24 Weeks

Well, here I am again. Although last time I posted a picture on here, the next day I found out I was three weeks behind my estimated due date. All I can say is, that better not happen again.

If it did, I'm pretty sure I would set some sort of record for world's longest pregnancy. But let's be honest, I'm not looking to set any records.

I'm getting bigger day by day, and also hotter (temperature, not looks...clearly). It is going to be a loooong summer. But I am thankful to have easy access to both a pool and a little thing called the Atlantic Ocean - two bodies of water I will be frequenting over the next few months.

So, anyone who's looking for a vacation in South Florida, feel free to join me and Sophia. But for now just bask in our beauty...ha.

The Name Game

I apologize for my long absence. To be honest, I'm not sure where I've been. But it feels like the weeks are really starting to fly by. I had to take a deep breath the day I saw the calendar flip from May to June. June??!!!? Really? That means it's summer, and summer means it's just about time to have this baby! Perhaps, that's a slight exaggeration, but that's definitely how I felt during my first few waking hours of June 1.

But, with the minor panic attack aside, our house has been full of excitement. Things are really starting to happen, and it's making this whole process seem so much more real. It's tough to deny the inevitable when you've got a crib sticking out of the room formerly known as the guest bedroom. Beautifully, it's now being called the nursery. And as soon as we move the queen-sized bed out of there, it will soon start looking like one - and I can't wait!

And, now for the 1-2 people who don't already know, I'd like to introduce this little girl by name....

Sophia Grace Acosta

It was actually a fairly easy process for us. For some reason, Herschel has always known that if he had a little girl, he wanted to name her Sophia. And, frankly, I have no objections to that. Another big plus, is that both of our families can pronounce Sophia. Laugh it up, but it's true. You have no idea what an ordeal that is. But yet it's important. In fact, we might just have to name any other kids we have Sophia also, just so we don't have to come up with any other pronunciation-neutral names. I kid....sort of.

Her middle name, Grace, is a name I've always loved. It was also my great-grandmother's name, which I just think is kind of cool. But when you put her name together it will mean "wisdom and grace." (Sophia means "wisdom.") And that is definitely our prayer for her - that she will grow into a woman full of wisdom and grace. No pressure, right?

We are so anxious to meet Sophia and learn all about her personality, her likes and dislikes, her strengths and weaknesses. But for now, we are enjoying feeling all of her kicks and punches. One thing that is already very evident about her is that she is definitely a squirmy little booger. The doctor mentioned that even before we'd ever seen an ultrasound of her. Even when they were trying to get her heartbeat the first time, she would barely hold still long enough to hear it for more than a couple of seconds. And that first prediction by the doctor has been confirmed in all of our ultrasounds. Every tech has commented on how much she moves around. And as she has gotten bigger and stronger I get to feel (and see!) evidence of that as well.

That has been by far one of my favorite parts of pregnancy. Being able to feel her move is absolutely amazing. And it's even more special now that Herschel can feel her, too. I love sitting in bed at night watching my belly bulge or twitch in one place or another as she moves around. It's funny, but it's also so reassuring, just knowing that there's life in there. So that makes me not mind when I get woken up by a swift kick in the side, because I know it's just Sophia saying, "Hey, mom, I'm still here!" As if my growing belly, sciatica, leg cramps and constantly full bladder would ever let me forget.

Looks Like Someone's Getting a Little Spoiled...

We were able to spend last weekend up in Orlando at Disney World, and we had such a great time! It was a wonderful - and much-needed - getaway. On Saturday, we spent the day with Herschel's college roommate and his family. It was so much fun to see Disney through his kids' eyes. It definitely made me very anxious to be able to take our baby girl there one day.

On a side note, the 4 year old son of Herschel's college roommate had the best line of the weekend. After questioning me about being pregnant, I told him that the baby was still in my belly. Immediately upon hearing this, his eyes got huge and concern spread over his face as he sternly told me, "You need to get married!" Ha! I love it! He's adorable!! Once I cleared up my marital status, we covered what hospital I would be going to and when. He was very concerned that I get this baby out of my belly in a timely and efficient manner.

Then on Sunday, another couple who went to college with Herschel was in town, and we were able to spend the afternoon with them. Apparently it was Texas A&M reunion weekend at Disney. So sorry for all those Aggies who didn't know. Maybe next year.

We spent Saturday at the Magic Kingdom and Sunday eating our way through Epcot. We have two more days left on our passes, and we are already plotting our return.

We bought nothing (besides a lot of very unhealthy food) for ourselves, and only gave in to one thing for baby girl Acosta. But over the past few weeks and months, she's already becoming quite spoiled. The one item we bought was our first "Baby's First Christmas" ornament. I just couldn't resist all of the cute pinkness and baby Minnie on top.

But lucky for us, we haven't had to do much spoiling of our own. We are fortunate to have friends and family to do that for us. Herschel's friends brought us a whole goody bag full of Disney-themed gifts that would make any baby girl smile. And my mom surprised me by ordering a really cute diaper bag that I'd had my eye on. It just arrived today, and I'm in love with it! Here are just a few pictures of some of our baby girl's loot.

Front of a onesie from Herschel's friends, along with a little rattle.

Back of the onesie - I just love this little bow!

Photo album

Diaper bag!

How Should I Put This...

First things, first - we're having a GIRL!!!

We couldn't be more excited! Herschel has wanted a little girl for forever, and with two grandsons already, his family is ready for a granddaughter/niece.

But here's where is gets a little weird...while I was having the ultrasound done today, the technician asked me how sure I was of my dates. I told her that I was pretty certain. And she responded, "Well, hmm, because you're way off." Let me tell ya, that's not exactly what I was expecting to hear.

As it turns out, based on the measurements they took today, it looks like I'm only 16 weeks pregnant - not 19. Yep, that's almost an entire month off. But, fortunately, everything looked good and healthy on the ultrasound. We will, however, be having another ultrasound done in three weeks, when I should actually be 19 weeks....not 16, like I apparently am now.

So that puts my new due date at September 29 instead of September 8. I told Herschel that I felt like I got tackled when I was almost halfway there and got pushed back a month. But it really doesn't matter to me, just as long as we have a healthy, happy baby. We are so blessed and we absolutely can not wait to meet our new little girl.

19 Weeks

Okay, so I've been hounded long enough that I finally gave in. Here I am in all my glory. It's actually a pretty horrible picture, but just look at the bump and ignore everything else. Also, we should have exciting news to report tomorrow!!! I have my ultrasound tomorrow afternoon, so we will soon know whether we're having a little girl or a little boy. I can't wait to find out. I have a feeling it will be a sleepless night.

It's Happening

So...as far as I'm concerned, I officially became pregnant last Friday. I'm serious. I had gone from numerous people questioning my due date/how far along I was (including the med student who helped out at my doctor's appointment on Thursday!), to waking up with a baby bump. I was so stunned, I just laid there and yelled for Herschel to come back into the bedroom.

He was amazed, too. But maybe for a slightly different reason. See, the past month or so, I've only been feeling pressure or flutters or anything really on the right side of my abdomen. I asked the doctor about it, and she said it was totally normal. And I had even been told that babies typically pick a side and favor that side throughout the majority of the pregnancy, or until they begin to run out of space. So, what we saw on Friday morning was indeed a baby bump, but it was a completely lopsided bump. It basically looked like somebody had stuffed a Nerf football into the right side of my stomach.

I thought it was pretty funny. I figured that was why I had only been feeling anything on that side; and sure enough, after some good, old-fashioned Googling, any questions I might've had were answered. From what I could tell, it's fairly typical. But I still find it kind of hilarious to lay on my back and see the right side of my belly sticking out about an inch farther than my left side.

But since Friday, I've had to find new and longer shirts, and yesterday, I was actually told that I finally looked pregnant. I'll consider that a compliment. :) It may not be a huge belly, but I'm glad to have more proof of a human residing in there.

And speaking of proof, we have our ultrasound exactly ONE WEEK from today!! So, hopefully I will be writing next week to tell all of you whether we're having a boy or a girl! We absolutely can not wait to find out! The time is flying by and we are getting more and more excited everyday. We're both so ready to make this new change in our lives more of a reality. And seeing more proof of it over the past few days has only made Herschel and I more anxious to meet this little one. He or she is already so loved!

And on a side note - thank you to everyone for your advice, support and encouragement, after my mini-meltdown during my last post. It's still overwhelming, just because it's going to be, but I am feeling better. I think I might just make it through after all!

A Little Overwhelmed

So, I thought I was doing a good thing last week by deciding to sit down and make a list of things we will need for this baby. Basically, I was wanting to divide things up into categories - must have's, want's, and don't really need it's. Well, apparently that is easier said than done. Because this hormone-crazed pregnant lady ended up on the verge of a break down.

How do you know what you really need? How do you know what's THE best? And when is it alright not to have the very best? What's a waste of money? And what makes you a horrible parent if you don't have it because you thought it was a waste of money? I could barely function.

I had also just been asked for about the third time in less than a week what the "theme" of my nursery is. I. Have. No. Flippin. Idea. And, at the risk of sounding like a complete moron, I didn't really know that I needed one. Yep, I said it. I just thought I could find things I liked and put them together. Maybe I'm wrong about that, too.

So, I found myself aimlessly clicking through websites getting more and more frustrated by not knowing what I thought I should know. I kept on picturing all of these other pregnant women and young mom's who seem to have it all together, while I clearly don't. They probably had their nursery theme picked out long before they saw the little pick positive appear on the stick.

I'm calmer now, but still a little concerned about how to know what to spend money on and what to skip. I've decided all major nursery decor decisions can wait until after we at least know whether we're having a boy or a girl. That way, I will only have half as many options to decide between. But, basically what I'm saying is, advice is welcomed, encouraged and begged for. I know this is the first of many rants/freak outs I will have. Some founded, many more not. But I guess that just means I'm transforming into a Mom, and if that's the case, I guess I'm okay with it.