Hanging in there.... Barely

Ugh! I can not even begin to describe how different this pregnancy is from when I was pregnant with Brianna. I really thought I was made for this breeding business but now I think otherwise. I feel like I am constantly on the verge of up chucking but I'm not even that lucky to get that relief. I'm nauseous 75% of the day. It sucks! I don't have that much of an appetite so I've lost 4 lbs but my belly is already starting to stick out. I don't get it. God help me if there's twins in there or something. (D.J, I know you read this. Disregard that last line. You're super woman. You can handle it!) I wish I had the option to sleep the whole 1st trimester off like I did last time.  

I got my blood work done. The results show I'm RH- so I might have to get a shot or something. Well, I don't remember having to deal with all of this last time. I called Women's Health Specialist (my OB with Brianna) and they have it that my blood type is A+ in their records. So, now I am having to deal with trying to figure out my correct blood type. Shame on me for not knowing. I also went ahead and got tested to see if I have ever been exposed to toxoplasmosis. I was hoping that it would show that I have been exposed to it so I wouldn't have to worry about changing the litter box. I thought for sure Philipe would make me bring my kitty back to the Humane Society if he had to take over litter duty. I continued taking care of it until the results came back saying that I have never been exposed to it. Uh oh! I worked at a vets office for a long time. I don't know how I managed to escape it. Our kitty is strictly in doors so I don't think it's that big of a deal but Philipe kindly took over kitty "doody". He said he doesn't want our baby to come out "all messed up". What a good man!

I have decided to go to Jersey with Brianna. I don't know what I am thinking but I'm feeling risky. I hope Brianna cooperates on the flight. My sister and her girlfriend just bought there first house and it just seems like I'm suppose to be there for this kind of stuff. Philipe isn't able to get off, so it's just me and the babe. Last time we went I felt like I didn't have enough time to spend with everyone. So, this time I only bought a 1 way ticket. Rest assure....I am NOT leaving my husband. Every time I tell someone I only bought a 1 way ticket they ask if Philipe and I are okay. We're fine. Better than ever. I just know I won't be able to do this with 2 kids by myself while they are so young so this is my big chance. I just wish I was feeling a little better. I'm sure Philipe is going to be partying like a rock star while I'm gone. He better get it all out. That's something he won't be able to do with 2 kids. 

Great news...My friend Danielle and her husband, Carman, found out they are having twins! They've been trying for a really long time to get pregnant and it has been an emotional roller coaster for them. I am so happy for them! Please keep them in your prayers that they enjoy these few months and bring healthy babies into this world. 

Here's pictures Brianna around this time last year.

Snoozin' out on the boat while the guys are fishing

1st time in the water. Maybe this is why she loves the water so much. She started young.

Today we decided to take Brianna to the zoo. We thought she's old enough to enjoy and appreciate all the animals and boy, we were right. She had a blast. On the way there I called my mom and she sounded kind of bummed that we had already left with out her so we decided to pull over and eat while she got ready and met us so we could all be together for Brianna's first trip to the zoo. We ate at Ruby Tuesdays. I had to drink ginger-ale because I felt a little nauseous, something that is new to me. We got back on the road around 1:00. We stayed at the zoo for about 4 hours. It was so hot! We all sucked it up though because Brianna's reaction to all the animals was priceless. She even tried making all the noises the animals made. Way to cute! 

After we left the zoo we stopped by a cool little beach under a bridge my mom kept talking about. It's directly across from Peanut Island (for all you Floridians). It was pretty cool. 

I have tons of pics for ya. For some reason, I can't figure out how to get them in the order I want them. Is there a trick to this I'm not yet aware of? It aggravates me like crazy! So, the pics aren't in any order but if you know the trick to putting pics in order please fill me in.

   Enjoy!

The family at the Palm Beach Zoo

Cutest lil' hedgehog. 

Brianna's 2 ft. tall!

Daddy's lil girl

Brianna and Grandma checking out the alligators

petting the (fake) turtles

Brianna's new pal

"Wanna go for a ride?"

feeding the goats...with Daddy's help

Of coarse, Philipe had to tease the goats

They have really cool curly- tailed lizards in Palm Beach

Sharing  Mommy's popsicle

Yay for the zoo!

That wraps up our trip to the zoo. 

Zzzz...

I'm still here. Just haven't had much energy to put my thoughts together for a post. Everything is going great. No morning sickness or anything of that sort. Hopefully, this pregnancy will be just like the last. One thing is for sure...I'm draggin! I love being pregnant but I hate feeling so tired the first trimester. I'm trying to hang in there. 

We picked our midwife, Alana Rubin. She's awesome and both Philipe and I feel very comfortable around her. She has 2 young kids so her house is perfect for Brianna when I go for appointments. I'm so excited. I think it's great that Brianna will get to see her sibling come into the world in an environment where she's most comfortable and we can all stay home as a family, something that is not an option in a hospital. I'm sure it will make the transition of having a little brother or a sister a lot easier for Brianna. 

Brianna's going through something fierce right now. She's got 2 molars coming in and is super fussy. I feel so bad for her! I feel like my patience is being tested constantly. If I look at her the wrong way she flips out. If the dogs stand in one spot for to long with out acknowledging her she has a nervous breakdown. If I don't hold her the right way she freaks. If I don't get my boob out quick enough the world comes to an end. It's horrible! She's so emotional, already! I keep telling myself it's just because she's teething but it only gets me so far. I hope she's not like this when the baby comes. I have no idea what I'll do. 

Produce

green beans- probably cook them with some bacon again. Add some garlic, parm cheese, and bon appetite!

baby bok choy- I'm going to try the creamed bok choy recipe Leanna posted on the yahoo group

carrots- some shredded for salad, rest eaten raw dipped in hummus

cauliflower- raw, dipped in hummus

red kale- cooked with penne pasta and chicken. DELICIOUS! (found the recipe on yahoo group)

fennel- suggestions, please?????

green leaf lettuce- I head is already gone. I took another one from the bonus table. Use for salads and sandwiches

leeks- made a delicious creamed leeks dish.... Thanks Lauren!

green peppers- going to go into a salsa

zucchini- not sure... might fry them

roma tomatoes- salsa

red seedless grapes- snacks

black plums- snacks

bananas- snacks

This time we had the option to purchase eggs too. I got 1 doz. I'll hard boil some for salads. Philipe loves eggs in his salads. The rest we'll probably eat for breakfast.

Guess What....

I'M PREGNANT!!! And we couldn't be happier. We just found out last night. I'm guessing around 3 weeks. I think we got it the 1st shot. (TMI?) I'll definately have to post more about it but right now Brianna and I are off to a birthday party. Sorry so short. Stay tuned!

A day of fun... Chibas style

Yesterday Philipe, Brianna and I went to River Ranch to ride the Rhino and hang out with some of our friends. We had a blast. Brianna loves being outside. It's in her blood. It was a little annoying that we had to keep pulling over so I could pee. After peeing about 6 times in 1 hour Philipe came to the conclusion that I was pregnant. I told him it was probably because I had a couple beers and it was the alcohol. (Poor lil' baby). We got home around 9:00. Brianna was sleeping but we had to wake her up because she was in desperate need of a bath after playing in the mud. As soon as we got home Brianna and I got naked and ready to jump in the shower. I figured since I had to pee I might as well pee on a stick. Usually it takes at least 3 minutes for the results to show up so I put it on the counter and was going to look at it when we were done showering. It said pregnant before I even took my hand off of it. I yelled for Philipe (who was outside) and told him to come inside and it was really important. I handed the test to Brianna and told her to give it to her Daddy. She did. Philipe smiled from ear to ear and said, "not ugh" a few times. Then he bragged about his "super sperm". Then we all started jumping around (naked). It was quite a sight! I would have loved to be a fly on the wall. We all took showers and talked about what the next 9 months will be like. I'm so excited! I wish I could stay pregnant forever! When I was pregnant with Brianna, I never felt more beautiful. Pregnancy is something amazing. I'll save all my thoughts on that for another day. Here's some pictures of the fam at River Ranch yesterday.

Brianna towards the end of the day, ready to go home.

Brianna giving her Daddy "The Look"

(click to enlarge to get the full affect)

Brianna's favorite seat was on her Daddy's lap

Just riding around

A bit blurry but still cool

Bri, eating her strawberry

Little swamp baby

Daddy's lil sidekick

"Hi"