Why hello there 3rd trimester. . .

Like every post, let me just go ahead and say it... this pregnancy is flyin' by. Today I said a big hello to my third trimester. Of course it began with my fabulous glucose test and then a routine check up after.

Darren is doing well. His heartbeat is 141 and my belly is measuring at 27.5 cm, right on track. All of those baby apps say baby Darren is about 14.8-16 inches, and roughly 2.5 lbs. As big as an eggplant or a Chinese cabbage.

We have officially scheduled my c-section, so unless something changes, i.e.: he surprises us and comes sooner, we are planning on early January. :) I've been asked questions about why or why not I'm doing a VBAC or c-section, so let me just answer it for you here.. I decided after I had Winnie that I would do c-sections with any other babies we had. I don't want to take any chances on things not working out during a VBAC. Simple enough? Anywho, I am excited but also really want these next few weeks to go slow enough so we can enjoy our little family of 3.

How far along: 28 weeks
Gender: Boy 
Weight gain: 24 lbs
Maternity clothes: Yes & my lovely ted stocking. Ow ow!
Stretch marks: None
Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty good lately. It has been so nice!!
Best moment this week: This week has been great, but I think my weekend with Taylor will be the best part!! :-)
Miss anything: Not gonna lie.... my pre-baby body. Though I love my bump and what it represents. It was just a whole lot easier to move around with a toddler before I had this big bump. haha.
Movement: Darren moves all day long.
Cravings: All the Chinese food you could come up with & Avocado Egg Rolls from CPK. Yum! Tay can we make this happen??? ;) 
Queasy or sick: No
Labor signs: None
Symptoms: Leg pain, that's why I'm wearing my trusty ted stockings. Here's to hoping they help a little.
Looking forward to: Our babymoon, which also starts TODAY! Hallelujah. Though this is my first time leaving Winnie longer than a few hours... I hope I'm not too emotional. I'm going to miss her like crazy! 

i love my girl!! 

right after kissing Darren. haha <3

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Shout out to my brother and future sister-in-law

  HAPPY ENGAGEMENT!!!!!! 

We are so thrilled and can't wait for your wedding!

Watching my belly grow. . . .

I thought since the time has come when my due date is right around the corner, it would be fun to show all my belly pictures together on one blog. It amazes me when I look at my 8 week picture compared to recent ones... wowzas! And though I can't wait to meet my little girl, a part of me will miss my pregnant belly.

8 WEEKS
One of the BEST moments was seeing our little
sour patch baby on the ultrasound!! 

9 WEEKS
I want this hair back! haha.

19 WEEKS 

20 WEEKS
You can't really see my belly, but this
was a sweet day for us!! 

22 WEEKS

24 WEEKS 

25 WEEKS

27 WEEKS

28 WEEKS

29 WEEKS

30 WEEKS

31 WEEKS

33 WEEKS

34 WEEKS

35 WEEKS 

37 WEEKS

39 WEEKS

And just for fun.... 8 & 39 weeks.

Week 13 & 14

Sorry I didn't do this last week. It's busy over
here with Christmas on the way. :)

How far long: 14 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 3 lbs
Maternity clothes: I haven't bought any yet. Pants are tempting.
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Off and on
Best moment this week: Got to hear our June babes heartbeat on Tuesday!
Have you told family and friends? Yes!!
Miss anything: Taking bathes.
Movement: Doctor says there's a lot, but I can't feel it yet. At least I don't think I can.
Food cravings: Beef Ramen noodles and cereal are the most recent cravings. I eat a lot of cereal!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Random smells. . . like coffee brewing.
Have you started to show yet: Teeny bump. Looks like I just ate a huge burger with a plate of french fries. Mmm that sounds good!! 
Gender prediction: Not yet
Labor Sign: None
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! :) Thank you, Lord! 
Looking forward to: Find out the gender and feeling the baby move! Oh, and for this round ligament pain to STOP! 


On a side note, Taylor and I celebrated 3 fantastic years together Tuesday night. Three years from when he asked me to be his girl. I am so glad he did!! And I said yes, 3 times. I'd say it a million times over, too. He is [apart from my Salvation] the BEST thing that has happened to me. God has been so kind and generous to bless me with Taylor, he is such a gift. :)

We went out to Osaka. Osaka is a Chinese restaurant where Taylor took me on our first date. We go there every year to celebrate and get the same meal every year. :) We had such a great time, laughing and conversing over the last 3 years and all that God has done. We are blessed!

Happy 3 years dating my hubby!

Browns little coming soon!

First, I am sorry I haven't posted any recipes in the past month or so. There are few reasons why, but one main reason is because we have some news to tell you. . . .

We're PREGNANT!!!! 

I am 13 weeks this week. We finally announced it to our families and a few friends this past month before making it Facebook public. ;)

Without going into too much detail, I'm going to say this baby is a miracle. [And of course, every baby is a miracle from God, no matter the reasons or process behind it]. :)

Taylor and I found out this exciting news and are still kind of in shock. I know there was no reason for me to be surprised because God is able to do far more than I could ever imagine, but I was. An exciting surprise. An exciting shock.

We had our first ultrasound when I was 8 weeks. Our little baby's heartbeat was 169, which the lady said was good. :)

This is what we saw. . .

Our little sour patch baby. hehe!

Expected due date: June 10, 2013

As the joy continued, so did the nausea and morning [not so morning] sickness. So many smells bothered me. Poor Taylor had to open the windows and close our bedroom door in the morning when he made his breakfast. I stopped cooking meals... except things that didn't bother me... which didn't leave us with many options. Taylor was a trooper and God gave us both grace to get through it. The worst week of all was the week after we visited the Dr. I had food poisoning and all the baby pains. But it really is all worth it.

I think the worst is over, so far? I get headaches a lot... but if you know me well, you know that isn't anything new.

With every day that passes, I am eternally grateful for what God has blessed us with. I can't wait to feel our sweetie kick and move around. Update: On my latest visit when we were listening to the heartbeat [around 152] the nurse said there was a lot of movement. . .  so very exciting!!

Boy or Girl? We won't find out for a while.... before I was pretty head strong on what I wanted first, but now that I'm pregnant, it doesn't matter as much. :)

Here are a few baby bump pictures thus far.

This was taken after our first ultrasound...
Also at night, after I drank a whole bunch of water .

It is a stereotype.... but one night I seriously craved pickles.
We had to capture that moment. 

9 whole fabulous weeks!!

Stole the chalkboard idea from Pinterest... and that
will be one of the ways we update with pictures
and how I am doing.

week 13 picture to come...

God is so good!!!