Our Little Tax Write-Off

There are just a few odds and ends to complete, but Baby B’s room is nearing completion. We hope he likes it. And if he doesn’t … he is a baby and can’t tell us so it doesn’t matter.

We’re ready when you are Baby B.

Today I am 37 weeks pregnant, which is considered full term! I can’t believe we have made it all the way to the end. So now it is sit and wait for baby to make his arrival. I do feel like my body is starting to prepare for the work ahead. I have been more tired lately, and feeling odd sensations (twinges and stretching). I think the nesting instinct is starting to kick in too, since I have been so distracted with wanting to get everything ready. Thankfully my family has been amazing at offering their help.

I also made it to the last major event at work. It was my goal to make it to this point, and I did it! Now I will focus on wrapping up any projects I can, and training my temporary replacement. It feels good to be winding down so I can try to enjoy the last moments of my pregnancy.

To top it all off, I have the most amazing, dedicated, loving husband. He is so excited to meet his baby boy, and does all he can to make life easier for the both of us. Today I came home to see more decoration put up in the baby’s room, and the monitor ready to go. Last night he did some laundry for me too! I am incredibly lucky to have my soul mate with me on this incredible journey.

It’s so strange watching Valerie’s stomach and seeing it bulge, move and reshape itself. Baby B sure is getting active in there. That makes me think that I should probably pack my bag soon for the hospital since we will be there 2 days plus however long labor takes. Valerie pretty much has hers ready to go. Baby’s stuff will probably go in one of ours. Maybe he is getting ready to show himself soon. We are so excited.

Val hit the 36 week mark over the weekend. We had our weekly doctor appointment on Monday and things are looking good. She is measuring well and baby’s heartbeat is strong. The nurse said that we are now at a point where at any point from here on out, the baby being born would be ok. Meaning, he would be perfectly healthy being born at any point now. However, Val wants him to cook a little more. Hopefully he does not decide to be born during the NFL Draft. LOL.

Here we are picking up a few extra items on Monday at Buy Buy Baby.

We checked the mail today after we got home from the baby shower and my surprise for Valerie had shown up. Baby B already has tons of clothes, but this one has to be one of my favorites now because I had it made myself. Valerie loved it.

We want to thank everyone who joined us for our baby shower today! Thank you to our family and friends for making it out to help us celebrate all things Baby Bonilla. We are blessed to have such great family and friends and we had an amazing time. Thank you to Valerie’s family who went above and beyond, opening their home to everyone and setting everything up for the event.

On Monday, I was unable to go with Valerie to her doctor’s appointment which featured another quick ultrasound. I was devastated that I had to miss it. However, her mother was nice enough to accompany her and get some video for me to see. The nurse says that Baby B is still a boy. Just making sure!

At today’s doctor appointment I got a very quick ultrasound to check on baby’s position. His head is down and everything is looking good! It is a huge relief to know that everything is progressing as it should. Only a little under 5 weeks to go!

Y’know, I have heard a lot of stories prior to Valerie getting pregnant. 3 AM cravings. Hormonal arguments or breakdowns. All kinda of wackiness. Ok, I know Valerie is not done yet, but at almost 35 weeks, she almost is. I must say, Valerie has been an absolute delight during this pregnancy. My mind was prepared for the worst. From a guy’s perspective, I don’t have one complaint about this pregnancy. If anything, it has probably brought us closer together.

I credit a lot of this to Valerie’s strength. She is one of the strongest, most mentally sound individuals that I know. She is just as organized and prepared for things as she ever was. Her husband on the other hand … well … we won’t talk about him here.

Valerie is going to make an excellent mother. I know this for a fact. Her kindness and love are so strong that Baby B will know he is part of a happy home. Myself? Well, I’ll just try not to be the weak link in all of this. I’m sure I will be a fine father, but compared to Valerie, I have a lot to live up to. She is just amazing.

So I will probably be a new fruit next week, but baby is now the size of a large cantaloupe. He should be about 15-19 inches long and a little over 5lbs. Wow, he’s getting big!! At the last doctor’s appointment, the nurse practitioner said my belly is growing right on track. Lets hope baby stays a reasonable size!

Tonight I went to my first breast feeding class. I really enjoyed the teacher and learned so much already. I feel it was way more useful than the newborn baby care and childbirth classes. It also left me feeling a bit more empowered and not as nervous about not getting it right away.

The next few weeks are going to be incredibly busy at home and at work. We are meeting different pediatricians to see who would be the best doctor for our baby. We have different items to purchase. We are also trying to fit in some fun time while we still can. Add to that all the other things going on in our lives and I will be one pooped pregnant lady soon enough. But I still feel like I can keep it up.

I picked up all my maternity leave paperwork from my work’s human resources. I am looking forward to (hopefully) having at least a week or two before my due date to transition into a different state of mind. I just hope baby doesn’t want to come too early!! I know it is possible, but I just want him to have plenty of time to finish cooking. I want to enjoy these last weeks of pregnancy (despite the discomfort) and be ready to welcome him to his happy home.

Over the weekend, Valerie hit 34 weeks. We are getting close. Baby’s room is coming together and the baby shower is coming up soon. Valerie is trying to stay healthy with walks after every meal. Things are going well and we can’t wait to meet our little guy. Below is a picture taken on Sunday, March 31. I toyed with the idea of posting a “We are having twins” post here on April Fools Day. LOL.

Today my coworkers threw a little baby shower for me after our staff meeting! It was so sweet, and the planner had so many cute ideas! There was a turtle theme, that was so special 🙂 I am very grateful for my work family. They have been incredibly supportive this entire time. My boss gave some kind remarks, and the staff entered a baby due date pool and decorated bibs and onesies. I had a lot of fun 🙂

According to Val’s iPhone app, our baby is now the size of a pineapple. That’s getting pretty big to me. Val said that she hopes that his hair does not come out “prickly.”

So yesterday we spent the entire day (8:30 AM to 5:30 PM) in our Prepared Childbirth class. I saw a real birth for the first time ever. It wasn’t a fake “made for TV or movie” birth, but the real deal. At first, I was nervous about watching it, but it turned out to be pretty amazing. They actually showed many. One in particular was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. So as the baby was coming out, the mom giving birth in the hospital with a doctor and nurses all around her, reaches down and grabs the baby and pulls it out of herself and lays it on her chest. She pretty much just told everyone, “Get away. I got this” and then pulled it out like some super-woman. I nearly jumped up and yelled, “Did everyone just see that? Someone hit rewind! Where is the rewind button?!!” Except I probably would have said it with more colorful metaphors.

It was pure awesomeness.

Wow, time is moving quickly and lots of exciting things are happening. We had our first class yesterday on newborn baby care. Most of the information David and I remember reading in our books, but we did learn some new things too. The fun part was when we got to practice different ways to hold our baby. We had a floppy baby doll that felt pretty real! David has mastered the cradle hold and football hold. Next week we will learn about bathing, diapering and more!

Tomorrow is our Childbirth class (all day, yikes)! I am a little nervous but still excited to learn about all my options. I am glad we are doing it a bit early so we can practice our favorite techniques. I don’t yet know what my pain tolerance will be, so I will be taking lots of notes! Hopefully David doesn’t get too grossed out by any video they show!

Now that baby B’s furniture is in his room, we can start planning on how it will look in a few weeks with decorations and other items. I really like how cozy it already feels. I think baby and I will have lots of fun bonding in there.

Baby is doing well. He moves so much and I can tell he is bigger. I just hope he stays a reasonable size 🙂

Two pieces of Baby B’s furniture arrived today. They delivered the crib and dresser from Buy Buy Baby today. These are the bigger pieces that we will have so the room is starting to really take form. And later, the crib converts to a toddler bed and then a regular bed. So it should last. Before we went shopping, I had no idea cribs did that these days. Slowly, but surely, his room is coming together. On Tuesday, we had the whole house cleaned professionally and the carpets in the bedrooms, including his, were steam cleaned. We are looking forward to him enjoying his new room.

On Saturday, Valerie was 32 weeks along. But we forgot to take a picture over the weekend so you get one from yesterday. We had another doctor appointment yesterday. They are every two weeks now. Baby is doing well and sizing right. We are having our house deep cleaned today and then will start having baby’s furniture delivered next week or so.

Valerie says that she can feel the baby hiccuping in her. I didn’t even know babies could hiccup in there. That is very cool to me. I wonder what that feels like. I can feel kicks and big movements, but she feels every little thing so maybe I am missing out. Hiccups … amazing.

Sometimes, I think the baby knows when I am trying to feel him. Valerie will say that he is moving a lot and then when I try to feel, he will stop. Sometimes he stops if I even look at her. He is toying with me.

Valerie is at 30 weeks now. When we say it like that, it seems like the due date is closing in fast. There is still a lot to do. For example, having the baby’s room cleaned (and the house while we are at it), getting his furniture delivery dates set, decorating the room, going to our many classes, and much much more. We have so much going on right now and free time has become a luxury. Baby and mommy are still doing well and that is what is important.

Valerie after church on Sunday, March 3, 2013. I made her laugh at something.

Baby B had quite a fun time last night. He spent about half an hour rolling, kicking, squirming and moving all over for his daddy. David was pretty entertained with how much my stomach was moving. He asked me if it ever bothers me. Truthfully, sometimes it is distracting when I am working, but I can’t be mad at my little baby exploring his world. He is still small enough where the kicks don’t hurt, but he seems to love seeing how far he can push himself out. Watching my tummy move is my new favorite show 🙂

Wow, time is flying by now. I went over the calendar with David yesterday and there is a lot going on between now and when Baby B will be born. Between work, appointments, weekend activities, and all we still need to do to get the house ready, it will be hard to sit with my feet up!! I am sure I can find some time soon, though.

With just over 10 weeks left, I still feel pretty good (all things considered). The hardest part is managing my Gestational Diabetes. Testing 4 times a day has been difficult, but I am finally getting the hang of it. Mostly I miss all those goodies that baby (well, mom really) craves. I know that I need to stay away from all the sweets, though, to make sure baby is not being set up for difficulty as he grows. I am lucky that this was caught when it was, and he is measuring right on track.

So, on to more little tasks that need to get done 🙂

Yesterday was our second wedding anniversary. After a wonderful dinner in Beverly Hills, Valerie and I exchanged cards. Accompanying her card was a little wrapped gift. When I finally opened it, I saw that it was a little baby onesie from Old Navy that said “I Love My Daddy” on the front. It was adorable and I absolutely loved it. I remember passing through a store one time and seeing “I Love My Mommy” or “I Love My Grandma” baby shirts and thinking, “Where are all of the ‘I Love My Daddy’ shirts?”

We painted the baby’s accent wall. And by we, I mean me. But Valerie picked the color and went with me to get the samples so it was a team effort. She loved the way it turned out. It will look really nice with some furniture and pictures hanging on the wall. Well, just the pictures will be hanging on the wall, not the furniture. Now we just need to have the room cleaned and we can begin scheduling the delivery dates for the furniture.

Now that the third trimester is started, I know things are supposed to get a bit harder. However, I am glad I can still tie my own shoes, shave my legs, and sleep relatively comfortably. While I am celebrating these small victories, I have new challenges to face.

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which, while I somehow deep down thought would be possible, was still a big shock. My numbers were really high after the test that my doctor immediately referred me to a specialist. So I have been learning how to test my blood sugar 4 times a day (my poor fingers) and will find out today if I may need to add insulin. So far, I have extremely cut down my carbs and eliminated sugars (except a few grams found in some foods). I really hope that by managing my diet I can avoid having to give myself shots. The good news is that this should go away after I have the baby.

Another interesting development is the appearance of my first stretch marks despite my daily moisturizing routine. I am going to have to double my efforts now!

Aside from these challenges, I am excited that time is marching forward. There is about 3 months left, and Baby B is having a great time exploring his snug home. He’s been very active, with lots of kicks, hiccups, and rolling around. I have even seen him make my whole stomach jump from side to side. It is so amazing and a little funny. We have also started working on picking the color and decor for the nursery, and started our registry.

So it is an exciting, interesting time! Lots to do, and lots to look forward to. Can’t wait to meet this little man!

On Saturday, according to her iPhone app, Valerie entered her third trimester. We also started the shopping for Baby B’s nursery. On Saturday, we purchased the crib and dresser for the baby’s room and selected a color for the accent wall that we (and by we, I mean me) will paint. On Sunday, Valerie and her sister Erica went through Buy Buy Baby and started adding things to the registry. I arrived at the tail end of the trip to watch them work the scanning device as if they were in the Wild West gun fight and barcodes were the bad guys. At one point, I said “That’s cute” to a product and all I heard as I walked away was “beep” from Valerie scanning it.

So it was a busy weekend, but I am glad that Valerie is having fun.

I was just looking at my countdown and I have 97 days until my due date!! Where did time go? There is still lots to do (or start doing) but I am sure Baby B will give me enough time to get it all done.

Next week I will start my third trimester, which is supposed to be the hardest part. I can already tell where I may find some difficulties. While I can still get around okay with only slight waddling, I can feel the sides of my back start to get sore by the late afternoon. Some of my shoes don’t really fit anymore. I have begun to experience heartburn. Well… At least I am still able to flip sides in bed!!

The exciting thing is that Baby B is growing and getting much stronger. His kicks are very noticeable and frequent. David has been able to feel him more 🙂 I will soon be ready to let others feel when he is moving too! It is a strange and magical time :).