Week 23, What a Week!

This week has been by FAR the busiest week I have seen since I have been pregnant!  On Monday, we went to Debbie's (mother-in-law) house and had a BBQ for her sister coming into town for the day.  So immediately, after work we headed over and didn't leave until about 7:30ish if not a little later.  I didn't crawl into bed that night until around 11:00 p.m. because we had so much going on that day that I couldn't settle down, since I normally get into bed around 8 or 9ish!

Tuesday was just as busy!  I finally finished my online store for my website, which was a huge relief and I actually got three orders in one day from it!  I figured having the online store would get my more notice than just through Etsy alone which has hundreds of soy candle makers.  Also, on Tuesday I started making gender reveal cupcakes.  I had to make the fondant and the chocolate toppers for a "footballs or tutus" theme.  A friend from high school had asked if I would do her cupcakes for her gender reveal!  Thanks Tasha!  The picture below is the finished product from Thursday :) 

Wednesday was JUST as busy!  It was Vanessa's birthday, so as soon as I woke up I called her and then after work called her then :)!  It went by as quite a blur and I have been so busy at work, before I knew it... we had gone to Vons then came home but it was already 10:00 p.m.  It was such a late week so far!!

Thursday comes around and it was a little "less" busy, but just as busy!  I went home on lunch to bake the cupcakes (above) and frost them and after work headed over to finish them and head to Moorpark to drop them off!  After that, I was home by 7:15ish and time just escaped from me.  I had a candle order I started and then it was, yet again 10:00 p.m. again!

Friday was the day I was looking forward too!  I had done 30 candles for an amazing client, Rebecca (who is a fabulous realtor as well) and she came to pick up candles before I went to work around 8:30 a.m.! 
I had a mani/pedi after work and it was just amazing!  I have still had the bumps, which come and go, on my feet and the pedicure on Friday helped immensely! I only go to Ivy or Jenny at Creative Nails in Camarillo and Jenny made the water so hot that it actually relieved the itchy and the pained feeling I was getting from the bumps.  It was like heaven!  I got the deluxe pedicure and that was pretty much 3 foot and calf massages with a scrub, a mask and just lotion.  I got a regular manicure for my hands but I got a new girl, who made them slightly crooked... so to me, that is a huge pet peeve, but I figured they gave me the deluxe pedicure for the price of the normal pedicure since I had the "new girl" do my nails.  It all worked out in the end!  

 Saturday was by FAR the busiest day out of everything!  I woke up around 8:45 a.m. and remembered I had forgotten to wrap Haley's (my niece) birthday gift!  I raced upstairs and found the cutest wrapping paper I could and I didn't have much ribbon, so I just used a simple one!  I finished that and by the time I was dressed and ready we were running slightly late!  We got to the Chuck E Cheese in Thousand Oaks at 10:10 a.m. and I HATE BEING LATE!  We had a good time there and was so excited to see Hay and Ry running around like crazy having a great time, as well as our other two nieces, when they arrived, Zoey and Giselle!  

While we were at Chuck E Cheese, I met with Lindsay, who won a candle from my raffle but is also a friend :) I got to see her 3 adorable children when she stopped by to pick it up!  It is always fun talking to her!  She makes me laugh like crazy.  She was headed off to a birthday party so it was quick, but it is always nice seeing familiar faces that you enjoy spending time with!

It was also great seeing Jessica's family!  I love her two sisters Rachel and Sara!  They are awesome, and always fun to talk too!  Plus, I love talking with Jessica so it makes it easy to talk to her sisters because they are all so much alike in the social aspect :)!  Jess even got me started on skeeball!  HAHA Apparently, my new hidden talent is skeeball at Chuck E Cheese!  One of the best moments of that morning was seeing Haley in the ticket blaster!  That smile just melts my heart and she just looked so adorable!  

We headed home around 1:30 I think if not a little later... stopped by Vons to pick up the last minute baking things I needed to make Vanessa's birthday cupcakes!  I was pretty hungry by then, so we grabbed some boneless chicken wings from Vons... Clark said they were okay, but because I was SO hungry they were awesome!  LOL Apparently, when I am running around (even after eating pizza at CEC) I am hungrier much faster!  Got all the stuff we needed and wound up getting home by 2:30.  I was about to make the cupcakes and realized everything I needed had to be washed first!  I stuck them in the dishwasher and waited an hour, ate, and then hand dried everything that I needed.  

I made carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and before I knew it, 6:00 rolled around (yes it took almost 2 hours to make 36 cupcakes) I hopped into a bath because my back was killing and I got ready to take off!  Even though Vanessa lives in Oxnard, she is the easiest to get to.  We are both so close to the freeway, it only takes me 15 minutes to get there!  I got there, and added her cupcake toppers and started helping prepare the rest of the food that her mom needed help with!  I got there at 7:00 (which is when it was supposed to start) but people didn't start really showing up until 8:00!  LOL I was worried I would be late!  It was fun!  I love seeing her and every year, no matter what, I try and make her birthday party.  We don't see each other often enough because both of our lives are so incredibly busy, but we always make exceptions around birthdays and holidays.  She has always been by my side and is like a sister to me!  No matter what, whenever we don't see each other, we text or pick up right where we left off!  I left around 9:50 and got home by 10:05.  It was super fun :)  Plus I ate enough for 5 people I am pretty sure!!

Sunday, was nice... relaxing and I got to clean a little bit.  I have noticed how incompetent I am and once I get the itch to clean, I have to do it because it comes and goes VERY quickly!  Clark has done so incredibly much that I don't even know where to start. I know he doesn't read the blog... but I can't help but share everything he does.  He will literally give me foot rubs all the time, he cleans the WHOLE 1800 sq ft townhouse so it is spotless, does all the every day cleaning, on top of picking up all the heavy things for me or making me a foot bath so my poor feet can soak.  He will do ANYTHING he can do make me feel more comfortable.  I feel so bad that I can't help him out like he is helping me... but he is being absolutely tremendous and hasn't gotten mad or upset with me once... If you know me, you know I can be a pain the the butt!  He has been the most patient man I have ever met.  I am truly blessed.  I have had 2 spats with him, but they are my wacky hormones and he sits there and takes it and just lets me do my thing.  Without him by my side, I don't believe I could do this.  He is my rock and I love him to death.  

On another note, the good, bad and ugly... my symptoms are somewhat typical!  I seem to get the odd ones though!  I am that one person who gets stuck with ones that most people don't see!  My feet are definitely swollen when I wake up and get worse by the end of the night.  I don't know if that is because of my weight or the fact that I am just retaining a lot of water.  My calves usually go numb by 7:30 p.m. now-a-days and the restless leg syndrome really sucks.  My mid back is starting to hurt and I am not sure if I threw it out playing skeeball (sad I know) or if something else is causing it, but it hurts to walk, so I waddle, and it hurts to turn side to side. My sleep is very disrupted, but I am learning how to cope better with it.

Other than that, things are good.  My energy level is somewhat decent, I had such a crazy week, I would like to think I am half of the person I was before haha!  I don't feel as tired when I wake up now, even with disrupted sleep... and I feel like even with the permanent bags under my eyes, my whole self feels good.  I wouldn't say I am feeling amazing, but I sure feel much better these days than before!  

How far along? 23 Weeks! 
Total weight gain/loss: 14 lbs... I am starting to gain more again.  
Sleep: I wake up quite constantly to either go to the bathroom or just readjust.  I know it hasn't been super hot but at nights, I get VERY warm and usually go sit in the leather lazy boy chair to cool down and then hop back into bed.
Best moment this week: Having the energy I had to do everything that needed to be done!
Miss Anything?  Jersey Mikes Sandwiches!
Movement: Oh yea!  I got my first real HARD kick the other day and it made me have to sit down!
Food cravings: Everything edible!
Have you started to show yet: Yes, my belly is rounding more.
Looking forward to: Finishing candle orders and hearing the heartbeat on Tuesday at my OB appt.

Week 22

Finally reached week 22.  This week has been crazy.  I had a short work week and we went camping on Thursday until Saturday.  It was fun... but definitely not very relaxing.  I was very hot and uncomfortable and realized how little I can really do.  It stressed me out quite a bit to feel so incompetent of what I could and could not do.

Overall, we got there by 9 am on Thursday morning, set up camp and everything was good.  The dogs seemed very happy as well until the day started transpiring.  It did get hot and the dogs, you could tell were uncomfortable.  However, on Friday, we rented a 14 platoon boat (sp?) and that was fun but I only stayed on for 2 hours or so.  We came back in to eat lunch... most went back out to the lake, however, I stayed back with Debbie (my mother-in-law) and Cindy and her two girls.  It was 94 when we got back from lunch and I kept the dogs from going back out on the boat, which probably was a huge mistake on my part.  We kept the dogs in the bed of the truck so they would be in the shade, but because it was so hot, you could tell that they were miserable.  Kole even tried jumping out of the bed, so I took them out and had them attached to an extended leash to roll around in the dirt and cool down.

When everyone got back around 4 or 5 p.m.  you could tell something had happened on the boat.  There was this awkward tension.  Plus the family drama was a little unnecessary.  Quite honestly, we invited everyone... and the trip was slightly ruined Friday night until Saturday.  There seemed to be a lot of tension and it made the situation very awkward.  Things were said about my husband that he didn't even say.  The person who even heard it wasn't anywhere near us when it "supposedly" happened.  So it was a situation of drama that didn't even need to happen.  But it is what it is and now there is awkward family drama that should have never even started.  So, we all decided to leave earlier than expected the next morning and skip breakfast to get back home.

Other than that, it was fun seeing all the girls interact.  The nieces are so fun to watch and just seeing them makes my whole day better!  Overall, I doubt we will be going camping for a while... what was supposed to be fun and relaxing turned out a little different than we thought.  What sucked the most was that it was considered to be my LAST baby free vacation, but it didn't feel very baby free.  Other than that, I got some good pictures to show!

Today, we took our dogs to my parents house to have an early dinner and to watch the USA v. Portugal game.  After the game ended, I got some decent pictures of the dogs playing in the backyard :)

How far along? 22 Weeks! 18 weeks left.
Total weight gain/loss: 10 very unlovely lbs that don't seem to budge.  
Sleep: It depends on if Clark is in bed or not before I fall asleep.  If he isn't, I fall asleep pretty easily, if not then it can take a while.
Best moment this week: My father in law made me laugh so hard during camping that it made my whole week!
Miss Anything?  Drama free days
Movement: Anson is moving around like crazy!  I noticed if I eat a burger he moves A LOT!
Food cravings: Milkshakes
Have you started to show yet: Yes, my belly is rounding more.
Looking forward to: Getting this week over with so the weekend can come again!

Week 21

I have officially made it past my half way point, so what if it is a week more :)

This week has been crazy!  We have been slowing putting clothes, diapers, etc. in the changing table and dresser.  We have also put all of the first aid kits, bath time soaps, shampoos and more in the baby's bathroom.  Slowly, but surely we are putting things together in Anson's room.  I made a HUGE attempt at making canvas letters and the design didn't work as planned, so I will have to find tape that can be used on a canvas that I can pull off later on when the paint is dried.  However, I am not giving up!

On Friday we got two huge packages in the mail :) One was our stroller travel system and the other was a glider for Anson :) A HUGE thanks to my grandma, aka "ma".  She spent way more than she needed to, but it is SO greatly appreciated :) Two HUGE priced items off of our registry!

Here are some pictures of what we came home too :)

 

We absolutely love them!  Clark and I put them together and we couldn't be more thrilled :) Here are the "after" built pictures!

 

 

 

It has been quite the crazy week though.  I have been dealing with these horrific allergic reactions.  I was reading online it might be considered prurigo of pregnancy.  It is considered a rash that can't be diagnosed because it is considered a pregnancy rash.  However, 1 of 300 women get it.  I have a feeling I am one of those "one".  I say that because all of the side affects coincide with the symptoms I am having.  An extreme allergic reaction and my body can't seem to beat it.  The steroid cream just made it worse.  The only relief I get is benadryl cream, hyrdrocortisone or some benadryl itself with ice packs on my feet for the swelling.  Here are some pictures (sorry, scroll down, if you don't want to see them) of what I have.  If you have seen it before, I would love some insight!!!  It is, however, hard to see when the flash is on.

On another note, we had taken Yogi and Kole to my parents house on Friday.  They had to put down their dog, Hunter, may he rest in peace so my mom wanted the dogs to come over to play.  Kole was practically brought up at their house... Always there on the weekends to run in the backyard with Sammy, however, Yogi has NEVER been to my parents backyard before.  Yogi got so excited and kept running and with all of the adrenaline, wound up spraining his ankle.  So Friday night, he wouldn't put down his foot so we took him immediately to the vet on Saturday and they said it was swollen/sprained, not broken... Thank God.  They gave him a large anti-inflammatory shot and sent us home with some pain medicine.  Here are some adorable pictures of how tired the boys were though after a play at Grandma's house.

It was great that the dogs had somewhere to be though.  We had gone to dinner with Clark's brother, Blake and Jessica with their girls in celebration of Ryley's preschool graduation!  We went to Texas Cattle Company and it was delicious and I love seeing my nieces!  Plus, I always have a great time talking with my sister in law, Jess!  It is always nice getting the family together :) 

On Saturday, we went to Mercado Buenos Aires in Van Nuys.  Once a year we get Argentine food from there, aka all of their desserts and pastries called Facturas.  I literally rolled myself home.  We got over 5 dozen of different types of pastries and between my mom, dad, grandma, Clark and I, we ate all of them in a two day period.  But, it was so WORTH it and the food was so amazingly delicious!

Here is the Week 21 belly pictures!!  I have, however, accrued the double chin for sure.  

 

How far along? 21 Weeks! 19 weeks left.
Total weight gain/loss: 10 very unlovely lbs that don't seem to budge.  
Sleep: It is taking me quite a while to fall asleep now, but when I do, I don't get up for bathroom breaks as much anymore.
Best moment this week: Getting the gifts we figured we would have to buy ourselves.  It takes a huge weight off the shoulders. 
Miss Anything?  Jersey Mikes sandwiches :(
Movement: Anson is moving around like crazy!  It went from one kick ever day to about 6 or 7 and that is everytime after I eat.  Clark finally got to feel it at 5:55 p.m. on Saturday (June 14th) he felt two kicks!  It was quite surreal!!
Food cravings: Nothing at the moment.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, my belly is rounding more.
Looking forward to: Camping on Thursday :) Leaving very early on Thursday morning!