It's a GIRL!

Now that I'm well into my 2nd trimester, I am feeling much better and my appetite is increasing. I have gained a whole 5 pounds now. I know, not much, but I'm sure I will catch up in no time. I had my 20 week checkup on December 22nd, and found out we are expecting another beautiful baby girl! We are so excited. The baby looks healthy and is measuring well.

We decided to keep the baby's gender a secret until Christmas morning, which was lots of fun. MOST of my friends and family thought for sure I was going to have a boy. As soon as people hear that I didn't feel well this pregnancy, but I was fine with Keira, they were like, "Oh it's definitely a boy." I don't believe in such old wive's tales. Every pregnancy is different and the baby's gender has nothing to do with it. So I wasn't surprised to find out we're having another girl, but lots of other people were. I bought a pink onesie and stenciled a bib to say, "It's a GIRL!" and put them on one of Keira's teddy bears. I brought it to church with me Christmas morning to show my family.

I'm amazed how much earlier I have been able to feel the baby's kicks. I know that when I was pregnant with Keira, I didn't feel solid kicks until after 20 weeks. This time, I have been able to SEE my belly moving and every day around 8 PM, she's in there performing a dance routine of some kind. Art has been able to feel several kicks. I don't believe that it's just that I'm more aware of the kicks. I'm pretty sure if my belly was visibly poking out during kicks that I would have been able to tell there was something going on in there. Keira was an EXTREMELY active baby. My theory is that you either a) grow more nerves in your uterus after the first pregnancy or b) your uterus is thinner from being stretched out from the first pregnancy. There has to be a physiological reason why you have more feeling in subsequent pregnancies.

So now begins the task of choosing a name. The number of hours in labor is minimal compared to the number of hours spent agonizing over a name. I'm undecided as to which process is more painful. Art and I don't easily agree on names, which is why we didn't even bother to start thinking about names until we knew what direction to go. I'm in the process of forming the "long list" then I will hand it over to Art to cross out and add to. This will probably be going on until after the baby is born, with the nurse coming in every hour to ask if we have a name yet. Technically you don't have to have a name picked out when you leave the hospital, but I fear what might happen if we did that. We'd have a 3 year old daughter running around answering to "Baby." Oh wait, we already do. :)

First Trimester Recap

I am already in my second trimester! Time flies when you're laying on the couch sleeping and/or suffering from a constant stomach ache. Still no baby bump to show for it, but I'm working on it.

I had my 12 week checkup on Halloween morning and everything looks fine. I haven't gained any weight at all, which means I have technically lost a pound or two. By this time with Keira, I had already gained about 6 pounds, but I felt much better when I was pregnant with her than I do now. Plus, when I got pregnant with Keira I only weighed 105 pounds. This time I started out at a little healthier weight, 112. Being that I have a 7 pound head start, I'm not concerned about the fact that I haven't gained any weight yet.

The doctor did a quick ultrasound to take a peek at the baby and I definitely have another wiggly baby in there just like big sister. It's arms and legs were waving like crazy. Here is the ultrasound picture, which shows a very good profile, but only managed to capture one foot.

I haven't had a very good appetite due to the constant stomach ache, and I have to eat small meals at a time or else it gives me diarrhea. Sorry if that's TMI, but it's the truth. Turns out my morning sickness acts in reverse. Instead of living on refried beans and Mexican rice like I did with Keira, I have been eating an abundance of Ling Ling potstickers and pumpkin pie. Not at the same time though, that would be gross. If I do eat Mexican food, it has to be something crunchy like nachos, taquitos, or tacos. Thankfully, now that I am easing into my second trimester my stomach situation is improving.

I am already waking up once or twice a night to go pee. One night I had to get up FIVE TIMES! That worried me, but it hasn't happened since. The only other ailment I have been tolerating is a bad pain in the bones in my lower back area. The doctor says it's just from my ligaments and tendons loosening. I can even hear/feel something in my back pop when I walk sometimes. The pain was really bothering me for the past couple weeks, but it seems to be getting better. I just have to take it easy.

On a happier note, on Sunday Art and I were sitting at the kitchen table looking at newspaper ads and I felt a pretty good baby thump! I told Art right when it happened and he was in disbelief. I can't wait until he can feel them too.

My Big 3 Year Old

The New Addition

'Twas the night of September 4th and I was feeling antsy. My period was a couple days late and I demanded answers. I talked to Art before he left for work and pleaded with him to buy me a pregnancy test, not really expecting him to do so. Art believed from my past experiences that taking a test would make me immediately start my period. I decided that in the morning if he didn't show up with a test, that I would save my pee in a cup until I could go to the store and get one myself. Much to my surprise, he actually bought one so I hurriedly took it and quickly received the positive result I had been praying for for nearly 2 years.

I patiently waited for my 8 week appointment, and got to see the baby on an ultrasound October 3rd. We saw a heartbeat and the baby is nestled snugly in my uterus.

I didn't experience ANY morning sickness when I was pregnant with Keira, so I was caught by surprise when around 7 weeks I began to feel nauseous all day every day. I am just shy of 9 weeks and there has been no improvement. I have been SUPER exhausted. I take a nap every day and spend the rest of the day on the couch. My house is a disaster, my husband and daughter are neglected, and I can't remember the last time I cooked a meal. Thus is the nature of the first trimester. Just the beginning of many sacrifices to come during the incubation of our beloved baby, who is scheduled to appear in mid-May.

Road Trip

Last weekend Art, Keira, my mom, and I got to take a trip to northern California for my cousin Blake's wedding reception. We stayed at my mom's aunt's cabin in Oroville Friday night, then went to the reception in Yuba City on Saturday and stayed at Aunt Joy's cabin again that night. Then Sunday morning, Aunt Joy and Uncle Ken took us out on their boat which was awesome. Keira LOVED it. I have never seen her more relaxed. She even fell asleep on the way back in, which is miraculous if you understand the fact that she DOES NOT fall asleep anywhere but her own house or her car seat.

Cousin Blake and Shawni Westmoreland's Wedding Reception at Grandpa Bud Peter's House

Krysta, Art, and Keira with Great Uncle Ken and Aunt Joy Arnold

Mom and Aunt Joy on the Boat

Sunday evening we drove from the eastern side of the state to the western side and stayed at Art's grandparent's house in the bay area. I have previously explained in great detail how much we love his grandparents. We stayed there for 2 nights and came home Tuesday evening. This was our longest trip to date- 4 nights away from home. Up until now we haven't stayed anywhere longer than 2 nights.

Navarro Family - Grandpa George and Grandma Kathy Navarro, Art, Krysta, and Keira Martinez, Uncle Georgie and Becky Navarro, Susan (Suzy), Sophia, Elena, Nick, and Nick Martinez, Jr.., Cousin Lexi Mata (Becky's daughter), Aunt Colleen and Cousin Hailey Spofford, Aunt Annette and Todd Tognetti.

Martinez Siblings - Arthur, Sophia, and Nick

Keira and Daddy swimming in Grandma Kathy's pool.

It was so awesome to spend time with both my family and his in the same weekend. Family is important to us and we like to spend as much time as we can with them. As a result, I can tell that Keira is building relationships with her extended family that she would otherwise miss out on. She already wants to go back to Oroville for another boat ride with her Great Great Aunt and Uncle and go swimming with her Great Grandma Kathy and Papa George. I know she will have fond memories of the time she spends with them, because I do too.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

The top 3 reasons how I know my daughter has OCD:

1: She puts her movies in neat rows. She does the same thing with shoes.

2. When choosing a straw to drink from, first she picked all of the yellow ones (except the one she missed) then moved on to the blue ones, then she will use the red ones. If you grab the wrong color she gets mad and picks out the right one. Next time I buy straws I will try to find a pack that's all the same color.

3. Since she was a baby, she has had a soft blanket and as a comfort she puts one corner of the blanket on/in her nose and feels it and "sniffs" it. She always uses the same corner and she knows if it's the wrong one. She will feel each corner until she finds the correct one to hold.

I'm sure Art and I are to blame for her personality since I am the type of person who likes things very clean, uncluttered, correct, and organized. Art is the type of person who likes things just how he left them and doesn't want anyone to touch his stuff. Keira seems to be a pretty particular person too, and hopefully she will be able to harness that to her benefit in life.

Progress Report

I have been practicing my flute nigh unto every day since it arrived 3 weeks ago. Here is a sample of what I can do so far.

Happy Birthday for Kyle since today is his birthday.


Love is a Song - Bambi


Over the Rainbow - Wizard of Oz