Some Stuff

Whew! It has been forever and a while since I've written about something other than baby updates.

• There are some changes coming to the Pino household soon; and I don't mean with Landon's arrival in October. I can't elaborate more for another couple weeks, but it's been kind of a stressful last few months. I hope to fill in the details soon.
• Other than the stress, everything in our lives is moving along as usual. Time goes by way too fast - as always.
• Preslie is becoming her own little person day by day. She is FEISTY and FUNNY! It's still a trip to see her walking all over the place, even though she's been walking for more than two months now. Oh, and she's bossy. She loves to tell the dogs "No!" all the time and shakes her head and finger at them. She couldn't possibly get that from me. ;)
• I'm slowly but surely getting Landon's nursery together. Luckily, we're able to use a lot of Preslie's things (like the wipes warmer, closet organizer, glider and ottoman, etc.) so it helps save on money.
• It's been so hot here lately that we pretty much spend every weekend up at my MIL's house, swimming.
• Speaking of swimming, Preslie completed her first round of swim lessons last month. I think she was kind of bored with it and I wasn't that happy with the facility. She did learn how to go under water, float on her back, blow bubbles and climb out of the pool. I think we'll wait a couple years to enroll her again somewhere else when she can concentrate a little longer. We're able to practice almost every weekend so she improves all the time. The first day of swim class the instructor commented on how relaxed and "at home" she was in the water. The girl is a water baby!
• For Father's Day I got Kevin the Nike+ FuelBand and he loves it! It's gotten him so motivated to continue working out and eating healthy. I just thought it would be a fun gadget for him, but it's been more of a motivator than anything. Good purchase!
• My goal during this pregnancy was to begin Prenatal Pilate's at 20 weeks. Well, at 21 weeks I did my first Prenatal Pilate's class and that was it. Ha! It's just been crazy since then that it's hard to find the time. But...I'm going to get back into it once things settle down in a couple weeks. Pinky swear!
• Only about two more months until my maternity leave begins! I'll be off work September - February and I CANNOT WAIT! During that time I hope to update this blog which means I have to go back all the way to November 2013 for Thanksgiving. Yikes!!
• The past few weeks I've had my hair in a top knot almost every day. Today was the first day I've actually done my hair (i.e. blowed it dry and straightened it) in a while, and it took so long to do! Thicker hair during pregnancy is no joke. I think I'll go back to the top knots. ;)
• I hope you all have a great weekend!

He has a name!

We have finally decided on a name for our Baby Boy!

We've gone back and forth because certain family members (ahem...Dad!) have requested their name be included and since this is most likely our last child we (most importantly) wanted to be happy with the name of our son.

His name will be...

Landon Mark Joseph

"Landon" is my brother's middle name and it's aways been a name I've really liked. I knew a long time ago that I would like to use that name if I ever had a boy. Luckily, Kevin is a fan of this name too!

"Mark" is my dad's name. My dad (and mom) do a lot for us and even though the name "Mark" isn't very popular it was important for us that it was included.

"Joseph" was Kevin's Grandpa's name and had to be in our son's name no matter what. Joe was basically a father figure to Kevin growing up and I hold Joe close to my heart as well. Most of the first-born boys on Kevin's side of the family have the name "Joseph" incorporated in their names one way or another.

So that's that! We're happy with it and that's pretty much all that matters. Now there's just about three more months left to wait until we have Landon physically in our arms to put a face to a name!

Baby Pino 2.0: Twenty-two Weeks

I'm not sure how my belly in my 18 week photo looks bigger than my belly in this photo. One morning I woke up and it was like Baby Boy dropped lower and my belly deflated a bit.

Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up 14 pounds so far. Not too terribly bad since I'm over halfway done.

Size of baby: Baby Boy weighed in at 12 ounces at 19 weeks 4 days, which Baby Center indicated he would be around 8 1/2 ounces, so he was measuring a tad heavier than "average." As of right now he probably weighs over a pound, 11 inches long and is about the size of a spaghetti squash.

Gender: Sweet baby boy!

Movement: He moves all the time and he moves around down low. Preslie was always up in my ribs, but this little guy likes to hang out down in my pelvis.

Sleep: I've been sleeping great! I'm still able to kind of sleep on my tummy. It's more like part on my tummy part on my side. I think because he is lower that I'm able to. Who knows.

Maternity clothes: All maternity clothes. I purchased my first pair of maternity jean shorts the other week. I'm not a fan of shorts for myself, but it's too hot to be picky right now. They're not too bad.

Symptoms:
1) A lot of back pain. I will usually ice my back at night before bed. I purchased one of those belly/back support things but I was not a fan. It was so uncomfortable and made my belly look deformed.
2) My headaches have eased up a lot - so that's been really nice. :)
3) Hip pain - which I expected.
4) I've been kind of sensitive lately. I'm sure Kevin can attest to that.
5) NESTING! I want to clean out every cabinet in our house and clean out underneath every bed. I'm a clean freak as it is but it's like I can't reel it in now. Everything must be done!!!

Aversions: Grilled chicken, vegetables, sweet drinks and candy.

Cravings: Red meat and potatoes - whether it's baked potatoes, tater-tots, french fries; doesn't matter. Just give me some potatoes! This pregnancy I haven't once craved chips - I did a lot last pregnancy. Pasta with a butter parmesan sauce.

What I miss: Drinking alcohol. Just expect this answer at each update. I MISS IT! Bending over to pick up things off the ground.

Best moments:
1) Feeling Baby Boy move a lot.
2) Having my 20 week ultrasound and getting to watch him on the screen for a long time. He was basically bent in half the entire time. He didn't want to move for anything, but we were able to confirm that he is indeed still a boy and most importantantly, he is HEALTHY! :)
3) Ordering his nursery bedding this week.
4) Getting started on his nursery as of this week!
5) Finalizing his name.

What I'm looking forward to:
1) It mostly has to do with cleaning our house: shampooing carpets, cleaning out closets and cabinets, washing all the things.
2) Inventory what clothes Baby Boy has (which isn't much) and start stocking up on what he needs.
3) My maternity leave! I have about three more months until I'm off for four months.
4) Of course I'm looking forward to our baby boy being here.

Baby Daddy: Kevin felt Baby Boy move for the first at about 20 1/2 weeks. He gave a big kick too, so Kev was sure to feel it. I think it always makes the dad feel like it's a little more "real" when he can feel the movement too.

Big Sister: Preslie currently has some weird obsession with belly buttons. She'll lift up my shirt to touch my belly button (which is still an inny by the way) and if she has on a shirt she can lift up, she'll sit and touch her belly button too. At the same time, she's also kind of grossed out by belly buttons. She'll make a disgusted face and give a little whine. It's so weird. She has started to notice my belly is bigger and she'll pat it sometimes. She doesn't understand why it's big or what's in it, but she gives it a little pat every now and then.

Baby Pino 2.0: Eighteen Weeks

How is it that I'm 18 weeks along already???

Weight Gain/Loss: I've gained nine pounds so far. Luckily, the weight gain has been slow and steady - much like last time, which I'm thankful for.

Size of baby: Baby is about 7 ounces, 5 1/2 inches long; about the size of a bell pepper.

Gender: We found out when I was 14 weeks 6 days (on Saturday, April 26th) that we'll be blessed with a baby BOY!!! We are so so so excited. Both Kevin and I have always wanted a boy and we're so thrilled we now have one of each.

Movement: I'm feeling a lot more movement. None strong enough to be felt from the outside, but I sure can feel the flutters from the inside. He is most active when I wake up in the morning and at night after dinner.

Sleep: Sleep is good. I've had to start sleeping with a throw pillow in between my knees. No pregnancy pillow for me because NIGHT SWEATS! I also find myself still sleeping on my tummy which is weird because said tummy is not flat at this point, so I'm trying to be more conscious of sleeping on my sides.

Maternity clothes: All maternity; even dresses. I really don't like wearing dresses while pregnant. I just feel like there's way too much flowy-ness going on with dresses and they make me feel bigger.

Symptoms:
1) So. many. headaches! I have them probably three to four times a week and they're the pounding kind. I take Tylenol for them and I'll sometimes have a diet coke or something with caffeine, but most of the time I'll try and just lay in bed, in the dark with an ice pack on my head. I'm sure Kevin is sick of hearing me complain about my headaches all the time. Ha! ;)
2) Typical aches and pains that come with growing a human: hip pain, lower back pain, etc.
3) I haven't had as much of an appetite. I experienced the same thing with my last pregnancy. I can never decide what sounds good to eat.
4) I think I'm experiencing severe effects of that Relaxin hormone. I collapsed the other day while holding Preslie. I was walking down just a couple steps and all of the sudden my legs just stopped working and I slowly just kind of sank down to the ground. Preslie was fine because it was more like I was slowly sitting, but it scared me. Now I'm afraid every time I hold her that it will happen again. Handrails are my new BFF.

Aversions: Grilled chicken, really sweet drinks, anything that leaves an aftertaste in my mouth (which means I chew a lot of gum and brush my teeth constantly - fresh breath FTW!), steamed or grilled vegetables.

Cravings: Nothing in particular these past four weeks. I still enjoy french fries tremendously! I was craving a Mulberry Pie from this place in Auburn, CA called Ikeda's and I finally got one yesterday. It is delicious!

What I miss: ALCOHOL!!! Boy, do I miss alcohol. The summer is my favorite time to enjoy adult beverages and it's absolutely killing me to not be able to this summer. All worth it in the end, but it's torture!

Best moments:
1) Of course seeing our baby boy on ultrasound a few weeks ago and finding out his gender.
2) Now being able to buy boy things when I'm at a store!
3) I've finalized the colors for his nursery so I'm starting to slowly purchase things for that.
4) We were able to get a free crib and mattress from a friend so we are so thankful for that. Just means I can spend more money on other boy things! Ha!

What I'm looking forward to:
1) Feeling movement from the outside.
2) My 20 week ultrasound to make sure everything is as it should be.
3) My appointment with my OB after my ultrasound so I can discuss my recovery from my last pregnancy (it was no bueno) and alternatives to ensure recovery this time around is much smoother.
4) Getting a wall put up in our front room so that will be Kevin's office/Man Cave and turning our old office into the nursery.
5) Getting baby boy's clothes organized.

Baby Daddy: Kevin gave the biggest sigh of relief when the technician announced it was a boy. He likes to call him "my guy" or "the little guy." He seems to have more opinions this time around about things than he did before Preslie was born. I think because he's a little more knowledgeable the second time around and also because it's a boy, I think he feels attachment to him a little sooner.

Big Sister: Still no clue what's going on. Once we found out this one was a boy I immediately started to go through Preslie's clothes that she's outgrown to separate what I'm giving to a friend who's having a girl, what I'm donating to Goodwill and the few things I'm keeping. It was bittersweet, that's for sure. Preslie has started to hug her stuffed animals and is getting pretty good at giving kisses. I hope that translates well for when baby boy gets here!

Preslie Kay at Twelve Months



I realize this update is over a month late. Maybe it's me not wanting to admit that our daughter is over a year old, now!

Preslie turned 12 months old on Wednesday, April 2nd!

Measurements: At Preslie's one year well-check she came in at...
Weight: 20 pounds 10 ounces (62nd percentile)
Height: 29 1/2" tall (59th percentile)
Head circumference: 18" (70th percentile)

Appearance
~She has a lot of hair now but refuses to let me do it and she rips bows out of it. I keep trying though!
~Her eye color switches from blue, to grey, to green depending on what she's wearing. No doubt they will stay light.

~She still has just her two bottom teeth - and she knows how to use them! Her top teeth are definitely coming in. Her gums are red and swollen, so any day now!
~The cutest dimple on her right cheek when she smiles and laughs.

Sizes
~12 month tops and 18 month bottoms.
~Size 2 shoe but she's already growing out of them so I think she'll be in Size 3 shoes in about a month.
~Size 4 diapers.

Personality
~I'm not quite sure how to describe this little girl's 'tude. She is generally a happy child, but she can get MAD if something doesn't work for her right away (like if she can't get a toy to turn on or something like that) or if she doesn't get something immediately. Her patience is non-existent. We are working on that.

 ~I'm going to be honest and not sugar-coat things, but she is the bully at Miss Kara's. She hits and she bites. We have "that child." I have no clue where she learned this but definitely not from us. She doesn't yet understand when we say "No hitting" firmly to her when she swats at us - and it's not like we hit her back. What would that teach her? I think when she gets a little older she'll understand a little better. And the whole biting thing...I don't even know. So these are a couple challenges we're working on at the moment.
~She is starting to laugh a lot more! She usually makes you work for a laugh, but now she'll willingly giggle. And it's one of those guttural giggles - which makes it that much more funny.

~She is doing a very good job at being gentle with the dogs. She'll actually pet Stella nicely and softly. Kahlua doesn't allow her close enough to get the opportunity to do that.

~She shakes her head "no" if she doesn't want something. The funniest is when I ask for for a kiss and she shakes her head "no" and smiles so big. I'm sure that won't be so funny 14 years from now.
~If Preslie is tired she pops her thumb in her mouth and will lay down wherever she is. Whether it be the ground or Papa's slipper. Ha! ;)



Likes
~She has developed an attachment to her Lovies. She has a rabbit lovie for home and an elephant lovie for Kara's.
~Preslie has some weird obsession with her jammies. I have a couple pair in the living room because I need to sew some holes in them and she'll get a hold of them and put them around her neck, take them off, put them around her neck, take them off. She'll do this for hours! I have no clue why.

~She loves jewelry; especially necklaces. She likes to try and put necklaces on and play with a necklace if you're wearing one.
~She also loves sunglasses. Girlfriend loves accessories!
~Her water table is one of her favorite things right now.

~She still enjoys books. Right now a favorite of hers is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear."
~Sweet P got one of these Radio Flyer tricycles for her birthday and it's her absolute favorite thing right now. We take her around the block in it when it's nice outside.

Dislikes
~The car. Any car drive longer than an hour and Preslie is not an enjoyable passenger. She also doesn't take very good naps in the car.
~Being changed. It's impossible to keep her still and happy during this process.
~Having her hair brushed.

Eating
~She does a great job at feeding herself - we rarely feed her with a spoon now. Unless it's something super messy like applesauce or yogurt. We're working on using utensils but she's not quite there yet.
~She eats pretty much everything we eat at this point.

~She is completely off formula and is drinking whole milk. However, I think she has an allergy to milk so we're trying to figure that whole thing out.
~Preslie is also completely off the bottle and we only give her sippy cups. It was a very smooth transition. I started at 11 months and gave her a sippy in place of her morning bottle. And just within the past two weeks I switched her bedtime bottle with a sippy.

Sleeping
~She sleeps pretty well. There may be a night here or there where she wakes up for some unknown reason but it's not very often.

^Her last night as an 11-month-old

~Preslie is still taking two naps a day. While she's at Kara's the duration of her naps seem to be short, but when she's home she takes nice, long naps!

New Experiences
~The most important is that she had her first birthday! I hope to have a separate post up about that.

^Her first taste of sugar at her first birthday party. Look at her toes! Now, that's some excitement right there!

^Enjoying a cake pop for dessert on the night of her actual birthday.

~Preslie is standing and cruising along furniture and stands on her own. Still no walking though.
~This month she had two ear infections and bronchiolitis. That was pretty scary and I hope she doesn't get bronchiolitis again.

^She was so pitiful and sick and her little eyes were so droopy.

~She is allergic to amoxicillin. She developed a rash all over her body.
~Preslie also developed Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD) right after her allergic reaction. The doctor tells us the two were two separate occurrences, but I'm not so sure. Unfortunately, she had HFMD at her birthday party (at the time we thought it was still an allergic reaction to amoxicillin) so a couple of the kiddos who were there ended up getting HFMD too. We felt so awful! Obviously, had we known what it was, we would've rescheduled. Oh well. I guess these things happen when you have kids!

 ^The beginning of HFMD around her mouth. :(

~She can say "eyes," "hi," "outside," "uh oh," "that," "dog," "Dada" and "Mama." She only says "Mama" rarely.
~Mama and Papa got her a Pottery Barn Kids chair for her birthday and she loves it. She sits in it and gets out. Sits in it and gets out.

~She attended her friend Lucas' first birthday party.

~She had her first official Girls Weekend! Unfortunately, she developed bronchiolitis during this time so we weren't able to play and be with our friends as much as we would have liked. :(

^Miss Madison was not in the mood for pictures. ;)

~When we say "Preslie, how big are you? So big!!!" she'll throw her arms up over her head. I love it.
~Preslie experienced her first St. Patrick's day. It was pretty uneventful, but a fun holiday nonetheless.
~We announced that she is going to be a Big Sister!
~She discovered the doggie door as Grammy and Grampy's house!

 ^She even looks guilty!

~We set up a new play area in the house for her. I found a good storage bench and we laid down some foam flooring and it's worked out pretty well. I can't handle all the toys!
~We went to a food truck event that was pretty fun.

~She has eaten dog food - much to our dismay. Ha!


This past year has been so fun and exhausting. Both Kevin and I are looking forward to her becoming her own little person as she transitions from a baby to a toddler. Each day she makes us smile. Some days she makes us feel like we want to scream - but luckily those days are far and few between. ;)
We couldn't have imagined a better first child if we tried. We feel so fortunate to have Preslie as our daughter.

Baby Pino 2.0: Fourteen Weeks

^There was a whining toddler at my feet when this was taken.

Weight gain/loss: I've gained seven pounds so far. Compared to my last pregnancy I weigh seven pounds more now at 14 weeks, than I did then. I'm trying really hard not to think about weight gain too much.

Size of baby: Baby is about 1 1/2 ounces; 3 1/2 inches long; about the size of a lemon.

Gender: Unknown, but I feel like it's a boy.

Movement: I felt the first real flutter at 11 1/2 weeks. And I know it wasn't gas bubbles because it was while I was having an ultrasound and I saw Baby kick and felt it at the same time. I feel him/her about every day, but no movement strong enough to be felt from the outside.

Sleep: Some nights are good and some nights aren't. I've been very stuffed up every night it seems like, so sometimes I toss and turn and other nights I sleep like a baby. Oh, and the snoring is back - as Kevin so lovingly reminds me. ;) Night sweats have subsided for now because we've had a lot warmer weather so we keep the window open and I can dress cooler for bed.

Maternity clothes: All maternity clothes. A couple weeks ago I got some summer clothes at Old Navy and felt really good about them. I've started wearing them this week and apparently "the girls" have grown because some of the dresses no longer fit up top. It makes me uncomfortable and frustrated, to say the least.

Symptoms: I have experienced every symptom during this pregnancy that I did not experience with my last pregnancy.
1) Swelling. I didn't swell with Preslie. But this time my feet swell and my fingers swell. I had to get a fake wedding ring because my rings no longer fit. I normally wear a size 6 1/2 shoe and I just bought a pair of 7 1/2 sandals!
2) HEADACHES. Oh the headaches. They're horrible, and they'll last anywhere from an entire day to three days. Add a whiny 12 month old to that and it makes quite the combo.
3) Tummy aches. I can't pinpoint what food makes my stomach hurt because it'll hurt for random reasons at random times. I can be hungry and it hurts, or I can be full and it hurts. I can eat a healthy meal and it hurts or I can eat a fatty meal and it hurts. It's a lose-lose situation, folks.
4) Bloody noses. Fun times!
5) My energy returned and the nausea stopped at 13 weeks on the dot. Makes things a smidge easier to deal with. :)
6) I felt the most exhausted at week 11.

Aversions:
1) Still grilled chicken. I try to take one for the team if Kevin makes dinner with it but I just can't.
2) Sweet things. I haven't touched much candy at all this pregnancy and I'm not a huge fan of sweet drinks right now. Complete opposite from last time.

Cravings:
1) Quizno's Sonoma Turkey flatbread sandwiches with Jalapeno chips. My absolute favorite thing right now!
2) Chocolate and peanut butter, sometimes.
3) Anything salty
4) Anything fried (healthy, I know)
5) Pickles
6) Tuna sandwiches
7) Sushi
8) Mexican food

What I miss: Having myself back. First of all, I feel extremely lucky to be able to carry and bear another child. This is something some women aren't able to do and I don't take that for granted one bit. BUT...this time around has been very different - self-esteem-wise - than last time. I don't think I gave myself enough time to get my body back to where I felt comfortable before I got pregnant again. I do not feel good about the way I look now and I dread seeing pictures of myself and looking at myself in the mirror. Last time I loved being pregnancy and how my body looked. Loved. It! This time - not the same. I try not to think about it too much, but it's hard. I just look at it as a means to an end, and that end being a beautiful baby we are blessed to have.

Best moments:
1) Seeing Baby at another ultrasound at 11 1/2 weeks. He/she was a wiggle worm and so active. The doctor said she thinks the baby is more towards the outer part of my stomach because the ultrasound came out so clear; and that may be another reason I felt him/her so early.

2) Brainstorming some names based on gender. We have a name if it's a boy. Absolutely no name if it's a girl.
3) Feeling movement.

What I'm looking forward to:
1) We find out the gender on Saturday (April 26th)! I am so so excited for that.
2) Once we know the gender I can start planning the nursery and purchasing items for that.
3) Getting into an exercise routine and hoping that will make me feel a bit better about myself.

Baby Daddy: Kevin is pretty much going with the flow. He says it always becomes a little more real for him when he sees an ultrasound and can feel kicks. It makes me feel good when he asks how I'm feeling or how Baby is doing.

Big Sister: She still has no clue what's going on. Our cousin is in her third trimester and we saw her last weekend and Preslie leaned over and touched her belly. It was pretty cute and I was surprised she noticed that her belly was bigger. I'm looking forward to her doing that to my belly.

I thought doing these posts every four weeks would seem like a long time in between - but not so much! These weeks just zoom on by!

Little Reminder

Yesterday, I had to get my 1st trimester blood work done so I was waiting in the lab of the hospital for a while. A frail-looking woman in a wheelchair was pushed into the lab by her husband and the poor thing just looked so tired; and her husband looked so scared.

They sat across from me and I'd glance up every now and then and I could tell she was losing some of her hair and her sweat pants were kind of falling off her hips because of all the weight she lost. But still, she had a smile on her face. Even as she was talking to her husband about the chemo treatment she went through that day and how the nausea didn't seem as bad - she had a smile on her face.

I can't even begin to fathom what she and her husband must be going through - or what anyone else has to go through when facing cancer treatment like that. Here I was sitting there, with a healthy baby growing inside me, another healthy, happy baby at home and a wonderful husband. And the lady sitting across from me seemed to be feeling so sick. But still she smiled. It was a moment in time where I was reminded that life is fragile and to not take it for granted but to appreciate it, no matter what.

I (and I know others do too) get so caught up in everyday life and my trivial little problems and I lose site of the fact that tomorrow isn't promised to us. Sometimes it's too easy for me to let a day go by where I wasn't taking advantage of the fact that I and my family were allowed another day on this Earth and I didn't really use that day to it's fullest.

If the lady at the lab could still put a smile on her face (and those around her) when she obviously was feeling awful, then certainly I can remember to appreciate my life just as much as she still appreciates hers.

God gives us great reminders of his faith at the most unexpected times.

Have a great weekend, everyone!