. When I sit down and really think about it, it hasn't been that long. I took a couple days here and there to spend time with friends, run errands, and clean...clean...clean.

Then...there are some days I really don't have the desire to do anything. Like nothing. No moving if possible. I make sure to at least have dinner for my hubs when he gets home & pack his lunch for the next day...which I did when I was in school too.

"I feel useless." Ryan quickly responds..."You're doing the most important job of all, taking care of our baby."


I know he meant that with all his heart. He is amazing like that. 

But I still do. She isn't here yet. And I feel lazy. I wish I lived closer to my family in Rockford so I could spend time with them.

I know I know...I deserve to just do nothing after being in school constantly for the past 6 or 7 years (all year round) but I can't help to think I can contribute more than what I'm doing. I've looked for random jobs that would hire me (to keep myself busy) so I could help with bills etc but haven't had any luck. I don't want to just go out and spend our money that we're trying so hard to hold onto just because I'm bored.

So far...I've maintained a clean home. Good food. Healthy body.

Yet I still feel like that isn't enough. I guess this is a good time for me to pull the books out & start studying for my big & bad board exams in August.

I'm just in that mode. the BLAH mode. This is normal right? right....


On a good note, I smiled and laughed to myself today as she kept wiggling around. Her little movements all day have reminded me of the joy I get to hold in...months!

tiny baby updates

*Ryan felt baby girl kick for the first time today! 

*It's amazing to feel her wiggle around :) 

*We finally completed our registries today. Yay. We probably left a lot out...who knows! 

*Learning to let go and let God...taking each day one at a time! 

No matter what, we are very blessed. Focusing on what we have rather what we don't is key!

<3

happy holidays

happy cinco de mayo. happy kentucky derby day. my cousin vanessa had a genius idea "someone should wear a sombrero to watch the kentucky derby". two birds. one stone. baaaam. (btw that idiom is mean) 

honest blessings

Officially 21 weeks! :) 

Here is a pregnancy update:

"By the end of this week, your little one will measure 10 ½ inches long and weigh about ¾ pound. His skin has changed from being translucent to opaque as the skin cells grow and stretch in preparation for the fat deposits, which will soon form under baby’s skin. If your baby is a girl, her womb and vagina are formed. She will have 6 million eggs in her ovaries decreasing down to one million, before she is even out of her own mother’s womb.

Your baby’s tongue is now fully formed and he is strengthening his muscles with movement. His bones are hardening nicely and his movements are much more coordinated now. He may be doing some gymnastics inside you at this very minute. Back flips and somersaults are entirely possible, and they are great practice for his leg and arm muscles.

Swallowing is becoming a steady activity with baby. After he takes in amniotic fluid, his body absorbs the water in the liquid, with the waste moving on into his large bowel. The digestive system is already at work!

As your baby grows, his wake and sleep cycles begin to form. Your activity level and eating patterns are normally what rules his, as he can now hear all that goes on around him. And when you eat and drink, he eats and drinks. It is now that you start to find out if you have a night owl or an early bird."

The joys of waking up multiple times throughout the night to pee has given me poor sleep.

Yes yes, I know. Get use to it. I know! But I still get to complain...right? :)

When I wake up to pee, I realize how achy I feel mainly in my belly as my abdominal muscles are trying to adjust and my intestines are slowly being squished. I know it only gets worse but being a first time mom, I am uncomfortable when I wake up in the morning. Throughout the day, I feel great and really don't have any complaints! 

I am so blessed with Ryan. I say it over and over again...but I REALLY am.

This morning he realized how achy I felt and I couldn't get back to sleep, so before he got up for the day he massaged my belly with shea butter (which he does EVERY single night btw) then proceeded to massage my back as well. 

I felt SO SO SO much better and was able to fall back asleep for THREE more hours without any problems. 

He is going to be such an amazing dad. I can't wait until he can share in the joy of the karate kicks I just started feeling! As of yesterday, butterfly flutters are now martial art kicks! :) It's amazing.

one of those days...

it is.
the days you spend just wishing.
lots of wishful thinking.
lots of should have. could have. would have.

grr. go away go away.

i wish!

we bought a zoo. i love this movie.

Stretch Marks

In the past two weeks, my little baby girl has been doubling in size which also means mama is getting bigger too! With the increase belly size, my skin is feeling very uncomfortable and STRETCHED...and ITCHY! 

I started using Raw Organic Shea Butter by Shea Moisture which smells AMAZING (has Frankincense and Myrrh essential oils) and it feels amazing! I am hoping that it will help with the itching symptoms but also preventing stretch marks! 

What I love about the product is that it has what it says- shea butter and essential oils! There are no additives and weird preservatives! 

What products have you used? How did it work? 

I would love the input!