Boy or Girl?

It's a boy!!!!! We're both super excited as we had some hunch (Before I got pregnant I thought it would be a girl, but the last month I couldn't stop calling him a "he"). Dan is already planning what he's going to be doing with our little boy. He's a very active baby boy so far with all the kicking he does. I can't wait! Enjoy the pic!

Today is the Day!

At 10:00 am, I find out whether it's a boy or a girl (hopefully). Even though I don't have a preference on the sex, I'm dying to know. All night long, I've been having anxiety dreams (me running, being chased, etc.). I'm even up before I set my alarm clock (I set it for 8 and woke up at 6:45). I might go back to bed just to relax a little before I get too excited. Luckily, Dan is home to share the excitement (except, he's still sleeping). I'm joining him. I'll let you know soon enough!

Great Weekend

I couldn't ask for a nicer weekend. It started off with a Peewee game that Dan coaches. Every Saturday morning for the next few weeks, Dan and Guy coach a Pee Wee league where Isaac (Guy's son) is playing. The kids playing are absolutely adorable and have been improving their game. I have so much fun watching them. I designated Louie as the mascot of the team by bringing him to the games. This is a great way to get him acclimated to kids (he kind of has to get use to it). He seems to enjoy himself very much. He quietly sits around and watches the kids play. He's even let kids pet him.

Later on in the evening, Dan and I went to Kensico Dam. We had ourselves a little picnic and enjoyed the weather very much. The dam is very impressive. It's just amazing that on the other side there's a whole lot of water. After we left the park, we stopped and had some ice cream. It was just nice and relaxing. We went home and fell asleep by 10 pm.

Sunday was also very nice and fun. We went to a Mets game (even though we're Yankee fans). We went with a group of people (including Guy, Sal, Isaac, and India) because it was Autism Awareness Day at Shea Stadium. Some of the proceeds of the tickets sold goes to different Autism organizations. We couldn't have asked for a better day to go to a ball game. We had loads of fun. I haven't been to a baseball game since I went to see the Yankees play in Baltimore, which was before I even moved down to Florida.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to many more weekends like this one. I want to be out and about enjoying the weather. I want to see if next weekend we could do a barbecue. Hopefully the weather will be just as beautiful. Well, you know where I'll be on Saturdays (along with Louie). Sundays, I'm designating as going to some type of park day. I'm also looking into the future and picturing what it will be like next spring and summer when my little munchkin will be around (I can't wait).

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as I did. We all need some fun to ease out stress. There's nothing better than being out with friends and family!

Earth Day

Why can't it be Earth Day everyday? We should do something for the environment every single day. Don't we do home repairs constantly? Well, isn't our planet our home? Come on people!! I won't be able to buy a plant for today, but tomorrow morning I have to head out to Jersey. In my travels I want to buy a new plant. I've been aching for an orchid (they are my favorite). We'll see what I get. I also need to replant Mr. Bamboo. His roots are almost sticking out of the pot. I think a trip to either Home Depot or Lowes will help out my cause.

New York City's mayor Michael Bloomberg has setup a package that will have approximately 2 million trees (I think that's the correct number) planted by 2017. 23, 000 trees will be planted annually. Bloomberg is also urging the private sector to contribute. Although I'm ecstatic about the new trees, why wait so long? I know money should be allotted for this, but isn't this important?

At least we're moving in the right step. I hope everyone contributes and does something for Earth day!

Somewhat of a Quiet Week

Not much has been going on in my world lately. Of course being stuck at home because of the rain isn't much fun, but I don't mind it. I'm always very sleepy so I take advantage and nap. Since around Sunday, my appetite has grown. I'm trying to be good by eating fruits and salads, but I do reach for chocolate. Hopefully, I won't gain that much weight. We'll see!

On another note, I went to Target yesterday to do some shopping and walked out of there richer. When I walked into the store, I saw money on the floor, which I thought I dropped. It was a substantial amount ($90) and I knew I had around $120 (give or take $20). Naturally, I thought that the $90 was part of my $120. I did my shopping and walked out. When I reached my car, I looked into my purse and saw my $120! The only other money I had was in my wallet. So, I found $90!!! What are the chances? As you could imagine, my trip to Target turned out to be very cheap.

That's about it with me. I've been very saddened by what occurred at VA Tech. I've decided not to watch the news anymore because I can't stop crying. If I feel this way, I could only wonder what those students and families are going through. I also wonder what's going through the murderer's parents' minds that there son was capable of this. This is all very tragic and my heart goes out to everyone at that school.

Wonderful Saturday

Saturday turned out to be a most unexpected day. Around 4:30 pm, Dan and I decided to go out. We figured that Sunday would be a day stuck at home because of the storm. We weren't sure of where to go. I told Dan that I didn't want to go anywhere near a mall and maybe we should drive through some mountains (I love doing that; I find it to be so invigorating). Dan grabbed one of our hiking books and we were off.

Before we got to the main highway, we noticed a park that we normally drive by. It has a pretty decent size lake and a pool. We figure it would be smart to check it out. I'm so glad we did! The lake had two beautiful swans. The mama swan was keeping her eggs warm! There were so many ducks and geese. We even heard what sounded like a woodpecker! There were many people walking around.

The place is bigger than we had anticipated. It has a huge pool, three different picnic areas with grills, a large soccer/baseball field, and tennis courts. There's probably more to this park that we missed. This place must get swamped during the summer. The walk around the lake took us about an hour and it was wonderful! I definitely want to return and picnic there.

The park wasn't the end of our trip. We decided to head up north into Connecticut. The first stop was Greenwich. After we were done sightseeing, we drove through Bruce Park, which was really nice. There's also a Bruce museum that I want to check out in the future. Further north we went and ended up in Stamford. There we parked the car and decided to be tourists. We ate at a place called Lucky Burger, which resembles a Johnny Rockets. Then, we walked around the downtown area. Stamford is very nice. It has many restaurants and plenty of shops. We will have to go back during the day to check out the local shops.

After this trip, we headed back home. We loved it! There's nothing better than having a spontaneous day. It also helped that the weather cooperated with us. It was nice and crisp, which is perfect weather to walk around in. Dan and I need more trips like this one. Most of the time, you become so involved with life around you that you tend to forget there's more out there. With the nicer weather coming around (if it ever shows up), we plan to do more of these trips and you'll hear about them!

Brrrrr....

Why is it so cold? I have to go down to Brooklyn and then into Manhattan and I'm dreading it. I'm also going to be traveling with my best friend's son, which I'm afraid will be too chilly for him. It is suppose to go up to 50, but right now it's 35. I'm going to hold off going to Brooklyn for about an hour to see if it warms up.

Anyway, this chill has me very cranky (especially this morning). Because of my limited wardrobe, I'm stuck wearing either corduroys or jeans. I have other maternity clothes, but they're more for warmer weather. Of course, I need to do some laundry today because I'm totally out of things to wear. I just want to sleep!

Speaking of sleep, I want to sleep through the night. Last night was horrible. I don't think I slept much. I woke up thousands of times from nightmares, one bathroom run, and tossing and turning. This is why I'm so exhausted during the day. I don't sleep at night. My naps aren't that great, either. However, yesterdays was wonderful. I was stuffed from having Easter lunch/dinner with my parents. I think it's the most I've eaten in one sitting in a really long time. It made me feel uncomfortable and sleepy. When I got home, I knocked out. I think I was out for two hours. I slept right through (now if I could extend this at night).

The Baby Kicked!

It was around 2:30 pm when I crouched down and felt a nudge on the side of my belly. My little five ounce munchkin is communicating with me! Throughout the rest of the day I felt slight movements, but not like the first one. I look forward to feeling more of his/her kicks. I can't wait until Dan is able to feel them, too!!

Gingrich Tries to Apologize, I Think

Dear Newt Gingrich decided to do somewhat of an apology and post it on YouTube. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the video, but supposedly he talks in both English and Spanish. If anyone happens to run across this video, post the link as a comment. Since he didn't outright apologize, I think he wasted his time talking in Spanish. Why would you try to learn the language of the ghetto?

I'm still furious about this whole thing. Spanish is a beautiful language that I am going to teach my child. It is very important to who we are as a people to continue showing our descendants our heritage. I am very proud of being Spanish and Cuban and I'm also very proud of being American. Now that Gingrich is learning Spanish (as he claims), maybe he'll understand that learning a language allows you not only to speak a different tongue, but get a glimpse of what the culture is like. Granted, the Spanish language represents many diverse cultures, but you get the idea.

No one should ever criticize another language. Knowing different languages is a wonderful thing. I took French in college and wish I knew it better. People are always afraid of diversity, but it's really a wonderful thing. I want my child to learn as many languages as possible (as long as he/she wants to). It will open up a world of opportunity. Do I agree that you should know English in this country? Yes. It would be unwise not to learn the language. What I find ironic is that those who usually criticize others for not knowing English only know English. I would like them to learn a different language and see how easy it is.

Baby was Shy!

We didn't get to find out the sex, but in three weeks we will. I'm a little disappointed, but the baby is not ready to let the world know what he/she is. That's ok, another three weeks won't kill me. The appointment went well. I got some more blood drawn (something I'm use to by now) and everything is going really well.

From way before I was pregnant, I knew I probably have a big kid. My mom, who is only five feet tall, had a 9.7 lb. baby (not me, my sis). My sister's kids were all big. It's only natural to think I would have big babies. I was a little concerned that I haven't gained weight. Well technically, I've gained three lbs. Not that I'm complaining, but I want to make sure the baby is growing fine.

So after the sonogram was done, my doctor took a look at the pictures and said "You have a very big baby. It weighs five ounces." At this stage of my pregnancy, the baby should be weighing around two and three quarter ounces. I'm obviously eating enough for the both of us. He/she is sucking up all of my nutrients, which is why I'm probably not gaining weight. It also hasn't helped that I've been sick.

Here is my little tyke. The first picture is of his/her left arm. The middle is of his/her face and body. The last one you could see his/her spine. The baby's heartbeat is at 154 beats, which is very good. My doctor told me that I have nothing to worry about. She says that I'm eating very healthy and to keep it up. Eventually, I'll gain the weight.

I had kind of figured that was the case, but you could never be sure. My body lets me know when I'm hungry. As long as the baby is growing, I have nothing to worry about. I hope you enjoy the pics as much as I did (daddy too). In three weeks, we'll find out if it's a boy or a girl!!

An Exciting Day thus Far!

Well, today I enter my fourth month! I'm beginning to enjoy the pregnancy more as my nausea (except for this morning) has pretty much disappeared. I'm no longer sick, which is great. I did end up at the doctor's office last week and he told me that I had a viral infection. Luckily, that's gone. My sleep is still weird. There are nights that I sleep through (of course I do get up to go to the bathroom) and other nights I can't sleep a wink. That was the case last night. All in all, I'm doing great.

Another exciting thing that happened today is that I found a job!! I still bartend once a week and technically, I'm still a loan officer. I found a job that is suited for the upcoming baby. I will be tutoring kids! I make my own hours and it pays decent. As long as money keeps on flowing, we shouldn't have any problems. I want the baby to stay home at least for the first year before he/she goes to daycare. This job will facilitate that for me. I could work when Dan gets home and even tutor on Saturdays when Dan will definitely be home. If we get strapped for cash, then I will have to figure something out. For now, it should work.

So I hope all of you are having a happy Tuesday because I sure am. Tomorrow, I'll have more pictures of the baby and hopefully I'll get a peak at whether it's a boy or a girl. Since Dan can't come with me to the appointment, I'm going to have the technician put the pic in an envelope (if she's able to see anything). Once Dan gets home, we'll find out if the baby will be William or Violet (those are the tentative names; nothing else has come to mind). Wish me luck!!