Hormones

We all hear about pregnancy hormones and so far I have to admit I thought I had them in check. Well that was until last week....

I guess a lot can change in a week, well truthfully speaking a lot changes when you have a baby. So that is the story of my life. After lots of thought and discussion Chris and I decided to rent our condo and save a little extra money in hopes of buying a house before or after our baby girl arrives. Sounds and looks good on paper, right? We know a great couple that just sold their house and were looking for a place to rent so we figured that this was the perfect opportunity. That was until I realized I had to pack up an entire house while I am 5 months pregnant, not to mention I have lived here for 6 and half years. You see where I am going with this, let the packing begin.

Well let me just clarify something first, after we made this decision I think I cried for 3 days. I know I want a house and a yard for our daughter but moving right now, well I just couldn't get control of my emotions. It finally became clear to me that this was happening and packing was inevitable. As I sat on the floor in my bedroom packing up photo albums and going through my old personal items I realized that this condo was a lot more than just my first place. I bought this on my own and it was the biggest purchase of my life and it was where I met my husband and we started our life together. Walking away from all these memories stirred up a lot of emotion for me, not to mention that I am pregnant.

So yes, I have hit my hormonal high and I cry all the time. Some people go through nesting when they're pregnant well this feels like reverse nesting. As the pictures come off the walls and the dishes get packed up, I can't help but remembering when we came home as Mr. and Mrs. Ferraro. Or how about unpacking all the wedding presents and deciding where to hang the pictures. I know life changes and we're forever on a journey but I guess I never thought walking away from this would be so hard. Maybe if we had a house lined up or knew what to expect this would be easier. I know I just have to trust God and believe that all this is for the better of our new family!! Life does go on and as Chris said to me, "We're not walking away from this life we're beginning the next chapter of our life and  that involves the better for our daughter." Some day I hope she knows how much we loved her before we even met her, probably when she is doing the same for her family.

I guess I can truly admit to my emotions and say that my pregnancy hormones have gotten the best of me. So back to packing and on with the next chapter, one that is sure to be bigger and brighter.

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: +12.6 lbs
Maternity clothes: Yes I am wearing them, except for at work and the gym
Stretch Marks:  No stretch marks :)

Sleeping: Sleeping through the night but waking up too early
Best Moment this Week: Feeling pregnant and others are starting to notice too
Baby Movement: Still filling little flutters

Food Cravings: Hmm can you guess, yes still loving lemons and oranges
Gender: It's a GIRL!!

Belly Button in or out: In but starting to get wider as the tummy gets bigger
What I miss: Running, I miss being able to go for a good run

I am looking forward to: Feeling the baby kick and having Chris feel it too
Milestones:  Registered for our Birthing classes

21 weeks 5 days

Choosing her name

Chris and I were never the type of people that discussed baby names when we were dating. Even throughout the long 2 years of trying to have a baby we never really discussed names, maybe I was too scared that it would never happen for us.

So when we found out we were pregnant it still wasn't something we sat around discussing. I had borrowed some baby name books and for awhile they sat on our coffee table and were more of a conversation piece. People would come over and ask if we had chosen a name yet then pick up the book and start strumming through the pages Everyone seems to have a personal opinion or have some association with a name, "oh I knew a Jared in high school and he was a jerk or Molly was my dogs name. Picking a name is a pretty serious decision because it is something that she will be called forever! Nicknames will be made up and sometime kids will make fun your name so we had to be careful.

We started talking about names for our baby when I was 16 weeks pregnant. Chris was (how should I say...) very determined that our baby would have an Italian name. We spent some time talking about girl names but it was the boy names that we just could not agree on. God must have know that we would never agree on a boys name so he made sure we had a girl, to keep the peace in the house. Several years ago when my sister was pregnant with Sophia, she and Mike were discussing names and she shared a few with me. Well lets just say one stuck. Now here we are three years later discussing Italian girl names and it came up again and as I said it I just feel in love with it.

After some discussion we decided on our daughters name....... now before I tell you her name I don't want to hear any of your comparisons or thoughts of her name. Truthfully even if you did tell me I don't think I would care because we love her name and think it's absolutely perfect for her.

So her name is.........................

Carmella Marie Ferraro



Not only is her name Italian but it is also a family name.

  Carmella is the female version of Carmine, which is my dad's name and both of our paternal grandmothers had a sister named Carmella.  We chose Marie for her middle name after Chris's grandma Marie Clamenti. And I love that we can call her Ella for short, what a sweet nickname.

Picking our daughters name was pretty stress free although we did have some lengthy discussion on the spelling but have come to an agreement. Now we just can't wait to meet her!

And for all the people out there that are waiting til they deliver to find out if its a boy or girl more power to you, but I am so glad we didn't wait. This just makes everything feel even more real and I am bonding with her now calling her by her name loving every minute of it!

Now let's just hope if we have a boy next time we can both agree on a name. I guess we better start talking about it sooner than later.

20 Weeks

How far along? 20 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: +10.3 lbs
Maternity clothes: Offically wearing maternity clothes with the exception of gym and work clothes

Stretch Marks:  No stretch marks :)

Sleeping: Yes and trying to take a few naps too

Best Moment this Week: Starting to look pregnant and not just fat
Baby Movement: Slight flutters once in awhile

Food Cravings: Loving fruit but better cut back on the simple carbs

Gender: It's a GIRL!!
Belly Button in or out: In but starting to get wider as the tummy grows

What I miss: Sushi, spicy tuna roll (why is this question always about food or drinks to me?)
I am looking forward to: Feeling the baby kick
Milestones:  Another doctors appointment this week and we got to hear our little girls heartbeat. She sounded like she was running a race in there

 

20 Weeks 2 days

Half Way Done!!

Wow I can't believe that we're half way through this pregnancy. I know that the first 5 weeks don't really count because we didn't know we were pregnant, but according to the books we're HALF WAY cooked!!

I can't tell you how excited I am, I could jump up and down but I might look kinda silly.

When I sit and think that in a few short months we'll be meeting our daughter, I get a huge smile on my face.

I have to admit that these last two weeks have been different for me. Just knowing that we're having a little girl makes me feel like I am closer to her than before. I find myself fantasizing about buying cute shoes for her and putting pretty bows in her hair. And just so you don't think I am too mushy I even catch myself thinking about her as a teenager. Will she be as bad as I was? Will we get along? All those crazy things I did to my mom and now I am having a little girl and my mom's words keep running through my head. "Someday you will have a daughter that is just as bad as you and then you'll know what I went through." Ok mom I get it I was not the greatest child but I just pray that she is wiser that I was.

So as I begin my fifth month of pregnancy I feel so blessed and excited to report that all has gone well.

And now I just can't wait to meet her!!

19 Weeks

How far along? 19 weeks 4 days

Total weight gain/loss: +8.8 lbs
Maternity clothes: Still squeezing into my pre pregnancy clothes and at times wearing maternity clothes

Stretch Marks:  No stretch marks and crossing my fingers that it stays that way

Sleeping: Still sleeping through the night

Best Moment this Week: My growing baby bump, I'm really beginning to look pregnant
Baby Movement: Slight flutters once in awhile

Food Cravings: Still loving any kind of fruit

Gender: It's a GIRL!!
Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: A margarita

I am looking forward to: Feeling the baby kick
Milestones:  Starting to look pregnant

 19 Weeks 4 Days

Happy Mother's Day

 My first mother's (to be) day was spent working. Yes, that is how it goes when you're a nurse, we work all the holidays Christmas, Thanksgiving and even Mother's day. 

I woke up just like any normal morning to get ready for work 

and walked into the bathroom and found....

 

 A sweet mother's day post it. Some of you might not know but I like to leave special notes on post its for Chris around the house and in his suitcase when he travels. I guess you could call it my Love Language. 

And after a long day at work I came home to find a bouquet of roses from my husband and the church. 

 

Mother's day this year was a nice but I know next year our baby girl (I just love saying that) will be here with us to celebrate so it won't disappoint!!

Gender Reveal Party

So I thought it would be fun to have a Gender Reveal Party. Some of you might be thinking what is that? Well long gone are the days when everyone waits in hospital waiting room for the big news, so we thought it would be fun to have a party and reveal the gender of our baby with all our family and friends!

Chris and I had our 18 week ultrasound yesterday (Cinco de Mayo) to check the baby's organs and to hopefully found out the baby's gender. The big question was, would the baby cooperate? I spent some time explaining to the baby why it was important to that he or she cooperate and that this was the only time that mommy and daddy would ask you to do somethings so scandalous, as show your private parts to a camera.

Hoping that the baby would cooperate we planned this little party. Everyone was instructed to come dressed in PINK or BLUE in order to cast their vote for a baby boy or girl. Then we would reveal the gender of baby Ferraro and serve some yummy cupcakes with a special surprise (blue or pink frosting filling the inside of the cupcake)!

The turnout was great! 

And just about everyone showed up in pink or blue.

At 7pm we had everyone from TEAM BLUE take a group picture.

 Then it was time for Team PINK

 Now everyone was ready to hear the exciting news!

Chris and I held both of the signs (Team Pink and Team Blue) and on the count of three we dropped a sign and we were left holding...........

That is right we're having A BABY GIRL!!

Here is a video of everyone's initial reaction,
watch it and you'll see some shocked and excited reactions.

So here is the evidence. (but lets not ever tell her that I showed you these)

 Her little bottie in the left corner and well you know what you're looking at.

Enough said! 

And just so we're clear I spent an extra 10 minutes drilling the ultrasound technician to make sure he wasn't wrong. So he took a few more convincing shots for me!

And some more great news is that all her organs look good.
Keep up the good work baby!

18 Weeks

How far along? 18 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain/loss: +6.8 lbs
Maternity clothes: Thanks to all my family and friends that have loaned me maternity clothes but I am still squeezing into my pre pregnancy clothes (for awhile anyways)

Stretch Marks:  No stretch marks and crossing my fingers that they stay away

Sleeping: Sleeping through the night, I better cherish it now....

Best Moment this Week: Our Gender Reveal party
Baby Movement: Some slight flutters once in awhile

Food Cravings: Loving any kind of fruit

Gender: ............
Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Right now I am loving being pregnant

I am looking forward to: Meeting our baby
Milestones:  We will be finding out the gender of our baby 

 18 Weeks 3 Days

Hair and Nails

Everyone always tells you that when your pregnant your hair and nails will grow so fast.
People say your hair will grow so fast and be silky smooth and not to mention that your nails will be long and beautiful. Well maybe this is true for some people but not for me.

Okay, yes my nails did grow long and beautiful when I was 13 weeks pregnant and then they broke two weeks later. So I decided to nurture them and file them so they would grow back just as beautiful. But instead they just keep cracking and splitting. And I feel like they are uglier now then before I was pregnant.

And can we talk about hair for a minute. I have always had thick and silky hair and under normal circumstance I consider myself to be a hair farmer, someone who grows hair so fast that I could do it for a living. Well funny how that now I am pregnant my hair doesn't seem to grow and all I want right now is long hair.

So my theory is that when this baby comes out it is going to have long hair and long nails because all those nutrients have to be going somewhere?

These are just my thoughts this week. Believe me I am so thankful and excited to be pregnant that long hair and nails are the least of my worries but I just thought I would share.