Birthday Weekend Fun

Out of all of my birthday's, this birthday was probably my favorite or at least in the top 2 :)

April 25, 2014
The work week finally settled down (as well as the emotional aspects of family drama as well).  I finally got my ring!  I told Clark I should have a birthday weekend and he was totally okay with it!  We wound up going to Outback for the start of my birthday weekend :) I ordered a 9 oz. Sirloin w/French Onion Soup and Garlic Mashed Potatos and of course, we ordered a Bloomin' Onion.  It was delicious.  It was also some of the best service we have had in quite a while at any restaurant.  Such good service that Clark gave the waiter a 2-% tip for someone who ordered $90 when we only ordered $50.

We got home and were both in such a food coma, just plopped down on the couch for a while before I decided I was to exhausted to keep my eyes open.  I went downstairs to take a shower and Clark took care of the boys before he came downstairs.  We laughed for almost a whole hour watching our dorky dogs play fight, etc.  It was a great night.

April 26, 2014
I started my morning off right, with an amazing facial.  It was absolutely amazing and felt so good to have my face cleaned out with all the impurities.  I came home to relax but instead decided to start working on a candle order.  Finished the candle order, went to Moorpark to go to Michaels and Costco (we try an stay away from Oxnard's Costco, it is way to crowded), went on a walk with the doggies, then relaxed for the rest of the night :) 

April 27, 2014
One more day until I am 24!  I did a little nail therapy thenI went to my parents for my birthday lunch.  We celebrated with my grandma, Lieve (a friend from Belguim), my parents and Clark.  Ma made my favorite type of food there is... Milanese (meal-en-es-sa) LOL  It is from Argentina.  It is very thin strips of filet mignon, breaded and fried until it just melts in your mouth!  My mom made filet mignon teriyaki for Clark and Ma and made a super good salad... It was delicious!  I went home VERY VERY full!  I don't remember doing anything else that day other than sitting on my butt!

April 28, 2014
Goodbye 23, hello 24.  Every year on my birthday, my mom calls me at 2:23 p.m. to wish me a happy birthday because that was the time that I was born.  She always tells me it isn't your birthday until 2:23.  I woke up and did some laundry but mostly lazed around until Vanessa came over :) It was a surprise visit!  We rarely see each other because our schedules are so busy, but she made time for me and it meant the world.  She came over with some flowers and took me out to Ottavios for lunch :) IT was delicious!  After, we came back to my place and watched About Time with Rachel McAdams and it was pretty good!  Clark wound up coming home around 5:00 p.m. and we ordered Toppers, which was delish!

Around 7:00 p.m., Blake and Jess showed up to borrow Clark's truck and surprised me with a BEAUTIFUL pair of wedges... if you know me, you know I am a shoe freak! Plus seeing my nieces always makes my day!  Jess even sent me a video clip of each girls in the morning wishing me a happy birthday!  How stinking cute is that?

I got a lot of great gifts this weekend... my dad gave me a la-z boy chair (who needs a rocker when you have the most comfortable couch ever), my mom got me a huge ballon and so much more :), my grandma was (as always) overly generous with a check, Allie got me a g/c to Destination Maternity, etc. etc.!  It was a great birthday.  The best gift of all was that Clark gave me a 30 minute foot/calf massage... LOL The little things that make you so happy.

Clark has been absolutely wonderful with the pregnancy and there are times I feel so bad that I can't do as much as I could.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband :) He even wrote me one of the cutest text messages ever!

Here are some pics from my birthday :) 

How far along? 14 Weeks!  Only 26 weeks left!

Total weight gain/loss: 8 lbs and holding firm. 

Maternity clothes? YES!  I can't get enough of them

Stretch marks? YES....

Sleep: I am trying to at least get 10 hours per night and sometimes that just isn't enough.  

Best moment this week: My birthday :) Of course!

Miss Anything?  I miss being able to run up and down stairs, take longer walks, etc.  Who would ever think I would miss some sort of exercise?!

Movement: Not yet, but in our ultrasound the baby was flipping like a dolphin up and down!

Food cravings: Nothing at the moment.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The smell of jerky makes me queasy... and doritos with nacho cheese (my poor husband can't eat his food ha 

Have you started to show yet: Yes... on top of the fat I already had, the belly is definitely blooming!

Gender prediction: Boy and we are excited that in 4 weeks we will know for sure!

Belly Button in or out? In

Happy or Moody most of the time: I can pinpoint the mood... It is being irritated very easily.  

Looking forward to: My mom's birthday and Clark's and my four year anniversary (wedding).

Amazing Few Days

These last few days have been really good.

April 20, 2014

I thew an Easter Egg Hunt for Clark's side of the family and it turned out really well!  Debbie (Clark's mom) brought the coffee and drinks for us, while Kyle and Cindy (Clark's brother) brought donuts.  For 225 eggs, the girls went through them like they were a piece of cake!  I was worried I should have gotten more!  It was quite a fun day :) Here are some pictures! 

By the end of the Easter Egg Hunt, I was exhausted.  We went to my parents to go have a quick lunch then head home.  The rest of the day included sitting on my butt watching t.v. :) 

April 21, 2014

Today was the day of our first 3-D and genetics testing ultrasound.  Everything went extremely well other than the fact that I had to wait for 2 hours before the doctor was even ready to see us.  The appointment took a whole 2.5 hours which the last 15 minutes was just waiting for the doctor to come see us.  Nevertheless, the baby is healthy and we go back in 5 weeks to do another checkup on the genetics testing.  
Little Ostrander's heartbeat was 163 bpm :) 
Little Ostrander's weight was 2 ounces :)

Here are some of the pics we got from the ultrasound, they aren't as clear because I scanned them and the light reflected a little.  (p.s. I marked where the head/feet/hands are, etc.)

This by far was my favorite, even with the 3d pictures we got :) 

How far along? 13 Weeks!  We are officially certain we are 13 weeks and that makes us only a week behind of what we had originally thought.
Total weight gain/loss: 8 lbs and it feels like so much more! I can't tell if the majority of it is water retention or just bloatedness, etc.  I am not eatting as much as I normally do but am still gaining weight.  
Maternity clothes? YES!  I can't get enough of them
Stretch marks? YES.... They seem to be multup
Sleep: I am trying to at least get 10 hours per night and sometimes that just isn't enough.  I find it hard to believe it isn't much, but being pregnant is a hard task!  LOL Whoever said pregnancy was easy.... she lied! :) 
Best moment this week: Watching the girls Easter egg hunt on Easter.  It makes me giddy just thinking of how much I can't wait for our future baby to participate!
Miss Anything?  I miss a lot of my favorite foods.  A lot of things don't sound good and with the accompanying cottonmouth (dry mouth) it makes it hard to make things appetizing! 
Movement: No, not unless you count that from 4-5p.m. everyday I get this odd gut feeling of movement ha! 
Food cravings: Chocolate shakes... If anyone knows me, knows that I can't stand chocolate, but that is all I want.  
Anything making you queasy or sick: Moving super fast and the smell of cooking anything 
Have you started to show yet: Yes... on top of the fat I already had, the belly is definitely blooming!
Gender prediction: Still think it is a boy and Clark is convinced since the doctor said "he"
Belly Button in or out? In
Happy or Moody most of the time: I can pinpoint the mood... It is being irritated very easily.  
Looking forward to: Going to bed early (aka by 7:30) and getting my full night's rest!  Clark is already asleep :) It was a long day!

Today has been the best day so far

Today has been the best day... With I am sure many more to come.  Not because I felt like a dying person all day but the fact that I can now feel my baby.  All of the problems I had today suddenly went away when I was pushing on my lower abdomen and I could feel a difference on where the baby was compared to the other side :) 

It was quite surreal.  I even had Clark feel my stomach and he was astonished on how you can feel the baby.  It truly is a miracle and to think that I still have 6 more months (or less) to feel this growing, beautiful baby.  Clark then told me to stop pressing on it so I don't hurt the baby!  What a protective dad!  

After a long and miserable day for me, it finally turned into an amazing day!  I can't wait to see what the ultrasound shows up on Monday!

Feeling Better and Updates on Life

It is amazing what a difference a week can do.  I feel so much better this week.  I have been able to eat and have had so much more energy.  I was able to finish a few candle orders and do some baking.  

We had our most recent doctor's visit and Clark is convinced we are having a boy since our doctor said "He seems to be doing fine" and said he twice ha!  I told him not to get too carried away with the fact that it might be a girl or a boy.  We got to listen to the heartbeat again with the Fetal Doppler (I am not sure if that is exactly what it is called).  On top of making a baby, I am making an ocean in there too!  It made me laugh!

We have our next 3-D ultrasound on April 21st to make sure the baby is healthy and that there are no abnormalities... I get an ultrasound and a blood test done while I am there.  My grandma will be going with Clark and I to that ultrasound.  She is very excited and wanted to go to one, and what better one than a 3-d ultrasound.  

Saturday was EXTREMELY busy!  I had woken up at 6:00 a.m. to make cupcakes and deliver them by 8:30.  After, I saw my grandma and then after that went to breakfast with Bryanne and baby Kenzie and had mani/pedicures.  It was so nice and so needed! Girl time is a must and I was quite exhausted where I took a 2 hour nap when I got home... After the nap, we went to watch Blake and Jess's girls from 6:00 p.m. and wound up staying until 1:00 a.m. with Jess and Blake laughing and having a good time!

Nevertheless, I was exhausted when we got home at 1:30 and had to wake up at 8:30 to go shopping with my grandma and mom.

Sunday, I went shopping with my grandma and my mom.  Both splurged on getting me new clothes and a new ring.  My grandma got me a LOT of clothes from Motherhood Maternity and I am so very grateful for it. I will have a good few outfits (that I will be wearing OVER and OVER again) for the next couple of months until I get larger.  

My mom bought me a new diamond ring.  It is small and a great price for the fact that it does have diamonds in it.  I just have to wait to get it resized.  I went from a size 7 finger to a 9.5, so it was quite a jump!

It is amazing how nosy and how rude people can be. I understand at the doctor's office they have to ask you if you know who the father is... but since my ring hasn't fit and I go into the doctor's office, blood labs, etc. they all ask me if I know who the father is, and if Clark Ostrander (my emergency contact) is my father.  When I went to CMH to get my blood work done, the girl asked me if Clark was my father and continued to insult me by saying well I am assuming you aren't married since you don't wear a ring.  Do you know who the babies father is?  First, it is none of your business.  Second, I told her if you actually read my form, you can see that I checked MARRIED and under the emergency contact, I wrote in SPOUSE.  

Now a days, it seems so many people are getting pregnant without getting married that it must be a norm to ask and pry into those types of questions.  On top of making me very frustrated, it made me paranoid to get another ring.  So, I did.  Clark could care less if I wore a ring, but to me, it was important because at least then, people won't ask or pry into my personal life.  

How far along? 13 Weeks (Supposedly... We will know for sure on the 21st)

Total weight gain/loss: 4 lbs and it feels like so much more! 

Maternity clothes? YES!  On top of yoga pants, since my boobs have gotten so big most of my shirts don't fit across the chest area and if they do it looks like I am now wearing a midriff shirt!  Thanks to my grandma, Motherhood Maternity clothes are my new best friend... and SO COMFTY!
Stretch marks? YES.... However, the belly butter Bryanne got me is so thick it really helps!

Sleep: I try to go to bed around 7 or 8 every night since it takes me about an hour to fall asleep. However, with getting up so many times to go to the bathroom when I wake up in the morning, I am still tired.
 Best moment this week: Watching Ryley and Haley and afterwards have fun with Blake and Jessica just laughing so hard!

Miss Anything?  I STILL miss meat... 

Movement: No, not unless you count that from 4-5p.m. everyday I get this odd gut feeling of movement ha! 

Food cravings: Carbs... I am sick of people telling me that I need to eat more veggies... LOL What I can keep down is what I am going to keep down and since veggies come back up, carbs stay down for now! When I am craving something sweet, it is a McDonald's ice cream lol!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Moving super fast and the smell of cooking anything 

Have you started to show yet: Yep.... I am starting to pooch out a little

Gender prediction: Still think it is a boy and Clark is convinced since the doctor said "he"

Belly Button in or out? In

Happy or Moody most of the time: A little bit of both... depends on how much sleep I actually get at night!

Looking forward to: The Easter Egg Hunt I planned for Sunday (Easter Sunday).  I can't wait to see the nieces, and take a lot of pictures!

A Beautiful Day at the Beach

Today was a beautiful day.  I woke up around 8:10 a.m. (everything seems to wake me up and I can never sleep in anymore) and around 9:30 a.m. I turned to Clark and said... "Do you want to take the boys to the beach?"  Clark said, sure, why not.  I asked Kole do you want to go to the beach and he literally jumped with joy and barked at me... so we both took that as a yes... Yogi is a little oblivious ha!

The beach was gorgeous.  I had enough energy today that I was able to do so much more than I have been. Here are some pictures from the beach :) I would say the boys had a good time and I got a little bit of Vitamin D!

The Awful Side of Pregnancy

You hear that pregnancy is this wonderful, adventurous gift that comes to those who wait (or in some cases don't wait).  But let me just tell you, it will all be worth it in the end.  I keep having to tell myself that because the first trimester is absolute misery.  I can't imagine the women who do this at least 5 times! 

Clark and I want 3 kids total, I told him the next pregnancy, he better give me twins so I only have to do it once more!  LOL yes, that is selfish, I know!  On another note, he has been so gracious in cleaning everything, cooking his own meals, giving me LUXURIOUS foot rubs and so much more!  So thank you to my husband.  

It's funny because someone told me you are glowing.... First off, that is sweat. I promise you, it is sweat haha!  Second, I asked Clark... "Am I glowing?"  Without hesitation he goes "Nope, not at all!" I guess I can trust him to give me the brutal truth :)

For the last 3 or so weeks, I have dealt with vomiting, due to my UTI and horrific food aversions.  I literally will just look at a menu, let alone our pantry and just go ewwww nothing looks good at all.  Also, I am afraid to eat because I don't get nauseated until AFTER I eat something, which in return makes me not want to eat!  Luckily, this week hasn't been bad with the vomiting since I am over my UTI and I have only done it once or twice.  I have had extreme back pain, which makes me think that something is horribly wrong and and I have had exhaustion accompanied with insomnia... Go figure!

On the bright side, everyone does keep telling me that my skin is flawless, which I am SO grateful that I don't have to deal with a lot of acne at this point in time, just will be getting waxed WAY more often than when I originally went to my esthetician... You know it is bad when you walk in and she goes "Wow you are hairy"!  LOL

Other than that, the fun part of pregnancy is doing our baby registry :) I won't lie, I pretty much started ours when we found out we were pregnant!  LOL I couldn't help myself.  I also can't forget PINTEREST :) I love Pinterest and going on an pinning everything cute baby shower wise, is so much fun!  Here are my two boards for baby stuff:

http://www.pinterest.com/kostrander0502/maternity-picture-ideas/

http://www.pinterest.com/kostrander0502/baby-shower-ideas/

Overall, pregnancy is probably one of the toughest physical hurdles I have had to deal with.  I thought my wisdom teeth were bad when I had the surgery... This trumps everything by far.  

For all of the people who have started showering us with gifts, everything is so greatly appreciated!  My mother in law has gotten us two sets of onsies and some blankets, my best friend, Bryanne got me mommy essentials!  Without those, I would be hosed haha!  Body butter and Preggo Pops are SO needed along with all the reading material she is letting me borrow :) My sister in law, Jess, has given me so much already from pacifiers to maternity clothes, I am so appreciative of everything! One gift I was NOT expecting was from my hairstylist, Bianca!  I absolutely love her :) We are so similar lol and I walk into my 9:00 a.m. appt in Agoura and she shows up with a gift bag just for me!  It literally brought tears to my eyes :) Here is a pic of my newest haircut and the gifts she got us!  So, thank you to everyone who has showered us with gifts this last month!  We appreciate EVERYTHING and we love all of you!!

Thanks for reading :) Hopefully my symptoms ease up a bit so I don't have to rant like this!!

Just some humor pictures below :)