Welcome to the 3rd (and final) trimester!

We have made it to the third trimester! I am now 27 weeks pregnant, and so excited to be in the "final stretch." Is it just me, or did my stomach grow a lot this week?!

It is obvious that Ellie is growing fast because this week I feel lots of pressure under my ribs! Every night, all night, she is kicking. It is a nice thing to wake up to! She also helped a 2 hour BORING staff meeting go by fast, because I just looked down at my stomach and watched it jump and shake. It is so fun to watch, and a little weird!

I know that there is lots of debate about vaccines, but after doing my homework and talking to my midwife, I decided to get the flu and H1N1 vaccines. I am normally sooooooooooo nervous about shots, but I just thought about my reasons for getting it (to protect the baby) and I barely felt them at all! My whole family actually got the flu shot for the first time because they all want to be healthy for me and the baby. How sweet is that?! Jesse swears he is scared of needles too(though who can believe that when he has so many tattoos) and even he went to get it.

This week Jose and I started getting serious about practicing some of the relaxation techniques and excercises Bradley teaches. I don't know why, but it is a lot harder for me to relax all my muscles then I thought it would be. Three more months of practice and I should be good to go! I don't know if it is all my tailor sitting, or birth ball bouncing but my tailbone has not been hurting as bad! I made some adjustments on my chair at work and am focusing on a new posture and its improving!! woohoo!

2/3 of the way there (26 weeks!)

Oh Happy Day! I'm so excited to be hitting another milestone...2/3 done with this pregnancy! The FINAL trimester officially starts next week, but as far as counting weeks, it's close enough! At the beginning I felt I hit my "fraction" milestones a lot. 1/8 at 5 weeks, 1/5 at 8 weeks, 1/4 at 10, 1/3 at 13, 1/2 at 20... but it has been 6 long weeks since I hit another fraction (that I don't have to use a calculator to figure out ;-).

This week we had another doctors appointment. I was so happy when I was getting weighed and getting my blood pressure checked (right on track though I feel huge!) when I glanced in the corner and saw a teeny tiny baby in a car seat. At first I thought some patient had left their sleeping 2 month old in the corner, but the medical assistant said it was her little girl who gets to come to work with her! How cool is that?? It was like a confirmation to me (like I needed another one) that I picked a practice that values the life of babies enough to allow their busy MA to bring her newborn to work with her.

At the appointment we met a new midwife. We didn't have many questions so it was a brief visit and I don't feel like we got to know her, but I still felt comfortable. My uterus could be felt much higher than I expected, which explains why I felt little kicks in my ribs this week! Everything is looking great. We have one more monthly visit and then we start going every other week! CRAZY!

In other non-baby news, this week I non-intentionally became what can only be described as a "seasonal food critic." On our last trip to Trader Joes, I just happened to buy nearly every one of their seasonal foods. I can give a thumbs up on their pumpkin butter which magically turns every piece of toast into a piece of pie (I was tempted to buy the butter at Avila Valley barn, but for half the price the TJ brand gets my vote). Trader Joes pumpkin pancake and waffle mix gets TWO thumbs up. In fact I may stock up on boxes to last throughout the year. I have been making "homemade" pumpkin pancakes by adding canned pumpkin, but I actually prefer the boxed Trader Joes version better. I have yet to brew TJ's candy cane tea, but I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

I was a little disappointed with the Pumpkin Smash at Jamba Juice. I think I have my heart set on a certain shake, and this slightly healthier version didn't cut it. I split it with Jose, and still didn't finish my half. If you decide to try it, stick with a small serving. It's too rich in large quantities (and that is saying a lot from a pumpkin lover like me).

Jose's grandpa has provided us with lots of fruit this pregnancy. Remember his peach trees I raved about? Well now he has apples galore. I love them because they are nice and crisp and the perfect size, but they aren't very sweet. We've been picking a bag every week, and this week I decided to get extra creative and make mini apple pies. I read about 10 different recipes with 10 different directions of oven temp and time before I decided to wing it. I cheated and bought Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust, cut little circles with a bowl (I do not have the right pastry tools!) and stuffed the crust in muffin tins. I made my own concoction of fresh apples, sugar, butter, flour, spices, vanilla, and caramel a secret ingredient . I filled the little tins, and then with a smaller bowl cut out the top crust. I pinched the crusts together and topped with milk (for shine) and cinnamon and sugar. Yum, individual pies that went perfect with vanilla ice cream!

25 weeks

Another week down! This week was fun because for the first time I tried to look at my belly when Ellie was kicking and Jose and I saw it jump! Her little kicks got much harder during the 25th week, and just about every day Jose felt her too. I still frequently grab his hand when he is sleeping just so he doesn't miss out...hehe.

The funniest thing is my mom has been dying to feel her kick (so have my brothers and dad). Whenever I am with them her kicks are far apart and all over the place. As soon as we get home she starts kicking hard and in the same place! I know Aubriella has no idea she is being so stubborn, but sometimes I wonder. I still can't figure out how I can be lying on the couch for hours before bed and she mildly kicks, but as soon as I climb into bed she kicks like crazy!

Back aches hit an all time high this week. I am managing the tailbone pain, but the pain switched to a new spot. And there is nothing I can do about it.

Otherwise everything is going great!

We had our 3rd Bradley class this week. I actually really enjoy it, though don't feel like I've learned that much. I'm pretty sure the material will pick up and we'll get some great info, but for now there hasn't been much that I haven't already read or thought about. There are two other couples in the class and we are all due within about 3 weeks of each other (I'm due in the middle!). We all seem to be about the same age which is nice too. We realized this week that each of the couples work together! One couple works at VAFB in the same shop and the other work at a cafe together. Everyone is always surprised to hear that Jose and I work together, so to meet two other couples who do the same seemed ironic! I don't know why, but this was really cool to me. I guess it kind of makes sense that "husband coached birthing" would draw couples who are used to working well together!

SIX MONTHS- 24 weeks!

So happy to have hit another big milestone. I know I say it every week, but the weeks go by so fast! Looking back on the whole pregnancy though, and it seems like I've been pregnant a very long time!

The BEST thing happened this week! At 23 weeks and 1 day, I woke up to Aubriella kicking. Jose had tried to feel before and never had any luck. But on Saturday she kicked his hand a few times! We were both pretty excited. That night she was kicking like crazy and he felt her again.
Every day since then, her kicks have become harder, more consistent and he has been able to feel her often. I used to think she had the best sleeping schedule because I never felt her at night. I was excited that she wouldn't be a little night owl. Well it turns out that I just couldn't feel her, because now every time I wake up she is kicking! Since I love feeling her kick, I have a hard time falling back to sleep because I don't want to miss any movement. I'm trying to remind myself that she will still be kicking in the morning and to go back to bed! Didn't work well last night when I was up from 3:45- 4:15 wide awake (and woke Jose up to feel too!) . Even my brother Jasen felt her kick on Monday!

I don't want to jump the gun and label myself as nesting, but the past couple of weeks I've been on overdrive trying to decorate our house. I think my natural instinct is to be a "nester" pregnant or not, but with only a few months before Ellie gets here there are so many little projects I want to have done. My new obsession is fall decorations and incorporating them into our decor. We also have Ellie's room set up with furniture and bedding! Jose spent Monday doing the paint touch-ups. There is nothing on the walls or dresser yet but I'm happy to announce that her room will eventually boast some David Cole Original Artwork! And of course the perfect Uppercase Living decal. Yup, her room will be the talk of the town. I can't wait for it to be all done!

Avila Valley Barn

Jose and I have made it a tradition to go to Avila Valley Barn every fall (and Christmastime too!). I love this place! We have plenty of fun going by ourselves, but this year we wanted to take Danica. On Saturday we finally had a free day, and so did the other Velazquez family! We convinced Josie, Derek, Andrew, Anastasia, and Danica to join us, and I think we all had a blast.

We told Anastasia we were taking her for a surprise with "big, round, orange things." After guessing oranges a couple of times, she finally asked, "Do we get to take the pumpkins home?"

When we got there, I thought it would be cute to pose the girls on the pumpkins. I set Danica on top of one without thinking, and she started saying "It's cold, cold, cold!" Oops, I didn't think about her little legs on the chilly pumpkins in the shade! Uncle Andy agreed to take a picture with them so they could sit on his lap!

We took a hay ride down to the large pumpkins, but the girls weren't too impressed. They preferred the cute, small, and cheap ones instead. Smart girls!

I know I've said it a million times, but we love these little girls! Everywhere we go, Jose always points out something we should buy for Danica for her birthday or Christmas. Jose is related to her dad Derek on both sides of the family. Their mom's are sisters and dad's are brothers, so they share the same gene pool and all the same relatives. Some of Jose's baby pictures really resemble Danica, and I'm hopeful that Ellie will have her same dark, long hair and light skin!

Jose went a little crazy taking pictures of her at the barn. Part of it is because she is adorable, but the other part is because she is so dang hard to pose that it is kind of a challenge. She is Miss Independent, and she does what she wants to do. She used to love to smile for pictures, but lately I've noticed that she prefers to be stubborn.

No amount of telling her to look or smile works!
I LOVE this picture. The look of determination to take a big bite is so her!

Too many pictures of her? I don't think so either.

I've already bought a frame for this picture! After about 20 attempts, a perfect smile!

Random thoughts

Babysteals.com featured the little squeaker shoes today. Have you seen them? The cutest shoes but the squeaks are SO annoying! Most people think they are adorable, but not me. Jose wants Aubriella to have some, but the squeaker will have to go. I think most people disagree with me because they sold out faster than anything I've seen on babysteals. I hope I don't eat my words, but Ellie will not wear those.



So even if I give in to the squeakers, I want it on the record that my children will never wear a leash! I don't care if it is attached to a cute little stuffed animal backpack, it's a leash. I won't change my mind on this. My grandma Maria who is deceased also hated these.



I know there are things that I think I will never do as a parent, and then I'll be surprised when I find myself doing them. I've already realized that my view of those obnoxious flower headbands has started changing. I thought they were so ugly a couple of months ago, but we saw a little girl wearing one and I have to admit it was kind of cute. But everyone around me was muttering jokes about it, and I realize the style hasn't caught on.

This past week since our first birthing class, I have caught myself feeling excited for labor. I know, crazy huh?? I started reading a natural birth book, and a friend shared her awesome birth story with me, and I'm starting to really believe I can do it, and enjoy it! WEIRD, but exciting that I'm not dreading labor or filled with fear.

Yesterday during lunch, Jose and I ran in to Lompoc Walmart for deodorant and lotion. We walked out a couple hundred poorer. But I'm so excited! They just remodeled and had a large baby section. I hadn't thought to look through Walmart's baby section, but we found the perfect glider/ottoman set! It is the same brand and style as our crib set, cheaper than the one we had planned on getting, and is so comfy! Jose put it together last night and I loved rocking in it! Ellie had been kicking me, and I sat down to rock and enjoy her kicks. I think I rocked her to sleep because she stopped kicking!

This morning I tried on a non-maternity shirt that I was considering wearing. I wasn't sure if it looked a little short so I asked Jose for his opinion. His response? "It looks like we can't afford to buy you clothes that fit." Hahaha! The shirt promptly went into the pile of non-wearables.


Final random thought... Jose's family is exploding with babies! Every cousin who is of child bearing age (Emma is exempt due to having kids in high school!) and in a relationship is having a baby! Jose's cousin Jacob and Leah just welcomed baby Adam this week! Next month we'll welcome Veronica's baby. January is Aubriella, and Gizelle is due in May! So exciting that Ellie will have lots of cousins her age! Now if we could only convince Jose's grandparents to expand their house so we can all fit for Thursday dinners..

23 Weeks!

Another week has gone by! Work was so busy that the days sped by. This week was the start of our birthing classes. I know it seems early to start but it is a 12 week course and ends in January a few weeks before we are due! I'm really excited to do these Bradley method classes, aka "husband coached birthing", and am especially looking forward to the foot and hand massage week! For those who have known me any amount of time, you know that I'm the farthest thing away from athletic. I have never and will never be an athlete. So when our lesson stresses that "labor is an athletic event", I get a little nervous. Good thing I will be depending on my coach (Jose) who is an athlete.

By now my belly is obvious to strangers, and it has been fun having random people ask how far I am or mention the baby. I know compared to 9 months, I'm still small, but it is already weighing me down. I am getting tired on our walks and going up stairs. By the end of the day I feel like I'm moving like an old lady!

A humbling thought hit me this week... I am over half way through this pregnancy and Aubriella is only about a pound. That means over the remainder of my pregnancy she will grow fast! 6-7 more pounds. Wow... a pound over 23 weeks, and now 6-7 lbs over 17 weeks- how is that gonna happen?? I'm pretty sure I'll be doing the pregnancy waddle before I know it!