Dr's apt & Gianna's Room

So I thought I was at the home stretch, but I've been feeling good and don't feel like I'll be going into labor anytime soon. Baby has been doing great and moving a lot. She gets monitored twice a week and each time they said she's doing great. I guess too great because she hasn't dropped yet and I'm not dialated either! Doc says I'm softening up so I should start dialating any time now BUT he doesn't want to schedule an induction yet. Now I'm waiting until my next apt on the 23rd to see if I've progressed and then he'll decided when I'll be induced. I just can't wait to meet her! The suspence is killing us and going to make this next week go by slow. We know that now's the time to enjoy our sleep and the peace and quiet!

David is really excited for the baby to come! He's been working a lot in the heat and can't wait to take a little time off when the baby gets here. His parents are planning to come out here next week from Arizona.

Chuey's doing great. Went and had him shaved for the summer heat and he goes to the vet tomorrow for a check up. Getting all his needs taken care of now so he's good to go when baby gets here. He's going to have to get used to being outside more when she gets here! :)

All G's stuff is cleaned and ready to go. Below are pics of her baby room, everything is waiting for her arrival!! Enjoy!

Week 38!!!!

Gianna could come today and we would be ready (except for a few things I need to finish up with work). My last day in the office was yesterday! YIPEE!! And it couldn't come at a better time! I'm really tired, have little energy and my feet are so swollen they hurt so it is best I just stay off of them as much as possible. Gia's room is all ready, clothes ready, bags packed. I saw her on an ultra sound yesterday and she's doing great. Dr says if I go full term she could be about 8 pounds! She's riding pretty high in my belly and is showing no signs of dropping any time soon. I don't feel like I could go into labor in the next two weeks, but then again you never know!
My rash, called PUPPS, has finally gone away, thanksfully the weather has been cool because when it got hot I swelled up like a balloon and the rash was so horrible. Stay tuned for an update on my this coming week since I'll see the Dr on Wednesday. I'll also post pictures of the baby's room as well as the belly shots David and I took last week. Everything is coming together well and I'm just so anxious for my baby girl to get here!!!!

8 months- 35 weeks one day!

We've made it through the 8th month!! Still doing well, my feet are more swollen then ever and I have a horrible rash all over my legs, but energy is still there and for the most part I feel good. Baby moves sooooo much, which I love. Baby should be around 5 pounds by now and if born today her chances of survival are very high, but I would like her to stick around a little while longer to continue cooking :) Dr won't let me go past 39 weeks so I'm excited about that, we'll see how everything progresses. I'm at the hospital twice a week now having her heart rate and activity monitored for 20 minutes. So far she's doing great, it gives me piece of mind to have her checked on so often. Once I hit 37 weeks they'll start giving me ultra sounds to check the level of fluid and her weight. Three more weeks of driving to work and then from that point on I'm working from home until she comes!! YAY It will be very nice to be able to stay in bed and keep my feet up since I am getting more and more swollen and tired.

Over the last week I had two more showers that were wonderful!! We got a ton of great stuff and I have the bestest friends in the whole world! I feel so blessed. Here are a few pictures. Thank you to everyone that came, it means so much to us and I can't wait for Gianna to meet all of you! XOXOXOXO

33 weeks!

Three weeks and two days since I've been doing this diet and things are going well. I'm getting used to eating this way and I'm very grateful that this is manageable and that Gianna is doing so well. She's about 4 pounds now and still kicking like crazy. I felt her get the hiccups for the first time this week. It was so cute!! Then I could tell she was so frustrated with the hiccups that she just kept kicking. She's a fiesty little thing :)

I haven't gained a pound since I started this diet and I feel much better, more energy. Still getting swollen at night, but I figure that's going to happen no matter what.

Last weekend was my family shower in Vacaville and I had a wonderful time. My family put so much into making an awesome shower and I got a ton of WONDERFUL things for the baby! Here are a couple pictures





Today David is painting the baby room (brown and light pink) and tomorrow my Mom and I are going to start organizing all her things. I get more and more excited as the days go by. David and I started our child birth classes once a week until the end of June. I know most of the stuff we're learing but it's nice to ask questions and for David to get a reality on how she's going to come out!

31 Weeks!

A lot has happened since my last post. David, baby and I took a trip this past memorial day weekend to Parker, AZ to visit his family and they threw me a surprise baby shower on Saturday!! I was so surprised and didn't expect it at all. It was so fun and I loved all the gifts. It got me excited to start the baby room and set up all the stuff we're starting to get. I think this weekend David is going to start cleaning out the spare bedroom so we can get ready for baby.

Dealing with the diabetes has been a challenge. It's been two weeks and I haven't been keeping my blood sugar down. I was restricting my diet so much, eliminating the complex carbs completely and my numbers were still a tad too high. I had my Dr's Apt yesterday and he decided to put me on insulin. LUCKILY it's in pill form and I only have to take one pill at night. So far it's working and I can add a little more carbs to my diet which makes it so much more bearable. Eating well really does make me feel better overall. I'm less bloated and have much more energy (I've been walking everyday and going to the gym twice a week). She is moving more than ever and I started doing kick counts last night. The first time she moved 10 times in 9 mins!! They want your baby to kick at least 10 times in an hour but most babies do it in 10-15 mins. Gianna is going to be either a gymnast or a kung fu fighter!

DR says that once I hit 34 weeks I'll need to come in every week to monitor the baby. This is because I'm considered type 1 (insulin dependant) and they want to monitor the baby in addition to my regular apts with my Dr. He also doesn't want me to deliver past 39 weeks so that means she won't be here any later than July 23. We'll see how it goes, if I don't feel ready to be induced we can talk about it but they just need to make sure she doesn't get too big.

I just can't wait for our baby to get here, I know all this hard work will be worth it and I'm willing to eat cardboard all day if that's what I gotta do!!

Pics from the shower!

7 Months = 30 weeks 2 days Things are looking up!

Things are looking much better since my last blog. The cold has gone away and my back is almost back to normal. Still a little sore, but much more bearable and getting better everyday!! At first the news of having diabetes was hard to get my head around. I know it's very common, but it was so overwhelming with everything I was already going through. I have to check my blood 4 times a day and eat on a very strict diet, eating every 3 hours 6 times a day. Not only is it strict on food, but also time. I can't eat sugar, salt or high fat foods and every time I eat I have to incorporate a carb, protein, and fat. I was nervous at first that I would completely mess up and eat the wrong things, but I'm learning what I can and can't eat and it's not that bad. I think I've got the hang of it and will be able to do this! After 5 days I already feel better, less tired and less bloated! All I can think about it how much nutrients my baby is getting so that she'll be healthy.\

Before I thought maybe it was the sugar that made her kick so much, but that is not the case. Since I've been eating better she moves even more! David can see my stomach moving now and he just sits there and feels her kick and move, almost feels like she's rolling over!

I am looking forward to the next month. Hopefully I'll stay feeling good and I can't wait for the showers and to start getting the baby's room ready.

When it rains it pours

Well good news is we got to see our baby girl yesterday at an ultrasound. The technican was so much better this time and actually told us what we were looking at. She's getting much bigger, about 3 pounds, and no longer can get a full profile shot of her. This time we got a close up of her face! We could see her eyes, nose, and lips and watched her open and close her mouth, it was amazing. She is doing very well and I can't wait to meet her.
Bad news is I had my extensive glucose test today and they called me back right away to tell me that I have gestational diabestes :( I meet with a nurse to go over my meal plan and I'll have to check my blood sugar every day. Mostly it means that I have to monitor my food and can't eat sugar, lots of carbs, and high fat foods. I have to exercise daily (which shouldn't be a problem once my back is better) and if I can keep this up for the next 2 1/2 months the baby will be fine. Luckily it's only temporary, and I know I'll be able to do it because I want to do anything I can to ensure she's healthy! Most babies from mother's of diabetes have a risk of being too big and result in c-sections. Most people I know that had it ended up with healthy babies and everything is fine.
I was bummed out at first, but I'm up for the challenge I'm going to do what I have to for my baby girl!

29 Weeks- Worst week ever!

The last week has not been so good for baby and I. Monday night in New York I came down with a bad cough and by Tuesday I was down for the count! I had a horrible cough, sneezing and congestion. It took me out of work for the next three days. The more I felt better from the cold, the more my upper back was hurting. I thought it was just sore from the couging and figured it would just go away. Saturday at about 5 in the morning I woke up in horrendous pain and I couldn’t move, I thought either I had a pinched nerve or I was having back labor (which I don’t really know what that is, but it sounded like it fit the pain). We ended up going to the hospital because they said I could possibly have a kidney infection or stones and that freaked me out! My back was spasming so bad that I couldn’t breath, they had to run all kinds of tests and finally gave me some pain meds. After about 5 hours they determined there was nothing wrong with me and the baby was fine! Although I was having a few small contractions that they wanted to monitor. The dr. said pregnant women are more susceptible to pulling muscles and they are slow to heal, he thinks I pulled the tendons in my back from coughing and they will take a while to heal. He sent me home with some vicodine which apparently is safe during pregnancy (who knew). Although I didn't want to take medicine I had to surrender to them yesterday because I couldn’t take the pain. Today the pain has subsided a little that I don't need the meds so that is good. I'm going to try and go back to work tomorrow and take it easy on my back.

All I care about is that Gianna is ok! I'll take this pain if I have to for her, I was so worried about her while I was sick, but the nurses said that my body is doing everything to protect her and that's why I'm more susceptible to sickness and this back pain.

By Thurday poor David had my cold and we've been cooped in this house for the last three days together coughing our brains out and being miserable. He can't really complain because when he does I say "at least you're not pregnant and having horrible back pain!!"

I hope that we're back to normal ASAP. I only have 11 weeks to go and I can't be letting this back pain slow me down!

Happy mother's day Mom!! Sorry I couldn't be with you today, but at least we had last weekend!

28 Weeks!

Baby and I are in Brooklyn, NY for a few days for work. I work Monday and will be home Tuesday, thank goodness it's a short trip. This is also my last work trip... YAY! I don't think I could handle another trip, I've been getting more tired and swollen latley. The flying doens't bother me but being on my feet for 10+ hours kills us! Dr. says I should avoid salt because of my swelling and I'm trying to watch what I eat a little better :|

I'm just counting down the days before she gets here! We can't wait. We start our child birth classes at the end of the month, that should be fun!

6 Months = 26 weeks!!!!

Today I'm 6 months pregnant. 98 days to go!!! Definitly starting to feel the growing pains and I have elephant feet by the end of the day! Starting to feel winded and not able to move as fast and do as much as I'm used to. I have to make sure to take it easy. I've been getting braxton hicks in the last week, pretty much every day. Most women start to feel them after 20 weeks and some don't feel them at all. They are uncontrolable, but mild contractions of my uterus. My stomach gets really hard and tight for a minute or so and then it goes away, it's just uncomfortable and I usually have to sit down and relax when I get them. If I'm out and about moving a lot I start to feel them, also when I'm walking the dog more than 20 minutes I start to feel them and have to go home. I'm trying to eat well and go to the gym, but it's getting harder. My cravings are overwhelming and I just LOVE to eat!

I'm heading into my third trimester and I can't wait for her to be here, I know she'll be here before I know it, but 3 months seems so far away. I'm not ready for her yet since she doesn't have a nursery yet, so I guess I should be happy I still have 3 months to prepare!

25 weeks 3 days!

I'm almost 6 months and Gianna and I have had a busy couple weeks. I traveled to Albany, NY and baby was kicking like crazy on the plane. I just sat there and watched my stomach pop out everytime she moved or kicked. It's so cool to know she's moving in there and she's getting so strong. Working two full days on my feet was not a good idea, I was exhausted and getting braxton hicks. It took me two days to rest and recover, but I was back to normal in time to go to the Britney Spears concert. That was fun and I got a onsie that says "oops I did it again." So we can remember that was Gianna's first concert (and probably her only one for another 10 years)!
I'm still able to exercise, Sleep and move around good. But I can definitely feel the weight wearing me down. I get winded faster and by the evenings I'm pretty much wiped out. I just know it's going to get better from here (haha yeah right)!!
David is doing great and taking good care of us. He can feel the baby all the time. My sister was able to feel her as well.
We also finished our register last weekend at babies r us and target.

Growth Spurt 23 weeks 5 days

I'm 5 1/2 months and my belly has had a nice growth spurt! It has expanded at least an inch in the last week and my poor stomach is super itchy, I can't stand it!
Next week Gianna and I are going to Albany for 4 days and when we get back we're going to see Brittany Spears!! YAY

5 Months = 21 weeks 4 days!

Watch out! Gianna is the size of a papaya today and I feel like I'm the size of a house, or at least maybe a condo!

She is now able to hear outside noise so David has been talking to my belly. Right now her little face is fully formed. She has starting to settle into sleep cycles and sleeps about 12 to 14 hours a day (This of course is all according to my prego book). I can definitely tell when she is awake because those kicks are getting stronger everyday!!

My boys resting....

David can feel her moving!

21 weeks!
Yesterday David and I went for our 20 week ultrasound and had the LAMEST technician on earth! No personality and granted, they have to measure and look at everything on the baby, but she really didn't give us any insight into what we were looking at. I couldn't even see the screen. We were there for almost an hour because Gianna was moving so much they had to make sure they got acurate shots of all her organs, etc. It was cool to see her mouth open and they also said she drained her bladder. They confirmed that it's a girl and gave me a bunch of pictures of blobs that don't look like anything :( Argh!!!
Oh well, all I care about is that she is healthy and a mover and a shaker!! My mom said I moved a lot too when she was pregnant with me so Gianna is taking after momma! David even felt her last night, it was great!! She's getting a lot stronger and the movement is more like a kick or a punch rather than a pop! She's a superstar!!!

20 weeks, 3 days HALF WAY DONE!

So I'm a little over 20 weeks prenant now, HALF WAY DONE! I can feel Gianna everyday. Still just little bubbles, but I know it's her. My rotator cuff has completly healed (thank goodness) and I'm back to feeling great! I feel like my belly has gotten bigger in just the last few days.
I'm currently working in Washington DC and come home tomorrow. Traveling is fine, but being on my feet all day is harder than it used to be. Plus I can't wear the cute shoes I used to for 10+ hours. Being on a plane for 4 and 1/2 hours was ok, I went to the bathroom a number of times and just made sure to get up and move. Dr said it's fine for me to fly up until 36 weeks, but I'll be done by 30! Being away is not bad, but we miss Daddy David and he misses us too. Every night we're away he reads what is happening to Gianna from my pregnancy journey.
On Thursday we go to the Dr for our 20 week ultrasound!! This is the apt that they'll confirm the sex and check on her growth. Before this they would measure from the crown of her head to her rump, but now she's big enough to measure from head to toe. I love seeing her on the screen and watching her move. I think this will be the last ultrasound for a while.
My little Gia is about 10.5 ounces and 6.5 inches long, as long as a banana! Her digestive system is now working and she can swallow the amniotic fluid.

Felt some movement today!

I'm pretty sure I can feel Gianna in my belly. I'm feeling little pops, almost like bubbles are popping or she's popping popcorn in there! I thought I felt it last night but today at work I definitly felt them and I've just decided it's Gianna getting my attention!! YAY

18 Weeks 1 day

So I went to the Dr last week and apparently I sprained my rotator cuff in my right shoulder! I have NO idea how I would have done that but the Dr said it could be from wear and tear. I think maybe I slept on it wrong, but either way, I still can't reach up with my arm. I start pyhysical therapy tomorrow. I just hope this heals soon! Dr. said that it will heal because it doesn't seem too major, it's just very inconvenient for me!
The pregnancy has been coming along great. According to my books (and the proof I saw at the ultra sound last week) she has become amazingly mobile. She can yawn, hiccup, roll, twist, kick, punch, suck and swallow. She's big enough that I could feel those movements, but I haven't felt anything yet! I can't wait to feel them, hopefully in a couple weeks.
David is doing great, taking good care of his baby's mama. We celebrate our 4 year anniversary together on Tuesday Feb. 24th and on March 1st we'll celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary.
I'm 90% sure that we are set on the name of our baby girl......

Gianna Elisa Mendoza
We love the name Gianna and it is only one of a few that we both agreed on. Elisa is my Grandma's name (my dad's mom who passed away when I was 5). I love the way it sounds and it just makes me smile whenever I think of her! :)

4 Months- 17 weeks 4 days

Today feeling tired. I'm definitly feeling the "growing pains" in my abdomen and makes it hard to sleep. Right now my arm is killing me, not sure if it was from giving blood today for some tests, but I can barely lift it! Honestly before today I've been feeling great (maybe that's why I'm being a baby about everything today). My hair is super long, but I thought my skin would be doing better....not really. I can't wait to feel the baby, I know she's moving in there, but I want to be able to feel her.

Our baby Girl!!!! 17 weeks

17 weeks- Happy Valentine's Day!

IT's A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!! Got the best Valentine's day gift ever today when we found out that our baby was a GIRL.
We decided to go to Sonotech in Roseville to get a ultra sound of the baby and they can determine the sex as early as 16 weeks. Today I'm 17 weeks and got to see the baby move and kick. It was amazing because she was moving like crazy and I can't feel a thing. I still feel great, just getting bigger and belly is definitly starting to pop out! David's parents and my mom came with us and we were all so amazed watching her on the screen. They also gave us a DVD of her movement which I will charish forever! I can't wait to go shopping for girls stuff!!!
Stand by for the pictures. I'll post them soon!!