Baby Boy and Baseball!

23 Weeks along and did I mention the Giants are kicking booty in the World Series!?! Or the World Serious and my nephew calls it!

*Note! I fixed the ultrasound video on my last blog so if you want to go back to the old blog and watch it, it should be running!

So everyone knows the stories of crazy pregnancy craving.  Sending husband to the store at 3 o’clock in the morning to pick up ice cream and pickles, but for me this has just not been the case…UNTIL LAST WEEK.  So I’ve blogged before about how I really enjoy grapes but it has never been to the point to where I’m going to cry if I don’t have any in the house.  Carlos has been waiting for the “real” cravings to kick in any minute knowing he is going to be at the grocery store in his pajamas in the middle of the night.  That part doesn’t bother him, however, his biggest fear has been, what will I crave? Well my friends we have figured that out. 

It all started with my wonderful cousin-in-law Jessica who is also pregnant and works in a bakery.  This cruel women sends me pictures of what decadent creation she has created that day, while I am teaching my wonderful 13 year-olds why its not ok to lick somebody’s face and stick paper to it.  So a few weeks ago she sends me a picture of these beautiful chocolate covered strawberries, now I am a fan of chocolate covered strawberries any day of the week but prego Megan is a whole different story.  I sent a text to Carlos telling him “I need chocolate covered strawberries”, not that I wanted them, that I NEED them.  This wonderful man ended up finding the one place in town that makes them and had them for me in the car when I go off of work! Brownie points for hubby!

But now the chocolate strawberries have gone to another level! Now I NEED chocolate covered strawberries with cannolis.  Now Carlos is good at finding where to get these random foods, but living in Delano cannolis is just not going to happen.  So my weekends have been spend baking these bad boys to hold me over until we go out of town and I can just buy one.  But here’s the deal.  Cannolis take a lot of time, oil, and frankly are just not that great for you, so I have come to a compromise.  Instead of frying the cannolis with the tube shapes like I normally would, I back them in to mini pie shells.  And since I have had a ton of people as me how to do this I am going to show you how its done.

First off, I normally make my own dough, but lets face it, it takes a lot of time and it is meant to be fried.  So here is what you do. Buy the Pillsbury pie crust (Papa’s best friend) and roll it out.  Sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar and use a cookie cutter to cut circles.

Place the circle in a cupcake pan and bake for 8-10 minutes depending on your oven. 

When you are done fill them with cannoli cream (now that I am not telling you how I make, you can find a recipe online).

These bad boys, with chocolate covered strawberries, are the only thing that I will get tears in my eyes if I can’t get.  Carlos is so happy that my craving is something delicious that he also enjoys.  

So now that I have expressed how strongly I feel about cannolis and strawberries here is a little baby update. The doctor says everything is looking great and we have a happy healthy boy.  Now that we know the gender the real fun has begun.  Carlos and I have started collecting superhero decorations for the room, and I have been knitting up a storm.  But the real addiction is onesies! My mom found these wonderful Batman and Superman onesies! The blue one with the Superman symbol is Carlos' favorite.

 Now I know that we are really into the superhero thing and Carlos is so proud collecting comics and planning costumes, but I have fallen in love with some of the more traditional little boy outfits.  For example I am head over heals for anything dinosaurs!

Now back to the "cool" kid stuff.  We have also collected our favorite sports teams onesies.

But my favorite thing so far has been his onesie that I will probably bring him home in because February is still pretty cold here.

So here is an update on the prego survey!!!

How far along? Today I am 23 weeks! Gettin Big!

Maternity Cloths? The two maternity work pants I bought are great, but I still haven't bought any tops.  Maybe in a few more weeks.

Stretch Marks? Belly is still stretch mark free! I'm worried I'm going to get that weird line that goes down the middle of your belly though.

Sleep: Baby is still pretending to be Bruce Lee all night long.  I knew I shouldn't have watch Way of the Dragon with the Palomos when it was on TV, but the Chuck Norris fight scene is classic!

Best moment this week: Carlos can finally feel him kicking! He used to feel him just kind of roll around but know they are already play fighting. Watching them is the best!

Have you told family and friends? Yes and everyone has been amazing! Thank you for all your love and support!

Missing Anything: Coffee.  I have tried to compromise with hot chocolate, but lets face it! Starbucks holiday drinks are calling my name!

Movement: Yes! All day and all night. This kid never sleeps!

Food Cravings: I think we can all answer this one.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The ovaphobia is back (fear of eggs).

Have you started to show yet? Oh yes! We had twin day at work and one of my coworkers dressed as me and stuffed his belly! It was great!

Gender: Beautiful baby BOY!!!

Symptoms: Back pain has been the biggest thing.

Labor Signs: No! Way to early for that

Belly Button in or out? In, but looking a little weird because of my old surgery scar

Wedding ring on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I am extremely happy and excited I just tend to get tired pretty fast these days.  

Looking forward to: Grandpa Ruben is building baby a toy box and Carlos is refinishing my families rocking chair.  I can't wait to see how those turn out.  

Words from Chuck: The cravings have been great! Every time she makes cannolis she makes me a pie. I like how I can feel baby Chuck kick and we play every morning! Go Giants!!!

The next blog should have some updates on the nursery! I can't wait to start putting it all together.  Auntie Bob Bob has been crafting ups a storm so maybe she will get a chance to come help out too! 

GO GIANTS!!! GAME 4 TONIGHT!!!!

Half Way There!!!

Hello everyone! I know it has been many moons since my last post, but we have had some major changes happen over the past month!

The first major update would have to be our new house!  We loved living in the condos but climbing those stairs everyday with a baby was not something we were looking forward to.  We didn’t think we would be able to move until July, after the baby was born, but a few things just happen to fall into place and we were able to move!  We love our new place, and it is going to be a great starter for our little family. 

Big news number two…WE KNOW THE GENDER!!! (Which I’m sure everyone knows already)

We knew as soon as we got pregnant we wanted to have a big gender reveal party.  We decided to go with a Lady or Gent theme.  It’s was super easy to plan because every idea I found online I was able to show Chuck and he made it (talented daddy)!

In this picture I am 18 weeks prego.

Voting Board 8 for Lady and 7 for Gent.

Carlos predicted the baby would be a girl and I predicted a boy.

To help everyone make their gender prediction I made an old wives tale board! This was a lot of fun.

Since Carlos wore Converse for our wedding and I wore TOMS we decided that is how we tell everyone.  If we pulled out a pair of black Converse it would be a boy and pink TOMS would mean it's a girl.

Close family was there to find out the gender of the baby, and my Nona helped me make a BIG Italian dinner for everyone.  Grandma Linda made a super yummy pineapple upside down cake that made everyone miserable.

One of the really fun favors Carlos made was the mustache and lips straws.  Everyone used the straw that matched their gender prediction.  Modeling for us here is the classy Tia Lexi.  

Then came time for the big reveal!  We asked cousin Sami if she would reveal the gender for everyone... Drum roll............

CHUCKS!!! We are having a beautiful baby BOY!!! Daddy and I couldn't be happier!  

To find out the Gender we went to a 3D/4D ultrasound in Bakersfield.  Thank you so much Tia Vero and Tio Nuno for the gift card! 

Introducing Charles Logan Palomo!

This was such a wonderful experience! We also received a DVD of the ultrasound which you can watch below if you like.  It is about 12 minutes.

So now we are up to date with the current news. 

How far along? Today I am 21 weeks! Over halfway there!!!

Maternity Cloths? I haven't bought any maternity shirts yet.  I have been using a belly band for all my work pants and jeans, but I found two pairs of maternity dress pants for work that I plan on trying when I go back to work next week (Wooo!!! October vacation!!!)

Stretch Marks? Belly is still stretch mark free! I'm trying my best to prevent them.

Sleep: Ok so here is a funny story! My belly isn't big enough to plop on a pregnancy pillow yet, but I manage to use an old squished pillow to try and get comfortable.  Now that Charlie is moving a lot,  if my belly falls off of the pillow at all he will turn himself to were he kicks at the mattress as fast as he can until I move! I tried moving on the other side and did this maybe six times to see if it was my imagination but nope he is a sensitive sleeper for sure.  As for me, I have a hard time getting comfortable and have many bathroom breaks throughout the night.  I guess I might as well get used to it because as soon as he is here it will be the same thing.

Best moment this week: Best moment this weeks was going with big cousin Sami to pick out baby's first Build-A-Bear!

Have you told family and friends? Yes and everyone has been amazing! Thank you for all your love and support!

Missing Anything: Coffee and Hotdogs.  Not together of course.  I still love the smell of coffee, but recently I really miss hotdogs.

Movement: Yes! It is so weird when he flips around.

Food Cravings: Today I really wanted anything chocolate.  Sam and I both ate a bag of Rolos!

Anything making you queasy or sick: I can finally eat chicken again! Now if I smell anything sour like an old sponge that makes me feel sick.

Have you started to show yet? Oh yes! My little Nieces and Nephews love pointing at my belly and talking about their little cousin.  Every time Rylie goes home she rubs my belly and says "Bye Baby Chuck!"

Gender: Beautiful baby BOY!!!

Symptoms: Today I had really bad back pain.  Carlos and I have been walking twice a day and that tends to help.

Labor Signs: No! Way to early for that

Belly Button in or out? In, but looking a little weird because of my old surgery scar

Wedding ring on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I am extremely happy and excited I just tend to get tired pretty fast these days.  

Looking forward to: Getting the nursery ready! We have already started collecting superhero stuff!  Carlos picked out a big batman action figure that is about the same size as Josiah.  He also has The Death Of Superman series framed for his room as well.  I plan on making his bedding to match the room.  Sam and I are currently designing a quilt, which we will have to make two of since she wants one to match :-)

Words from Chuck: I'm super excited and I can't wait for "The Kid" to be here! 

As I mentioned before we went with Sami to the Build-A-Bear Workshop and she picked out Chuck's first Build-a-Bear! Going with the superhero theme she decided he needed the First Avenger and named him Captain Abearica! We love this girl!

  Ok this is really cute!  My nephew Isaac has been watching me update the blog, and wasn't exactly sure how it worked.  I told him I was writing a story telling everyone about how the baby is doing and putting it on the internet for family.  He then asked me if he could write a story and take a picture for the baby and add it to the blog.  

Here is his story

Hello my name is Isaac Palomo and I am your big cousin.  I wrote this story for you.  One day when we found out about you we were excited, and I had a great feeling about this.  I felt you and me would have a great time playing with each other all day long.  I will let you play video games if you ever come to my house.  Josiah and me are fun and we can do a lot of things together.  We can play all day long.  You are going to be the second closest cousin.  I feel like you are going to be the coolest cousin ever! I hope that you can come to my school too.  I’ll try to make this story the best I can for you.  I bet you that if you ever find out you have a little cousin on the way you would write a story for him too.  I’ll try to be responsible for you. 

Now I am going to make up a cool story for you.

It all started in a big city called Deathcity.  There was a superhero named Charles Logan the strongest, coolest superhero around.  His powers were super strength, the ability to fly, and any other power you can think of.  One day there were some villains, they tried to kill guards to get a 60 feet high mountain of money! Before they even got it he popped out of nowhere and tied them up all around a ten thousand pound metal wall.  Charles Logan got all the money as a reward from the mayor of the city! And twice much more! Every time he left he flew off and disappeared. 

Written and Illustrated by Isaac Palomo

Hopefully I will be able to be more consistent with my blogging now that we have settled in.  Thank you everyone for all of your help with the move and being their to support us every step of the way.  We truly appreciate it!

14 Weeks!!!

I am really sorry it has taken me so long to post an update. Going back go work has left me with no energy at the end of the day. Carlos and I are doing very well! I am finally starting to get a baby bump. Here is my tummy picture at 13 weeks!!!

We had another Ultrasound at 12 weeks and it is amazing how much they grow in so little time.  When we got to the doctor's office they told me that I would have to go in by myself first, and when the doctor was done measuring the baby Carlos could come back too.  

The doctor told me that this was a very challenging test and that it could take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour depending on how much the baby is moving.  She began the test and told me to say as still an quiet as possible to not bother the baby.  The baby we perfect! Never once moved and was laying in a perfect position to get the measurements the doctor needed.  I started to get nervous because the baby seemed too perfect not moving at all! The doctor assured me that the baby was fine! She showed me the heartbeat and promised that the baby was just very comfortable sleeping.  

Then it was time to call in daddy to see the baby.  The minute he Carlos walked in the room the baby was NO LONGER ASLEEP! This baby started kicking and rolling around (the baby and Carlos are already a team plotting against me!).  The doctor said the baby looked like he or she was dancing because crossing her or her feet back and forth. But the best part is they baby never stopped sucking his or her thumb! It was the cutest thing and also exciting because I was a little thumb sucker too! This whole time I just assumed the baby would be a clone of Carlos and now I have one little thing showing me there is a glimmer of myself in this child too! I am so excited.

Here is our little thumb sucker at 12 weeks!

Now that we are in the second trimester I have finally started collecting a few things for the baby!  We decided to buy the baby his or her first book and a little toy that went along with it.  It is really hard trying to find cloths that could be for either gender.  I can't wait until I finally know so I can go crazy with baby cloths!  We decided baby's first book would The Very Hungry Caterpillar, this was by far one of my favorite books growing up!  We have been working on a little library now so baby will have plenty to read once he or she is old enough. So far we have also bought Where the Wild Things Are, The Giving Tree, Fox in Socks, Green Eggs and Ham, and I still have all my Little Golden Books from when I was a kid!

Our next project is to tackle the nursery.  What used to be my office/craft room is being condensed into the front room to make way for baby chuck!  It's funny how much spare rooms can just accumulate so much junk!  Hopefully I will get the energy to filter through it soon.  We should know the gender in a few more weeks! I will be taking more tummy shots soon because I am getting rather large.  Thanks again everyone for your love and support.  More to come soon...

Sorry that I am a little late on the ultrasound post but with summer creeping away I am trying to enjoy every last minute of it.  

July 19th: These days I am a morning sickness pro! I've got down all the trick, take pill an hour before getting up, snack on dry cereal before anything else, and chocolate soy milk has become my best friend when it comes to dealing with heart burn.  The morning of the ultrasound however, totally different! I told Chuck I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning, from the second my eyes opened I was awake, excited and ready to see our baby! Although the morning sickness has been a pain, it feels really comforting knowing that it is a great sign that our baby is growing well.

Everyone knows the usual wedding stories where the groom sees his bride for the first time when she comes walking down the aisle and the priceless look on his face that is never forgotten.  I have to say that we had an amazing wedding and at that moment I had never seen Chuck so happy, that is until the ultrasound.  As I was laying their the doctor told me she was going to check everything out first and then she would turn the screen so I could see everything too.  Chuck however, did not wait. I have never seen a look on his face with just pure joy as when he saw our baby for the first time (I will always remember it).  He is going to be an amazing dad, and he loves rubbing in the fact that he was the first to see our baby.

Introducing Baby Palomo! Our little Gummy Bear is 9 weeks in this picture, 2.06 cm and has a heart rate of 180bpm! Doctor says that we are looking at a healthy baby! It is amazing how fast babies grow and the changes their little bodies will go through over 9 months.  

I decided to start my baby survey this week just to keep track of some of the changes baby and I are going through.

How far along? Today I am 9 weeks, 4 Days

Total weight gain/loss: Originally from the morning sickness I had lost 8lbs but I have gained 1 back so we are at -7

Maternity Cloths? All of my normal cloths are still fitting, but I bought two pairs of maternity pants (Comfy!)

Stretch Marks? No stretch marks for me. Using my mom's old secret ;-)

Sleep: It is very hard to get comfortable because I was a belly sleeper, also waking up for bathroom breaks always makes it difficult to fall back asleep.

Best moment this week: Seeing the ultrasound and the doctor saying everything looks good.  Also starting to be able to eat a few meals again so that has been REALLY nice.

Have you told family and friends? Yes and everyone has been amazing! Thank you for all your love and support!

Missing Anything: Coffee! My mom was making a pot the other day and I almost stuck my face in it because it smelled sooooo good.

Movement: Not yet

Food Cravings: Cold grapes (Thank You Grandpa Palomo! He always has them handy)

Anything making you queasy or sick: I hate to even see commercials of chicken! 

Have you started to show yet? I don't officially have a bump yet.  It just looks like I have ate 4 too many baby burgers.

Gender prediction: I honestly had no clue at first, but after reading a few articles online I have to say that all odds are pointing to a baby girl. Morning sickness to the extreme is a big sign and also heart rate over 150 is usually a sign.  Chuck hates to admit it but he has the feeling we are having a little girl too. We will be happy no matter what!

Symptoms: Morning sickness (which translates into ALL DAY sickness in my world), and a lot of pain on my tailbone.

Labor Signs: No! Way to early for that

Belly Button in or out? In, but looking a little weird because of my old surgery scar

Wedding ring on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Through the morning sickness and the back pain my happiness is shining through! I am so excited!

Looking forward to: Getting the nursery ready! I can't wait to see it all come together.

Words from Chuck: I'm doing great! This pregnancy is a breeze ;-)

Starting next week I will be taking my weekly tummy pictures to track my bump! Thank you everyone once again for your love and support. This baby is truly loved by so many already!

Announcing Baby Palomo

We are both excited to be announcing there will be a new addition to the little Palomo family.  Megan is due February 22nd 2013!

After feeling super tired, during a trip to Pismo, for no reason we decided maybe it had finally happened.  We bought a home test and sure enough, in the words of Rainn Wilson "That ain't no etch a sketch...your Eggo is Prego!" We decided not to announce the pregnancy until 13 weeks, for those of you that don't know, 13 weeks is the end of the first trimester and for the most part means all clear for a healthy baby.  This however, did not go as planned.

Since March we had planned a trip with the Palomo family to go to Disneyland.  A week before the trip I started feeling nauseous all day long.  Nothing crazy, just like I ate something that didn't agree with me...but then it hit me! I was getting sick all day long and couldn't even drink water! The doctors said I needed to come into urgent care right away.  The thing is, when you are pregnant you are very limited when it comes to the medicine you can take, and everyone reacts differently to these medicines making it difficult to figure out which one will work. After a few hours in the hospital I was given some pills that would hopefully get me through the Disneyland trip.

We decided there would be no way to hide from the family why I wasn't getting on any of my favorite rides, why I was so tired and possibly throwing up on Disney Characters, so we decided we would have to spill the beans.

First Megan's Family
It is tradition in my family that when ever a baby is born the grandmother becomes a "Nona".  My family being from Italy has held on to this traditional title ever since coming to America.  Never once in my family has a grandchild called their grandmother "Grandma".  When my mom had me her Nona was still alive so instead of calling her "Great Nona" I called he my "Big Nona".  I decided to play with this tradition when making the announcement to the women in my family.  We went to Things to Remember and bought two beautiful bracelets, each with a little heart that could be engraved.  I had one engraved to say Nona and the other to say Big Nona.  I gave my mom her's first and after getting her glasses to figure out what it actually said (I think she needed to do a double take) she started crying with joy! Next was Nona.  It was really funny because all she said was "Big Nona....Big Nona?....Oh my God BIG NONA!" Both her and Papa are super excited about having their first Great Grand Child.  My sister Bobbi is also very excited to be Auntie B-Bop, and keeps finding adorable cloths with cute sayings like "My Aunt is Da Bomb" she will be a great Aunt.

Next off to Chuck's Family
One thing we have in common with his parents is our love for the Dallas Cowboys!  We love when we get a chance to watch a games together.  We decided to by a Cowboys baby outfit along with a matching bottle to give to his parents to see if they would figure it out.  We called everyone into the living room and told his parents we had a gift for them (by the way, his parents have been wanting us to have children since we started dating! I think they had just lost hope).  We had his mom open the bag with the cloths inside. She shut it right away, started crying and asking us if we were serious.  There is a reason she didn't believe us at first.  Chuck being the prankster that he is, on multiple occasions, has told his mom we were pregnant to get her hopes up.  I think the first time he did this we had been dating for about three months, and he even went as far as to find a fake ultrasound online! So after I told her this was the real deal they couldn't be happier.  Our two nieces and nephews are also very excited for the arrival of their first Palomo cousin.

                                                                   ( Go Cowboys!!!)

Today I am 9 weeks pregnant and after three IVs and five B6 vitamin shots I am finally able to eat again! Thank God because yesterday I had to make sure Bruce got some wonderful In-n-Out Burger before going back to Denver, and I was not missing out on that hamburger! Tomorrow is our first ultrasound so there will be a new post with the first official picture of our little gummy bear! We both can't wait!