Hi little baby.

My little baby has been studying faces...  and started to "talk" at 8 weeks old!  A couple weeks ago, I was getting ready to feed him and his Daddy had just got in from work and I told Omar "You wanna see Daddy?  Yeah?"

 And he said, "yeah" clear as day.  When I ran out to tell my Husband - he acted like he believed me (God bless him) but must've been thinking I was a bit crazy.  

Later that day, I was relaxing in the living room with my Husband and Duke when Omar was crying for a minute, stopped and said, "Mom" - again, his word was clear as day!  We couldn't believe it but now I had witnesses!  I wasn't hearing things!  (Thank God!)    

And then we started saying "Hi!" and he started saying "Hi" and I finally got it on video!  He is such a sweet, cute baby!  I love that he is mimicking us.  We love his cooing and smiling.  Can not get enough!  (Wondering why we took so long to make another one!)

Birth of a Prince.

We have a little night routine, you & I, Omar.
I bundle you up - Duke says, "You are snug as a bug"
and we head to the kitchen.
I turn on the water and rock you back & forth till you fall asleep.
Sometimes your big brother Duke will sit on a stool and laugh because he can't believe this will help you sleep.
You can't imagine how much I enjoy this moment.  

Omar Theodore was born on April 21st at 8:08pm - He weighed in at 8 pounds 13 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.  He wasn't even my biggest baby!  The first Nurse we asked said Omar was born at 8:13pm but another Nurse corrected her.  8 is mine and my Husband's favorite number.  We were married on 8/8/8.  Some things are just meant to be.

My pregnancy had a few bumps and my labor & delivery had it's bruises but in the end, all the tears and pain were worth our beautiful little boy.  I could go on about how we went through a down syndrome scare, the lab's mix-up about diabetes, how the asshole Anesthesiologist poked the bones in my spine three times, my epidural wore off an hour before I gave birth, Omar had the cord wrapped around his neck TWICE and the first week of his life spent fighting jaundice but let's not.  Let's celebrate the birth of our baby!  We're so happy to have the last piece in our puzzle, you complete us baby.

Currently.

Loving:  My life.  I finally feel I'm where I need to be.  I can't explain it in this post so I'll save it for another one.

Thinking About: Shopping! When I was a teenager I used to hit thrift stores and yard sales like crazy. I didn't get back into it till last year and it's been so good to us. Still haven't made it out to the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena and it makes me sad. I can't stop thinking about the stuff I might find.  It is addicting.

Anticipating: Still anticipating the birth of our baby. I will be induced tomorrow at 9am.  I was induced with my oldest two.  I had a checkup on Ty's due date and the Dr. said I was leaking amniotic fluid for a couple days.  I wasn't having contractions so we needed to get him out.  I got the pitocin drip and it was a long process, I wasn't a fan.  With Dame, he was 10 days overdue and again, I had to be induced.  Because the Dr. waited so long to induce him, they kept him for 5 days for observation, I was devastated that I couldn't go home with my baby.  Again, I wasn't a fan.  Now Duke, I went into labor on his due date.  I don't know how I did it but I made spaghetti for dinner that night, was feeling fine and then my contractions came on strong.  I still took the time to take a shower and then we rushed to the Hospital.  I think I was only in labor for 6 hours, Duke wanted out!  I kept hoping this little would change his mind but it's looking like his date with destiny is set tomorrow.  I can't wait.  We are all so excited!  
Sidenote* This will be the first time I've ever been away from Duke and for at least 2 days!   

Listening To:  The hum of the air conditioner in the living room, the rattle of blinds in our room and Curious George on TV.

Eating: My husband and I had, what probably is going to be our last dates for awhile, lunch out yesterday and today.  Yesterday he wanted Sam Woo and today I wanted Tacos San Pedro. I don't know if it's because I am pregnant but the food at both places were exceptionally good.  Nothing worse than feeding a very anxious pregnant woman some awful food!  


We order a la carte at Sam Woo - Yesterday was Chicken Fried Rice, Sweet & Sour Pork and Beef and Broccoli.  

At Tacos San Pedro, I got a Carne Asada Plate.


Wishing: BlogHer was in San Diego this year instead of New York.  I love New York but the expenses and dates away from my newborn are just impossible.  I really love connecting with fellow bloggers and hoped that I would get to meet more this year.  Last year I barely got my feet wet and this year I feel like I'm really ready to take it on.      

Peek-A-Boo Baby Where Are You?

The waiting game.

Today is my due date. Still no sign of baby. My husband Chris made last night a little special for me. He went grocery shopping, cooked dinner, washed dishes, we snuggled on the couch and he told me cute things. And now I'm finally ready for this baby.

I should check my Hospital bag again.

I need to write a post-it with other stuff I need to grab: My cellphone, charger, camera, camera charger, wallet... that 2 liter of Cherry Coke my husband bought last night. Mmm... I can't wait till I can drink Cherry Coke. And have some sushi. A couple sunny side up eggs. All things pregnant women shouldn't have.

There's four weeks left in the Spring Semester. I think I'm crazy for taking on as many classes as I did this semester. Especially since I was sick with morning sickness my first trimester and had to drop 2 classes last semester. I need to take another post-it and write the remaining assignments and due dates. After the semester I'll be enjoying my little family - FOR THE WHOLE SUMMER. We're planning on taking advantage of California's Paid Family Leave together and extending my Post-Natal Maternity Leave an extra 6 weeks.

I saw my Dr. on Wednesday and he said if nothing happens, I'll be induced next Friday or Saturday so until then, we're keeping it low-key and waiting around here at home. Wish us luck!

A week till my due date...

7 days. I can't believe it's already here. 39 weeks of being pregnant flew by.

This pregnancy has been full of emotions, I thought my first 2 would be it and then Duke came along and we wanted more. We still want more kids but sadly, I'm knocking on 40's door (in another 3 years) and financially, we can't do it. I always wonder how my Grandparents did it, in another time, in another place - they were able to raise 6 kids. That's not the case these days and it's sad.

Because I was 36 when I got pregnant with this one, I had to go through Genetics Counseling and additional screenings. I was advised to have an Amnio done. We declined. There was no way we were going to put ourselves through a potential miscarriage, especially since this one would be our last one. Whatever God had planned for us, we would deal with.

I had morning sickness with this pregnancy and with my other 3 boys I didn't so I thought there was a possibility this would be our girl. All we cared about was that our baby would be healthy but I couldn't resist shopping the baby girls section, there were so much cute stuff! When I had to see a Specialist in my 6th month, he confirmed that we were very much having another boy. All the super cute girls clothes and shoes had to be returned and we started shopping for a boy.

I've been active and busy with this pregnancy, in the beginning because of the morning sickness, I actually lost weight but I went on early Maternity leave at the end of January because of drama at work and started to gain weight. I've gained about 20 pounds and it is all in my belly. This baby has been so busy and I can feel everything he does. He loves hearing Duke's voice and usually reacts when Daddy is around.

We're so grateful to our friends that have sent the baby gifts - We're so happy to have you in our lives.

We took a tour of the Hospital on Wednesday and it really kicked up my emotions. He's going to be here. Any day now. I need my rest. Chris needs his rest. I can't wait till I can look into his eyes, hear that beautiful first cry, smell his toes, kiss his feet, hope he grabs my finger... I can't wait for you baby. We are so excited for your arrival. You can't imagine how much we love you.

We Are Pregnant!

*moved from my old blog*

chris and i have been discussing having another child for a couple years but because of our busy life already - kids, school and work... we kept putting it off. and then i was looking at turning 36 this year and decided it was time. we originally planned on waiting to try until september/october so that the baby would be born after the spring 2012 semester and we could enjoy the summer together with the boys and the new baby but life is funny and here we are! WE ARE SO EXCITED!!! when we broke the news to duke, he kept telling us that he was proud of us (BIG LOL) and ever since then he'll kiss my tummy and say, "BABY I LOVE YOU" - it is the sweetest thing. he has been asking a lot of questions (to which we answer everything honestly) and knows that the baby is still very tiny. damien is happy and ty was stunned but happy. i'm just taking this pregnancy one day at a time and enjoying it.  with every pregnancy, i cut out caffeine, didn't get my hair or nails done, went to bed early every night and kept the stress to a minimum.  i will be seeing the doctor next month and we'll know more then but for now, since we were planning - i'm guessing that i'm only a month along and due sometime in april or may ^_^