2 Week Adventure...

So Anaya had her first outing on Monday to visit the doctor for her two week checkup. Considering she is my daughter, I am not surprised that it was anything but smooth sailing for us. Not knowing how long it was going to take to get everything ready, I woke up 3 hours in advance (5:30am) and I must say I am very glad I gave myself enough time. It was a rough morning. First, her Tita and I tried to dress Anaya in these new clothes her Tita and Meemaw bought her but they got the preemie size, which in weight fits her but not in length. In their defense, they bought that after seeing how all her new born clothes are still too big for her. After going through several outfits, we finally put her in the oversized new born clothes and got her all strapped into the car seat. The car ride went smoothly as Anaya slept most of the way there. However she would get up every red light to let us know she was not happy with the car being stopped. We arrived on time for her appointment at 8:30am and were ushered into a room and asked to remove all her clothes in order to get her weight. Well as her Tita and I were undressing her, I noticed she had a poopie diaper so I started cleaning her. As I was done, I placed Anaya on the table, ready for the nurse to come in. As soon as the nurse walked in, Anaya peed on the table creating another mess for me to clean. The nurse left and said she would be back while we were wiping up her pee. I gave Anaya to Tita to hold in her blanket and as soon as I was done cleaning the pee and the nurse walked back in, Anaya pooped in Tita’s arms! So now the nurse walks back out while we clean the second poopie. The worse part was that she ended up pooping on the only blanket I brought for her. So finally after cleaning all the poop and pee, the doctor comes in and checks her. Too bad by this time Anaya was wailing at the top of her lungs from being naked, cold and hungry. In the end, the light at the end of the tunnel was that Anaya was fine and healthy! :)

Things I learned from this adventure:
- A 19in baby does NOT fit into preemie clothes
- Do not book baby appointments at 8:30am when they are across town
- Pack many, many and even more blankets in the diaper bag, along with wipes!
- Use two or more condoms next time :)

Anaya's first week

So here are some pictures from Anaya's first week. As I look back on these, I can't believe how fast the time seems to be going. Soon she will already be 1 month old!

Mommy and Anaya
I just love her look here!

Anaya waving bye to the hospital :)

"Let's go Mommy and Daddy!"

The gang leaving the hospital Aunty Dia- who is already spoiling her!

Heather

Tia Zulma

Welcome Anaya Sofia Cantu

My precious angel :)

New daddy :)Nana with his new granddaughter :) Meemaw with her new granddaughter
Mean mean Maci Maci
Tito with his new granddaughter :)
Tita with her new granddaughter Tio Abel with his new niece
Tia Marisol wanting to kidnap baby Anaya :)

Tia Ya-Ya

16-Hour Labor...

So before having a baby, I remember I would hear women talk about their labor stories. These stories began with the usual contractions, included pain which subsided with an epidural and concluded with all horrible memories washing away as they leave the hospital with their bundle of joy. Well my labor story is more detail because I want women to really know what it was like without cutting it short. But don't worry too much, because my story also ends with the cutest bundle of joy!

So it was Sunday night January 10 around 11:30 pm when I started noticing some slight pain in my back rounding up to by lower belly. I started timing these contractions because when you are 39 weeks pregnant, you time everything. They were coming in regularly every 5 to 7 mins apart. Around 12:45 am, I call the doctor to tell her about the pain and she tells Alex and I to go to the hospital. Well around 1 am we check in and find out from the nurse that I was only 1cm dilated. No idea why my doctor has placed me at 3cm the week before. Anyways, they decide to keep me there to start me on antibiotics for this test I had been positive for. Well around 5am my doctor decides to induce me with pitocin and the pain starts kicking in. Around 7am I have my first round of drugs. Now, it's all pretty sketchy after that but Alex has filled in the pieces for me. After I get my IV pain meds, the contractions are coming harder and I'm still at only 3cm so I ask for an epidural around 9am. Then the anesthesiologist comes in and gives me an epidural and asks me my level of pain. I notice that my pain was still there so he starts over and gives me another epidural. The second one takes some of my pain away where I can breathe through the contractions so he leaves and I try to fall asleep. At 1pm the pain started increasing again and the drugs weren't helping so the nurses call the anesthesiologist back in. While waiting for him (which felt like eternity) I had dilated from 5cm to 8cm (without drugs!) and I was in PAIN!! I thought I was going to die and I kept crying out for them to just cut me and take the baby out. I also started having the strong urge to push, which was not good since I had 2cm left. When the doctor finally came back in he gave me two options: 1. hold on for about 20 more mins and hope the baby will come out by then or 2. get his colleague to give me a third epidural with more luck than he was having. I opted for option 1 first but after another contraction, I went for option 2. After all, they were coming every 45 seconds and 20 mins of contractions seemed like a lifetime. The second doctor comes in to give me my third epidural and he mixes some other medicine in which completely numbs me from waist down. If I could have kissed that man, I would have for taking my pain away. After resting and getting from 8cm to 10cm, the nurse asks me to push to help the baby start crowning. Well I pushed my hardest for about an hour and half (after all, I am completely numb and the more pitocin they gave wasn't really helping) but the baby was not moving from my pelvic cavity and her poor heart rate was getting dangerously high. So my doctor said that after all that I went through, it was going to have to be a C-section. My heart sank but I knew whatever was best for her was the most important thing. After that, I was prepped and she was delivered at 5:12 pm. The C-section doesn't get much of a description because it was fairly a smooth run after prepping. The worse part was that I was in the hospital in pain for three days and I now have a 6-week recovery period.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that Alex and I have baby Anaya at home, safe and healthy.

The Name Game

So Alex and I officially announced the baby's name to our family during the Christmas holidays. It's Anaya Sofia Cantu and for the most part, everyone really likes it. Not that I would change it anyways, but it's nice to have support for something so important. As for baby news, these last few weeks have been really tough on me. I am not a whiner or complainer (Alex can back me up on this one) but it's getting really hard lately. I wake up with pain in the middle of the night to which I hold back tears. I can hardly move around without tiring myself out and some days I feel like an emotional trainwreck. I know it's all worth it for the end product but since the first 8 months went by so easily, I've been really taken back by these last few weeks. I just hope for now that the next three weeks will be a little less taxing on me. And even if it's not, I am very excited about Anaya arriving into our home and blessing us with her presence. I want to hug and kiss her already!

Merry Christmas!

So this past Christmas came and went by so fast that I hardly felt it's presence. I guess with the baby due date right around the corner, my attention was elsewhere. Even though it was a fast two days, I did have a great time. On Thursday evening, Alex and I headed over to my in-laws house. We ate, laughed and played family fued till midnight and then opened presents. Alex gave me the Amazon Kindle II and it was exactly what I wanted. It's sleek, stylish and seems very easy to lug around with all the baby stuff that's soon to come. Afterwards, I passed out from exhausation around 2 am. The next morning, Alex and I woke up and headed to my parent's house for some more family bonding. We stayed over there eating more food, playing cards and watching tv. It was nice to relax and just take it easy for two days. Saturday and Sunday came with a few chores here and there but mostly just taking it easy and watching movies on blu-ray that Alex got for Christmas (mostly from me). We also tried out our new camcorder that takes pictures as well so I'll try to upload those soon and see how they turned out. Now on to New Years and counting down the days till baby arrives.

Holiday Partay!

So December 18th was Sign City's holiday party and boy was that fun! It's interesting to see how a company full of mostly men react during their holiday party versus a company full of women. We played the white elephant game at the party and Alex bought a "couch cozie" as his gag gift and walked away with a basket full of cookies. He almost got the cd by Susan Boyle and we thought we were lucky until we got home that night and a documentary about her life was on tv. Well after watching and listening to her sing, that CD wouldn't have been so bad. Who knew she has a really nice voice. Plus, I ate majority of the good cookies before he got to them, lol...my only defense is that I am pregnant!

So December 12th was Genesis's holiday party and I must admit, even though I could not drink, I had a great time. I missed the people that could not attend due to prior engagements but I think it was more their loss than mine.

Ahoy Belly!

So my best friend Mychelle keeps asking me for an update on my growing belly. I must say, it's definitely growing and I feel more and more like a baby whale. With the growing belly, swollen feet and "cankles" I now have, I know I will regret posting this later. Maybe when I return to my skinner self (LOL) I will look back on these and laugh. For now, Mychelle I hope you can appreciate my gift to you!

#1 Preggo at 15 wks#2 Preggo at 15 wks#3 Preggo at 21 wks#4 Preggo at 21 wks#5 Preggo at 36 wks#6 Preggo at 36 wks#7 Dia kissing my bellyMy current swollen feet...so sexy! :(

Say cheese!

So today Alex and I went to take professional maternity pictures. I had my hair and makeup done since being so fat, I wanted at least some parts to look descent. The sitting only took about 30 minutes but we spent almost 2 hours picking out the pictures we liked with different backgrounds and formats. It was exhausting! I guess as I am entering my last month of pregnancy, all I want to do is lay around and be a lazy bum. Anyways, the pictures turned out really well and I am happy with the results. Now Alex and I will go back once the baby is born and so forth.

This one cracked me up soooo much. See, I asked for a stuffed animal to be included in the pose and the photographer hands Alex that tiny little lamb and we both just start laughing. Then Alex says he can pull out lint that's larger than the lamb from his belly button and it was over. I just could not hold my laughter in while the photographer kept shooting away. We ended up purchasing a copy and the guy tells us this was his favorite as well. LOL...cute tiny lamb, I will not forget you!

This is the one Alex and I choose to enlarge and will be hung over the chimney as our new family portrait! I am excited to see the final product!

Snow in Manvel?....

It snowed over in Manvel on Friday, December 4th and it was so beautiful that instead of taking pictures, I just gazed outside my window watching it fall. I guess thinking is something that comes and goes when you're pregnant. (I like the blame a lot of things on the pregnancy...lol) I guess I can just post pictures other people took of their homes :( Or maybe the snow can come back and give me another chance to get my camera. My fingers are crossed for the latter!

Thanksgiving...

So it's Thanksgiving and boy, do I have A LOT to be thankful for. First, I have a husband that I love very much, a baby on the way and family on both sides that I care for and love deeply. To show our appreciation for the holiday, Alex and I decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at our home. It was the first holiday we celebrated and we both had such an exciting time. We ate turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, strawberry cheesecake and pecan pie. Along with Indian food like channa masala, naan and rice. It was definitely one big mixed Thanksgiving that we were thankful for!

So Friday rolled around and black friday shopping when you are pregnant is NOT fun! Alex and I woke up at 4am to head over to Walmart and Target for our Blu-Ray collection and we ended up getting around 20 new movies. Then we headed over to Babies-R-Us to complete our registry and get items they had on sale. (Can't beat 420 wipes for $5) We ended up spending way more than we intended too and basically were done shopping after that. Ah, the joys of black friday when instead of a tv or electronic gadget, you have diapers, bottles and wipes on your list.
Welcome to being adults Alex and Riti! (<---me cry!)

Then on Saturday, Sipra, Rahul, Alex and I headed over to the Texas Renaissance Festival and even though I had fun being the only sober one, I almost died from all the walking. I don't think I will ever go there again being pregnant. But next time, I want to try the mead too!

Nursery...

So my sister-in-law has a hidden talent of painting...well hidden to me before she painted our awesome-kiss-ass nursery! Myralda painted the winnie-the-pooh theme we wanted on the walls and I must say the results were beyond anything we expected. The nursery looks sooooooo cute, I jsut want to sit on the rocking chair and think how things will be when the baby arrives. (I leave out the dirty diapers and crying part while daydreaming) So after the nursery was painted, it came time to purchase the furniture for the baby. Now this is where my amazing sister Sipra and brother-in-law Rahul come into the picture. Being a first time Maci, she wanted to give us something we would always remember and use at the same time. So, they bought us ALL the furniture!!! I could not believe it when it was all delivered and I broke down crying because I did not expect that much from her. She bought us the crib and mattress, the changing table with changing pad, the dresser and a rocking chair with matching ottoman. I feel like the luckiest gal in town to have two amazing women and a damn nice brother-in-law!

The main wall with Pooh (yes, she painted it!)

Across from Pooh

Can't leave out my favorite, Eeyore!The awesome crib and dresser!

The changing table & rocking chair with ottoman

A view of all the clothes baby already has!

Baby Shower in October...

So now that we knew we were expecting, it was time to let it all sink in and get down to business. First I went out and bought the pregnancy bible. (aka "what to expect when you are expecting") This is definitely a good bathroom read for future parents. Then Alex and I searched for a baby doctor and found one that we really like. We told everyone we knew and almost everyone was surprised, shocked and extremely happy. I guess when you wait 8 years to marry each other, it's a nice change of pace to speed things along. The funniest part was that many people (most of whom I don't like anyways) started to count backwards just to make sure I wasn't knocked up before the wedding. But rest assured, I have proof that it was well after March 28th that baby was created.

So in October, Alex and I had a joint baby shower that was hosted by my mother-in-law Angie and my sister Sipra. It was such a great party! Everyone had tons of fun and our baby received sooooo many things. I am so excited that those we love could share in such a memorable occasion.

Pre-party decorations

Our beautiful cake!Alex and I cutting our beautiful cake

My parents and my in-laws

5 months ago...

So 5 months ago puts us around the beginning of July. This marks a special day for us because it's when Alex and I found out that we were expecting our little bundle of joy...though at the time, fatigue and back pain was all I was experiencing. We went to the doctor in July and learned that we had conceieved around April 28th. (one month after our wedding) I was in complete shock to see the first ultra sound picture of this tiny little bean swimming around. I was in even more shock to realize that I was well into my first trimester! I guess with minimal morning sickness it's hard to distinguish between being tired from the new house versus being pregnant. Also, who knew what to expect when you're expecting...certainly not I. Here is a picture from the test I took...I went through about 6 of them just to make sure before we headed to the doctor.

Rewind 8 months ago...

So after coming back from our honeymoon, we started getting cozy in our new home. It was a busy and exciting time trying to decorate and fix up the house. We had wood floors installed, new appliances, new lighting and new fixtures added around the house. Not to mention, new wall paint...which took us about 15 small cans of paint to test try until we found the ones that suited our preference. After all that was said and done, we went on about our married life not realizing that something beautiful was on it's way.

Almost to the present...

So after the awesome wedding we had, we went on our honeymoon to Cozumel. Ahhhh....10 days of newly married bliss. We had such a great time that I can't wait to return again. I've never been anywhere with water so blue, sand so soft and food that just melts in your mouth. The adult-only resort with all-you-can-eat-and-drink was not too shabby either. I just hope Alex takes me somewhere equally nice for our 1 year anniversay. (LOL)

The view from our hotel room

Us at the Mayan Ruins

Us on a Jeep Tour

And our story continues...

So after our New York adventure, our wedding planning was in full swing. We had a few short months to plan the wedding since Alex and I both wanted to marry in March. It's the perfect month when Houston weather is not too cold nor too hot. Also, we were anxious to move into the house we purchased in Feburary. We ended up getting married on March 28th, 2009 at the Texas Safari Ballroom. It was a whirlwind event with two different ceremonies and one large reception. Talk about a VERY long day!

My Henna

Alex and I dressed for the morning Hindu ceremony

Alex and I after the Chapel ceremony

The wedding party

Alex and I having our first dance at the reception