Updated Pictures!

Alyssa at 3 months old! Time is flying and she is growing so fast!

On working and being a mom...

I had the blessing to spend the first 8 months of Annjulia's life with her. Now that I have Alyssa, and have had the need to go back to work a lot sooner with her, I have learned to appreciate even more so the time I was able to spend with Annjulia during those first few months of her life. And even though I have come back to work with a fresh mindset, new goals, and a greater motivation to make things happen for myself, a part of me still wants to be home and be a mom to my girls.

I know I'll get there, but in the meantime Tito has been amazing in sharing responsibilities when it comes to the kids and housework and the time we each spend on our leasure activities. We thought we would be able to come back to working out together in the afternoons after work, but it didn't take long to realize that Alyssa prefers the one-on-one attention she gets from us or her aunt Nuna, than the loud unpersonalized attention at the gym nursery. So now Tito has made the compromise of exercising in the mornings while I'm home preparing the girls and myself for the day, and he'll take care of the kids in the afternoon while I enjoy my hour of workout and destress time. I don't like that I don't get to spend time with the family until after 7 every day, but it's worked so far and I think it will continue to work until Alyssa is old enough to feel comfortable elsewhere.

My goal is to take this time back at work to focus on getting to where I want to be, make some extra money, save a lot of it, and hopefully be able to feel comfortable to stay home when we have our next baby. I am envious of the mommys that get to stay home with their little ones. I wish to be able to give them all my time, and will eventually. :) I'll just have to make the most of it in the meantime.

Back at it...

I survived my first week back at work! Fortunately for me, I've been pretty busy at work and I jumped right in to task, so the week pretty much flew by. I'm just happy it's finally Saturday and I am able to spend some time with the family.

I have to say, Monday is still a bit of a blur to me. Between conversations with co-workers on updates on Alyssa, picture sharing, pumping and the such, it seems like my day did not really consist of 24 hours (9 hours at work). I do have to admit that walking out the door, leaving my baby behind, was extremely emotional and I had to fight back the tears. Nonetheless, the phone calls to my sister were pretty persistent, although I managed to only call about 4 times throughout the day. :) I missed my baby so much. As the week progressed and I got back into my daily routine, I managed to bring down the calls to check in on Alyssa to just 2. Not too bad.

One of the biggest challenges I've encountered is the pumping at work thing. It's not the pumping part, its the finding where to go, actually taking the break to do it, and not feeling guilty that the "15 minute break" actually always turns out to be more of a 30 minute break. I am determined to make this work, though, and I just hope that I can make it a habit and can incorporate it without any other issues into my daily work routine. I want to make sure I can manage my time wisely. It is extremely important that I pump at least twice while I'm at work so I can maintain the supply going for Alyssa. Otherwise, it'll be bye-bye breastmilk hello formula. I'd like to breastfeed at least until she's 6 months old. We have another 3 months to go!

Which brings me to: Alyssa is 12 weeks old!!! My gosh. Time is flying. My sister says she's chuckled for her. I have yet to see it... and I hate that I missed it when she did it since it was her first time. But I'm sure it won't be the "first" I'll miss since I'm back at work. I just have to make sure I enjoy it when she does it for us when we're at home. She has so many more milestones to conquer! It's just going to get better and better.

AJ's doing great at school as well. I received an envelope from her teacher with her school work in it from beginning of the year until now, and she has done a fantastic job in every single one of them. She seems to be enjoying school and her teacher and I hope she maintains her grades like she has so far. FCATs will be a biggie again this year. She did a fabulous job last year by getting a perfect score on her reading portion and attaining level 5 in Math. Now we just have to make sure she maintains it. I'm really proud of her!

Time Management

Wow! Who would've thought that having a baby is an awesome way of sprucing up on those time management skills! Yes, a newborn sleeps on average about 16-18 hours per day, but when you're trying to squeeze in EVERYTHING you would normally do in a regular day in about 10 of those hours you can definitely feel the pressure. It doesn't help that sometime after that 2-week-old mark, newborns will go through a growth spurt, making them feed more frequently than usual and have a little bit more wake time as well. (sigh)

Alyssa is two days away of turning 3-weeks-old! Unbelievable! She is growing so fast. I can totally see the changes her face and little body are going through. She seems to look so different in every picture we take. That's why I am trying to enjoy every second I spend with her. Before I know it, it'll be time to go back to work and I won't be able to have all this time with her.

Well, Tito's back at work... I miss him. I miss him being around and helping out... But it'll be nice to spend some "girl" time together... Me, Annjulia and Alyssa. It's just a matter of getting a schedule together to get things done so we have more play time! We'll make it happen. I feel bad for Annjulia since she's pretty much been stuck in the house with me the last couple of weeks. We've done stuff, just not as much as I would like to be able to do with her.

I'm back at the gym too! Tito and I worked out a schedule for that as well. He gets his gym time right after work, then comes home to baby so I can head out to the gym. I think it'll work out great. It was so nice to have that hour just for me yesterday and get out of the house for a little while. I missed them though. I'm such a homebody. :)

Well, better get going so I can get a few more things done before baby wakes up. TTFN!

16 days old...

Alyssa is two weeks old! She has been doing wonderful, except for a few episodes of throwing up and a mild eye infection, probably from her putting her hands and fingers in her eyes! We saw the doctor for her 2 week appointment and weigh-in this past Thursday. She's gained her birth weight back plus some. She is up to 7 lbs now! I can finally breathe easy knowing that breastfeeding is really working out. And it is so worth it. It's everything we wanted.

Tito's time off from work has come to an end. He heads back on Monday. He has been such great help and he is an amazing father. He loves spending time with his little girl. Now it'll just be us girls in the house while he's at work. I hate to think about it, but I only have 10 weeks left to spend at home with my girls. I have to take advantage of every second. I'm so in love with my family... I feel blessed.

Time flies...

I can't believe how time is flying. Alyssa is already a week old!! She had her first doctor appt yesterday to check her weight and see how she's doing. Everything went great! She's lost about 5 oz since birth, but that is very normal for newborns. They should re-gain their birth weight by the 2nd week, though, so we have another doctor appt scheduled for next Thursday. I am confident that she will be back to her birth weight by then. She's been eating well and breastfeeding has been going way better than I anticipated. If at any moment I feel that something is wrong, I have a great support group to turn to for questions and concerns. So, I'm positive things are going to go just fine! Plus, doctor says she looks perfect! We are very fortunate to have a very healthy child!

She's been an awesome baby. She's starting to stay awake a little bit more in between feedings, which is great. We get to spend a little bit more time with her, talking and singing and just enjoying all her little cute facial expressions. She's amazing.

I am so glad to have Tito at home helping in so many ways. He's been such a great support and I feel truly blessed. Anything, from cooking, doing laundry, cleaning, etc... He's been taking care of most of it while I tend for the baby. And he still gets to spend enough bonding time with her. It's definitely a relief when all I want to do it take a shower, or eat something, or just take a cat nap. :) I can't leave Annjulia behind either. She has been great help as well. She has taken on some additional responsibilities as well and is so proud of being a big sister. Hopefully soon we'll be able to do a few more things together while I have her with me during the summertime. It'll be great!

Monique and Gil are on their way up to come see Alyssa for the first time! I'm sure they are very excited and we can't wait to see them and spend time with them. We hope to be able to see the rest of the family very soon too.

That's it for now! We'll be posting some more soon!

Hugs,
Aixa, Tito, Annjulia & Alyssa

... And she has arrived!

The moment we had been waiting for finally arrived! Here's a bit of how it all went down...

All day Wednesday I had been feeling contractions off and on. Not just regular Braxton Hicks, but different. A little bit more discomfort and a different kind of pain. I was at work, as I was scheduled to work right up until the end, so I went about preparing everything in case I actually did go into labor. Something was telling me that she was coming, either that night or by the next day. I knew I wouldn't make it to the weekend. So, I finished training my replacement, making sure that everything was left in order and I wouldn't have to worry about anything if I did go into labor. I guess you could call it "nesting" at work. LOL It's funny how it didn't really happen at home. Just at work.

Anyway, right before I left for the day I told a couple of co-workers that everything was set and Melissa was up to speed on everything just in case. I went home still feeling contractions every so often, and each one getting a little bit stronger. So I get in the shower and get ready for bed at around 10:30, pretty early considering our usual bedtime.

I wake up at 12:30 AM feeling stronger contractions. I lied in bed for about 30 minutes, tossing and turning hoping the contractions would go away, thinking it would be another episode of false labor like I had a week before. I finally get up, walk around the house, turn on the tv and sit on the stability ball for a little while, hoping the pain would dissipate. I didn't want to wake Tito up if it wasn't going to be the real thing, so I tried to be as quiet as possible. I finally get to the point were I am breathing through contractions to manage the pain. They are not terribly painful, but strong enough for me to have to do my breathing exercises. I finally go back to the room and start timing contractions... Hmmm... Looks like about 4-5 minutes apart, and about a min long, but not consistent. Some were shorter than others. Okay, seems like this is it! I turn on the TV in the room and Tito wakes up. He asks if I'm still awake from earlier and I said yes. I'm still having contractions and they're just getting worse. I think it's time. The funny part about this whole thing is that Tito's day to do his haircut and shave and all is Thursday nights. So, he looks at me and says: if you feel like this is it, then I need to get up and cut my hair! LOL I couldn't help but laugh. He wanted to make sure that he would look good in the pictures if I did have this baby! Only Tito.

So, he gets up, starts cutting his hair and shaving. This is usually an hour to an hour and a half process. So, I patiently wait. While I wait, I walk a little bit more, clean the dishes, pack up Annjulia's bag to take to grandma's, finish packing up my bag with the last minute items (toothbrush, hairbrush, iPod, cell phone charger, etc.) All this while having contractions! I finally call mom at about 4:30 and let her know that it's time and we'll be dropping off Annjulia within the hour. We are definitely headed to the hospital. Contractions are still about 4 minutes apart, but I'm starting to feel a lot more pelvic pressure. Hospital is a good 35 minutes away, so I didn't want to risk not making it. We finally head over to my parents' at around 5:30. We drop off Annjulia, exchange a few words with my parents, and head to the hospital.

We made it in right after 6:00, and the nurse sets us up in triage to monitor me and have someone come in a check to see if I've dilated any. They monitor my contractions for a few minutes, get my paperwork done, and nurse finally comes in to check me. Yup... I'm 5 cm dilated. It's time to check you in to the hospital, she says. We'll find a room for you and go ahead and get you registered. Through this whole time, I'm still laughing at jokes Tito is making, I'm nice and friendly and simply having a good time. LOL I couldn't believe that it hadn't gotten that bad yet.

We call mom once we're in the L&D room and let her know I've been admitted and it's the definitely the real thing. I knew she'd want to be there during labor to help out, so she gets ready and makes her way to the hospital. About an hour and a half after being admitted, doctor comes in, checks me again to see how things are progressing, and I'm already at 7 cm. Things are moving pretty fast. They don't think it'll be past noon before baby gets here. I'm excited. It's time. This is the moment I've been waiting for since I found out I was pregnant!

I'm starting to get a little bit more uncomfortable. Nurses come and go preparing everything for baby's arrival. Asking the same questions over and over... At one point I thought it was their strategy to keep my mind off the pain... But oh how annoying. Specially through contractions. I finally start getting a little bit more moody and grouchy. Feeling lots more pelvic pressure and contractions climbing up to 9 and 10. Oh boy, was I in pain. Breathe, breathe... That's all I kept thinking. Nurse comes check me again, per my request, and I'm still at an 8... Not much longer. Tito had the TV on watching Wimbledon or something. I think Serena Williams was playing. Not sure, just a few things I picked up in between contractions...

Finally I start feeling more pressure and the urge to push with every contraction. I request to be checked once again. I am at around 9 1/2. Finally, more progress. It's almost time! So they call the doctor. Now we just wait for the doctor to get there. 20 minutes later, still no doctor. She finally makes it in and it's show time! We start the whole pushing process... It didn't really take that long. I think 10 minutes is what the nurse said it took for me to push her out. But it was only because she wasn't completely down yet when I started pushing.

So, baby's head finally crowns. Tito's all up in there checking things out, I'm relieved that she's finally about to come out. Although I had to wait until my next contraction to push her out all the way. That sucked. Then one other push and her head comes out! Finally. But wait, there's something wrong. Her umbilical cord is wrapped around her neck. Doctor looks at Tito and says ok daddy, we need to do this very quickly. I need you to cut her umbilical cord, here, now. So, I'm calm but thinking a thousand things... Is baby ok? what's wrong? Is she going to be ok? Tito cuts the umbilical cord, I do another push, and here comes baby! She's all limb and a little blueish. They put her on my chest and I check her to make sure everything's ok. No breathing or crying yet. They sweep her away to get her cleaned up... When i finally hear it. Oh, that sweet baby's cry! The doctor starts asking the nurse if we need get oxygen or something, I look at her all confused, but I know she's just taking precautions just in case. Finally she asks for Apgar scores. She had to ask several times, until I hear: 7 and 10. She looks at me and she says, perfect! Hardly anyone gets a 10. So, there's a huge sigh of relief. Everything is fine. Respiratory therapist was on site just in case since the baby had a bowel movement in the belly. But everything was fine!

They finally bring her to back to me and she's just perfect. I am in awe... Love at first sight. They ask me if I am planning on breastfeeding, I say yes. So they suggest that I try to breastfeed now. I am all up for it. I couldn't help but just stare at her. What a miracle. Our baby, this little person that had been developing inside my body... A little person that Tito and I created... She was finally here.

So, Alyssa Monique arrived 7/2/09 at 11:55 AM. She weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces and was 19 1/4 inches long. Pediatrician came to see her before we were moved to our room and said she was just perfect. Everything was great. I couldn't have asked for anything else.

We've been home since Friday and it's been wonderful. She's a very good baby. She sleeps through most of the night, waking up only once for the most part. We are so very blessed.

2 weeks and 3 days away!

So, I had my regular weekly doctor appointment today. Everything looks good. Baby is in position, and has been for the past month at least. Heartbeat sounds great - 142 beats per minute approx. Feet swelling has gone down tremendously since last week, so I no longer have to be taken off work early, which is good... Now we just wait some more. She did not check to see if I've dilated any this time around, but she will at next week's appointment if I haven't gone into labor yet. We can't wait!

I've experienced an increase in Braxton Hicks contractions, which hopefully means that time is much closer! Doctor said baby can come any day now, and we hope that time is near. She's offered to induce if I wish to do so a week before my due date (official due date is 7/12/09), but I would prefer to let things flow naturally this time around. I did not get the opportunity to experience labor on my own with Annjulia since we had to induce at 37 weeks due to low amniotic fluid. So, we'll just wait until she's ready to come.

I talked to Annjulia again earlier today. I am so glad she was able to spend some time with her big sister this time around!!! It had been way too long since they last saw each other. It sounds like she's had an awesome time. They were visiting Hollywood today, so I am sure they are having a blast. I can't wait to see her tomorrow! Just another 24 hours and she'll be home.

Have you had a chance to check out the movie The Hangover? You must! Tito and I went to see it yesterday and oh boy, was it a good laugh! We're planning on checking out Transformers II this weekend and perhaps squeeze in a couple more activities before baby comes. We're just having a blast.

That's it for now! We will continue updating you guys on any new happenings. Hugs to all!

Almost there...

So we're at 38 weeks right now. Well, technically 37 because the doctor is going by the original due date of July 12th. Regardless, we're FULL TERM! Which means, baby Alyssa can make her appearance any time now. We thought the time had actually come this past Sat early morning. I woke up with contractions, which eventually subsided and went away. I think my body is finally preparing for the big day and I am seriously hoping it happens very soon!

I am feeling great, except for the swollen feet, hands, and occasional back ache. With the heat, I don't think the swollen feet are going to get any better, so I'd better get used to them for now. The doctor had offered to take me out of work and put me on modified bed rest to keep the swelling down, but I want to save my medical leave for when baby is here. So, I think I can hold off just a little bit longer. If anything, it'll just be an extra two weeks or so. I can take it. :)

Annjulia is enjoying her annual summer trip to California. She has had a lot of fun spending time with her cousins and aunts and uncles. I talked to her last night and she said they had an amazing time camping at Big Bear Mountain. Although I am happy that she is having a great time, and we are enjoying these last few days alone, I miss her terribly and can't wait to see her this Friday.

Tito and I are just enjoying our time together before baby comes. We both know how hectic and tiresome it'll be once baby arrives, so we want to make sure we make the most of this time. We celebrated his first Father's Day yesterday. Very low key, but very significant... To me at least. He has been an amazing influence on Annjulia and has stepped right in on his role as step-dad. I have said and will continue to say how truly blessed I am to have him in my life. I thank God every day for giving me an amazing man, husband, and step-father to Annjulia and father to our kids. Thank you mom and dad Castillo for raising such a fine son.

Well, we have a doctor's appointment once again this Thursday. I hope doctor says time is getting closer! We are very ready! We will keep you all posted!

Hugs!

Aixa

29 Weeks Today!

We're in the home stretch! We're on the third trimester as of last week and 11 weeks to our due date! It's amazing. At first it seemed as if time was moving so slow... But now, it's just getting closer and closer by the second! And technically, as I recall telling my husband a few nights ago... Our baby will officially be considered full term in just another 8 weeks!!! (a pregnancy is considered full term at 37 weeks) WOW! And I'm nowhere close to being ready for this baby. So, I'm sure Tito and I will be very busy in the upcoming weeks.

Other than the furniture we bought and my wonderful husband painting the walls in the room, we haven't gotten anything else for Alyssa! We've been blessed to have received some hand-me-downs that will definitely come in handy, but we're so far behind. I want to start working on decorating her room and making it beautiful just for her... and me, of course. :)

After our little scare on Wednesday it's all I've been thinking about. Fortunately everything's fine. We were able to see Alyssa again for the 5th time during this pregnancy. And I am so relieved! I wanted to see her again so bad! After feeling her as often as I am, being able to see it all in action was way awesome. We got to see her opening and closing her mouth as if she was tasting something. The picture is still so clear on my mind. Unfortunately, because it wasn't a scheduled ultrasound, we did not get to bring any pictures home with us, but we hope that we'll get one more before she's here.

Anyway, so, I feel the need to start shopping and getting busy with organization and decor in our baby's room. Time's moving very fast! Can't wait to be able to look into our daughter's eyes, and hold her, and rub her little feet and hands and just simply be!

The Miracle of Motherhood

I was driving to work this morning and felt baby Alyssa moving around, apparently wide awake. Most likely jamming to the music as I tend to listen to the radio and jam to the music myself while I drive. All of a sudden, it just hit me. What an awesome miracle this is! Sometimes we concentrate so much on the negative side of it, that we don't really "stop and smell the roses".

Tito purchased a set of large headphones that I can place around my belly to play some classical music for Alyssa. So, we tried it for the first time this past Sunday. Alyssa had been kinda quiet throughout the day, not moving much, but boy oh boy, as soon as we put those headphones on and let that music play, she would not stop! It was amazing! Tito would stare at my belly and all he could ask was: "Does that hurt?" LOL Really, it looked (and felt) as if she was just doing summersaults in there or something. Well, at least we know Alyssa's not deaf! And she might actually have a little something for music... which really doesn't surprise me considering I come from a musically inclined family.

Since about 4-6 weeks ago I've also been able to feel one of Alyssa's little heels up by my ribs. I've been fortunate that she hasn't really "kicked" my ribs, but I'll lay down and feel that little hard bump somewhere around there. At first I wasn't sure what it was, but when I went to my doctor's appointment last week I mentioned it to the doctor and she said that's probably what it is. So, I got up from the bed this morning and as I went to take the first step I felt her stretch her little legs and felt her little heel against my rib once again. It made me think of how within the next 12 weeks some time I'd be able to see our little Alyssa. I can't wait to be able to see what she looks like... who's eyes she has, who's nose, can't wait to touch her little feet and kiss them, hold her tiny hand, and just simply be able to hold her and enjoy her.

Our little miracle... This little miracle that Tito and I created... I can't wait to meet her. I want to see how Annjulia will take care of her little sister and I can only pray that they will bond forever and love each other and care for each other... My babies... I love them so much. I love being a mom.


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Our School System

After much debate on whether I would move Annjulia from schools in the middle of the semester or not, I decided to go ahead and have her moved. Why, you might ask? Really, it's mostly for convenience than anything else. But after going through the car breaking down over the weekend and trying to figure out what the heck I was supposed to do since Annjulia's former school was a good 25 minute drive and my work is a good 35 minute drive, and Tito's job is completely the opposite way... Yeah, changing her was definitely a better move.

So I go through the whole transfer process, and let me tell you, what a pain! It doesn't help that of course you have very limited hours during the day to be able to take care of all of it, but the amount of paperwork that has to be submitted is absolutely ridiculous! Does the school really need all 15 forms with the same information (student Name, address, phone number, parents' name and phone numbers, place of employment, emergency contact, etc., etc.)??? No, really... I mean, the withdrawal process was a piece of cake; however getting her enrolled in the new school was a much bigger project. Wouldn't one form with all the information be sufficient? Oh, and on top of that, because my name is not on the mortgage of the house, I had to make a trip downtown yesterday afternoon, before they closed at 4:30, so I can have someone that doesn't even know me sign this single piece of paper saying that my place of domicile is where I say it is. Really? And pay $13.50 for that stranger's signature to witness my statement??? Wouldn't you think that my marriage license would suffice? I mean, common sense tells ya that if I'm married to that person, I'm living with that person, an I right? Geez!

Now we'll just concentrate on seeing how AJ does these next couple of months. At least she'll have the opportunity of making new friends from the same neighborhood by the time summer time comes around and get a head start to next year as well. I think it was a good decision. I'll have to ask her when I pick her up this afternoon...

Our Wedding Day! 3/21/09

Here comes the bride!

I have officially become Mrs. Castillo! After a couple of months of hardcore planning, buying this and that, checklists, phone calls, blah, blah, blah... It's finally all over and done with! And there's no way I could've made it without some awesome people helping throughout the whole process. It can be tiresome. Even more so carrying that extra "weight" on the belly... But definitely worth every second of it.

Everything turned out to be way more than I could've ever hoped for. I think everyone had a great time. Yeah, of course, I had my moments of "oh crap, what do I do now?", or "I thought I shared the plan with everyone"... or "Ahhh! Just do whatever you want! I don't want to think anymore!" When it's 2:00 AM and you're just trying to finish up so you can get some ZZzzz's in your system before you have to get up and start all over again, anything goes! Just glad it's all over with and now I can concentrate on getting some rest before baby Alyssa makes her appearance in just another 14 weeks!

I'm so glad every one of our immediate and closest family members were there to share that special day and that we were able to have a few of our closest friends as well. If I had to choose my favorite part of our day, I would have to say the sand ceremony would be at the top of my list. Just seeing Annjulia's little eyes surprised and how the sparkled when she found out we were including her in our unity ceremony... She's a huge part of our new family, of course. How could we not? And just seeing her happy and enjoying every bit of day along with us was awesome. She also looked like a little princess.

Seeing Tito standing there waiting for me... in his white suit... it almost brought tears to my eyes. There I was, about to be given away to the man of my dreams... the man I know I will love forever. I wasn't worried anymore about what could go wrong in this our day... Oh no... It was just a magical bliss that I will remember and cherish forever...

So now, we concentrate on building our family... The Castillo's. I couldn't ask for more.

Hold up, hold up!

Wait a minute! I'm all confused here.

So, I went to my regular doctor appointment today. I am meeting with the office's midwife for the first time so I can meet all the physicians who could end up delivering our baby on the day she decides to arrive.We start off our visit introducing each other... Great. Nice to meet you. Awesome. And she says, "so ... about your due date..."

It turns out that all measurements are out of whack. Going by my last period, my due date would be July 13th. According to the bedside ultrasound the doctor did at 9 weeks, my due date would be July 12th. Not bad, just a day different. Then they get the results for the ultrasound done at 7 weeks and it comes back that I am 9 days further along than we think! With a due date of July 3rd. Okay. So doctor says, that's more accurate let's go by that one. Unless we find that your 20 week ultrasound measures with a big difference, I don't think there'll be any changes to your due date. Great! Then July 3rd it is.

So I end up having an emergency ultrasound done at 17 weeks. Everything's fine. I guess it measured very similar to the last one. Then the results came in for my "20 week" ultrasound. And now we're back to July 11th! Which would mean that I had my "20 week" ultrasound technically at 18 weeks because I am just 21 weeks right now. I'm soooooo confused! I think the midwife was more confused than me! And then she goes on to measure my belly, and my belly measures at 22 weeks!!!

CAN SOMEBODY EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT'S GOING ON?! LOL

Here's my theory. I think our baby's just a little bigger than average. Right? Wouldn't that explain it all? (Scary thought, though) I'll just go by the July12th due date. Alyssa's going to come whenever she's ready... So whether it'd be July 3rd or July 12th, she'll make her appearance at her own time. Won't worry about it any more.

So, I would feel safe to say that I am 21 weeks and 2 days. No more ultrasounds unless the doctors feel the need for another one on my third trimester... but very unlikely.

19 days and counting!

... 'Til the wedding! Wow. Time is definitely flying. Wedding plans are well under way at this point. Kinda freaking out to tell you the truth. Checking and double checking that "to do" list over and over again! Because I've had the same nightmare several times already, I'd rather prepare myself! You know, that nightmare every bride has where the wedding day comes around and somehow nothing has been finished... All plans have gone down the drain... Your dress doesn't fit, or worse: You don't have a dress to wear at all! Etc., etc., etc. Phew! Can't wait for this to be over! I feel like the days and the weeks have simply vanished. Getting there though!

At the same time we're preparing ourselves for Alyssa... Yet more checklists! Tito worked so hard this past weekend on preparing the baby's room. He painted and put the furniture together... Everything looks awesome. I couldn't help but sit on the glider Saturday night after I got home to stare at the newly painted walls, newly set-up furniture and just daydream about the day we have our Alyssa in our arms... I thank God every day for the most amazing and wonderful man He's given me. Stubborn as a stone, but so sweet, and giving and simply amazing.

Speaking of home... Yet another thing on the to do list! Gotta pack up so we can finally move in together! This living out of a suitcase isn't cutting it... Hopefully we'll be all settled in within the next 2 weeks. Trying to sell the rest of my furniture and get rid of what we don't need and move what we'll keep. Annjulia has also taken everything so well and she's been a great help! I think she's ready to make the move.

Well, I'm sure I'll have tons more updates very soon. Will keep you all posted.

Baby Castillo Pics

Looks like a baby girl!!!

You can see the arms and legs so good...

Look at that spine... Amazing.

4D! Skinny legs! Must take after Tito... j/k It's just starting to fill up now... :)

I'm so glad everything's fine...

So I experienced some bleeding and spotting yet again. For the 3rd time throughout this pregnancy. Not fun. Always nerve wracking wondering what in the world is going on in there and wondering if baby's ok.

Our doctor referred us to the hospital to have an ultrasound done as soon as possible. We scheduled it for this morning, and, fortunately, everything seems to be fine! I won't get the results of the ultrasound until I see my doctor next Monday, but at least we saw that everything was ok! We saw the baby's little heart beating away, and it was definitely moving all around! We were even able to see the images in 4D! Technology amazes me more and more every day.

I have included several of the pictures taken today. I am so relieved that our baby's growing and looks so healthy and it seems that everything is just fine. We haven't figured out what is causing the bleeding, but I'll try to find out on Monday when I see my doctor again.

We still have the 20 week ultrasound appointment scheduled for February 14th. However, we did get a peek at the baby's gender!!! Unofficially, it looks like baby's name will be Alyssa Monique Castillo! So... it's a girl! :) I say unofficially because it was really hard to take a peek the way the baby was positioned, but we will confirm on Feb 14th! Looks like Annjulia's wishes might be coming true! She's been hoping she'll get a baby sister...

Enjoy the pics! I know we did. What an amazing experience.

Just the Two of Us

Some pictures from this weekend... Thanks Jaime, Monique and Sumaya. The pictures came out wonderful.

What a wonderful feeling...

Yes it is! Feeling my little peanut move was amazing! I haven't felt him/her again just yet, but I know it'll be more consistent very soon. Awww, the truly amazing journey of pregnancy...

Surprise, Surprise!

So, we went to the doctor today for our 13 week appointment... Got to hear the heart beat! It was so exciting to finally be able to hear it and just feel that much more reassured. The odd part is that according to the first ultrasound done at 7 weeks, I am actually 14 weeks 4 days pregnant instead of 13 weeks 1 day! My due date is now July 3rd, instead of July 12th. We have another appointment scheduled in 4 weeks and we are awaiting a call from the hospital to schedule our next ultrasound, which will be at around 20 weeks. We'll be able to find out the sex of the baby then and the tech will verify due date once again.

How exciting! Lots of stuff going on. I'll keep everyone posted.

Buh Bye 2008 - Welcome 2009!

2008 was a year full of blessings and excitement... and everything else you can possibly imagine. 2009 will be even better! Lots of great things to look forward to. It's a little overwhelming when you think of the big spectrum, but definitely a million and one more blessings for us.

So, a short update since I haven't really had a chance to give many updates lately with the holidays and everything...

I'll be 13 weeks pregnant this coming Sunday... Just another 2 days! What does this mean? It means I'll finally be past the first trimester (yippy!)! Which is very exciting considering how nerve wracking this first trimester was. Hopefully get over this feeling of complete exhaustion I've experienced for the past 6 weeks. I have an appointment scheduled on Monday and am hoping to be able to hear my little peanut's heartbeat, which we haven't been able to do just yet. I'm not quite sure of whether we'll get another ultrasound this time around, but as long as I can hear that fast little "pum-pum", I should be fine. This is the awkward stage, where you don't really feel pregnant, but you can notice your body changing at a very rapid speed... And don't quite look pregnant yet? Ugh... Almost there. This little bump should look more like a pregnant belly in the next few weeks.

I'm also anxious to feel the baby move. I know it's coming! Soon! I felt Annjulia for the first time when I was about 16 weeks pregnant... So, keeping my fingers crossed it'll be very soon!!! :) Tito will have to wait a little bit longer for him to be able to feel it, but I think feeling that little flutter in there will give me some peace of mind thinking: yeah, I'm definitely feeling pregnant!

About the wedding? Ah, I don't know. Plans change, ideas come and go... What to do? What to do? Well, we're getting married... How, when, who's coming, what we're doing? That's still up in the air... I just want my bebe (big bebe) and I to love every minute of it and do exactly what WE want to do. We'll figure it out. At some point.

Well, I wish you all a marvelous, successful, brilliant 2009! I wish you love, happiness, wealth and health throughout the year. Blessings from up above! Will be back soon...