22 Weeks

This week was one week to remember!!! I saw my beautiful, little girl's face!!!

We went to our second perinatal appointment on Thursday (April 10, 2014) to see her face, since she didn't want to show us her face during the last appointment.

I was a bit nervous since during the last appointment, the Doctor told us she had Choroid Plexus Cysts, which are cysts located in the brain. 

The Doctor told us not to worry since these cysts tend to disappear in the third trimester, but they had to tell us about the cysts since they can be a sign of Trisomy 18. And THAT's what scared me.

Trisomy 18 is a chromosome disorder that lead to deaths in the pregnancy or the baby can die shortly after birth. So of course, Israel, my mom and I started praying. 

I wasn't going to worry or think about it, because I didn't want to get upset. 

I just prayed that God would work a miracle and Isabella would be okay.

WELL..... I am NOT in my third trimester yet, and they were NOT going to check for the cysts that day, but another Doctor came in and wanted to check real quick, and THE CYSTS WERE GONE!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!

The Doctor said there was nothing to worry about, but I told her, we had been praying for the cysts to go away and saw this as an act of God! :)

Seeing our baby on the screen is indescribable. Especially, when we see the 3D images of our little girl. It's just so incredible to see Isabella's face and already know how she looks like.

 

It's funny...Israel and I started to wonder who she looks like. We quickly said, "she has Mami's nose" (my mom's). But later that afternoon, I looked at some baby pictures of my brother and I, and yea, she has my nose. I love looking at her pictures. She's just so cute. I can't wait to meet her!

How far along: 22 weeks

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: 18 lbs

Maternity clothes: I did go shopping this week for some summer clothes, but I ended up returning a lot of the clothes I got. I'm trying not to spend too much, but I want to make sure I have comfortable dresses for the hot weather. I kept a maxi skirt, two maxi dresses, and two simple, cotton dresses.

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: I'm sleeping well. Can't complain.

Best moment this week: Seeing our little girl and getting the GREAT news that she's healthy.

Miss anything: I miss deli meat and hot dogs (at least the hot dogs from Costco).

Movement: Israel finally felt her kick! She is moving a lot. Mainly in the morning and at night....But she kicks, here and there, at work.

Cravings: No real cravings, really.

Queasy or sick: Nope! Feel great. Just tired at times.

Looking forward to: Our 24-week check-up.

21 Weeks

This week, we took a nice, little trip to Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ with our Church.
It was supposed to be a trip for our kids in the Adventurer club, but it turned out to be more of a Church trip since people hadn't been on a Church trip in a long time.
It was a beautiful day out and it was nice to spend some time with Israel.
The nicest exhibit, and what the Aquarium is known for, was the Shark Realm, where you basically go through this tunnel and see the sharks swimming around you.

We didn't get a chance to take a pregnancy photo of 21 weeks so this photo will have to do...

How far along: 21 weeks

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: 16 lbs

Maternity clothes:

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Well, I got sick this week so sleeping was an issue. I couldn't breathe from being so congested. But having the humidifier helped a lot!

Best moment this week: Finishing our registries! It was fun seeing all the cute blankets and clothes for Little Baby Fernández.

Miss anything: I miss being able to breathe!!! haha

Movement: Isabella is moving a lot more now. I just wish Israel could feel her. She stops moving once he touches my belly.

Cravings: Soda again :-/ I try not to drink Sprite that much, so I picked up a San Pellegrino drink the other day.

Queasy or sick: Just so sick! Super congested and tired.

Looking forward to: Our second appointment at the Perinatal office and I can't wait to start decorating Little Baby Fernádez's nursery!

20% of our UppaBaby Vista!!!

Yes, you read right!!! We got 20% of our UppaBabyVista!

The fine print on the BuyBuyBaby and Bed Bath and Beyond coupons explicitly says you can not use the coupons on the UppaBaby strollers.

However, after reading a few blogs, I found out you can use the coupon AT a Bed Bath and Beyond store and order the stroller of your registry. So I thought I'd try it out.

Saturday night, we passed by a Bed Bath and Beyond store and asked to purchase a stroller from a BuyBuyBaby registry. The manager took me over to the registry area and asked me for all of the information. Once he pulled it up, he asked me if I had any coupons or gift cards, and I pulled out the Bed Bath and Beyond coupon and placed it on his desk.

 

He didn't even look at the coupon!! He took off the discount and we payed! I saved $146!!!

The manager was super nice and even told me to keep the coupon for another purchase.

Two days later, we received the stroller....FREE SHIPPING.

20 Weeks

I'm a little late with this post since I'm already 21 weeks. But I did take a 20 week photo!!! I just didn't have a chance to post it last week.

As you can see, I cut my hair. I didn't want it that short, but after seeing my hairstylist with short hair, I wanted something similar to what she had.

I did go in for a haircut since my ends were dry. They say your hair grows a lot faster during pregnancy, but I wasn't seeing much growth for 5 months. I thought it was the damaged hair preventing it from growing. 

So, this is the cut I got. Obviously, it looks better when I get it done at the salon. 

I'm not crazy about how it looks in this picture, but I just don't have the energy to blow dry my hair.

Hopefully it grows out fast and healthy!

So I leave you with the 20-week info:

How far along: 20 weeks

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: 15 lbs

Maternity clothes: Mostly maternity clothes but I still use some of my regular tank tops and dresses. I would like to buy some dresses for church.

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In, but I'm starting to see it change :-S

Sleep: I'm sleeping well, just getting up once to go to the bathroom.

Best moment this week: Seeing my little Isabella! She's a funny little girl. She definitely does not like to be bothered while she's sleeping.

Miss anything: I miss certain foods... a really want a pastrami sandwich.

Movement: Yes!!! Isabella is moving and I love it. It's funny when I bend over a bit at work or while eating, she kicks me. My mom says she doesn't like having less room hehe.

Cravings: Pastrami sandwiches and I've been wanting ice cream lately.

Queasy or sick: No nausea. I get heart burn here and there.

Looking forward to: Our second appointment at the Perinatal office. I would like to see her face on the 3-D images.

1. Uppababy Vista

2. Britax Affinity

3. Britax B Ready

A few months ago, I took a look at the Uppababy Vista and fell in love with it and decided to save up for it so I wouldn't feel the pain of spending that much on a stroller. But after I told a friend the price of the stroller and saw her reaction, I started to look at cheaper options. That's when I started researching the Britax B Ready (#3). It's basically a copy-cat of the Uppababy Vista, just half the price. Then I saw Britax was releasing a new stroller that was exactly like the Uppababy Vista AND you could change the color whenever you want (you can purchase a separate color pack).

After listening to another friend's advise, I decided to take a look at all three at the store, and not worry too much about the price. I just had to choose what felt best.

So, Israel and I went to BuyBuyBaby to start our Registry and take a look at the strollers. 

We played around with all three for a while, focusing on how easy/hard it was to fold and unfold them.

My cousin spoke wonders about the Uppababy Vista so I wanted to make my decision based on the ability of folding the stroller and being able to place it in my car.

Honestly, all three strollers were a bit hard for me to do. But I can't really base my decision on that because I'm not the strongest person, and I didn't want to push myself too much. So I basically left it to Israel.

Surprisingly, he said the Uppababy felt much lighter than the other ones and I did notice it was easier to fold.

The Uppababy Vista it is!

I've placed it on our Registry, but we'll be purchasing the stroller ourselves.

19 Weeks

How far along? 19 Weeks, 6 Days

Gender: Girl!!!
Total weight gain: 10 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Nothing new, but wearing what I have every day. Everything is so comfortable!
Stretch marks? So far none!
Sleep: Now I'm sleeping with the wedge pillow by my back, and a regular pillow between my legs. There are nights I don't sleep great, but I still get my rest for the day.
Best moment this week: FEELING Isabella move!!! Oh it was so cool! But it sucked that it happened when I was in a meeting. I wanted to text Israel right away, but I had to wait. I couldn't stop smiling!
Miss Anything? I do miss coffee on a cold day. I would also love a Pastrami Sandwich.
Movement: Oh yes! I love feeling her move!
Food cravings: Fries
Anything making you queasy or sick: I seriously can smell people's breath from 10 feet away! It's crazy!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In but it is getting wider. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Oh, I'm so happy! But I have noticed I'm much more sensitive when I sing. Songs make me cry more.
Looking forward to: My 20 week ultrasound!

Isabella's First Dresses

Since I found I was having a girl, I couldn't stop myself from going into Carter's during lunch this week.

There were sooooo many beautiful dresses, but I didn't want to go crazy. 

I did, however, go to the clearance section to see if there was anything worthwhile.

And this is what I found...

One was $7 and the other $10. Not bad, right? So Isabella now has her first two dresses for church.

I'm not going to buy much for now....and of course her grandma is working on a few dresses herself.

Isabella's grandfather already said this little girl is going to be a spoiled baby. 

But don't worry, we won't spoil her. I can't, however, talk about her grandparents. 

ESPECIALLY her grandpa.