It’s The Little Things.

Mommy Loves You Baby Girl :*

Being a mom is an indescribable feeling. I enjoy every single little thing about it. Most people would say that it gets tiring and aggravating, but I have yet to feel that way, honestly. My daughter amazes me every second of the day. Fortunately being a stay-at-home mom means that I don’t miss any part of her growing up, especially during this time when she is growing so quickly. It’s as if she’s growing right before my eyes! I notice progress every day, it’s incredible.

Zebra Baby (:

Being a young mom (I’m 20 years old) is another stereotype that I “fall under” which I’m not at all ashamed of it. As a matter of fact, I prefer being a young mom versus an older mom because I can grow with my daughter as well as being able to do things with her while we’re both young. I love the fact that I ALWAYS have somebody to go somewhere with. I enjoy the fact that being a mom is a job that I love without being paid, I love that being on call 24/7 gives me something to do since I hate the feeling of not having anything to do, and I love the fact that I am so lucky to have a good baby that gives me opportunities not to have to do anything.

I Love Mommy ♥

The littlest things she does helps me discover her unique personality every day. Things like her falling into a dead sleep when she’s laying on me. I can go walking around, talking loud, going here going there, she won’t wake up. But as soon as I put her down, no more than 3 minutes later she starts crying realizing that I’m not there anymore. As soon as I pick her up, she stops and falls right back asleep. Is that not the cutest thing ever? It fills me with love.

Her Face?! Too Cute!

She’ll probably love pedicures, or getting foot massages because she LOVES when you play with her feet. It calms her down almost every time she fusses.

I have rarely heard stories of babies who don’t cry during bath time, but Natalia doesn’t. She loves bath time and the feeling of her body being massaged with warm water and getting clean. I wash her head full of hair real good which she appreciates I’m sure.

My Little Ray of Sunshine ❤

She will probably be a morning person because she’s always in such a good mood when she wakes up, and usually “cranky” or fussy at night if I wait too long to put her to bed. Early riser, early sleeper; opposite of me.

Waiting for the Doctor.

She’s starting to turn her head to follow me wherever I go. I even read in an article sent to my email about baby stages for her age (which is 1 month and 10 days old today) that she will start recognizing people, sounds, and environments. I have been noticing that Natalia seems to know who her grandma is, and where her changing table is, and things like that. I imagine that she’s thinking “This is where she changes my diaper. Yay, Thanks mom!”, lol. She knows when it’s time to get changed because she’ll cry, and if she has a dirty diaper, I lay her down and start messing with her diaper and the crying stops. She used to cry all the way until you were entirely done, all the way to you snapping the last side. 😀

My Cutie Pie ❤

Natalia @ The Doctor’s

She’s very sensitive. Every little thing bothers her, from her clothes being uncomfortable, her seat being too hot or cold, her mouth is wet, when she has the littlest bit of poop in her diaper, every little thing. She’ll probably be a neat freak or perhaps a perfectionist like her mother. (;

She gets bored easily, which means she’ll probably be a busy body, not lazy thank God! She gets tired of being in one room too long and enjoys walking around (or being carried around) so she can look at different things. I feel like this will make her a curious person, someone who wants to learn new things. She seems to enjoy it when I go outside with her. I think the fresh air, sunlight and the company of animals makes her calm and happy. It’s adorable.

At the Dr.’s Matching. (:

What’s even more adorable is that my 3 little dogs seem to know that she’s a baby, that she’s my baby. Shoot, they knew when I was pregnant, they could feel it. I could tell. They acted different. I remember them sniffing my belly as if they knew there was a little being in there. When I brought the baby home the dogs were so curious to see her and sniff her. I let them sniff her little foot and it was as if they knew she was my baby and accepted her right away. It was interesting to see the dogs and the way they reacted. Even the youngest of them, Bandit, acts like her big brother. When she cries, her runs to where the cry is coming from, barks, then runs back to us and barks again as if saying “Hey, hey! The baby’s crying!”. It’s the funniest, cutest little thing.

My Everything ♥

I love it when she’s feeding, and she has her hands holding me and closing and opening her fingers over and over again. It tickles sometimes, but it’s such an amazing feeling to feel those tiny little hands that I made kneading on me like a kitten nursing on their mommy. Sometimes I’ll look away, and when I look back down at her I catch her staring at me. It’s a very touching experience, I love it so much.

Her First Bath.

Every little detail of everything about her fills my entire body with love. Even things like her crying and her poop. She cries like a little lamb and says “mmbaaaaaaaaaa!” and I can’t help but think how adorable she sounds. Her poop is nasty, but then she acts so cool and cute about getting changed that I forget all about how nasty it is. Even her farts and burps are cute! They’re so loud she makes me think there’s another adult in the room with us, lol! That little girl is so funny she could be a comedian already. 😀

We matched. (:

The way Natalia stares at me while I do my hair, or put on my makeup is another thing she does that melts my heart. I can already tell she’s going to love hair and makeup just like me. ❤

All the little things she does and the things I notice make me enjoy being a mom so much more. I even told my mom last night that I loved being a mom. She told me that I loved it more than she did, and that made me feel good, or more confident that I was a good mom because my mom was a wonderful mother to me and my sister. (:

I ordered a bunch of pictures of her and of me when I was pregnant to start scrap booking and decorating the baby book.

Left: Buddy, Right: Bandit

By the way, my apologies for the slack on blogging. I have been very busy enjoying every minute of Natalia’s life and getting things organized that I haven’t found the time to write any posts. But that will change. I plan to get back to my crafts that I want to finish, scrap booking, and getting things ready for college that I’m going to start this year in August. But that’s for another post later on. (:

One more thing, one of my very good friends Ashley took some professional photos of my little family which will be posted later on as well. Here’s a sneak peek to see what you have to look forward to! ♥

My Labor Experience

Well here’s the post everyone’s been waiting for. I’m going to start from the very beginning:

At 41 weeks, Jacob and I started doing everything, literally EVERYTHING, to induce my labor. From eating spicy food, going on bumpy rides every single day, walking until my feet felt like they would fall off (BTW I didn’t swell during my entire pregnancy because I drank plenty of water), doing the dirty, acupressure, massages, bananas, yoga, stripping my membranes (twice!), whatever you can think of, we did it, and NOTHING WORKED. So my conclusion on inducing labor based on my personal experience is that nothing can induce labor, your baby comes whenever he/she decides to come.

I was scheduled to be induced Monday morning, and as much as I was opting not to be induced, I was going to let them because one, it would be safer for the baby not to exceed 42 weeks in utero, and two I would be more than ready at that point for Natalia to be here. Fortunately my water finally broke the Friday afternoon prior to my induction date. At first I wasn’t sure if it broke or not, so I asked my mom what it felt like. She said it feels like you’re uncontrollably peeing on yourself. Soon after that, about 15 minutes, I was confirmed of my water breaking because liquid started pouring out, lol. I didn’t call the Doctor nor did I go to the hospital. I waited until I started having contractions 5-10 apart for an hour like my doctors instructed, which didn’t happen until 18 hours later. Bad idea for me to not go in right away because of the risk of infection, but how was I supposed to know? This is my first time having a baby, and BOTH of my GYN’s told me not to come in until I started having contractions. There was no mention of my water breaking. And since I’m totally healthy, I didn’t think there was any reason for me or my baby to develop an “infection”. According to what I researched, the vaginal exams are what cause infections in the first place, which makes complete sense to me.

So the next morning around 6am I started having mild contractions, then they increased in pain and decreased in time apart, so by 8 am Jacob and I were on our way to the hospital. When we got there the nurses asked me if my water broke & I told them yes it did, yesterday afternoon. They all looked at me like I was crazy and asked why I waited so long to come in. I told them that I didn’t feel the need to come in because everything seemed fine and that my Doctor told me not to come in until I was having contractions, so I was simply following instructions. Well, when they started my IV they told me they were going to start me on antibiotics. In shock I asked “for what?” And the nurse said “the GBS that you’re positive for”. I was in total disbelief and said “excuse me, but what in the world are you talking about?” She explained to me that I was positive for Group B Strep, (the test they give you when you’re 36 weeks) and that the baby has been swimming in infected amniotic fluid for the entire time since my water broke. GBS (Group B Strep) is a bacteria that is carried by both men and women, that does not affect adults but can be very harmful for unborn babies, which is why pregnant women ate tested for it at 36 weeks. Men will never know if they have it or not because they will never be tested for it since they obviously can’t get pregnant. Well when I took the test, nothing was ever mentioned about it after that, so I assumed I was negative. I would expect a Doctor to tell you the results of your tests, ESPECIALLY if you’re positive for it, don’t you?! So yeah, I was carrying this infection and had no idea about it. I was infuriated by this new found information because now my baby is at risk. If I would’ve known about this infection, I would’ve been at the hospital the day before when my water broke.

Anyways, once your water breaks you have 24 hours to get the baby out or it can become something serious. So I had 6 hours to deliver my daughter and I was only 2 cm dilated (and have been for two weeks!). They started me on pitocin right away. 2 hours later they checked my cervix to find that I was still only 2 cm dilated, so a c-section was the final decision. At first I wanted to cry because I felt cheated out of my wanting for a natural delivery since I was never informed about this infection that could be potentially fatal to my unborn daughter. I also was not so phsyched about having such a dramatic surgery, especially since I’ve never had surgery of any kind. I asked the nurses if they had c-sections and even asked if I could see their scars because I also wasn’t very excited about having such a large scar on my belly. One of the young nurses showed me not her scar because it was so low, but pulled her shirt up just to show me that the scar was below her panty line. I couldn’t even see it! And she was so skinny you wouldn’t even be able to tell that she had a baby, and she had 2! So that made me feel A LOT better about it. So on we went with the procedure.

They had me fill out all kinds of forms and explained to Jacob and I what would be happening. He had to change into scrubs so he could be there with me while the doctors carried me into the operation room so they could numb me from the waist down. They gave me a spinal anesthetic that literally took 5 seconds to kick in. I felt a rush of a numbing sensation that actually felt really good, lol! I felt very shaky though shortly afterwards which I didn’t like too much. Also, the shot they gave me was a MUCH smaller needle than that of the epidural, which I was very happy about because that was the very reason I had decided I wasn’t going to have an epidural if this would’ve happened naturally.

They cut me open and tugged, pushed and pulled (which I could feel a lot of although it didn’t hurt, it was just a lot of pressure) and then out came the baby, 7lbs. and 14oz. of her. About a minute later I heard her first cry and was in tears at the amazing sound that I had waited 9 long months to hear. Jacob cried with me and we were both very happy. However, because she was infected, they took her from us right away. I got to see her and kiss her cheek before she left and dad asked to see her hair because she was wearing a cap. When they took it off, we were amazed to see a head full of dark hair, just like I dreamed about!

So they took me to the recovery room while we waited to hear from the doctor’s what was going on with Natalia. Now there are a lot of details to what was happening between the surgery and the end, so I’m just going to make the long story short: The doctors were concerned about her breathing patterns. They ran blood tests and white blood cell tests which came back triple the amount of what was normal, meaning that her body was already building white blood cells to fight off whatever infection she had. They were also concerned about some “seizure-like episodes” that she was supposedly having which made the nurses decide to transfer her to Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville because they were a small town hospital that did not have all the tools needed to run the tests they wanted her to have. They weren’t sure what she was doing because she’s a  newborn, hence their wanting to run tests just to make sure she was acting normal. I was completely devastated because the doctors made it seem like she was having all these problems, they even mentioned a possibility of meningitis. I cried so hard and asked “what are they going to do to my baby?!” Jacob tried his hardest to keep his composure because I was so upset about everything and then he broke down and started crying with me.

Natalia went through so much in the first days of her life in the outside world. She IV’s since she was born, she had all kinds of tests run on her, she had MRI’s she had her spine tapped, all kinds of bullshit. I know that they were just trying to be on the safe side, but what new mom wants to see her first baby go through all this trauma?! Anyways, in the end Natalia was completely fine. They ran all these tests just to find nothing wrong with her. She just had an infection and the antibiotics they started me on before the surgery killed it just in time. So we went through all this heartache for nothing. It was very crazy. We ended up being in the hospital for 5 days before finally bringing her home.I was in the hospital for 3 days recovering from the surgery. They transferred Natalia on my second day of recovery so I couldn’t even go to the hospital to be with my baby until the next day. Jacob had to drive from Lake City to Jacksonville, back to Lake City to pick me up, back to Jacksonville so we could be at the hospital every day and then finally back to Lake City so we could come home, and then he had to drive back so he could go home, lol! Lots and lots of driving.

At the end of the day, there were a lot of lessons learned from this entire experience. Although it was scary, it was very worth it and I am happy to say that I am a new mom to a very happy and healthy baby girl. According to her pediatrician she eats better than the average baby for her size and is growing at a great rate. She is such a good baby, hardly ever cries unless she needs something. She is always very content and has such a well-developed personality already. She’s definitely mommy and daddy’s little diva girl!

I also would like to mention that my perspective about c-sections have dramatically changed since I underwent the surgery. I actually prefer to have the c-section because I didn’t have to feel any pain WHATSOEVER, everything went by so quick it was unbelievable. The entire procedure took a total of 55 minutes. No contractions, no pain, GREAT pain meds during and afterwards lol, and my little girls head did not get squished and my vagina didn’t rip! The scar is barely noticeable, looks like a pen line just below my bikini line and nobody will ever be able to see it unless I show them, which means I can still wear my bikini this summer! Best of all, this entire event brought me and Jacob closer together and he loves me more now than ever before since having to be there with me and watching me go through all of this craziness. I definitely want to share my story because I think it’s well worth mentioning to people. Always prepare for the worst because you never know what’s going to happen, and always be optimistic about negative things that you have no control over because they are not always as bad as they seem.

Today my baby girl is 2 weeks and 3 days old and she is making the cutest “ooh” and “ahh” sounds, she picks her head up all by herself to look around because she wants to see everything, she will NOT fall asleep without being held, so she’s already spoiled, lol! (Thanks Jacob!)

One more thing I want to add before I conclude my super long birth story; because Natalia was taken from me right from the beginning, we didn’t get to experience the first bonding of mother and baby to establish breastfeeding, which is essential! And I am completely against giving my baby formula for several reasons. One because I’m pro-natural, two because I don’t feel that formula gives babies everything they need like breast milk does, three because of all the side effects that come from formula fed babies that I’ve researched, such as being more prone to obesity and becoming sick with diseases, and four because although the formula feeds the baby for longer periods of time (formula fed babies eat 6-10 times a day vs. breastfed babies eat 8-12 times a day) which means the formula “sits” in their stomachs and that just reminds me of McDonald’s food which is totally gross in my opinion. I already decided I wanted to breastfeed exclusively. Well since I didn’t get to breastfeed for the first week, I didn’t establish a good milk supply, so I couldn’t produce enough milk to feed my baby. Not only that but the doctors shoved bottles and pacifiers in my newborn baby’s mouth which pissed me the **** off! If they needed to syringe feed her then okay, but I was not about the pacifiers or bottles because of nipple confusion. So Natalia had a difficult time latching on for the first week and a half of our being together. It was making me sore and I was to the point where I was about to just give up all together. But then I decided “screw that!” I’m not going to give up because I WANT this for my baby, so I’m going to MAKE SURE it happens, no matter what it takes. If I have to breastfeed her every half hour then so be it. I consulted with a lactation specialist who was so inspired by my determination and told me that that’s what it takes, you have to really want to breastfeed for it to work out, which is what I truly want, exclusively. I only will use formula if I have to supplement, but otherwise I want to strictly breastfeed my baby mostly because it’s the healthiest for her, but also because it does establish a bonding relationship with you and your baby that just feels like pure love, and I want that with me and Natalia. So I have a $700 hospital grade breast pump that I’m using FOR FREE for a week-2 weeks just because my lactation specialist wants to help me because she sees how bad I want this. Unfortunately Natalia and I had a rough start, but now that things are back to normal we are going to work this out to both of our benefits. My advice to anybody else out there with this problem is to never give up on the things that you truly want. I am proud to say that Natalia has gotten MUCH better about latching on (although she still needs some improvement) and I am finally being able to produce enough milk to catch up with her needs. (:

Bringing Natalia Home ❤

Natalia & I Now (:

Nesting Pinterest Projects Complete!

Well I’m finally done with all my nesting projects! I can proudly say that I completed “almost” everything on my list, minus two. But I replaced them with even better projects that I came up with. Here are the results, hope you enjoy! (:

Bread Bag Chip Clips for Cord Labels. I’ve collected about a handful of these and use neon labels cut to size to label them. I used labels instead of writing on them like the original idea because the sharpie wouldn’t stay on the plastic, it kept smearing off. Also some of the clips had expiration dates printed on them that I could not get off, so the labels covered them right up! Additionally, if I decide to get rid of whatever it is that’s labeled, I can remove the label and replace it with another one instead of throwing the entire thing away! #Recycle

DIY Pinterest Inspired Towel Travel Case: This is soooooo much better than those nasty plastic toothbrush covers that don’t give your toothbrush enough air to dry completely and ends up molding and stinking up your toothbrush. Not to mention how dirty they get! This is way more practical for such hygiene products. It’s easy to clean, just throw it in the washer, it holds ALL your tooth cleaning supplies, and it’s too cute! You can decorate it however you want and make as many pockets as you want. You can add things to it like embroidery, extra ribbon, etc. I’m going to make more of these! (:

My DIY Scarf Organizer: This was one of my favorites! It was so cheap and so cute when I was finished. I already had the hanger, just bought shower curtain rings at the dollar tree for $1, turquoise paint @ Walmart for 50 cents, and turquoise ribbon $1.97 each (I bought two spools, used 1 1/2). It looks so cute I don’t even want to hang it in my closet I want to hang it on the wall for display, but that’s tacky, so it’s in my closet, lol! ;D

DIY Clipboard: How cute is this?! I bought the clipboard at the Dollar Tree ($1), Duct Tape @ Walmart ($3.50) and Ribbon also @ Walmart ($0.50 per yard – 1 yd.) It’s so girly and looks great hanging on my wall. Also very useful and the ribbon just adds the girly touch to it that I try to add to everything of mine. ♥

DIY Outlet Covers: This project was replaced by these adorable outlet covers. It was supposed to be decorative storage tins but I didn’t have tins or chalk board paint; I do plan to get some in the future. I was going to spend $8.99 each on 2 outlet covers, but the problem was only one of my outlet covers had a place to insert a screw. The other one is screwless, and I couldn’t find zebra printed screwless outlet covers ANYWHERE online! So instead of spending the money and frustration on trying to find something that I had no luck with, I made my own! I didn’t even get the idea from anywhere, it just came to my mind because I’ve been crafting with my zebra duct tape A LOT. Actually, scratch that, the idea came from a picture my mom shared on my Facebook of a light switch plate covered in washi tape, which I thought was the cutest idea ever! So I remixed it to fit my needs. (:

DIY Laundry/Dishwasher Magnet: This project was replaced by this cute little idea I got from Pinterest. It was supposed to be the other storage bins for my daughter’s headbands, but as I’ve mentioned I had no tins and no chalkboard paint. So this is what I made instead! We don’t have a dish washer, but if you do this is the perfect little magnet for it to answer that common question: “Are these dishes clean or dirty?!” I used to have one in my old house, so I know about the question, lol. I made this one to use for the laundry machine. Isn’t it adorable?!

DIY Door Muff for Baby Nursery: This was an easy hand sewn project that took about an hour to make. I fell in love with the idea when I saw it on Pinterest and said to myself “I HAVE to make this for Natalia!” So I did, and I made it using colors and prints that would match her room. It’s purpose is to shut the door quietly without making any noises that will wake her. (:

DIY Bib Hanger: This was a clever idea I came across! Just buy adhesive hooks, stick them on the back of your high chair, and there you have it, easy to grab baby bib organization. It would be foolish of me NOT to do this…how convenient for me and what a space saver!

My professional photo shoot ribbon pic. I loved the ribbon idea because, well, I’m obsessed with ribbon. Photo credits to my good friend Ashley Rapasky. She does AMAZING photos so check out her fan page and click the like button! (:

Healthy Carbonated Beverage: This was the last project on my nesting project list, although this isn’t really much of a project, more like a recipe. But nevertheless, it was on the list and it’s checked off as DELICIOUS! Everything you need to make it is shown here. Takes 5 minutes to make and it tastes so good! (:

DIY Paper Clip Hearts: & since the last project wasn’t really a project, here is one I did while bored that I also came across on Pinterest. Paper Clip Hearts! Something to do when you’re bored, easy to make, also very personalized and girly. I love them! I made all my paperclips that I could find into hearts. ♥ ♥ ♥

So these are some of the things I’ve been spending my time doing while I wait for Natalia to arrive, which by the way, SHE IS STILL NOT HERE!!!!!! So that means I have to make another list of projects to do until she finally does decide to come. xoxo ♥

Pregnancy Post #20 – 39 Weeks

38 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant Photo

*39 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant Today!
*150 Pounds – 40 Gained Since Pre-Pregnancy.

This past week has been so eventful for me, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon. Over the weekend I visited Jacob’s family while staying with him in Jacksonville for the weekend. We went shopping, where he bought me and adorable $40 purse and the best hair styling tool ever created: the curling wand. We bought outfits that we could wear for our maternity shoot that we had on Saturday with his uncle and my friend Ashley. We got the final proofs from Ashley but are still waiting on the ones from his uncle, so I’m going to post a few of the photos that we have so far!

Jacob’s birthday is coming up, ironically on Natalia’s due date! So today I did a little shopping (as usual, and by a little, I mean a lot) for some things that I’m going to use to make his card and put his gift together. I also browsed the mall to compare prices of a couple of things I want to give him; at a later date when I can afford it because he’s very picky and has expensive taste! I also picked up a couple items for myself and the baby, as well as groceries so I can make plenty of meals that will leave me with plenty of left overs so I don’t have to worry about cooking dinner every night for the next week or two while waiting on Natalia to get here.

Today I had a doctor’s appointment to see Natalia’s progress. Oddly, I’m still 1 cm. dilated, but the doctor says it doesn’t mean anything. First baby’s usually drop when labor begins. All baby’s after that drop first and then labor begins. So because this is my first baby, she’s still wayyyyy up there. I complained about an excruciating pain that I’ve been feeling for the past week in my ribs right under my left breast. It’s a heavy pressure that eases when I lay down and starts to bother me when I cough, or breathe too hard, or move around too much. At first I was concerned about it, so I looked it up on the internet to see what kind of information I could get. According to other pregnant women who experience/are experiencing the same discomfort, it has to do with the baby’s position and unfortunately is not going to go away until after birth. Yay me! -_-
Anyways, the doctor confirmed that that was exactly the problem and not to worry about it. She said because the baby hasn’t dropped yet, she’s still way up in my diaphragm which has a lot of nerves that the baby is pushing up against. Honestly, I feel like the pain has gotten better ever since I heard that reassuring information. I’m just glad that it’s nothing concerning, just uncomfortable, which was expected. I guess this makes up for me not having too much back pain or any swelling through my pregnancy. If you don’t get one side effect, you get the other!

Me Shopping Yesterday, As Usual! (:

My next appointment is next week and if the baby’s not here by then, she will be 2 days overdue. So We shall see what happens in the upcoming week. Regardless, this waiting game is keeping me excited and anxious. Meanwhile, I’m going to continue doing my every day activities, such as painting my nails, finishing my nesting crafts and adding the finishing touches to the nursery, which by the way I just ordered some new items for her bedroom this afternoon, so I’m really excited for them to get here!

When the baby is born, Jacob is going to take his paid vacation week to come stay with me at my mom’s house. I’m so happy that he’s going to do that because I’m going to need help recovering, caring for a newborn, and keeping up with the house. He’s going to bond with the baby, help make sure I get enough rest, and help me with the cooking and cleaning. I’m also looking forward to spending quality time with my new little family. I love the idea of having MY OWN family, versus being part of one?! I am completely in love and cannot wait to meet our baby girl ❤

NOTE: I was 38 Weeks & 5 Days Pregnant during this photo shoot. (:

Pregnancy Post #18 – 37 Weeks

37 Weeks & 2 Days Pregnant Photo

*37 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant Today!
*146 Pounds

Us @ Oaks Mall

Sorry about the slack on the blogging. I’ve just had a very eventful week and weekend, so I haven’t had too much time to squeeze in a blog. But I’m back! So here’s the update. (:

This past weekend, Jacob came to visit me in Lake City so he could spend time with me and the Natalia before she arrives. He was very eager to see how big my belly has gotten since the last time we’ve seen each other. Also he wanted to buy a few items for the baby to help me better prepare for her arrival. Over all I had a wonderful weekend with him. He took me out to eat at several places: Jason’s Deli, Starbucks, Hungry Howie’s, Krispy Kreme, Carraba’s, making sure he satisfied all my cravings.

Jason’s Deli Lunch

Carraba’s Dinner

He bought Natalia a few outfits, even though she really didn’t need them (lol), a very expensive baby book from Hallmark ($45), my diaper bag along with all the items on my online Amazon shopping cart, some baby hygiene products such as shampoo and body wash, and a couple of things for me as well, like adorable black, glittery flip flops and the cutest flower earrings ever! He was definitely very generous to me and very sweet to me on our very busy and romantic weekend before I have the baby. He made sure I got plenty of exercise as we walked around the big mall of Gainesville and the strip of Downtown as well as plenty of rest in the hotel where we stayed at.

Clothes for Natalia from Daddy

We went on a very nice walk in the downtown area of Gainesville where it reminded me of Old Town St. Augustine. I expressed to him how much In Love I was with the city of Gainesville and told him that that’s where I want to go to college. The college campus there is HUGE and it’s in the center of the entire town across the street from the strip that was lined with all kinds of restaurants, café’s, bars, clubs, consignment shops, everything you can imagine.

My Cute Diaper Bag! (:

Although we spent a lovely weekend together, I still don’t feel like we need to be together. At least not right now. I need to get my life situated and established the way I want it before I can commit to a relationship, as does he. We both have things that we still need to work on, our lifestyles and ourselves, before we can actually “be” together. But regardless of our relationship status, we are both going to continue to be involved in Natalia’s life so that she can have both her parents. I feel that regardless of the parents’ relationship, they should both still have a relationship with the child.

My baby dropped! (:
& Props to Prenatal Yoga for that Toned Booty! ;D

I have a very strong feeling that Natalia will be here sooner than the expected due date. I can feel so much more pressure on my pelvic area than ever before. Braxton Hicks contractions are definitely in full range and happening longer, stronger and more frequently. I can feel the baby so low in my stomach, people actually can tell the difference because I carried high my entire pregnancy; she has definitely dropped into position, which was confirmed in the appointment prior to the last. My belly is not so round anymore. It’s more “lumpy” and I can feel her body parts inside of me, which I think is the coolest thing ever. If Natalia was to be here before the 18^th I would actually be very happy because then all this built up anticipation would be over with, I wouldn’t be pregnant anymore (Thank God!), and I would finally be able to hold my little girl in my arms. Daddy is very anxious to meet Natalia, probably even more than I am! The waiting period makes us so antsy.

My doctor’s appointment yesterday went pretty good for the most part. Other than waiting an entire hour and a half before I was actually seen, I had an overall good experience. The doctor told me that my blood pressure is absolutely perfect, my urine looks good, which lets me know that the Group B Strep Test that I took at the last appointment was negative. She also felt the baby in my belly and told me that she could feel all the body parts because I’m such a skinny pregnant girl and that the baby is measuring perfect size. I have been getting a lot of compliments lately from random strangers as well as friends about how pretty I am and how cute my belly is, how I have a “pregnancy glow” and it makes me feel so good, especially since I’m a little over two weeks away from having this baby! Prenatal yoga has definitely benefited my body in every way possible, keeping my body fit as it adjusts to the continuing added weight and alleviating the little back pain that I have.

$45 Baby Book from Hallmark

The baby book that Jacob bought ironically fits perfectly in the shoe box that I picked to be Natalia’s baby box. It fits right in, like a glove on a hand. I drew a sketch of how I want to decorate the box and will spend my last two weeks of pregnancy making it. I already bought all the supplies needed to decorate the box. Now I just have to put it all together which I plan on starting this afternoon. This will be my next art project that I blog about.

Supergirl BackPack – Because That is How I will Feel after Giving Birth!

I also have my hospital bag packed and ready to go for when I go into labor. I even have a last minute check list hanging right next to the front door so I won’t forget ANYTHING important. I probably over packed, but it is okay because I would rather have more than enough than not enough. And who knows?! This baby could end up being so big that I end up having to need a C-section. So I feel the need to have plans A, B, and C so I can be prepared for anything. I am very anal about preparedness and having back up plans. I like to be ready for anything that may or may not happen! I also plan to leave candy with the nurses who help deliver Natalia as a friendly thank you gift for their support and hard work. I know this gesture will be greatly appreciated.

For the next two and a half weeks, I’m going to spend my time waiting on the rest of the nursery items to come in so I can add the finishing touches to the nursery, I’m going to relax and spend my time crafting to keep my mind busy, and I’m going to be blogging almost every day to keep my emotions and anxiety under control. I have a few craft ideas that I’ve posted about that I want to work on while I wait for Natalia’s arrival. I’m so very excited to meet my baby girl. ❤

Me on my Date Weekend (:

Pregnancy Post #15 – 34 Weeks

34 Weeks & 1 Day Pregnant

34 Weeks 4 days pregnant today and counting! It is incredibly hard to believe that I am less than 6 weeks away from delivering the most beautiful little girl. I am so ecstatic and cannot wait until my little Natalia gets here. Wow, she’s got her momma so anxious to meet her! Every time, I feel her, think about her, talk about her, or see anything baby and girly, a huge smile forces itself across my face. She makes me so happy and she’s not even here yet. I didn’t know it was possible to love somebody so much. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love my mother with every inch of heart, but it’s just not the same kind of love that you have for your own child. Now I know how much my mom loves me. (:

Of course, one of my BIGGEST flaws kicked in: my procrastination. I was supposed to be done with painting Natalia’s dresser by now, but a couple of road bumps delayed me. First, I didn’t have everything I thought I needed. Then I realized I bought too much paint, so I had to return it and buy a smaller (more affordable) amount. Then I lost the brushes I bought, so by the time I found those I really didn’t even feel like painting anymore. But then, I finally was able to get everything I needed together: primer, paint, tape, trays, brushes, sandpaper, and shower curtain liners to catch the mess.

As you can see, the dresser is disgusting.

I’ve already taken the dresser apart, sanded it down, primed it, and painted one coat. Tomorrow I’m going to finish it with a second coat and then when it drys, prepare the room for the walls to be painted. Since I don’t have a man around to help, I’m all on my own, which is also why it’s taking me so long to do a less than 24 hour job. But hey? I’m pregnant! So it’s totally fine that I’m taking my sweet time to do this. I don’t feel guilty one little bit. I’m totally capable of moving the things that are in the room around without straining myself or lifting anything heavy. When I get ready to paint the walls I have to move everything to one side of the room, paint half of it, let it dry, and then move everything to the other side so I can paint the other half. This will probably take me an entire week to finish! I also plan on ordering some cute zebra handles and knobs that I saw on Amazon to replace the old ugly, rusted gold ones that I will hate to have to put those back on. Then I will finally start putting her crib and changing table together and organize the room to make it look like the perfect nursery for my princess.

2 outfits for 2 bucks @JCP! 😀

I’ve been doing quite a lot of shopping lately, but allllllll baby stuff, so it’s not guilty shopping, it’s productive shopping. That’s my positive way of looking at spending money. I got a bunch of bottles, cloth diapers, clothes, and some hygiene items; plus the paint for her room and dresser. I don’t know a whole lot, but I know one thing is for sure: Natalia will never lack anything. I will always make sure I make provisions to be able to provide for my daughter. She will always have everything she needs and be able to depend on me as a mother until she is old enough to care for herself. I am very fortunate to be able to provide for her on my own. But of course, I’m not completely on my own. Fortunately I have a mother who is very supportive of me and my pregnancy, and we help each other. She’s my best friend. My only hope is that my daughter and I will have the same kind of relationship with each other that my mother and I have. ❤

Primed Dresser.

Dresser drawers in the hallway out of MY way. (:

I don’t see my doctor again until next week. After that I will start having weekly appointments, so there will be a medical update on every post from then on. So far, everything looks, sounds and feels perfect. Well maybe not that last one. At my next appointment, I’m going to have the doctor recommend me a good pediatrician for Natalia. In the last week I was experiencing this somewhat painful pressure in my abdomen. It was right under my right breast in my rib cage it felt like, and sometimes when I would cough it hurt real bad, or when I would breathe in too deeply, I could feel a lot of pressure there. I was getting concerned about it because it wouldn’t let up and considered coming into the doctor’s office without an appointment because it was hurting so bad. But before I freaked out, I researched it online just to see if it might be something completely normal and sure enough: it is. Turns out that the pain I was experiencing had to do with the baby and the growing uterus putting pressure on my rib cage and other ligaments, thus causing this on and off pain. Actually, I read several different articles about this from girls who are pregnant at 18 weeks, 20 weeks, & 25 weeks. So then I thought, well, I’m already 34 weeks and JUST now starting to feel this pain? I must be one of the lucky ones! And after that the pain subsided. Then it went away, and I haven’t felt anything like it ever since. I’m so glad that I think before freaking out and actually take the time to figure out my own problems without running to every which person for an answer or solution.

A couple of Natalia’s things I bought this week ❤

If you’re considering buying maternity jeans, I recommend that you save your money unless you buy them used. To me, they were pretty much a waste of my money. I bought a pair of the cutest maternity jeans online at Amazon for $30. Sadly, I won’t be able to wear them past my 8th month. Shoot, I can barely squeeze into those things now! They are very stylish, but when I sit down, the seam connecting the jean part to the fabric part just cuts into my skin and is SOOOOOO uncomfortable. The funny thing is, I had a pair of skinny jeans that were so stretchy around the waist line that they fit perfectly as my maternity jeans! It’s weird that I had them because when I would wear them before I got pregnant, I constantly had to pull them back up on me because the waist was so stretchy that they just would not stay up. But I’m glad I kept them because they ended up serving me a great purpose during my entire pregnancy, and I still plan on wearing them afterwards! ;D

1/2 way

1st coat done!

As for Natalia, she is growing more and more each day. I feel like there’s a little sumo wrestler inside of me because sometimes she kicks me so hard, I jerk and jump and make noises thinking “somebody’s beating me up in there!” I get a kick out of it. Her soft little kicks have now turned into some hardcore karate chops (it feels like) and I can’t wait for my next appointment when they do the last ultrasound because then I will get to see exactly which of her body parts keeps pushing me on my right side, lol! The most interesting thing about her is how clever she is already to be just in utero. She is very responsive to things outside of the womb. For instance, the other day, my mom’s boyfriend dropped a pan on the floor and the noise was so loud it scared the baby and made her kick me really hard. So she obviously doesn’t like loud noises, thank goodness for that!

As it gets closer and closer to my due date, the reality of transitioning from a young lady to a young mother is becomes more and more real to me, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Lord knows I’m ready to hold this precious baby girl in my arms already! I am going to try my best to remain patient because I don’t want to rush time since it has gone by so fast. I want to enjoy every moment of this pregnancy one day at a time. ❤

^ 35 Weeks & 4 Days Pregnant Photos From This Afternoon. (:

The Little Artist – Signs of Early Talent

I was finally able to get my scanner fixed, which means I can upload all my old drawings I found that my mom had collected during me and my sister’s entire growing up. I was quite the little artist at such an early age! And my little sister always wanted to be like me while we were growing up, so she  tried to be the little artist too. (: There are so many drawings that we have both drawn for both our parents, everything from mother’s and father’s day cards, to random drawings about nonsense. Of course, I’m only going to put up the ones worth bragging about. Here’s a little taste of my past imaginations:

I’m not too sure if I drew this or if Karen (my sister) did,
but I thought it was so cute for such a young drawing – 2000?

My Princess Drawing – I was at least 7 or 8 years old; 2000-01.

A drawing of Angelica All Grown Up from the Nickelodeon
TV Show Rugrats. I must have been 8 years old when I drew this!

This drawing is pretty old. I must have been 7 or 8 when I drew this one.
It’s a picture of Bubbles from my favorite childhood TV Show:
The Powerpuff Girls. Bubbles was my favorite character.

Praying Hands – 2002?

My Poinsettia – Date Unknown.

My Corel Draw Software I used to play with.
A picture of a fisherman fishing from the underwater view.
As you can see I was very young when I made this because
the picture is messed up, lol! 2001

My Homemade Mother’s Day Card; Very Old ~2001?
I think this is such an ironic picture because
to this day, I still feel the same way! ♥

The Living Room in our old house on the Northside of
Jacksonville, FL. This was probably drawn in ’05 or ’06.

My First Year @ the new Middle School on the
Northside, Oceanway. 2005

My Dream Beach Mansion (when this was actually a dream of mine).
I remember being 9 years old drawing this. 2002

Another of the most recent of this collection of old drawings.
Love Peace & Happiness 2009

This sketch of my name is the newest of them all. 2009

A Few of My Favorite Artist Quotes:

“Every artist was first an amateur.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” -Pablo Picasso

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” -Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

Pregnancy Post #4 – 23 Weeks

Today marks my 23rd week and 2 days of being pregnant and boy do I have LOTS to talk about:

I can finally see the baby moving inside of me! Every time I feel her moving inside of me I look down and can see those little hands and feet pushing against my abdomen. It is so adorably sweet and leaves me feeling all fluttery inside. She is very active in the mornings before I even wake up, and at night when I’m getting ready to go to sleep (how convenient for me!). I guess this is her way of preparing me for when she gets here, waking up extra early and staying up extra late. Oh goody! Even though it will probably wear me out, I KNOW I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.

Below is a link to my video where you can see the baby’s heart beating through my belly. It’s miraculous to watch!

Click Here To Watch Baby’s Heart Beat!

At our last appointment, everything went perfectly well. I weighed in at 136 lbs. (26+ since pre-pregnancy weight) with a BP of 110/60, which the nurse told me was very good. I have really good blood pressure every time I check in with the doctor, which is great news for me! The baby’s heart beat ranged around 150’s and everything sounded perfectly healthy. Nothing makes me happier than receiving good news about our baby’s health! Also, the nurse gave me this orange flavored drink that I have to drink about an hour before I come to my appointment to test for sugar glucose levels or something like that, I can’t remember. So that is what I have to look for at my next appointment.

I’m only halfway through my pregnancy and I already have half of everything baby girl will need. This reassures me that she will have EVERYTHING she needs and some. Her playpen and my baby sling just arrived in the mail a few days ago and I’m expecting the stroller, car seat, bed spread set, and room accessories next. I’m looking forward to seeing that bed set because once I know the exact color of it, I’m going to run to the store to get the paint and wall decor! I’m so excited about it because this is going to be my next BIG project: setting up the nursery. Shoot, by the time I have my baby shower, all I’m going to need is diapers and clothes!

I’ve made a baby financial planner to give myself an idea of how much money I can expect to spend on a monthly basis for baby girl. It should be roughly between $200-300 a month depending on whether I buy extra clothes and toys or not. I’ve made my baby registry on Amazon.com that has a universal registry, which means I can add anything from any other website to it. I have way too many cute outfits on there already!

Click Here to View Laura’s Baby Registry!

My attempt to stay consistent with my belly picture taking is going well. At the end of the pregnancy I will have to pictures I need to  make a belly flip book. The only thing is that since I took pictures at different angles in different places, it will be sort of difficult to make a flip book. I have pictures of my growing belly from every week since we found out I was pregnant, so there WILL be some kind of belly book. Regardless how it will turn out, it’s going to be the most amazing book in the world. ❤

Today, my plan is to draw a box cover to decorate the baby’s box that is going to store all her keepsakes. This is in addition to the nursery project I will soon start. I have big plans coming up in the upcoming weeks. Until then, I’m going to continue doing my prenatal yoga that I do every other day and reading my books about pregnancy and how to manifest your desires (which I will blog about later).

People usually save the best for last, but I decided to do the opposite:

• Yesterday morning, I was awaken by the most excruciating pain I have felt in a LONG time: a charlie-horse in my calf. It had me almost in tears it was so painful. It happened early morning while I was in bed, and it came about so unexpectedly. Probably from trying to get comfortable, and while moving into position, it strained my muscle. However it happened, believe that I’m going to research every possible way to prevent something like that from ever happening to me again!
• Morning sickness is still affecting me. Not often, but roughly once or twice about every two weeks. It’s nothing compared to what I went through during my first trimester, thank God.
• I can feel myself getting tired easily and I’ve been feeling like I am getting the energy sucked right out of me. In the pregnancy book that I’m reading, it informed me about this “lack of energy” and “tiredness” was coming from the need for twice as much iron in expectant women. It stated that “If your iron stores are low, your red blood cells aren’t getting enough iron to support your muscles and your baby. Many women experience this during the second trimester because their babies are growing rapidly and absorbing extra iron from their blood.” This information helps me not feel so bad about feeling so tired all the time! The good news about this is that I get to treat myself with extra beauty sleep. (:

That’s about it for negative part about my pregnancy; not too bad.

My mother is going to the store now to go pick up some items she ordered to be shipped to the store. I can’t wait for her to get back so I can see them! I’m going to take pictures and post them later on when I get further into decorating the nursery. As for me now, I’m going to do some yoga and read some of my book that I’m enjoying so much. Chow for now!

Me 1 Day Shy of 23 Weeks Pregnant.
I’m so excited about having a baby girl
so we can wear pink together. ❤

23 weeks down, 17 to go!

“We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” – Anne Frank

“If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings.” – Brian Tracy

My References:
Book: You & Your Baby Pregnancy by Dr. Laura Riley, OB/GYN

Quotes from Website: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/parent.html