Week 38

Little Foot is the size of a Pumpkin, and yes it sure feels like I'm walking around holding a pumpkin 24/7. We're now 38 weeks in, and I would like to make it to the due date (for the sake of Little Foot's continuing brain/organ development), but my body is now starting to really feel the pain and discomfort everybody talks about. I've been starting to feel like my body is really getting ready for labor though. I feel more movement towards the bottom (pelvic pressure) and consistent Braxton Hicks contractions. On top of that, my back has just started hurting this week so I've been trying to do some stretches and find a position where it won't start aching right away. I'm not really complaining about it though because I know it's all part of the process, just letting you know what's changing!

This week I made it a point to get some errands done. We bought some last minute items at Babies-R-Us, picked out the "coming home" outfit for Little Foot which is exciting because we picked out one pink and one blue! Everything is washed, folded, and ready to go.

After mass on Sunday it was about 90 degrees outside and we couldn't decide what to eat, so we went to this seafood place (only my second time there) and it sure hit the spot. We had some fish tostada's and shrimp cocktail's...very refreshing on a hot day. 

Simona called on Sunday afternoon re-scheduling our appointment we had for Monday because she has someone in labor. It's so crazy to think that any day now that call can be about me...and I'll be the one in labor. Jorge and I are so excited and extremely ready to meet our little one! We'll see when that will be :)

Monday was the last day of being 38 complete weeks and yet another project has begun here at the house...taking out carpet and putting in wood flooring. Baby can come any day so they're hoping to get this flooring in ASAP! (My family is putting this together not a company, so it won't be done in one day). I'll show before and after pictures later!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 37

 Little Foot is officially considered "full term"! At thirty-seven weeks the lungs are fully developed, organs are ready to go and if he/she was born today would be overall in good shape. My body is starting to get ready for labor with BH (Braxton Hicks) contractions that come at no particular time, but happen at least 5-15 times a day. These just feel like a tightening of my stomach, no pain, just can be a little uncomfortable at times and my stomach feels rock hard. At first I had no idea what these were, I thought it was just the baby moving up top and making it really hard, but I guess those are actual practice contractions. Too bad everything I've read says that real contractions are nothing like this...one can hope! I'm also still feeling what they call "pelvic lightning" which happens when I'm walking around. This feeling is a short, lightning type pain that comes from the pelvic area and is due to baby's head trying to get comfortable and hitting nerves down there. It goes away just as quickly as it comes, but man when it happens I have to stop and take a short breath and sometimes even pick up my belly with my hands to see if it helps.

This week my mom and I went to the park with Lexi to walk laps. This is the first consistent week we've been able to go and do it and my body definitely felt a little tired but not bad. We're walking two miles a day so nothing extreme (but I do feel that pelvic lightning during my walks which sometimes makes me want to stop every once and a while).

Saturday night Jorge and I had a date night and went out to eat at Macaroni Grill (only our second time ever being there, not really a favorite place). It's always nice getting out just the two of us. I'm going to try and get as many little date nights in before baby comes!

Sunday we spent the day at the Pet Expo with Ceci, Gustavo, Zoe, and Gustavito. It's our annual trip we make to go and see all the different dog breeds and sometimes buy new products that people come up with for pets. Zoe loved all of the dogs, wasn't afraid of them at all! It's a great Expo where we get to learn about new breeds that we've never heard of before, and how we're going to pick our next dog when the house is ready! I thought I was being smart by wearing thick comfortable socks with boots since we would be doing a lot of walking...nope, wrong again. I really should have worn tennis shoes because I was so tired/sore the next two days! No more of that...looking good is OUT, comfort is IN for the next few weeks (or months, let's be honest).

We had our thirty-seven week check up appointment with Simona (our midwife) on Monday and everything is looking good to go! Baby's head is still down, my blood pressure is normal, GBS bacteria test came back negative (so I don't have to worry about taking antibiotics during labor), urine is normal with proteins/sugars, measuring a little big she said (but still normal range), and we did a little test run in the birthing suite. She showed us how during labor I would be getting in/out of the tub, positions I would be in while inside of the tub, what would happen after cord is cut and all that good stuff. Doing the run through made it seem so real and close that reminds me this can happen any day now! Little Foot will be here in no time!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 36

Oh my gosh I can't believe we've made it this far so quickly!

This week for work I trained someone to help in the office and take over some of the job duties I had. I never really understood how hard it is to train someone when the lingo is completely new and they're not used to doing the same type of work. Just teaching her how to open the programs we use everyday, and how to create invoices/estimates was much harder that I thought it was going to be. We'll see how it works out though. I know that since we can remotely connect with our computer here at home Jorge and I can still be able to help out and do some work from home during our spare time, after all a newborn sleeps like 18 hours a day right? We'll play it by ear once Little Foot comes!

This week was Easter and it was a very nice and relaxing day. After 10 am mass we went out to eat with Jorge's family at BJ's, and I ate WAY TOO MUCH, but it was delicious. Afterwards we went back home and changed into our comfortable clothes and did absolutely nothing. I loved relaxing and having nothing in our schedule.

This week all I was thinking about was making it one more week so we can deliver at the birth center. It is one of the requirements that we have to be at least 37 weeks to deliver there (since the lungs are fully developed at that point) so that was my main thought this week. I know it's not as common for first time pregnant women to go into labor early and everyone's telling me I'll go past our due date, there's always the possibility so I'm just waiting to make it to that mark!

Til next week!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 35

Only five more weeks until Little Foot's guess date! I really feel blessed that this pregnancy has gone as smooth as it has. I'm one of the very few women (so I've heard) that have been this lucky and thinks the past thirty-five weeks have flown by!

I think this is the first week that I seriously thought the baby can rip through my skin because it was stretching out so much! I had to put my hand over my belly to try and hold it in. Then, I started thinking all of these crazy possibilities...what if it could break or rip the amniotic sac. (Next few sentences may be a little TMI, just letting you know). So here's my crazy pregnant woman thoughts...What if the baby was strong enough to rip the sac and I had no idea? What if the mucus plug was still there and I didn't feel anything leaking because it was blocking any fluid coming out? Is that even possible? Yeah...those are my crazy thoughts.

Jorge took a few days off this week which was nice because he was able to see how much I still need to do to feel comfortable before baby arrives. I love how he gets me. He's been awesome this whole pregnancy, I'm grateful for him 100%!

Nothing more to think of this week, next week is Easter so I'll be updating about that!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 34

Thirty-four is my lucky number, and week 34 was definitely another great week!

I spent the week working from home and it went a little smoother than it did last week. We're learning what works and what doesn't as far as making sure everything can run efficiently in the next few months. There are still a few kinks to work out, but that's okay we still have some time.

This week sleeping was definitely more of an issue more than any other week. One night I woke up exactly every three hours. Not sure if it's just a way of my body preparing me for when baby arrives (or my subconscious) but either way it was a new symptom. I'll wake up due to heartburn and reach for the tums, prop my pillow up a bit, and take a small sip of water. Or I'll wake up having to pee immediately! It's now come to the point where I lay on one side, use both hands to prop myself up so I can get out of bed. I'm sure this is amusing to Jorge, but at least it's not the worst of symptoms that can occur. Still thankful this is all I'm feeling as far as symptoms goes, hoping it continues this way til Little Foot makes his/her arrival.

Jorge and I attended a wedding on Friday night in Redlands for one of my best friends. Vanessa was a co-worker when I worked at Frisco's and will always be a great part of my life. Thankful we've been able to keep in touch for special events like this. She was such beautiful bride! I can't wait for them to start a family of their own so Little Foot will have some playmates! (hint hint) ;)

34 Weeks Pregnant with Little Foot at Vanessa & Dylan's wedding

Vanessa & Dylan

Saturday was Devo's birthday and we went out with some of our girlfriends to celebrate. We met up with Ani, Pyka, Elisa, and Brittany for dinner at CPK and then followed it with some bowling (Judy met up with us there). Before we left to bowling both my mom and Jorge didn't think I was able to bowl, I honestly hadn't thought about it much but didn't think it would be an issue. I told them I would stop if I felt anything uncomfortable and take it easy. But I was fine! I didn't take the long approach like a pro and stood at the line like a newbie before rolling the ball down the aisle and I felt perfectly fine the whole time. It was funny because we kept the bumpers up from the previous party that was at our lane so I didn't do too bad. Overall it was a great night, I really enjoy bowling and should really go more often.

I think that's it for this week. Next week we are down to only five weeks left (which is a little scary to think about since we only have to be 37 weeks to deliver at the Natural Birth Center). It's exciting!!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 33

 This past week was a great week! First things first, it was my first FULL week working from home. I really thought this would be a little more relaxed, but I was definitely wrong. Jorge's parents (and younger brother) went out of town for a week because Bryan was in his cousin's quincinera. Due to that, I was doing much more to try and keep everything organized in the office (at home). Not only that, we had an earthquake on Friday night so there were a few emergency calls from customers who needed a repair for underground pipes! For my first week at home I was expecting more time to try and wash baby clothes and put things away, but I didn't feel like I had much time during the day and only made time a few nights this week. But, it still got done, so I'm not complaining.

Sunday was the baby shower for Little Foot hosted by my Mom and Devo. It was beautiful! They had an Owl, rustic theme for the shower and all of the decorations were very cute. I'm so thankful for them and all of the time they put into making our shower fun for us as well as all of our guests. I'd also like to thank all of our friends who helped with set-up and cleaning up for the shower. We didn't ask for the help, but all of you were so great and did it because you're amazing, so thank you very much! Little Foot is extremely blessed with all of the great gifts he or she received, and I'm so excited to put these clothes on him/her in just a few weeks!

Monday we had a Midwife appointment and everything is still looking good. They got the results to the last blood test that was checking for my iron levels, and they came back in the normal range which means I'm no longer anemic. I do need to keep taking the liquid iron to keep those levels up though, but it's not that bad. I only gained 1 pound since my last appointment (two weeks ago) so I'm staying on track to only gaining 27-35 lbs. overall. Baby's heartbeat was strong, I'm measuring right on track, and baby is still in position (head down). Next appointment they are going to do the GBS test, which tests for bacteria. If it's present then I believe they just have antibiotics available at the time of the birth.

Til next week!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Baby Shower pictures

Guesses of gender and birthday from our guests

Signature mat of well wishes

Week 32

Thirty-two weeks have come and gone! A lot has definitely happened this week that I'm very excited to share with all of you!

This was my last full week at work and started working from home. It's nice because I'm able to do just about everything I'm able to do in the office from home. Calls are forwarded to my cell, using the remote desktop connection to use the computer from work, and even call for inspections for current projects. It's nice to be able to still be in my pajamas and working! Don't get me wrong, i'm still working full days, but being able to slowly get baby stuff done during the down time, and getting snacks from the kitchen whenever I feel like it is a huge perk!

On Saturday Jorge's family held a Baby Shower for us and it was great! It was "bee" themed so everything was yellow and black, and decorated so cute. I'll post pictures in a separate post or add them to this one later. We are very blessed to have our family around us during this time, and we are very thankful for all of the work and time they put into the baby shower for us. Little Foot is already so loved!

Now onto the exciting news! Jorge and I officially closed escrow on Friday on a lot! Yep you read that correctly, not a house, but a vacant lot. We started this process in September and finally got everything straightened out and we now own a lot! Our plan is to build a duplex in the coming months but that's going to be a whole other process but I'll keep updating as we go along. 

Looking forward to all that's coming in the next few weeks! 

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 31

Okay, so since I'm extremely late on posting this update, once again I'll be doing a very short bullet point update on what happened this past week!

• On Thursday I met Jorge up in Solvang for a mini Babymoon! He was up North since Sunday night for a work conference so I was very anxious to see him. Although it may not seem like a long time to some of you, but four nights apart is the longest time we've spent apart since being married. It was a nice short vacation but being in Solvang was such a tease because of all of the wine tasting places! We'll have to make another visit after the baby is born.
• It's been pretty hot here in Southern California lately so I'm not sure if I'm actually getting swollen or reacting to the temperature change. But it has been more and more difficult to get my wedding ring on and off! I'm sure soon I'll stop wearing it, but maybe have it around a necklace, we'll see.
• Since I'm posting so late I've already been to the baby shower for the Ortiz side of the family, but I'll update you on that next week!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 30

Only ten more weeks to go!

This week was my Mom's and my birthday week so we went to dinner with my Grandma at a restaurant called The Market Place in Downey. It is delicious Greek food! During dinner my Grandma made it a point to ask me about my birth plan and the birth center where we're planning on delivering Little Foot. After giving her some information she made it a point to say how she would like to be there if she could! I had never really thought about asking her if she would be interested in being present for the birth, but she made it very clear that if I would allow her to be there, that she would love to be a part of the experience. (She did also make it a point to say that if I wanted her, or anyone else out of the room during my labor, to just say the word and she would leave). My Grandma is going to be 93 in May, and knowing that she wants to share this experience means a lot to me.

This week Jorge and I kept up with some cleaning and rearranging furniture in the room (I feel like it's never ending!) and bought some bins to organize and store baby blankets, clothes, and some swaddle blankets. We definitely need to buy another dresser or clean out some of ours because we are NOT going to have enough space after the baby showers.

I think Little Foot's now in position...I could be wrong, but I feel more pressure towards the bottom of my belly every time I stand up which makes me think it's the baby's head pressing down on my bladder! It's still so amazing every time I feel the baby move inside me and try to stretch out. The baby's definitely running out of room in there, but I'm sure my belly will continue to keep growing to allow for space.

Below is a picture from the front of Little Foot and one of my favorite quotes. Might print this out and put it in the nursery for decoration :) See you next week...almost in the single digits for how many weeks are left! 

One of my favorite quotes with a picture of Little Foot inside :)

My view at 30 Weeks! Feet are almost gone!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 29

Whoops! Well this week was pretty busy so I'm going to quickly do some bullet points of what this week has brought us!

• Glucose test came back normal!
• Found out through the blood tests that i'm anemic :( Now have to take some liquid iron+herbs to help and we'll be retaking some blood tests in three weeks.
• Took the RH- shot...have always hated shots but it really wasn't that bad.
• Bought some nursing bras that I started wearing right away because they were so comfortable! Figured it was a smart purchase since i'll be needing them.
• Painted the tree design on the wall where the crib will be! It's not completely finished but I'm so excited about the colors and the way it looks so far!
• We received our first registry gifts! Thank you to Jorge's co-worker Walter for gifting Little Foot's car seat, and our ex-neighbors for purchasing the crib mattress and sheet savers! It's so exciting receiving the first gifts, but also reminds me how much we still have to do to get the room and find space for all of Little Foot's gifts that we'll be getting soon. Only 11 weeks to go...time is going by very quickly.

There's a short re-cap, hopefully i'll be doing a better (quicker) job at posting these weekly updates in a timely manner!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 28

Oh Little Foot, you're name now suits you well! Using you're little hands and feet to kick and punch anytime you feel like it. Like at 5:00 in the morning when I get up to use the bathroom (because I now have to pee ALL THE TIME) I think you believe it's time to wake up and do your morning exercise in my belly. Seriously, I tried going back to sleep for about an hour and every time I was close you were moving around and wanting some attention!

Jorge says "better get used to it!" and I know that's true because the baby is only getting bigger, and after the baby is born...well, I think we've all heard it a million times so I don't have to say how much things are going to change.

This week we went to a wedding out in Victorville for a friend of Jorge's side of the family and it was a beautiful wedding and reception. I actually wore my Jessica Simpson heels all night long! Once the dancing started we got up and joined the crowd, but after a little while I started feeling a sharp-like pain towards the bottom of my belly/uterus and decided it was best to sit down. I didn't want anything to happen, and in my mind I was thinking anything is possible (like going into labor because of dancing, or pushing the baby down because I was moving so much). Having contractions or having anything happen all the way out in Victorville was definitely NOT part of my plan. After sitting down I didn't feel anything and all was well.

Something that definitely happened more this week (due to the wedding) was people feeling the urge/need to touch my belly. Keep in mind, these are family friends from Jorge's side so I don't know them very well (or at all) and they just felt free to go ahead and touch. I was fine with it mostly because it was women, and I know they're all well-meaning and just love babies/pregnant women, but there will come a time when some stranger tries to touch and I'm going to react differently I'm sure. I guess I should be prepared for the baby shower because I know there will be plenty of belly touching then. (To be clear, I am perfectly fine with people I know who would like to touch my belly. Women in particular. It get's a little uncomfortable thinking about men touching though...I have to think of a way to kindly say "Please no touching". Or I can just train my dog to do this...!)

According to The Pregnant Chicken the baby is the size of a Chihuahua, which is really funny to think about. Baby is getting big in there! Looking forward to many things to come in the next few weeks which include birthday's and baby showers! See you next week :)

Yep...still on our to-do list!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 27

This week came and went just like all of the others so far...leaving me so confused as to where the time went! This week Thursday we went in for the third trimester ultrasound and everything went great! He did mention that the baby is still in breech position so we had to schedule another appointment for around 37 weeks to see if the baby has turned by then. I'm not sure if this is normal or not though. I know it's super early for baby to actually be in position, but even at 37 weeks does Little Foot have to be turned? And if we know by going to the midwife and she feels that the baby is in position (head down) do we still have to go in for the ultrasound? I don't know, that will be one of the questions at my next midwife appointment which is next week.

Valentine's Day was on Friday! Both Jorge and I woke up with surprises/gifts from each other :) He leaves to work so much earlier than I do, so I made sure when I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom (I knew it was going to happen) I put his gift on his dresser so he can see it when he wakes up at 5am. Later when I left to go to work I placed little gifts for my parents and sister in the dining room and went out to my car to find my surprise from Jorge! He always knows how to make me smile :) Later that night we went out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants and ate WAY TOO MUCH! It was delicious, but I was full. Now, keep in mind he doesn't get home from work until around 8ish, so we didn't eat until 9...came home and went right to sleep. BIG MISTAKE! Woke up in the middle of the night with really bad indigestion, and tums did not help one bit. Tried sitting up and going back to sleep, but just laid there for about an hour til I was able to do so. I've learned my lesson though. Smaller meals, and leave plenty of time for food to digest before going to sleep. Man, that was not fun!

Weekend came and went. Sunday I got a haircut (nothing new but makes me feel good) and Devo and I went to go see Frozen. Loved it! I'm the type of person that can sit and watch Disney movies (animated/children's movies) even if it's by myself, but I liked it a lot!

Monday we had the day off for the holiday and went to the Huntington Dog Beach with Lexi. Even though we're only there for a few hours, not only does she get exhausted...but so do we! All we do is throw the toy into the water for her to fetch, but I guess being in the sun during that time really takes it out of us. I took yet another nap when we got home. I'm starting to get the hang of this nap thing!

Overall great week, and looking forward to going to a wedding this upcoming Saturday for one of Jorge's family friends! Not sure if I can last in heels very long, but I'm sure going to try!

27 Weeks at Huntington Dog Beach

Little Foot at 27 Weeks

Playing with Lexi on a beautiful February afternoon

  -Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 26

Just putting it out there, but this picture was taken with my iphone instead of a regular camera because the battery died...and so did the back-up camera's battery! So it's not as clear as others but oh well.

This week we got a little bit more done upstairs! We painted the wall Saturday morning with the color I bought at Lowe's that was supposed to be a steel gray. Well, it looked blue...baby blue! Not so much the neutral color I was looking for! We ended up going to the new Dunn Edwards store and repainted the wall with the newer, darker gray color I was looking for. Well thankfully it came out looking just as I hoped. After adding some base molding, painting the door, attaching new door hinges, new door knob, and door moldings the wall looked great. Now, the next step it picking out a design I like and stenciling/painting the decor for behind/around the crib. I'm excited for that!

Saturday we also attended a baby shower for Cain and Jessica's little one coming next month! Baby Jordan is already so loved, we can't wait for his arrival! I'm especially excited because our kids will be so close in age I hope they can grow up together and have play dates, family vacations together in the future!

Sunday we did a little running around and bought material for the wall project upstairs (I'll post a picture below of the before and after). Attended mass as usual, and dared going to Walmart to check out a great deal my mom and sister had found the day before. We bought our first nursery furniture piece! There was a glider/ottoman combo at Walmart for only $130! That's a great deal! Everything we had seen at Babies-R-Us was ridiciously expensive and mostly came as separate pieces. So this...was a deal we couldn't pass up on. After sitting in it I knew it was worth getting, so we brought home our first (larger) purchase. That was exciting.

Looking forward to our next (and hopefully last) ultrasound this Thursday since it's the last time we'll be able to see the baby before his/her birthday! I'll keep you updated as we continue, and I'm thinking in the next few weeks I'll be doing a post on our own type of Gender: Old Wives Tales edition to see if the universe is thinking we're having a little boy or girl!

Left: Before painting; filling in the holes                                 Right: Finished base color with new moldings

Glider and Ottoman combo from Walmart

I think Little Foot likes it ;)

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 25

Twenty-five weeks down, fifteen to go! For some reason I was secretly praying to at least make it to week 25 (even though I obviously want to make it to the 40 week mark), so it felt good making it to this point with no problems. I've read that babies can live outside the womb at 25 weeks, so in my head (always thinking the worst) if there WAS an emergency, I would believe the baby would survive. Well, Little Foot made it! Now getting off of negative thinking and on to all I have to be thankful for and what happened this week!

I had a regular, uneventful work week, which is always nice. Friday night Jorge and I took Bryan to Frisco's for dinner which was nice because it's been a slight craving during this pregnancy. Jorge had his craving (Greek Chicken Salad- amazing if you haven't tried it), and I had a meal that was way too much food, but very good. We even indulged and shared a Banana Split...delicious!

Saturday I went out shopping with my Mom and Devo to Best Buy, grabbed some Starbucks, and seemed like we spent a lot of time walking around which got me a little tired. Stopped by Babies-R-Us by our house to see if they had the swivel rocker I registered for online so I can try it out...and they didn't. But that didn't stop us from sitting in the gliders they did have for about twenty minutes! Yeah, I was tired. I really didn't think I had done much that day, but it hit me then and it was nice putting my feet up for a little bit. Jorge came home from a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" lol. Ok, it probably wasn't that bad but it was funny hearing what happens when men are in charge of planning an event. We went to the Lazy Dog in Brea with Bobby, Eric, and Shuey and had a great dinner!

Superbowl Sunday! Took the drive out to Rancho Cucamonga to our cousin's house for their party. It was nice seeing family, and actually getting to relax, make some bets, and watch the game! I obviously passed on the jello shots, and realized how much I missed having a glass of wine! I'll definitely be planning a wine tasting night after the baby, because it's something I don't have often but when you CAN'T have it I realized I missed it just a little bit.

Monday I had our midwife appointment and everything is going well still. I've gained 5 lbs since my last appointment a month ago (eeeek) but only a total of 11 lbs so far, so I guess that's not too bad considering I'm almost 6 months pregnant. The blood tests came back from the last appointment and they concluded that the baby does have RH+ blood, which means I do need to get the set of shots (one at 28 weeks, and the other after the birth). I HATE SHOTS. I MEAN REALLY HATE SHOTS. I used to breakdown just by giving blood, but hey...it's necessary. Oh well.

There were a few pregnancy related symptoms or moods this week. For one, I would get out of the car too quickly and would pull my round ligament. It takes my breath away for a little bit. So here I am in the parking lot of Jamba Juice stretching and massaging the area (where your leg meets your pelvic bone) haha. It went away after a while, but I really need to remember to swing both legs out of the car at the same time from now on because it keeps happening! I also had an emotional/moody night that was exaggerated because of the pregnancy hormones (yes, I'm sticking with that excuse) lol. We had a few new developments with the lot we're purchasing, and starting the research of building and it just seemed a little overwhelming. Not going into detail, but it just made me realize how much I'd like to have in order before the baby comes. We'll see how that goes!

Another week in the making, and baby keeps growing and kicking like crazy! Next week I think I'll officially be 6 months!

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 24

Well week 24 has come and gone, and I'm still feeling great! I don't think I ever mentioned it in previous posts since I started blogging around the second trimester, but I had a very smooth first trimester. I was extremely lucky to have zero (negative) symptoms! No morning sickness, no fatigue, back pain, headaches, etc. So when I say that I'm STILL feeling great, I mean from the very beginning. It may sound like I'm bragging (well I am a little bit) but it's mostly because I'm anticipating some of these symptoms to kick in any day now. One night I woke up to heartburn for the first time EVER! It was such a weird feeling, and I wasn't quite sure what to do. So I drank a little bit of water and fell back asleep. It did the trick for now, but I have a feeling I might need to keep some Tums on my night stand from now on! I also did feel some left side sciatic pain, but it wasn't consistent. I realize when I'm sitting for too long I feel slight pain on my tailbone, so now I make sure to get up and stretch/walk around more often which has helped.

This week we continued working on the room upstairs, and if I do say so myself, think it is looking great! Little changes that are making me feel more comfortable about the fact that Little Foot will be here in no time! By finishing up the wall upstairs in January, it keeps us right on track to what I'd like to get done. Here's a little bit of what it looks like:

• January: Take down bookcases, build wall on staircase (fill in slats/openings), heavy-duty cleaning, get rid of unnecessary junk, etc.
• February: Decorate and paint wall where crib will be. 
• March: Baby Showers- Wash all clothes, bedding, diapers, etc. that need to be prepared before touching baby skin. Put together new furniture, and put unwanted furniture in our storage unit. 
• April: RELAX! 

Sunday Jorge had a soccer game/play day with the guys in Upland at an indoor arena. It was great because I was able to catch up with Ann and Brittany! After they were finished playing we went to a pub and I had a traditional Shepherd's Pie (one of my favorites), and that really satisfied a craving for the moment.

Another week, another reason to feel blessed that I get to experience being pregnant. I'm so grateful for family and friends that are helping me along the way and making me feel comfortable in the decisions I'm making. I love you all!

My point of view- 24 Weeks

Staircase/Wall- Left (Before) Right (After)

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 23

Okay, so I'm not sure if it's my usual forgetfulness or if it's a pregnancy symptom, but I've had a problem remembering what I've been doing all week by the time I sit down to write down this entry!

On Friday, I drove down to Santa Monica and had a date night with Jorge after work. We walked down to see the sunset, and everything was perfect! The weather was amazing, and it really was a great night to stroll around. We ate a place overlooking the ocean, and it was the best meal I think I've ever had! Just amazing. Afterwards we strolled up and down 3rd Street Promenade and around the mall before heading back to his office to pick up the car. It was really nice spending time with just Jorge, and appreciating what little alone time we have left! I feel blessed everyday to have him in my life. He is truly my best friend, and love him more than words can express. Being able to have him as my children's father is a huge blessing and I thank God everyday for bringing him into my life.

Jorge and I did some deep cleaning this weekend to help us prepare for when Little Foot arrives. Throwing away a few large bags of trash (old knick-knack items that are really just taking up space that don't have sentimental value). We took down two bookcases and rearranged our furniture to make space for the crib, and the room now looks like it has so much room! There are still a few pieces that we'll be moving into our storage later on, so I think we'll have enough room. The space that we have designated for the crib is also a perfect area and we'll have a chance to paint and decorate it like a nursery! For those of you that don't know, we'll be moving later in the year to a new house so this is a temporary situation, but I love that we can still decorate and love the baby space for the time we're here! 

We also completed our registry for Babies-R-US! Oh my gosh, can I just say that it took us two days and over 6 hours to do this. It's really nice that the store gives us a checklist to go off of (with recommended quantities of each item), but just making these decisions took very long. I thought I was somewhat prepared as to what I wanted, but being there and talking through it with Jorge really just made it take so long! I do give Jorge a huge amount of credit though. He was extremely patient with me while making these decisions. My mom and sister came along to help with the registry process, and I must say that I loved having their company. I just handed over the checklist to them to lead me in the right direction, and it kept us moving through the aisles efficiently. 

Now that our registries are complete and ready to go, I feel like I'll have a few weeks of sitting back and relaxing until late March when the showers are planned! We are fortunate enough that both of our parents live near us and want to host a shower (it's the first grand baby for both sides of the family) so we'll be having two separate baby showers! I'm hoping by having the showers at the end of March, it will give us the month of April to wash clothes, set up furniture, and go through our nesting phase before the baby arrives in May. Hopefully all goes according to plan!

This week was also the first time that I SAW my belly move while the baby was kicking! That was exciting, and I know it's only going to get stronger from here on out. I love feeling the movement and try to imagine if it's Little Foot's legs or arms that i'm feeling. Every time I feel the baby kick I move my hand across my belly and Jorge asks if I feel it, as soon as he places his hand to try and feel it the baby stops! Somehow the baby knows when it's me or Jorge and doesn't kick as often when it's him. Funny, but true.

Another week, another reason to be grateful for all that is happening! I pray each and everyday for the baby to keep growing and stay healthy, along with the health and safety for all family and friends, and all of those who are also currently pregnant. Before being pregnant I never truly understood how intense the feelings become, and how much one can worry about during nine long months! I get it now. I do. For all parents out there, I give so much credit and admiration to you for what you've been through. Pregnancy truly is a miracle from God, and once again I feel blessed to experience it myself. 

Til next week!

Sunset from Santa Monica, CA

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be

Week 22

This week I think I've officially popped! Not only just looking at the picture, but really feeling like the bump is definitely getting bigger.

This was a fun week because I started our registry! It's not up and ready for people to view just yet though. I was going through and adding anything that looked cute (and maybe not necessary) but I just wanted to start getting the hang of it and then later go through and see what we like, don't like, or don't need! Well turns out I thought I was on a pretty good roll, and then I asked Jorge to take a look at what I had down and it seems as if I had forgotten quite a few basic essentials....whoops! That's why we're starting early. So we can get a grip on everything and make sure we're not forgetting the necessities!

My mom and I also made a trip down to the store where we'll be registering for all of our cloth diaper essentials. The owner is so nice, and extremely helpful when giving information and advice about cloth diapers. I took my mom so she can go and ask questions that I may not have known the answers to, and also to ask questions I haven't even thought about yet! Needless to say, David (the owner) gave us all of the information we needed to feel comfortable about the decision to go cloth! The store is based out of Whittier, CA and is called The Tender Tush. Highly recommend them for all who have questions about cloth, and also just because their customer service is exactly what mom's are looking for. Someone who is honest about their products and not all about taking advantage of mom's during this (sometimes) very stressful yet exciting time in their lives! (I'll add their link below)

On Saturday, I attended a friend of Jorge's family's bridal shower which was Kentucky Derby themed. It was so fun seeing all of these women dressed up in their hats and dresses....and EVERYONE dressed up! I really like this theme idea and might be hinting this idea for a baby shower (hint hint) lol.

Monday we made our first visit to a Babies-R-Us and found it very overwhelming. I had already done research as to what stroller I liked (blogs and youtube reviews by customers) and went to go show Jorge in person. Well it turns out our store is only a third of the size of regular Babies-R-Us stores (ours is combined with Toys-R-Us) and they didn't have the stroller I was looking for. But just walking through the aisles of strollers, swings, car seats, and cribs was very overwhelming. I was trying to remember everything I'd read about each and it was too hard. I think we're going to have to set up an appointment at one of the larger stores where an associate can tell/show us the differences between the products. This baby business is no joke! (Any advice when it comes to choosing products or where the best research articles are, are very welcomed!)

I know I'm only 22 weeks, but I feel like in no time we'll be attending baby showers for Little Foot and we'll need to have all this stuff picked out! On top of that, we have a lot of cleaning to do in our room to organize and move furniture into our storage unit to make space for the baby! It'l come in no time! As always, I still feel extremely blessed to be growing this precious baby inside of me, and with every kick I am reminded how lucky I am to soon be a mom!

My point of view- 22 Weeks

The Tender Tush - Whittier, CA

-Heather Ortiz, mama to be