If I were rich....

What's on your Christmas wishlist this year?  We have a family secret santa every year, and this year the limit is $100.  Here's my list in no particular order.  Please send any gifts to P.O. box...... nah!  Just kidding!

1.  Revlon SmoothStay 1-in flat iron

2.  The Hunger Games Book

3.  A new vanity mirror (to replace the one Diego cracked)

4.  A new camera bag for my DSLR camera

5.  Mac Eyeshadow in Brun or other brown for my brows

6.  A crock pot

7. A small pressure cooker (I already have a big one and I LOVE it!)

8.  A Canon EF 18-55mm lens

PS.  If I don't get the lens (which I probably won't because it's over the price limit) then I think I will buy it for myself as my own after-Christmas present for being awesome, and to take more pics of my new son at the time.  What's your special item this year?  You should totally get it for yourself during the after-Christmas sales, if your loved ones don't beat you to it!  :)

Wishing you everything on your list (especially World Peace) - Shirley

Project Four-Zero: 36 Weeks!

I promise, this will be my last Turkey post since it's almost been a week since Thanksgiving.  I'm a little late with my 36th week update and from my other posts, most of you know that the doctor scared me 2 days before Thanksgiving by finding that I was 2 cm dilated and saying that I "could" go into labor on Thanksgiving given my history!  Long story, short -- there was no early labor, just a lot of good food while still keeping my glucose levels under control. 

Speaking of glucose levels, I was able to keep my glucose levels under control enough to dodge an ugly insulin bullet.  Basically, I was told to control my fasting glucose levels by eating a bedtime snack every night, and if I wasn't able to control it in a week, then I was going to be prescribed an insulin shot to the belly every night!  I felt like I fell off the wagon and was now back in rehab, being given a dose of tough love.  You would think I have no problem with a bedtime snack, but I do.  I figured it out though.  I need to eat a smaller dinner, and try to eat earlier so I have time to feel hungry again before bed.  When I went to the diabetes appointment, they had a doctor's order waiting for me for insulin shots but one look at my glucose log and they left it in my file to gather dust. 

SYMPTOMS

Sleeping is really tough now.  I wake up at 1 am, 3 am, and 5 am...

Stretch marks.... say what!!!!?

CRAVINGS

I thought I had my cravings under control until Thanksgiving -- Martinelli's apple cider and apple pie!  I was in heaven!  I had at least 4 cups of cider!  Splurge!

3rd TRIMESTER TO DO:

-Agree on a name by begin Nov.
-wash all baby clothes
-Pack Maternity bag by begin Nov.
-Buy a Bassinette by begin Nov.
-Photoshoot props ready?
-Get baby car seat & carrier out of storage
- Register with hospital
- nursing clothes and socks/slippers

 - stock freezer

-buy heavy/overnight pads
-pacifiers

Thankful for a Dry Thanksgiving!

Hey friends!  Here's a quick photo dump of our Thanksgiving!  We were going to be an hour away from the hospital, and the doctor found that I was already 2cm dilated two days before.  She said that given my history, I should really be ready and know all the hospitals nearby AND if my water broke, not to spare any second -- "just get in the car and go"  was the doctor's exact prescription. 

As you can imagine, we were on pins and needles and almost decided to stay at home and have turkey sandwiches instead.  But sometimes, I'm a risk-taker...... only sometimes.

So what was I thankful for?  Water not breaking, keeping my glucose levels under 135 despite helping myself to a slice of dutch apple pie AND my beloved Martinelli's apple cider.  Diego was thankful for all the good food, especially corn apparently!

Blindsighted by Genius-ness!

My goodness! Where has the time gone?  I thought that once I went on maternity leave, I would have more time to post on this blog.  Instead it's been the opposite, but I should get back on normal footing soon.  You see, here at Golden Dreemz we're freaking out that the baby could come any second (I'll explain more in my 36 Week Update post) so we've (And by "we", I mean mostly Hubby) been getting our still-under-construction house ready for little Mateo's arrival.  Throw in a busy holiday such as Thanksgiving into the mix, and voila!  Blog neglect...

I do have a few blog posts lined up, but for now I wanted to give you a quick update on Diego at 22 months.  The low down is that he still barely speaks English (or even Spanish for that matter), but I was seriously caught off guard with an unexpected proud mama moment:  You guys!  He knows his ABC's!  And not the song, but the actual letters!  Like - he really KNOWS them.  And it's all thanks to his Fisher Price Fun 2 Learn Learning Laptop!  The one I bought him for our airplane ride to the Bahamas months ago.  The one he plays with EVERY day.  He's on his way to winning the Nobel Peace Prize folks!

I explain and capture the "miracle" in the video below.  But after some thought and skepticism, I thought that maybe he was just associating the shape of the letters.  (Some unconditional-loving mom I'm turning out to be!)  So I asked him to type his name (with me dictating the letters of course).  OMG.  D.I.E.G.O.  When did this happen????

Project Four-Zero: 35 Weeks!

Stay in there, Mateo!!!  That's the mantra this week as Hubby continues to expect Mateo to make his grand debut at any moment, instead of waiting for December 21st.  In fact he believes it so much that we have moved into the new construction areas of the house so we can be ready for his arrival.  Unfinished walls, unfinished floors, doors are missing. But hey!  We've already got our tree up!  So we're making the most of it.

This week was my last working week, and man am I looking forward for some time off!

I had a gestational diabetes appointment last week where they basically told me that if I didn't get my fasting levels under control, I would need to inject myself with insulin each night before bed.  If you already know about me and needles, there was NO WAY I was going to let that happen.  The answer to my high fasting levels is a bedtime snack, so I've been munching on cheese and crackers, quesadillas, or Kashi protein bars before bed.  It's done the trick this week!  

SYMPTOMS:

Harder and harder to get up out of bed, literally

Baby continues with his acrobatics

CRAVINGS:

None really.  The bedtime snacks are really helping me stay full and I bought Crystal Light packets in raspberry flavor for when I'm craving some flavor in my usual cup of bland water.

TRIMESTER TO DO CHECK LIST:
-Agree on a name by begin Nov.
-Wash all baby clothes
-Pack Maternity bag by begin Nov.

-Buy a Bassinette by begin Nov.
-Photoshoot props ready?

-Get baby car seat & carrier out of storage.
- Register with hospital
- nursing clothes and socks/slippers
- stock freezer
-buy heavy/overnight pads
-pacifiers

Anticipating Mateo's Arrival

The secret to some of my photos: My beloved wireless remote shutter release.

I Can Almost Taste It!

So much has happened this week that we can almost taste victory! It started off with passing our inspections!  The first thing we did was bought a cheap light switch and added it to the only functioning bathroom in the house.   For weeks before this, we had no light in the bathroom unless it was natural light or light from a lantern.  As a pregnant lady, I made many frequent late night trips to the bathroom using the flashlight app on my phone.  My sister was surprised that app was on my home screen "taking up space".  But I've got to tell you, since I've joined the world of smart phones, I still think that the flashlight app is the "smartest" thing it does.  My husband agrees and comments on it all the time.

One of our inspections was the insulation inspection.  As soon as my husband got the OK from the inspector, he wasted no time to get the drywall up.  Doesn't the dining room look so pretty with drywall and my exposed beam ceilings that I fought so hard to keep?  I comment on the ceiling every day to my husband.  I'm a happy lady.  We actually have walls!

Finally, the deck is just about done.  If you can tell, it's a pretty large size.  It spans from the dining room sliding doors and wraps to the master bedroom sliding door on the right.  Both Diego and Qori have already started enjoying running around on the deck like chickens with their heads chopped off!

And that friends, is construction life! - Shirley

$18.60 "Maternity" Haul

I think I've mentioned on occasion that I'm NOT a fan of maternity clothes.  In fact, I only buy those maternity items that I feel I ABSOLUTELY need. In this case that turns out to be 2 maternity jeans, 2 maternity leggings, 1 belly band, 2 maternity jackets (since I am in a winter pregnancy) and that's it my friends!  Everything else I bought as non-maternity, one size larger, and in a style that I hope I can use post-pregnancy.  If not, I can give the clothes to my mommy :)

There's been a winter chill in the air, and I knew the time had come to look for some sweaters.  Lately I've had a weird desire to go thrifting for clothes.  So last week I did just that.

Pulling up to the parking lot, I wondered why the lot was so full.  I spent my time digging through the racks, which easily exhausted me - the pregnant lady.   I was happy with my finds: 2 sweaters (Old Navy, Nine West), 1 shirt (H&M), 1 herringbone jacket, and 1 pair of cargo pants for my little guy. 

As the lady rang me up at the counter I noticed the machine would display "Discount" after every scan.  I looked around and saw a gi-normous sign that said, "SALE: 40% off everything in the store!"

I am a marketer's worst nightmare, I swear.  No wonder the parking lot was full! In the end, my thrift store haul totaled $18.60.  Success!  I think I'm a changed woman and will be thrifting again sometime very soon!

Thrift 'till you drop! - Shirley

Project Four-Zero: 34 Weeks!

This week I won lovingly convinced my husband to name our son Mateo!  How did I finally do it?  Borderline harassment Months of subtle hints to the name, blatantly reminding him what a perfectly fine name Mateo is, referring to the baby as "Mateo" at every opportunity, and finally a little bit of dumb luck.  I could tell I was wearing my husband down the previous week as he alluded to giving in, but didn't give me any real confirmation until now.

This week, he was helping one of his long-time customers move to the bay area.  His wife has cancer, sadly, and they were moving closer to Stanford Hospital.  One of the great things about my husband working with financially well-off customers is that occasionally they do not want their crap treasures.  We scored a new sleigh bed, an antique wooden wardrobe for my stepson, and a bunch of outdoor chairs for our new deck.  But I think I scored the best haul thanks to them: winning the name game.

My husband was chatting with his client's cancer-striken wife, who was in great spirits.  He mentioned that we were expecting again (she loved the name Diego when she first found out way back when.)

Her response to finding out that we were expecting again?

"How wonderful!  You should name your next son Mateo!"

My husband's eyes widened as he said, "What did you say?!  Have you been talking with my wife?  That's the name she's been wanting!"  and he immediately called me so that I could chat with the woman who helped me win my case.

So was it just dumb luck or a sign from the powers that be?  Let me tell ya, I believe in signs...

CRAVINGS:

I've been good with the sugar but bad with the fast food.  

SYMPTOMS:

Extremely uncomfortable in work meetings while baby is jumping around, I think everyone can see it.  

Increased sensitivity - as in "I'm about to cry" but I haven't, although one internet video almost threw me over the edge. 

3RD TRIMESTER CHECKLIST PROGRESS

-Agree on a name by begin Nov.
-wash all baby clothes
-Pack Maternity bag by begin Nov.
-Buy a Bassinette by begin Nov.
-Photoshoot props ready?
-Get baby car seat & carrier out of storage.
- Register with hospital
- nursing clothes and socks/slippers
- stock freezer
-buy heavy/overnight pads
-buy pacifiers

Mateo:  "Gift from God" (will be most fitting if he's born near his due date of Dec 21st.)

All Paws on Deck!

Was this week's construction an excuse to take more Qori pictures?  Possibly.  Truthfully although I am super excited about the new backyard deck that has been taking shape this week, and Hubby has been dreaming of BBQs, get togethers, and simply chillin' on the deck with a cold beer and outdoor speakers, I don't think anyone will enjoy this new deck more than Qori will.

I mean look at him.  It's not even done and he has already found himself a special spot to plop down and sunbathe.  It's been awhile since we've lived at a house that had a deck, but I do remember Qori taking full advantage of the deck back in those days.  He loves them!  Dogs love to have a lookout point, and decks are perfect for that (now if we could only work on a pool - then Qori's life -and mine- would be complete. LOL!). 

We reached a significant milestone this week and passed our electrical and plumbing inspections!  Yay!  That means the house is ready for insulation, another inspection, and then closing walls (finally!)  See all those piles of drywall in the middle picture?  Can you tell we are super duper anxious to start closing walls?

You might also notice the new framing for our kitchen breakfast counter in that middle picture.  We opted for a breakfast counter instead of an island, but it's basically the same thing to me.  And I love it!

And that friends, is what Qori calls construction life! -Shirley

"Breaking Mom"

So remember when Diego told my Dad that I wear my boots too much?  Well - apparently now he went and told my mom that I'm fat and ugly!  LOL - OK that might be a little harsh, but the short story is that he has been screaming "Mama, MAMA!" and pointing to the TV when the "Breaking Dawn" trailer plays and pregnant Bella is on the screen.

The picture above is actually doing Bella justice because from all the trailers I've seen so far, the makeup artist made her look HIDEOUS, because well um - she's dying!  For now, I will choose to believe that Diego is only associating the dark hair and baby bump with what he sees on the screen.  (He rubbed my belly the other night, it was the cutest thing but I don't think he has a clue about what's in there.  1/2 a baby vampire, perhaps?).

Some other things I've witnessed him yell "Mama, MAMA!" at are:

• The Payless Shoes commercial:  OK, enough already, we all know I have a boot obsession.
• Queen Latifah in the Cover Girl commercials:  Are you kidding me, Diego????

Wishing Diego would scream "Dada, DADA!" at Edward Cullen... -Shirley

Four-Zero Project! 33 Weeks!

More math for this week:  If 37 weeks is considered full-term, and I have completed Week 33, then there's just 4 weeks or 1 month until I am full term!  Exciting and scary!  Diego didn't make it to full term; he was 3 days off.  Could it be possible that I'll have a little rugrat in my hands by the end of this month instead of by the end of next month?  Only the future knows for sure! 

I took things slow this week, still trying to recuperate from my cold.  I think my laid back, calm mood this week reflects well with this week's Pinterest-inspired maternity photo. 

That's not to say that not much has happened.  I've reflected and come to terms with being on the gestational diabetes tract again.  At the beginning of this week I was pitying myself and blaming everyone (especially the doctor) for making me go through this, and I was a little rebellious with my eating.  Then I snapped back to reality and remembered that this is all for the baby's sake, and I shouldn't couldn't be mad at him for this.  Since then, I've been a good girl and my glucose readings have been on track. 

I also realized that I need to come to terms with the possibility of a c-section during this pregnancy. I did not have one with Diego, and quite frankly they scare the bejesus out of me, even though they are so common.  I was chatting with a woman in the ladies' bathroom at work and we got onto her son's birth story which included a c-section delivery.  That's when I realized that a c-section is always a possibility and you never know what type of emergency could occur during the final hour.  Although I have no plans to have one, I need to be ready to accept one if it is absolutely necessary.

CRAVINGS

Ever heard of the disease/addiction called Pica where people eat rocks?  Well, I'm not THAT bad, but lately I wish I could eat detergent, fabric softener, or soap after sniffing the delicious laundry or taking a shower.  Of course I know that detergent tastes NOTHING like how it smells, but WHY IS THAT?  Why does it have to be such a tease?

SYMPTOMS:

Belly measured at 41" this week:  huge!

Linea Negra (Brown line on the tummy) darkened this week to my surprise.  It's a little late in the pregnancy!

Don't Dare the Genius!

As of this week, the house is done getting dressed on the outside and even received some accessories (trimmings) as part of his outfit.  It's starting to look like a regular house now and not the lonely red-headed step child of the neighborhood (By the way, I think red-heads are beautiful to the point where sometimes I wish I had red hair, but I don't think it would be a good look on me). 

On the inside, the wiring is complete ("sala" means living room, by the way.  I guess "living room" was too long to spell out) and our central heating and duct system was also completed.  *Extreme happy face*

I just HAD to snap a picture of our thermostat, which is now getting good use since the holiday chill is making its debut in the air.  It's one of those programmable thermostats, and Hubby dared me to program it.  He had little faith in me because he used the same one for a rich, ditsy client and they eventually had to replace it with a standard, non-programmable one after multiple attempts at teaching her how to use it.  HA!  Sometimes Hubby forgets that I'm a genius!

And that friends, is construction life! -Shirley

The Devil's Advocate

At least they give out water in this joint!

Yeah so last night I had to hide Diego's roller toy.  He's been terrorizing Qori with it around the house, the construction area, and on into the yard.  The only safe-haven for Qori is when he jumps up on the couch.  It's been a week of daily Qori torture and yelling, "No Diego!" only to be met with a sinister smile from Diego.  So last night - off it went into the storage area.

Diego's smart though, so I think this is just a temporary reprieve for Qori....  The devil will be reunited with the devil's advocate soon enough.  Better drink up, Qori!

October Recap (in Phone Pics)

Hi all,

I see all the mom blogs do their week in Iphone pics feature and always want to join along.  However, I don't snap nearly enough phone pics during the week, and honestly I'm not consistent enough to keep up a weekly feature (says the woman who's so far been pretty good at weekly pregnancy and home remodel updates).  So I figured I'd do a monthly recap in phone pics.  Here's my first try with October!  Sorry for the small images.  I'll work on it.

Project Four-Zero! 32 Weeks!

Happy Halloween!  I trust that everyone enjoyed their Halloween and got lots and lots of candy!  This Halloween coincided with my 32nd week of pregnancy, and although I've been sick and tired I couldn't let it stop me from including some Halloween spirit in my project Four-Zero photo of the week!  I just love group costumes and I'm going to milk it until the day that my kids don't want to anymore out of pure embarrassment!

Although Halloween is all good and fun, this 32nd week has actually been a little tough (although not nearly as tough as last week).  The main thing is my health:

• I'm STILL sick, trying to get over this cold.  I think I caught 2 viruses back to back, seriously.  My ear is plugged right now.  I think that's a good sign because the congestion in my head is descending?
• My blood glucose is on the rise again according to my latest blood test results, although I'm still barely within the normal range at 5.5.
• According to my pediatrician I'm also a little anemic now (go figure with this damn gestational diabetes diet I can barely eat anything) so she prescribed iron pills.
• I'm really tired all the time (probably due to any one of the three previous bullets - take your pick)

CRAVINGS:

• There was one day I was really craving a nice, sugary ice cream or even a Slurpie!  But I didn't.
• I've surprisingly been able to curb my candy cravings nicely with the Halloween candy all over my work and house
• Food, any kind of food.  I don't really care what it is.  At times I felt like I might be eating out of boredom, which anyone will tell you is BAD so I've had to keep an eye on that!

SYMPTOMS

• "Me Escapa" moments.  Too embarassing to write about but it's in the video below (Fast Forward to 7:40 on the video).
• My pee has darkened this week to the point that it's now orange like a pumpkin.  Just in time for Halloween!  You may now commence all the jokes about how much Halloween spirit I have "on the inside".  
• Just plain drained of energy 
• Extreme Dry Mouth and not just when I sleep.  I've been lugging a cup of water with me everywhere I go, and I'm not even that thirsty.