Welcome back, Tricia!

Yes, welcome back to the real world...to work...to being a nurse in the ICU.

But before I get into that, can I just say that I now have a 3 month old!

 

Yes, Amaya is 3 months old as of 11.10.12. That flew by quickly. She is definitely laughing and smiling all the time and loves to talk to anyone who will listen. She is starting to like tummy time now that she can hold her head up more, and she likes to sit up in her bumbo seat for a few minutes each day. She also discovered her hands...that they are yummy and they can grab things! She really is a joy and becoming more and more fun now that her personality is starting to form.

With Amaya turning 3 months old, that meant my maternity leave ending and me returning back to work! WAAAAH. That was yesterday. Let's begin with the fact that I was up since 0315 with a gassy/fussy baby. Of course she has NEVER been like that...only when I return to work, of course. Then I get to work and all my access codes expire (welcome to a government hospital), so I spent a good part of my morning getting that squared away. And then in the evening we get super busy with admits and a patient who isn't doing well (and not to mention a needy nurse taking care of this patient). And I'm the resource nurse, so I spent a majority of my evening in that room. EXHAUSTED I tell you. So yes, welcome back to me.

The good part of it being so busy was that I didn't have much time to miss baby girl. I missed her, but I didn't have the time to think about it because I was always on the go. But please believe, I got my crying time in before the shift started.

I'm off today...going to spend some QT with baby girl and my sister, Tiffany. And prepare for another day of work tomorrow.

2 Months!

That's right! Amaya is 2 months old today! She loves to smile, laugh, and "talk" to mommy & daddy. She's been trying to hold her head up since birth, and she's getting better and better each day! I think she gets frustrated because she wants to do so much, but can't just yet. She loves to take walks when it's cool out, and loves when the breeze hits her face. And she loves to shop with Grandma!

Today she had her 2 month baby check-up. She's 9 lb, 12 oz, 21 inches long. 25th percentile for both. She's growing and catching up fast! Then she had her shots...took them like a champ!

She's more and more fun each day as her personality comes out more and more! I love her so much and can't believe she's already 2 months old.

One month!

Yes, as of 09.10.12, we have a one month old! That month seriously flew by. She is growing like crazy. She is a genius, I swear. She holds her head up for a pretty good amount of time. She has rolled over a couple of times as well. She's smiling more and more. And smiled in response to a belly rub from her Uncle Namen the other day. She loves to shop with grandma. And she is starting to sleep in longer stretches during the night...anywhere from  3.5 to 5 hours (I'll take it!)

She's herrrre!!

Amaya Kristine Williams joined us on Friday 08.10.12 at 11:02pm...weighing in at 5lbs 4oz and with a length of 18.5 inches. She was 10 days early. She just couldn't stay away. We are soooo in love. <3

Nursery is complete!

It took forever, but baby girl's nursery is finally finished!!

I'm so jealous of her room. I wish it was mine! ;)

I'm 38 weeks today. At my appointment last week I was 50% effaced and 1cm dilated, so we'll see where I'm at this Friday. I'm all for her staying in there for at least this week. Kee and I have a little date day planned Friday, then Saturday we have a wedding that I've been looking forward to for a while now. So take your time, Amaya. I don't mind.

Other than waiting around, I've been cleaning and organizing like crazy, trying to keep myself busy. And walking like a mofo. I've been feeling pretty good so far, just getting more and more tired. At least I'm not fat and swollen though. :)

Home stretch!

I am really bad at this. LOL. Updated pics:

30 weeks as of 06.11.12



33/34 week belly photo! 33 weeks as of 07.02.12...34 weeks as of 07.09.12.

35 weeks as of 07.16.12!

 I am now 37 weeks 3 days pregnant. I'm going to the OB once a week. And as of today, I am officially on maternity leave and already don't know what to do with myself!

Little Miss Amaya should be making her debut in 3 or so weeks. I'm just so excited to meet the little one already!

So what am I going to do in the meantime? Well, her room is all ready to go. (Pics of that coming up soon). I am fully in nesting mode...cleaning the house and cleaning out the fridge/freezer to make room for any food that anyone would like to bring over *hint hint nudge nudge wink wink.* And otherwise I'm just enjoying my free time and resting before my life changes forever. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. 

I suck!

...and I didn't realize how badly until I saw that I haven't posted since 22 weeks. MY BAD.

And here I am at 29 weeks as of this past Monday.

The past 7 weeks have been busy with work. It's been insane. Luckily, we were able to head out to Oahu for a week-long babymoon and family vacation with my mom, dad, sister, and her boyfriend. It was fun, relaxing, and much-needed. I'll have to do a separate post on that trip...if I remember and if I have the time to sit here! "/

But instead, here are some belly photos from the past few weeks! Enjoy!!

24 weeks as of 04.30.12. I was too lazy to do the chalkboard!



25 weeks as of 05.07.12. 15 weeks to go!!



 26 weeks as of 05.14.12...Amaya's first luau in Hawaii! :)

Also, the past two weeks have been filled with us working on the nursery. Here's a sneak peek of the walls (they're half-way done). And also the awesome glider that we got. Came home from a long day at work last night to have it built already...thanks to my wonderful baby daddy! ;)



The crib, dresser, and bedding are on the way, and we should be finishing up the room within the next week or so...so keep an eye out for that update!
 

22 weeks

22 weeks as of 04.16.2012

Another two weeks down! I'm starting to feel baby Amaya kick more than flutter, to the point that I even saw my hand move on my belly! It was creepy and exciting all at the same time. I'm starting to pop out more and more, so that means looking for more maternity clothes. Dilemma is that I hate pretty much everything that is out there, except for basic tops.

The next week or two will be dedicated to preparing the nursery! We haven't even bought one thing for the baby, so once Kee gets back from Southern California and Tahoe, that will be the priority!

And also trying to settle on a date for the baby shower, so my ladies...keep a Saturday or Sunday in June open for us! :)

Moving up in the world

Yesterday was my first day of orienting to charge nurse. Big deal...yeah, right. It is definitely not easy.  I knew I was dreading this moment in my career. Just seeing what everyone else has to deal with when in charge was not very appealing to me. We work in a very busy ICU. During the day we are dealing with trying to get patients out, getting surgeries in (if the unexpected e-team/code/admission doesn't take your open beds). On top of that you are dealing with different levels of doctors and some nurses that don't want to do what they're supposed to do. And then dealing with their personalities? Pfff...please.

And then top it all off with trying to remember all of the paperwork you have to go through.

Thank goodness we are getting not one, but two days to orient now. And I got to work with an awesome nurse who knows what she's doing. And thankfully the day was pretty steady, for the most part. I know it's one of those things that the more you do it, the better it will get. I just feel really uncomfortable and slow and annoying when I ask everyone all these questions. It will get better, right? I guess getting more responsibility is good. And with me being pregos, it's probably coming at the best time as I start getting bigger and can't do as much bedside care. So we'll see how it goes. I orient again for 8 hours tomorrow, then am on my own the last 4 hours of my shift. Then doing it all alone next Tuesday for 8 hours! Wish me luck!

20 weeks down...

...and 20 weeks to go!

...and baby Williams is...

20 weeks as of 04.02.12

That's right...we've got a little baby girl baking in that oven of mine! Her name will be Amaya Kristine! Ahhh...I'm sooo in love with her already. Can't wait to start shopping and getting her room ready! =)

19 weeks



19 weeks as of 03.26.12

Another week down! Had my monthly check-up yesterday. My doc called me BORING!

Baby's heart rate is perfect. Your blood pressure and heart rate are great. You look great! You're boring.

In this situation, I would much rather be boring!

Listened to baby's heart beat again...156 bpm. Fundal height is right on point. No labs to do this week...

...but we get to do our anatomy scan next Monday!! And if Lil Dub is cooperating, we will learn if we are TEAM PINK or TEAM BLUE!! Ahhh...I can't wait to find out!

Stay tuned!

18 weeks

Little Baby Williams is the size of a sweet potato! And I think I'm finally starting to feel little baby taps! It's kind of a weird feeling...different than anything I've felt before, so I think it is the L.O! Exciting! And you can see my little bump is getting bigger! Now I'm starting to look as big as I feel!

People have been coming up to me the past few weeks and rubbing my "belly." It was weird because they were rubbing my fat. LOL. But it's firming up now...so rub away!

I have my 19 week appointment next week. Just a quick check-up, but will be scheduling my anatomy scan at that time. Hopefully we will know if we are TEAM PINK or TEAM BLUE in the next few weeks! Any guesses?!

A week late...

Here's the 16 week photo from LAST week.

You can see my little baby bump starting to form, but I still feel bloated. Everyone at work (because they see me the most) swear it's a growing baby bump. I feel like it's just a blob of fat that looks bigger after I eat.

At my 16 week appointment, I did lose 6 more pounds. I am losing weight, but belly looks bigger so I know I am showing. It's just not as cute as I'd like it to be. I am wearing my maternity jeans more now because they are just so much more comfortable. It's funny because my pre-pregnancy jeans are a little looser now.

Here's a pic of one of the ACNPs, Andrea, who is also prego. I was 16w and a couple of days at the time. She is about 5 days ahead of me, but I feel she looks much more pregnant! She's so cute! We like to run from portable xrays together. :)

As of Monday 03.12.12, I am 17 weeks. That would make me 17w5d today. Baby is the size of an onion! Watch out next week for the 18 week photo. :)

15 weeks!

15w 4d as of today. :)

No pic this week. To me, belly still looks the same. I feel like I have slightly more energy, but I still do get pretty friggen tired. No specific cravings...food doesn't sound appealing right now anyways because I'm sick, again. BOO.

The only new thing? HORRIBLE LOW BACK PAIN!! Coughing and sneezing is the worse now. I brace my whole body when I know a sneeze is coming on because it hurts like crazy! Isn't it too early? I just don't get it. And Tylenol, the whole med I can take for any ailment, does jack for me. "/

Otherwise, I'm feeling aiiight. 16 week check-up next Monday and hopefully a new photo at that time! :)

Recently

First of all, I'm 14 weeks today and finally and officially in the 2nd trimester! It felt like I would never get to this point!

Last week we had our NT scan. Even though I'm very low risk, I'm choosing not to do any invasive diagnostic tests, such as an amniocentesis or CVS, so I chose to do the blood and ultrasound screening. So glad I did! I got to see the little bug wiggling around, moving its little arm, and even sit straight up! AMAZING. I was in awe of how developed it was when just 5 weeks prior it looked like a little peanut. Plus, I got to take home 11 new pictures of the little one. Here's two of them:

I'm in love with his or her little face...those lips and that nose...amazing. I'm so in love with this little person growing inside of me. It is actually a little person! I am just finding the whole thing crazy right now.

Here's my current photo: 14 weeks!

Still feeling tired some days, but I am actually not having the overwhelming feeling to be sleeping most of my days away. I am actually going to bed around 830-930p now, instead of 7p. =P And high note: I haven't gained any wait since my 8 week appointment. Yup, still the same weight. And those jeans I'm wearing in that picture? Haven't worn them in months. Ha. I'm enjoying this until I start really getting huge!

And last weekend I got my new car. Ended up getting the Hyundai Tuscon. LOVE IT. =)

11 weeks...199 days to go!

Yes! 11 weeks as of Monday January 30th, and only 199 days left to go as of today.

I wanted to do an 11 week photo this week, but for a couple of reasons I've decided not to.

First of all, I am making a new chalkboard, so it will be all set to be written on by next Monday.

And speaking of next Monday, that will be my second OB appt...and my 12 week mark. This will be a huge day for me. As many know, last Thursday I got into an 8 car pile up on the freeway on the way to work. I got rear-ended and then pushed into the car in front of me. My airbag deployed, which was terrifying. I sprained my wrist, got some burns, bumps, and bruises. Went to the ER and they said I was fine, but wouldn't do an ultrasound on me because it wasn't indicated. No cramping, abdominal pain, or bleeding. They tried to listen to fetal heart tones, but I knew that was going to be impossible because they had a crappy doppler.

I called my OB, and he said since I was a little over 10 weeks at the time, my uterus was still in the pelvic area and should be well protected. He figured that there was a very low possibility of anything bad happening. But if something were to happen, there would be nothing we could do. So since that day, I check every day for fading pregnancy symptoms (didn't have too many to begin with) or check for bleeding. It's hard to concentrate on anything at home or at work because my mind is elsewhere. But I'm trying to stay positive and take comfort in the fact that I am still tired, that I do get nauseated, and that I haven't been cramping or bleeding. It's just so hard. I want Monday to be here already so that I can just know what's going on. I don't think they will do an ultrasound, but given the accident and all my worry, I'm hoping I can convince the doc to do it. "/

So until I found out that baby is ok, no photos just yet.

Found out this week that my car is officially totalled. Went to the repair shop yesterday, got my stuff out of my car, and released it to the insurance company. Now I'm just waiting on them to tell me what are the next steps.

But this also means that I get my brand-new mom car that I've been planning on getting earlier! Since hubby is a Hyundai tech and we both really love the product, I'm looking at their crossovers (small SUVS).

I'm debating between two:



The smaller Tuscon. More gas and commuter friendly, but has pretty good car and trunk space. Plus, it's a cuter body style. :)



Then there's the medium-sized Santa Fe. Larger vehicle, more trunk space, probably roomier for a car seat in the back. Slightly lower gas mileage, but I may be able to get a smoking deal from one of hubby's car salesman friends because a new body style is coming out later this year.

So we will see...hopefully I can start really looking next week once I get more details on what's going on. What do you think I should get?!

10 Weeks

As of today, I'm actually 10 weeks 3 days. I worked two days so far this week and I didn't feel like I wanted to sleep all day. That's a first in a while. Boobies still hurt like a mofo. Still a little nauseated in the evenings, but otherwise I'm feeling slightly better.

I went and got my hair cut yesterday. 3 inches off! It felt sooooo good. My hair felt so dry and heavy, so it was a definite must.

Here's the chalkboard announcement pic. I wanted to make it cuter, but then I just wanted to get it done. Ha.

As I promised last week, here is my weekly picture! Don't mind the huge bloated belly. I feel ginormous right now....and gross. Can't wait until the pudge turns into a cute baby bump! =)

9 weeks!

Yes! 9 weeks today! This first trimester is taking FOREVER to go by! I just want it to be over with. I want to not be tired all the time. And I just want the peace of mind that Lil' Dub is progressing as he/she should be.

I was lucky to get the day off today. So I've been watching tv, resting, and eating! I feel like I've been eating all day long so far, but still can't stay full! It's ridiculous. In fact, I'm about to go eat again! Maybe some corn flakes and bananas. Yum.

Kee and I went to Babies R Us the other day. We've decided not to buy anything just yet, but it doesn't hurt to look. We got an idea of what we want, and it's just fun to look at all the cool stuff they have for baby. And I realized that I'm a retard when it comes to all that kind of stuff. I haven't really been around babies a lot, but he has growing up and raising his nephew and nieces. It's awesome to see how excited he is and how he is going to take charge in the gadget department. :)

Starting next week I'm going to start taking belly pics, although it doesn't look like baby belly. It just looks like fat, bloated belly, which is how I feel. Which is why I want these next few weeks to go by quickly!! Hurry up already!

What do you do? I make babies.

Yup! That's right. On Dec 9 2011, I peed on a stick and *wham* I'M PREGO! :)

Hubby and I are soooo stoked! After being married for a little over a year, we felt it was the right time to start a family of our own. It's just such an amazing and exciting time.

How am I feeling? TIRED. EXHAUSTED. My new favorite things are afternoon naps. And if you know me, I NEVER take naps. And I like to be in bed by 8, asleep by 9 at the latest. Hubby loves it. Boobs = OUCH! I get a little nauseated, especially in the car if I'm not driving, or in the evenings. I've only thrown up twice...and that's because I got hit hard with a cold on NYE. I was coughing so much I would throw up. NOT fun.

Details? Well, at first I thought our due date was going to be August 13th, but we went to the doctor yesterday and had our first ultrasound. I'm 8 weeks as of yesterday (only a week behind what I originally thought. Not bad) and the new due date is now August 20th. It's a special week because my late grandma's birthday is the 24th. My mom thinks he/she will be born on that day.

So here's Lil' Dub's first photo sesh. Since it's my baby, you know this child is going to be photographed A LOT! ;)

01/09/12: 8 weeks exactly. HR 180 bpm.

I tried to hold out until 12 weeks to make the big announcement. But so far everything looks okay. And if something *GOD FORBID* were to happen, there's nothing we can do about it. So we are enjoying every second of this amazing experience.

Happy 2012

2011 was a good year. Nothing major happened, good or bad. It was just a good year. I have no complaints.

We are still slowly getting the house together.

My parents lost my little Nilo (sad face). In November we did get another little addition, Kai. He's a brat, but we love him.

There was some family drama, but our lives are better without the drama now. I'm sure it will resurface soon.

There are some big changes coming up on 2012. Can't wait for them...=)