Leap Year Adventures

Well, not really. Lol I spent my leap year working, napping, having lunch with my brothers fiancé & hanging out at lowes!

I actually sat in a little patio rocking chair! Just me & the baby while my husband did some man shopping!

Check out how big my bump is!! It makes me laugh!

My Mid-Pregnancy Screening

Well, Looks like McNugget is an overachiever! He measured around the 98th percentile for growth and development. He weighs over a pound and he's got "Really Long Legs and Arms" (Like his mommy). so here are some of our ultrasound pictures today! It always feels amazing to see the little guy! Now that I feel him kicking around in there, I'm more at ease!

So here he is... a full profile view with his long legs and arms... just hanging out.



and here is his face... looking right at the camera! It's pretty creepy! but she said.. "say cheese baby!" and there it was.. his whole face.



last is his money shot... We realized we never got the the shot that showed his boy parts... So the Ultrasound tech was kind enough to get a snapshot... apparently McNugget is not shy about his goodies. lol!



and lastly, here is a video of his beating heart! <3 br="">




The Doctor has advised that since I have Lupus, I should now have a restrictive diet of No sugar... or VERY VERY little amounts of sugar. Why? Because sugar makes the baby grow bigger, or bigger than he should... and we want to have a natural birth and avoid a C-Section.

Ideally, a C-Section for me- would mean that I it would take much longer to heal and I would have a harder time transitioning from pregnancy to motherhood. the last time I had stitches, it took 1 year to officially close.

so for the next 5 months..
no juice
no cake
no ice cream
no white bread
no pasta
no RICE?!?!?!!?! I'm asian. I live off of rice!!

He even blocked me from buying girl scout cookies.... he had 4 cases in his office and a sign that said $4.00 a box.. and I couldn't even buy 1 box!! Boo.

anyway.. what I need to eat/drink.. water water water. more water all day. (luckily I TONS of water)!!

well, that's it for now!

xoxox
Anna

A Wonderful Weekend full of Love & Laughter!

This weekend has been pretty spectacular!

To start, we celebrated my grandmothers 81st Birthday! It's been a real tough year for her, she's endured quite an exhausting medical journey and she's starting to feel better (thank the lord!!).



It was great to see her so strong and healthy, full of love and laughter!

We also celebrated my little cousins birthday, She too has spent the last few months enduring an illness, not to mention her mother has been battling cancer, but this is her first birthday party in a few years and she's been patiently waiting for this for quite sometime!



Its so nice to spend time with my family! Everyone was surprised to see how big my baby bump has grown! A few of my aunts got to feel the baby kick and that's pretty exciting!

Lastly, My little baby brother proposed to his long time girlfriend at Disneyland on Saturday night!!

He's been with his GF forever, she's been part of the family for as long as I can remember and I can't imagine life without the two of them together! I'm soOooo excited for them and I can't wait for the big day..



OMG, my baby brother is getting MARRIED!!! Best of all, I'm soOOoo excited that the baby will attend the wedding.. either in my belly with his birthday suit OR as a baby in a pimp ass suit. lol

Tuesday is our 20 week check up! We'll be measuring all his organs and doing all the stuff one might have done during a 20 week check up!

I'll keep you all posted!
xoxo

21 Weeks and the I'm now an "every 2 hour eating machine..."

It's a warm day in Sunny Mission Viejo, CA. today it was 79 degrees... so i got to enjoy some sunshine weather!!

How far along? 21 weeks today

Total weight gain/loss: 12 lbs

Maternity clothes? I've invested in some. but I'm still wearing dresses from the local boutiques & shorts.

Stretch marks? Nope, thank you dear precious baby jesus.

Sleep: like a bear hibernating for winter... 9-10 hours a night baby.

Best moment this week: My dad felt the baby kick!

Miss Anything? it was National Margerita day yesterday... that made me sad.

Movement: i feel him all day long wiggling..

Food cravings: is that what they're calling it?? I will eat anything in site... i'm not just craving, I'm starving.

Anything making you queasy or sick: food that's served with cream or sauce on top... gives me the creeps.

Have you started to show yet: yes. some people say I'm small for 21 weeks.. while my husband keeps staring and pointing out that I'm clearly showing.

Gender: a handsome little man

Labor Signs: nope..

Belly Button in or out? It's so deep I don't think it'll ever find its way out.

Wedding rings on or off? bands are off, engagement ring is still on.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm a walking smile!

Looking forward to: decorating our nursery, just waiting for all the items to arrive!

Baby Training Bootcamp for my puppies...

Here is a photo of my two pups pitifully looking inside the nursery, but not entering!! (First try too!)


Our little family has been blessed with the best non-human babies... our 2 dogs are such a blessing!! I started training them over the weekend. There are certain boundaries that I need them to establish before the baby arrives and it's so far, so good.

Here are the new rules I'd like to establish before the baby arrives:

"No puppies in the nursery"

"No puppies begging for food in the breakfast nook"

"no taking the baby's toys"

Here is a photo of my two pups pitifully looking inside the nursery, but not entering!! (First try too!)




I've been pretty successful with the "No puppies in the nursery" rule. My husband is catching on that this is an important rule. He's the one that typically spoils the pups and so now he MUST learn to discipline them.

So the other day, I started off by buying some clothes for the baby.. Ok, I practically bought the WHOLE store, but when I got home, I took the items upstairs to the designated nursery. As always, the pups followed me.. they FOLLOW ME EVERYWHERE.
before I opened the nursery door, I said, "No, you two stay outside". Every time they made the attempt to enter, I would say, "no, no. outside." and I would point my finger at the door... and sure enough, they would turn around and exit the room.

I continued to do this throughout the weekend, I would enter the nursery and sit for 2-3 minutes and they would wait by the door.

When my husband returned home, I sat him down to explain the new process. sure enough, he followed the rules and the puppies listened.

**Don't forget, if they listen.. they get a treat!!**

Nursery.. registering... researching.. OH MY!

I spent a majority of my weekend researching and registering for Mc Nugget. I mainly used the registry as an organizing tool for items that I need, want, or think I want for my little journey into parenting.

It's great to have feedback from family and friends, I also read a lot of blogs, reviews and spent most of my time weighing my options. I must say, it was tedious and extremely overwhelming.

in the end, I'm pretty satisfied with all of my choices and I hope I made the right decisions on most items. If I didn't, it'll be a lesson worth learning and it'll only make me a better parent. Besides, just because the item received an A rating doesn't mean baby McNugget will like it!!!

so onto some good news.. today we both had the day off so we woke up early and headed out. Not really expecting to buy anything, I just wanted reassurance with some items. First, the nursery. I've been really trying to narrow down a theme. I liked the airplane theme because I want McNugget to shoot for the stars! I did want a calming environment for him and wanted him to thrive!!

so when we walked into this little boutique, first off, there was a 50% off sale... second... the baby bedding was Airplane theme. oooh.. I went banana sandwiches over it.



how could I pass???? Completely excited over the bedding.. we added a little rug, lamp, curtains, blanket, and extra fitted sheets.

then we travelled over to a furniture store to take a look. They also had a sale (No sales tax)... we looked around and gathered pamphlets, looking over price, sat in some rocking chairs... after about 30 minutes, we started to leave... until I saw something that caught my eye.

after looking at this particular set up, we realized it was the favorite and best furniture we've seen... so my husband decided "it is worth every penny if I don't have to look at any more baby furniture"... soOOoo, we now have a complete nursery (almost)... We went with the brand "Munire". The Majestic collection was our favorite (we got married on the yacht majestic)!! the best thing my husband said was, "we need to get him a hutch.. he'll have lots of trophies" lol.

so here are some photos!


and lastly, we decided on a baby mattress... Brand is called Moonlight Slumber. the collection is: Starlight Support Supreme.

Why did I decide on this brand? well, first off its PVC Free, fire Resistant, waterproof, antimicrobial (HUGE DEAL!!), bedbug prof, tight fit (edge to edge so the baby can't slip his legs in the corner, dual firmness and memory foam on the other side...

so the best thing is, you don't need a bed cover. so if there are accidents, you just wipe it clean!
also the baby starts off on the infant side of the mattress and when he's a toddler, you flip the mattress for the memory foam. :)
lastly I like it because it will last him for at least 6-7 years before we convert it to a full size bed.



my husbands favorite thing about ordering everything today... for $127 bucks, they deliver AND build the furniture for u! wooOo hoOOo!

well little Nugget, We hope you LOVE your nursery!! You better love it! you only have about 2 months in my room until we move you into your dope ass room!!

xoxo

I did a little shopping today..

and it felt sooOOOo good.

20 weeks today + valentines day!

So this week we celebrated valentines day! We got my husband a little card to tell him how much we LOVE & Appreciate him for everything he does for me, baby Mc Nugget, our pets (Maddox, Leiah-Bear, Nacho & Randy (the fish). I think he liked it, my hubby LOVES cards!



He gifted us some amazing gifts!

I decided to start blogging a little differently.. let me know if you like it!

I'll make sure to post a photo tomorrow.

How far along? 20 weeks today!

Total weight gain/loss? The last Doctors appointment- They said I gained 12lbs. (feb 1st).

Maternity clothes? I must admit, I've been doing some shopping. I bought a few shirts, more belly bands, dresses and stuff... it IS pretty comfortable! HOWEVER, I still fit in some regular small dresses & tops, Medium bottoms (shorts)!

Stretch marks? None on my tummy, I've been lathering coco butter like my life depended on it. I AM SUPER DRY now so Im lathering ALL day. I've had stretch marks my whole life since high school. I blame the junk in my trunk but no new stretch marks are on my bootylicious butt so thats good.

Sleep? I love sleeping. I could sleep all day if you let me. :) last night I had 12 hours of sleep!!

Best moment last week? at 19 weeks 3 days, we felt the baby kick!! My husband got to feel it and it was VERY VERY cool! <3 br="">
Movement? I feel him swirling around, but not like last week!

Food cravings? where's the beef (as usual- I love korean BBQ)?? fruit, ice cream.. I can eat ice cream every night. and I want birthday cake.

Gender? A boy!!

Labor signs? my tummy feels super tight at the end of the day. sometimes it's hard to move around.

Belly button in/out? In. it makes me look lumpy... i have a VERY deep belly button!

What I miss: clubbing, dancing, drinking, and looking pretty.

What I am looking forward to: relaxing!! I've been working super hard and its a little stressful!

Milestones: no milestones this week!

Aunty Cathy Loves McNugget!

awe.. My sister must have heard me complaining that my pants won't button because she gave some love straps to hide my open fly. lol. its pretty clever! Also, Baby McNugget got a little book, he can document his first years Memoirs. lol!! We've already gathered all his ultrasound photos as a keepsake. soOOoo cute!

Thank you Aunti Cat! you're already a great auntie to Leiah and Maddox (Our Dogs) and We know you'll love the baby McNugget!! He can't wait to meet u and uncle Charlie!!




xoxoxo Loves!

Knock Knock Mommy, I'm here.

Oh my my. During my babymoon, while laying on the beach watching the sunset, I felt this jolting feeling from inside. I thought for a minute... is it too soon to feel the baby kick???? yes. yes its possible.

so after the first stab... I put my hand on my belly and after a few minutes I felt it again... BUT to have my husband there to let him be a part of it was probably the best way for him to connect with Baby McNugget. Seriously though, the excited look on his face was priceless!!!

it even got better after we felt it, two whales JUMPED completely out of the water in front of us!


This photo was taken right after the baby kicked! We were jumping for JOY! lol




Here is the bump photo just @ 19weeks 4 days.




and the many different photos my husband took of me that day since we were celebrating!

Babymooning!

When someone asked me if I was planning on babymooning, I asked 2 questions, "WTH is a babymoon" and "Can we have a babymoon?"

the first question was answered with "its the must have vacation before you have a baby" and the word "Must Have" meant I didn't want to miss out.

the second question was answered with a FEW questions by my husband "what is a babymoon?" also "are you making this up?" and then, his work decided to send us to Hawaii.. so I couldn't pass on this opportunity so we booked it and he even flew us first class!!

So here are some amazing photos of our trip:



this photo was taken from Paia. its a little hippy town where all the surfers go. Also, we enjoyed lunch there at a little place called flatbread (everything is organic!!




My Babymoon Gift! SO before we left for our trip, my husband's wallet fell apart. After looking for a few days, I couldn't find the same type of wallet he wanted. In Wailea, there was a shopping center next to our hotel, so one night we walked there to find him a new wallet. We were pretty successful in Gucci so When I went to gift him his wallet, the sales lady handed me a HUGE bag!

"Big Bag for a wallet!" I said... and to my surprise, she said "this is actually a gift from your husband. He wanted to thank you for the baby!"

SOooOOoo AMAZING, a baby bag for little McNugget! I love it!



so this might look a little shocking.. BUT let me explain.. So at first, I thought, "How will I ever be in Hawaii in a bikini"... but to my surprise, I'm quite comfortable in my new body and though I'm gaining weight faster than the speed of light, I'm still very excited to see the me. So here I am, 18 weeks, 5 days in a bikini. Baby bump in ALL it's glory.




He saw his first Luau.



favorite dinner place in Paia "Mama's Fish House". it is AMAZING!!

sooOOoo yummy!



My second favorite place is called Hula called Kaanapali. I had a fresh salad, fresh bread, and the ribs with rice. SOOOoOOo yummy!!



The little souvenir my husband got for little baby McNugget was soOOo adorable!

Well, I must say, this vacation was relaxing and much needed. Thank you HUBBY!! You have given me and Baby McNugget the best life ever!! u r the best!

19 Weeks.. and Growing!!

I loved celebrating my 19th week in such a tropical place! Here is my 19 week bump photo!

So I've been blessed with an amazing pregnancy so far. I can eat everything and anything, I can sleep through the night, I can pretty much be superwoman if I wanted but with a baby bump.

the downside of having such a healthy pregnancy is.. I just keep getting bigger and bigger. My baby bump seems to just grow over night and even by the hours... its very interesting. I'm not sure if I'm gaining any more weight, but man oh man I feel round.

so cravings. I am seriously into ice cream right now.. cake...

for breakfast I Love Rice, eggs & Sausage (I can eat it everyday!)

I love fruits.. I can eat any fruit. but I love cantaloupe, strawberries, apples (I eat 1 a day), pineapples, oranges.

I love a good salad with baby greens, burgers still, seafood, soup... veggies (broccoli, carrots, bok choy, corn, brussel sprouts)

Did I mention ice cream??

yummy!!

Unprepared for motherhood?

I know that motherhood has been a dream of mine since I was 10. I wanted to get married and have babies and be a mommy!!!

At 32, I now have the perfect recipie to start my family yet I'm having these crazy baby dreams where I'm unprepared!

Last night, I had a dream I was clearly around 39 weeks and went into labor. It took 3 hours to deliver the baby and they made us go home the next day. Apparently I had focused so much on pinning ideas on pintrest I forgot to decorate/ furnish the nursery and buy the baby clothes!!! Umm my husband suggested wrapping the baby in leaves to keep him warm and we ended up putting him in our dogs clothes. Since it was after 9pm, I pulled out my sewing machine and started seeing him diapers.

What????? Well, clearly my mind is screaming for me to go baby shopping!!

The Emotional Terror From Missing Breakfast

There's been an emotional rollercoaster since last night. I'm not sure why, perhaps the lack of eating all the things I think I want to eat with the things I am actually forced to eat due to convience or perhaps it's the stormy weather that just rolled in. But something inside me has snapped.

After cocktail hour for my husbands work last night, we walked to the wailea shops for dinner. Though nothing sounded exciting to me, we settled for cheeseburgers. I think the two scoops of ice cream started the domino effect that has left my poor husband still scratching his head.

Before bed, I told my husband I would wake up and have breakfast at the hotel while he worked at his conference. He asked me to wait for him and he would have breakfast with me.

During the night, I had this crazy dream that we pulled off the road to get gas and were held at gun point while a group of people robbed us. I remember being shot at and the guy running off with my purse and wallet.
I remember the robber that the gun to my head threatening to pull the trigger of I didn't give him my engagement ring.
I woke up to use the bathroom and the tv remote was pressed against my head. I went straight back to bed and my dream changed to a scene where my husband had grabbed the robbers gun and we were holding everyone hostage. We robbed the gas station and continue to do so at 4-5 other places.

3 words... What on earth??

Anyway, this morning I woke up and I got ready for breakfast. Then I waited and waited & he never came back to get me!! By 10:45 by the time he actually returned to the hotel I was practically running to the restruarant!!

I completely missed breakfast and I was fuming!! It was all I wanted as he dragged me to the stupid ocean front cafe to eat lunch. I literally sat there in tears eating a stupid hot dog while he watched whales jumping out of the water enjoying his fish tacos. Ughhhh missing breakfast has completely ruined my day, to the point where I'm forced to lay in bed and take a nap @ 5:30pm.

I swear, I need to shake off this funk!

18 week check up

Yikes I'm totally behind and I feel terrible!

At our 17 week check up, the doctor did a quick ultrasound scan! He confirmed that we are at 18 weeks officially.

Oh baby, you are skipping milestones! I want to enjoy every minute of my pregnancy. Let's not be in any hurry to come out sooner than you should!!

Dr's comments:

"yep, that's a boy"
"still measuring big, about 18 weeks so that's good"
"next ultrasound will be the BIG one where we check out his organs and measure all the good stuff"
"he's so healthy, I'm impressed"
"have fun in Hawaii".

My OB looks like Micheal Bay.

Anyway, I've gained 12 lbs in my pregnancy. I can still fit in size small dresses. My Bra size went from a 34 A to a 34C. I did buy a 34B maternity bra but it was so uncomfortable that I couldn't stand it.

I find that low rise shorts are the most comfy! I went from a size 3- to a 7? Seems like my butt is growing as fast as my tummy.

Btw, we r in Hawaii this week for our babymoon and I'll be relaxing on the beach for 9 days!