Watermelon Skates

I'm very lucky to have a pretty amazing family. We're close and see each other at least once a week. We are close with our cousins, my mother's cousins, and even my grandmother's cousins. We're even close with the families who marry into our family. Just this weekend, my uncle by marriage was telling me that his family wanted to come up to Maine to celebrate my grandfather's birthday with us. We just feel like family is really important.

My grandparents especially have instilled this feeling in us. Despite the fact that they left Mexico for the last time almost 60 years ago, we are close with our family there. And part of the way we stay close is through stories. Anyone who knows our family knows we are storytellers.

This weekend while we were celebrating my dad's birthday (Happy birthday, P-Diddy!!), my grandfather was sitting with LoLo and me, telling us stories from his childhood. My grandfather is going to be 90 in October. Sitting there listening to him tell us a story about times he spent at his grandparents' house (my great, great grandparents), I couldn't help but think "Don't forget this story. Don't forget this moment."

But the best part was the story. He told us that when he was a little boy, his grandparents owned a fruit distribution company in his town. They would bring home lots of fruit for the family every night. His favorite was when his grandfather would bring home watermelons. His grandmother would cut them up and give them to the kids to eat, but when they were done, they would run to their grandfather who would tie the rinds to their shoes and they would skate across the shiny cement floor in their huge living room. He laughed as he told me how his grandmother would run out of the kitchen with a mop and try to shoo the kids off the floor.

I never forget how lucky I am to get to hear these stories. And I'm so happy I have a place like this one to document the moments that could easily be forgotten.

22 weeks

On Tuesday, I will be 23 weeks, but this past week while I was 22 weeks, I decided to take a picture of myself to send to my mother in law. She has been in the Dominican Republic for a while and just got back to New York so we haven't seen her for a few months. She always checks in with me to see how I'm feeling and how my belly is doing. (She always says, "Como esta la barriga?")

This week, not a whole lot has changed. I'm still feeling good. I would definitely say I've been more hungry lately (the baby is officially over 1 pound!) and I've got a little bit of pain in my back, but otherwise I'm doing well. Next week, I'll go to the doctor again for a check up and I'm sure I will have gained some weight this time. We'll see!!

22 weeks, 5 days

One thing I have noticed though, is that if it is possible (and my family may not think this is possible), but I've definitely gotten more irritable. There have been times when the tiniest thing annoys me so much. I'm especially sensitive to noises and smells.

The other day, LoLo and I were in the car and had gotten bagels at Dunkin Donuts. When he was taking the bagels out of the bag, I got upset because the noise was too loud. LoLo just looked at me like "Woman, you've lost your mind."

We also figured out a possible reason why Bronxy was angry last week. We think he's getting pretty protective and also that he's really starting to know something is up. LoLo was sitting right next to me (he usually sits on the other couch) when Bronx stared at us and I don't think he liked that. But also, in my weekly emails I get from various pregnancy sites, they said that this week would be the week we could hear the baby's heartbeat with just a stethoscope. We're wondering if maybe Bronx can hear the heartbeat in there. It seems like such a weird thing to think about!

Things are starting to get more real, but I'm definitely still not ready to make a registry or think about paint colors for a nursery... hopefully I'll feel like it soon!

Critical Listening

So today, I have a bunch of random stuff for you. This past week has been pretty crazy at work, so I've been pretty quiet around here, but there have definitely been some funny moments that I want to share.

First off, we have a hilarious moment from when I was visiting a college north of here. I was making a presentation to a group of faculty at the college and we were in a classroom on campus. After my presentation was done, there were a bunch of guys hanging out in the hallway waiting to come into the classroom. They started to make their way into the classroom and find their seats as I packed up my stuff. When I looked up, I realized the whole class was men. As I walked out, I asked one of them, "What class is this??" His answer was priceless. With a completely straight face he said...

"Critical Listening"

To which I said, "I'm sorry, what?? A classroom full of men in a 'critical listening' class?" And I laughed.

He clearly didn't see the same humor in it that I did, but one of his friends did. That guy said to me, "Oh yeah, it's not what it seems. We're all audio engineering majors."

I still couldn't get over the fact that there were 20 men in a class called "Critical Listening". I can think of a few other men who might need to take that class. Well, and a few women too.



Second off, we have some interesting behavior from Bronx. This week, he has been acting a little funny. Monday night, LoLo and I were sitting on the couch watching tv together when Bronx walked up to us and proceeded to sit in front of us and stare. And I don't mean an innocent stare...it was more of a glare. Some of you may have seen the picture I put on instagram.

Very angry puppy...but still cute

I gave him his toys to play with, I gave him a treat, I put him on my lap and he jumped down. I couldn't figure out what could be wrong with him. Some people speculated that he maybe just figured out that I'm pregnant and he's expressing his anger. First child disappointment is a real thing. Just ask me.

So finally, LoLo grabbed Bronx's bed and brought it in. Bronx immediately went under his blanket and hid from us.

Drama queen under the covers

Either Bronx has a case of the Terrible Two's (he'll be 2 in July) or he's truly growing into his teenage years... Because each year for a dog is like 7 people years right? If so, he's almost 14. Sounds about right.

Maybe he needs to take a Critical Listening course. I know just where he can find one!

21 week update (with pics!)

The other night, my sister and I were talking on the phone and she said "Erin, you said that your blog wasn't going to turn into a pregnancy blog, but... it's kind of turning into that." So of course I reminded her about my puppy sleepover post, but still, she was kind of right.

I guess I didn't know that this whole pregnancy thing was going to take over my life the way it has. I mean, obviously I knew my life was going to change, but I thought I'd still have lots of things to talk about other than the little stowaway holding me hostage.

But honestly, it's hard to think of anything else lately. My body is not mine anymore, my stomach continues to grow, and I'm not in control of very much. I finally decided to take a picture this weekend after a stranger asked when I was due. I figured I must look pregnant enough that I don't just look fat anymore. I sent my sister the picture first and she said that I definitely look pregnant.

So far, I've only gained 1 pound. I had gained 3, but then I lost 2 so I'm back to 1. Some people have asked whether that's ok considering I'm already halfway through the pregnancy. My doctor has said that it's fine that I haven't gained weight because I started with too much weight as it was. My body is well equipped to handle the baby and the baby is growing right on schedule. Last week at our 20 week scan, the baby was 12 ounces which was right where it should be.

And let me tell you, that baby was cute. If you saw my instagram, you saw that I thought maybe the baby was starting to get nervous about his/her parents. I mean, it can hear our voices now... and it probably thinks we're prettty crazy.

Doesn't it look like the baby is saying "OH NO... What have I gotten myself into?!"

Being more than halfway through the pregnancy seems crazy to me, but at the same time, it feels like I have a long way to go. However, I received some great news...

I CAN GO TO PARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ay, amor, tú eres mi religion

A couple of weeks ago, I tweeted that pregnancy hormones are no joke...and boy have I been feeling it! I'm up, I'm down, I'm crying without having any idea why...

I've already cried twice in the past two weeks when I heard a song I really liked. These songs aren't sad in any way, but they kept making me cry. This morning, I finally made the connection. Both of the songs were about telling someone how much they were loved.

Since getting pregnant, I wasn't sure how I would feel towards LoLo. Obviously, I had no doubt that I would love him, but would I be mad at him? Would I feel resentful? Would I feel like he just couldn't get it? Would I want him to just stay away from me?

And just the opposite has happened. I can honestly say I've never loved LoLo more than I love him right now. I've always said that I] feel overwhelmed with how much I love him. It seems to flow out of me. Anyone who sees me with him knows I have to hug him every 5 minutes. My brother in law and my sister mock me all the time, saying "Ohhhh LoLo, you are soooo cute!!" But I mean it. And since finding out I was pregnant, I just don't know how to contain my love for him. One of my favorite bloggers, Kate, wrote about this same feeling on her blog a couple of weeks ago and I could totally identify.

These past couple of weeks have been hard. I've been on "modified" bed rest even though my test came back normal because they just want me to be safe. LoLo has completely taken care of me. He has cooked, he has cleaned, he has gone food shopping, he bought me a whoopie pie when I really just couldn't stop thinking about it. He has gotten me a smoothie and hidden it in the fridge for me so that when I came home from work I could have it.

LoLo grilling up a steak in the oven for dinner

There have been times that I've felt guilty for not being able to contribute the way I normally would. He hasn't complained at all and has just done what needs to be done and tells me to relax.

And nothing makes me melt more than having him say he can't wait to see our baby. A couple of weeks ago when I went to a quick check up at the doctor's, the nurse let me hear the heartbeat. When I got home and told LoLo, he was so upset that he hadn't gotten to hear it.

I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones or just the thought of having a little baby that could look like him, but I just feel so lucky to have LoLo and to be able to share this time with him.

Ay, amor, tú eres mi religion,
tú eres luz, tú eres mi sol,
abre el corazón, abre el corazón.
Hace tanto tiempo corazón, vivía en dolor, en el olvido.
Ay, amor eres mi bendición, mi religión, eres mi sol que cura el frío,
apareciste con tu luz, no, no, no me abandones, no, nunca mi amor,
gloria de los dos, tú eres sol, tu eres mi todo tú eres bendición.

Puppy Sleepover!

This past weekend, LoLo and I took care of my parents' dog, Harriet, while they were in Florida (oh yeah and my sister went on their vacation with them too... how romantic. She was writing #moochfest2013 on every one of her instagram pics...but that's another story for another day).

Bronx and Harriet have a very love/hate relationship. Since Harriet is my parents' dog, we say that she's Bronx's aunt...Auntie Harriet! We can't even say the names Auntie or Harriet anymore because he runs around the house looking for her. Her code name is H-Woman. He hasn't figured that one out yet. They get so excited to see each other. Bronx always knows when we're almost to my parents' house and Harriet always knows when she's almost to our house. But as soon as they see each other, they start fighting. I'm talking rolling all over the floor, growling, and wrestling. Their tails are always wagging, but still, it used to be pretty scary.

Harriet had had a pretty busy week full of doggie daycare so she was pretty exhausted when she made it to our house Friday evening. That night, she and Bronx were pretty laid back.

Harriet didn't really want to play much and I think Bronxy was getting a little angry.

Mommmmmmm, she won't play with me!!

 Saturday they played a little and were generally pretty nice to each other. Harriet even managed to crack a smile when I gave her her food. Haha, actually she has an under-bite that makes her look like she's smiling sometimes.

That night, Harriet laid in her bed and tricked me into thinking she'd stay there all night. Instead she woke up at least 4 times to walk around our bedroom until I'd say "Harriet, go back to bed!"

Sunday morning, we were watching one of the morning shows and they had a puppy on. Harriet couldn't take her eyes off the screen! My mom even told me that sometimes my dad has to turn off Animal Planet because there are dogs on the tv.

We had such a fun weekend with little Harriet. Bronx loves playing with her and having her over. They're just so cute together!

Ok, cute puppy overload officially over.... for today.

Happy feet

Last week, I had an ultrasound and my doctor thought I might have to go on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy. She told me to just lay low for the week and to pretty much just rest every night after work and not to really do any walking and then she'd test me again this week. Yesterday was my test and let's just say I passed!!

I was so happy to hear that everything was ok. It's so frightening to think that now anything that could be wrong with my body could affect the baby. My body is working really hard right now and since I haven't really felt any different than before I was pregnant, I have been trying to do everything I did then too. This was a good reminder to slow it down a little and give my body a little break.

After the doctor performing the sonogram saw that everything was fine, she went to check the baby's heartbeat. That little heart was still beating as strong as ever. But she came across the cutest little thing... tiny baby feet!

Next week at 20 weeks, we get to have the anatomy scan which means they measure the different body parts. I can't wait to get to spend extra time looking at the baby and seeing all his/her little parts... well, except for one...