Baby – Page 8 – Hello Leelo

Baby | 24 Weeks

Little Teddy Boy, you are the size of an ear of corn this week — almost a whole foot long. You love your Daddy’s voice when he reads to you at night and you kick/punch me every time I wake up in the middle of the night, which is usually about every three hours. Thanks for the boot camp training, pal.

* * *
This past month has definitely had its ups and downs. I am so happy to be eating normally again and the doctor says I’m gaining weight well, but this second trimester carpal tunnel has been the worst! The past two weeks I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night and Alex has had to massage and ice my wrist for about 30 minutes before I can fall back asleep. But, I’m trying some homeopathic remedies that will hopefully be helping soon!

On the bright side, Alex got to feel Teddy kick about three weeks ago. We were in the movie theater watching Les Miserables, I was eating jalapeño nachos and this little guy just started dancing in there. I grabbed Alex’s hand and Teddy have him a giant kick. Alex immediately started crying and wanted me to tell everyone that he wasn’t crying because of the movie.

Last week, my parents took me out to dinner for my birthday and while we were waiting for our waitress Teddy started moving around again. Both my parents leapt up from their seats and grabbed my belly. Teddy then gave my Dad a solid kick. You should have seen his face! He just kept saying, “That’s so cool.” Over and over. My Mom, who was jealous, moved from her seat to sit right next to me and wouldn’t move until Teddy kicked her too. He didn’t disappoint and soon my Mom and I were squealing with glee.

By far the moving and kicking is the best part of this pregnancy! And hey, if you see me, feel free to grab away!! I’m not weird at all about anyone touching my belly.

I’m starting to feel a but heavier now and my back is beginning to hurt, but Alex says I’ve been a trooper.

This past weekend we celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a trip to Portland! We walked everywhere and mastered public transportation. We had a total blast and really enjoyed our babymoon before this little guys makes his appearance in just under 4 months.

We can’t wait!!

The Pea Pods

So, in case you guys are totally behind… I want you to meet Emmy and Teddy! We are calling them the two little pea pods. They are due 10 days a part and little Emmy belongs to my brother and sister-in-law!

When we found out we were pregnant, C&A had no idea that they were ALSO pregnant. My sister-in-law started noticing that some of the symptoms I was having, she was having too. She decided to take a pregnancy test and SURPRISE! They were having a baby!! We were all shocked and so excited.

Then, just this past week, they found out they were having a girl. So exciting! In a family full of boy cousins, Emmy is going to have her work cut out for her, but my guess will be that she’ll be well taken care of and stick up for herself just fine.

It has been pretty awesome having someone to chat with about all the things we’re going through and at the same time. My bestie Amy is also pregnant and has been a major rock for me during the first trimester which, as you know, was not so fun.

Growing up, it was such a blessing to be so close to my cousins. So, even though we’re 2 hours away, it’s extremely important to all of us that the kids know and love each other. We’ve already started up some Family FaceTime meetings and they have meant the world to me.

I can’t wait to see these two pea pods grow up together and see their personalities form! They will fight, love, and teach each other so many things. I can’t wait.

Here’s to family!

Love,
Leelo and Ander +1

Baby | 20 Weeks

Merry Christmas Eve and welcome to 20 weeks baby! You’re about the size of a banana now and I’m kind of freaking out about the fact that you are eventually going to be the size of a pumpkin. Can we make a deal? Could you be a relatively small pumpkin? Like a 7 pounder would be good? Great.

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20 weeks. Half way there! I know I’ve said it a million times but can it be May already?! I just want to hold this little guy like nobody’s business. Don’t get me wrong… I have really started enjoying this pregnancy thing. I’m cooking again and I’m not barfing unless I forget to eat something AS SOON as I get up — or brush my teeth before I eat. AND last week on 12/21/12 around 9:00 pm I felt him move. It was amazing. It started off as a low rumble and I had my hand resting on the right side of my stomach when the low rumble turned into sort of a wave and then a quick jab! I moved my hand off and sat VERY still and then I received two more quick punches or kicks or whatever. It was the weirdest and most amazing feeling ever. I totally cried. So did Alex when he got home from school and I told him.

So far, the jabs have been the best part of this pregnancy. Oh! We got to hear Teddy’s heartbeat for the first time last week as well. That was amazing. 150 beats per minute and doing great, the doctor says. It’s the first time that the words “typical” and “boring” made me so happy. She has absolutely no concerns and that makes me feel so great.

The same day I felt the jabs we also found out that a dear pastor’s daughter, who was just 5 years old, passed away from a severe asthma attack. I literally gasped when I read the blogpost. I couldn’t move or do anything for about 30 minutes — I just sat there in the mess of it all completely stunned. No one thinks they’ll loose their little one to asthma. I spent some time doing research after that and realized how very dangerous asthma is! It is most definitely not something to take lightly. Just when I was about to start freaking out, Teddy gave me the weave and jab and reminded me that he’s still here and he’s still safe. What a blessing in the midst of it all.

Lord, help me rejoice in this time with Teddy. Help me not to be too anxious. Help me treasure him and cherish him and ultimately know that he’s a gift and not mine to begin with. Thank you for him.

I hope (and I know) that you all will cherish your loved ones this Christmas season!

Merry Christmas,
Leelo and Ander +1

Meet Teddy!

I’ve been getting a lot of questions regarding our son’s name, so hey… let’s make it official.

Drum roll please…

Theodore Primo Lopez!

Daddy suggested the first name and to be honest, I kept thinking about the fat chipmunk from Alvin and the Chipmunks. But after doing some research I realized that some pretty amazing people in History were named Theodore. There was a president, a cowboy, some saints, and a Russian fighter, musicians, painters, and even a major league baseball player. Best and most of all, the name means “God’s Gift”. And truly, this little guy is. We’ve been praying for him for a long, long time.

Primo is Daddy’s middle name and his grandfather’s name and HIS father’s name. It’s very special and very manly — if I do say so myself. It’s Italian in origin and it means “first.” Fitting, I think. Especially if Daddy has his way and Teddy becomes an amazing baseball star. EVERYONE will be calling him Primo. I think he could be a pretty sweet rapper with the name, “Teddy P” but Dad isn’t going for it.

So, there you have it! A pretty amazing name for an amazing kid.

Only about 20(ish) more weeks until we get to hold our little guy!

Baby | Week 16

Well baby avocado, we made it to 16 weeks! I haven’t felt you move yet but we did find out what you are…

A BOY!

Daddy and I knew it all along.

We are so excited to meet you in about 4-5 months!

Now, start kicking so Mommy can stop freaking out and feel you already!

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Helllllloooooooooo second trimester! Amen and Hallelujah for feeling better. I still don’t have that extra burst of energy, but my morning sickness has subsided significantly. This week, we got to find out what we were having and it was so exciting!

I had spoken to Alex about 1) If we even wanted to find out and 2) how we wanted to tell everyone. He had seen some of the “Gender Reveal” parties I had done for some friends and wanted us to have “one of those parties”. So, my bestie Amy and I set out to plan it. I drove her crazy because I practically had no opinion about decorations or anything. They say planning a party for a party planner is a stressful job… whelp, not this planner! I was exactly the same way about my wedding.

“Oh, they don’t have those flowers? Eh that’s okay, we’ll just do these ones.”

Originally, Alex and I already had an appointment on Thursday to see the babe and we asked if the doctor could write the gender in a sealed envelope so I could give it to Amy. He agreed and he looked and looked and poked and pushed and after a while he said, “Okay, I think I got it, but the placenta is in the way so I can only give you an 80-90% accuracy on the gender.”

80-90%?! That’s a B. My baby is not going to be a B baby… we want A+s people! So needless to say, I scheduled another appointment to confirm the gender.

Amy and I celebrated her birthday on Saturday morning with Starbucks and pedicures, then it was off to the Baby’s First Photos in Riverside before hitting a movie. I was surprisingly calm and the techs were great.

We got confirmation that the gender was 100% accurate, but I told Amy I didn’t want to know if the doctor’s and this tech’s prediction were the same or different because it would freak me out.

She agreed but then I couldn’t take it and kept asking — she wouldn’t tell me.

What a good friend.

Anywho, Sunday came and all our family and close friends arrived wearing either pink or blue based on their guess of the baby’s gender!

TEAM BOY (The Winners!)

TEAM GIRL

We mingled and ate and then we walked over to the giant box that would be filled with both pink and blue balloons. Amy told us that she had secured two balloons with strings to the bottom of the box and that after all the other balloons flew out the two would remain in the color of the baby’s gender! So exciting.

We opened up the flap and….

BLUE BALLOONS! WE KNEW IT!!

Alex and I also made a fun little video of our gender reveal, check it out!

I can’t believe that in 4-5 short months, we will finally have our sweet little guy. I keep imagining what he will look like and imagining his first bath in the sink, waking up in the middle of the night just to check and make sure he’s still breathing, and all his squishy faces and plump extremities. Ugh, I can’t wait. Can it be May already, please?!?!

Cheers to BOYS and besties who are pretty much amazing!

Baby | 12 Weeks

We made it to 12 weeks little lime and, so far, according to the doctor we both are doing a great job. Hooray!

So, this little lime is still totally kicking my butt. I’m up peeing all the time, tired all the time, and the morning sickness — though it has died down quite a bit — is still in full effect. Last night was the worst. I’m pretty sure this baby hates diary, tomatoes, and red meat. All of which are very sad. This baby has pretty much ruined spaghetti for me, since it just doesn’t taste the same coming back up. What was really weird is that all the noodles were gone, just the meat sauce remained, so I’m pretty sure this little one likes carbs. Sorry if that was a little TMI for y’all.

The weird, and I mean ultra-super weird, dreams have started. Two nights ago I dreamed that I was Hermione trying to escape the death-eaters for my ultimate mission of choosing the next James Bond. I interviewed many candidates and finally I took a rocket to outer-space where I found… Sponge Bob, who was jumping rope around the moon. Anyway, after much deliberation I decided that Sponge Bob should be the next James Bond or Bob. Whatever. Then we orbited around earth and landed in England where we shared a virgin martini (shaken, not stirred).

Needless to say, I woke up completely terrified and also hysterical.

This pregnancy has been a pretty crazy ride so far and I am so looking forward to the second trimester where I will, hopefully, start to feel better and have a bit more energy.

Until then,
Leelo and Ander +1

How We Told Our Family

Since Alex and I have been trying for while to get pregnant we’ve had some time to think about what to do to tell our family once we were expecting. First up, my parents.

THE THOMAZINS:
Growing up, every Friday night, we had Family Pizza night where my parents would order pizza and we would watch movies. So, Alex and I called Dominos Pizza on our way to Riverside and ordered a pizza with the words “Baby” spelled out in Pepperoni. They were less than helpful and ended up telling us they were too busy to accommodate us — Boo, Dominos. But Alex took control and called Romano’s Pizza in Canyon Crest and they graciously created our pizza.

I wrote on the inside of the lid “We’re having a…” and then “Baby” was spelled out in the pepperoni. We drove to my parents after being stuck in traffic for 3 hours and arrive with a cold pizza. My parents had already eaten, I was starving and my parents were already in bed. Nevertheless we were so stoked to share the news with them. I opened the box and said, “Oh my gosh, guys… look what they wrote on our pizza?”

My parents stared and in unison said, “We’re having a… Pizza?” With utter confusion on their faces.

My jaw dropped. “Mom, Dad, what does it say ooooonnnn the pizza?”

In unison, “We’re having a…. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Then they jumped out of bed and hugged us and screamed (well, my Dad said, “Ah-hah! Well good deal!” and hugged us).

Then we ate the baby pizza.

My sister and brother weren’t there for the occasion so I had to think on my feet about how to tell my brother. It went something like this:

JT: “So, I’m looking at two cars. One has a lot of space for my drums and the other is really cool looking.”

Me: “Cool, well just make sure you get one that can fit a car seat.”

JT: “Yeah.”

Me: “For your little niece of nephew.”

JT: “Yeah.”

Alex: “Cuz, you’re going to have one…”

JT: “Wait… what?”

Then he hugged me.

For my sister I designed a onesie with an iron on that said, “I <3 My Aunt”.

I wrapped it up, put it on her bed and told her she had to call me when she was opening it so I could hear her reaction.

She opened it an said, “Nat… are you serious?!”

Then we virtually hugged, talked about baby stuff and wedding stuff and cried because we were both so excited for each other.

THE LOPEZS:
On Sunday we were driving back to Camarillo and planned on seeing Alex’s family in LA since they were serving at the Harvest Crusade. In Alex’s family COFFEE is a huge deal. We all LOVE coffee and especially Starbucks — yes, we’re a cult and proud of it.

Anywho, Alex and I text everyone (Mom, Dad, Chris and Amber) to ask what they wanted from SBUX on us. We didn’t know they had already had some and we were meeting them for breakfast so no one was really into coffee. NOOOOOO!! But Alex and I said, “Forget it. We’re getting it anyway.”

So we pulled up and ordered everyone their usual, but on each cup Alex wrote their respective names: Grandma, Papa, Uncle Chris, and Aunt Amber.

Then we took bets on who would notice. We both decided Amber would notice first.

We found parking and we’re about to meet up with them when a HUGE Harvest mob started coming towards us. Everyone was stopping us for hugs and quick chats but I was so nervous I’m pretty sure I just stared awkwardly at everyone and I was so nervous that someone was going to see the cups!

After the crowd passed Alex’s Mom reached for the tray and said, “Oh! Grandma, that’s me. And here’s Papa’s.” And didn’t think anything of it, since they are already grandparents to little Julian. Alex was holding Amber’s and she said, “Does mine say, ‘Amber Amber’? Wait… does it say, ‘Aunt Amber’?”

Booya, we were right. She figured it out first! Then Debbie turned around and screamed, “Are you pregnant?!”

I was so nervous I just keep shaking my head yes and Alex had a HUGE grin on his face. Everyone shouted and hugged us and Julian looked confused — probably because he was wondering where his Starbucks was.

So there you have it, folks! The family reveal — we are so blessed by this crazy group.

Love you guys!

Baby | 8 Weeks (but really 10)

8 (ahem, I mean 10) weeks! I’m so glad we’ve made it this far little kumquat! Alex and I have begun praying for you specifically based on what size you are, so this week we’re praying for our little kumquat.

I’ve had horrible morning sickness that has lasted all day for the past two weeks and I’ve been extremely exhausted. It now takes me about 45 minutes to get out of bed and shower — a task that usually takes me 10 minutes. I basically have to sit down every 10 minutes in the morning until I’ve had something to eat.

I’ve been a biiiiiiiit hormonal, in fact this week I yelled at Alex while we were enjoying dinner at Panera and everyone started staring. It was not my finest moment and Alex laughed so hard that he cried — so, I started laughing at how ridiculous my whole freak out was.

I don’t have much of a bump yet (the above picture is more of a food baby than an actual one) and that is perfectly fine with me, but I am definitely feeling a little thicker around the middle. I’m going to ride this out as long as possible, but this little baby has had me eating constantly! This past week I ate entire pasta meal for a family of four… by myself. It may have taken me three hours, but I ate it and I’m not ashamed.

So, what were some of your remedies for “morning” sickness? How did you maintain a healthy diet during pregnancy and what workouts do you suggest? I’ve been pretty good about maintaining some cardio, but it’s been hard these past two weeks.

Over and out,
Leelo and Ander +1

I Love Technology

Technology is amazing, let me start off with that. You know why?! Because, I was able to actually see my baby yesterday (10/4/12). It’s about the size of kidney bean but it has a heartbeat… a heartbeat, you guys! I’m telling you, it’s the moment that changed everything for me. I’ve been so skeptical this whole time, worrying if this baby was viable, taking pregnancy tests every day for a week straight, praying and praying and praying for this appointment to come! And it came and it. was. magical.

Just look at that little kidney bean. This picture totally doesn’t do it justice and seeing it move around in there was just ridiculous! It jumped and flinched and I almost lost it. It’s a baby — an actual baby… and I love it so much.

On the not so bright side, this baby is kicking my butt. I can barely eat anything and nothing sounds good except bready-salty things. I haven’t gained any weight yet, mostly because anything I eat ends up in the toilet. Morning sickness is in full effect and I’m pretty much married to my bed. I love sleep… almost as much as I love technology.

But not as much as you, you see… but I still love technology.

Always and Forever.
Leelo and Ander +1

Baby | 4 Weeks (I think…)

We’re having a baby! It’s insane. I still can’t believe it.

For those of you who don’t know, Alex and I have been trying for a little over 10 months to have a baby so this little soon-to-be bundle is pretty much amazing.

Okay, on to the week 4 update, which is pretty much the, “I-just-found-out-I’m-pregnant-week”. I still feel like I’m constantly asking and saying, “Am I pregnant? I don’t really feel pregnant.” At this point, I pretty much take a pregnancy test every morning just to make sure. I’ve already scheduled our 8 week but seriously, it can’t come soon enough. I am a complete wreck. Why aren’t I throwing up yet?! Seriously, you guys, I’ve never wanted to throw up so much in my life and I HATE throwing up.

It’s a whole new experience and am I ready for it? NOPE! I completely thought that knowing I was pregnant would take some anxiety away — boy, I was so wrong! Now I have a whole new set of emotions and questions… even though most of my friends will tell you I’m totally that annoying know-it-all who knows everything there is to know about babies. I had a subscription to babycenter.com 2 years ago. Yes, I’m that person.

What gives me peace in this whole thing though, is that I am completely aware God is in control and that this baby is a gift. I have had so many amazingly, wonderful people praying for us during this time of trying to conceive and I have appreciated them all. I have learned how to trust God even more during this time and I can’t express my overwhelming joy at this blessing. I just can’t wait hug it and kiss it and love on it for a long, long, long time. God is so good and we are so happy to begin this journey.

Keep on liftin’ it up peeps!

We love ya,
Leelo and Ander + 1