Monday Minute

You all remember my awesome friend Cristina, right? Well, thanks to your help she won the Monday Minute contest! Now she's the host and today is her first day! So, I gotta support her by answering the questions! You can click the link of her name to go to her blog and link up your own answers if you'd like!

(1)  What’s the last restaurant you went to and what did you order?

We were at the Olive Garden in Midland, and I ordered a lunch chicken parmigiana, with salad and a peach tea. Oh, and you can't forget the boat of alfredo sauce to dip the breadsticks in... heaven!

 

(2) What's your greatest phobia?

Sadly, death. Whether myself or others. I know heaven will be awesome, but it just scares the be-jeazus out of me to leave loved ones behind... don't know why I'm so scared of it.

(3) On a scale of 1 to 10, how hot are you?

Uh.... 6? I don't know! I don't like rating myself! I think I had a nice body pre-pregnancy, and I think I'm ok looking if I fix myself up, but definitely not model material!

 

 (4) You just found out you (or your partner) are having a baby.  What's your reaction?

How does that happen?! Hahaha, as far as I knew you couldn't get pregnant while pregnant. But, if this was after our first baby was born we'd be super ecstatic no matter when it was that we were next pregnant! After waiting so long for baby #1, we're cool with baby #2 coming whenever.. haha.. or well, we say that right now, before baby #1 is here!  

(5) You just won a free vacation to anywhere in the world.  Where would you go?

Italy... for a month. I want to go and experience everywhere. Rome, The Vatican, Milan, Venice, anywhere with old Roman/Greek ruins (I'm a Latin nerd)... plus all of the wine tasting! It would be awesome to go there. We also REALLY want to go to Australia sometime, but that's way down the line!

14 Week Survey

The 14 Week Survey

How far along?: 13 weeks and 6 days (well, technically it's past midnight, but I didn't have time to post besides now!)

Total weight gain: Still hovering around 5 pounds. Apparently I'm in trouble because I'm not gaining enough weight. But I am getting huge, both in the chest and stomach... so where is it going?!

How big is baby?: 3.4 inches, 1.5 ounces, and the size of a lemon. According the wonderful iPhone.

Maternity clothes?: About to! I now need to wear blouse-y tops or else I just look fat. I try to wear less form fitting clothes. T-shirts still work great. Running out of options to wear to work though! I did buy some more maternity tops, but really they just swallow me right now!

Stretch marks?: Nope!

Sleep: I thought they said you wouldn't be as tired in the second trimester.... well, things have been getting better, but by no means are they great yet. I've definitely had more energy because, as in right now, I've been able to stay awake past midnight... but yet I'm always just so dang tired!

Best moment this week: Seeing our baby move around, wave hi to us (hehe), and kick! Plus, of course, hearing his/her heartbeat! Amazing!!!


Movement: Oh, the little baby is moving like crazy, but mommy has yet to feel the "popcorn" sensation that could start happening at any time... we're ready and waiting!

Food cravings: Hmm.... none that I can think of! I'm still dying for my pulled pork sandwich though! Which I will get tomorrow! =) hehe...

Gender: We think that Carylon thinks it's a girl... haha...

Labor Signs: Negative!

Belly Button in or out?: Darren noticed for me today that it is a less-deep innie. hahaha! It's starting to stretch and move towards an out-ie!

What I miss: Horseback riding. If only I had been riding pre-pregnancy... then I could have continued on for a while.... dang! Oh, also, not having a sore back.... My back has been killing me for the past month or so, which I've read is caused by weak muscles and my expanding uterus... also, it's because of all the hormone changes. Oh joy!

What I am looking forward to: "Gramps" (my dad until he picks a name) is coming to see us this weekend and it is the first time I'll have seen him since we told him we were pregnant! My how I've changed since then! hehe..

Weekly Wisdom: Don't over do it. Set yourself some limits. I think I've been over-doing-it lately and I'm burned out. I need this weekend so badly! Time for some R&R!

Milestones: Mommy is now showing all day every day! Baby is almost always on the move! Hair is now forming on the baby, and hopefully it's a beautiful head of hair! ;-) hehe... Baby can also squint, frown, and make other facial expressions.

Excuse the terrible photo... we had been cleaning all night and then I couldn't find my camera so we had to use my phone.. oh well, look at that baby bump!

Fun(?) Facts:
- Waist at belly button: 32 and some inches, omg!
- Breasts: dunno haven't measured... scared to!
- Bra Size: 34D... can you believe?! The girls needed more room!
- Current weight: 118, moving on up!

Awesome Appointment

I'm sorry that I'm so far behind on posting. This moving business is seriously kicking our butts! This weekend we are going to be so blessed with our first visitors to the new house! My dad, his fiancé Maggie, and her daughter Tabitha... plus their two dogs... will be coming for a weekend visit while dad is on vacation! So, needless to say, the cleaning/organizing/decorating has been in full swing this week........ except for the fact that it really hasn't. Ha. I've been tired, still, even though it's the second trimester. I think things are getting better though. There is only so much that your body can take after all, and my body has definitely had enough and is screaming for a break! Last night we stayed up until midnight trying to get things ready. We managed to get the upstairs guest room bed set up, the bathroom cleaned and set up, and so now things are functional upstairs for our guests. Not pretty, keep in mind, but functional. Tonight we're going to finish the kitchen, living room, and our bedroom... or well, make it look like someone lives there and is not moving in/out. Ha!

So, back to the point of my post! Monday we had our 3rd checkup with Carylon. And of course, she did an ultrasound for us! Apparently we were supposed to have heard our baby's heartbeat at our 9 week appointment, but I guess Dr. Byerly forgot or something! So, Monday we heard our sweet baby's heartbeat for the first time, and it was AMAZING. I have been so proud of myself because I have not cried yet! I bet when we find out the sex I'll cry, haha... Anyway, Carylon also did another ultrasound for us. Our baby had changed by leaps and bounds... and it was doing just that... leaping and bounding! Not really, but it was kicking and did wave hi at one point! Carylon tried to check the sex but the machines are really hard to see clearly on. She did say that she had a guess, but she wouldn't tell us! Bummer! It was just so awesome to see how much our baby had grown in just 4 short weeks. Amazing. I love him/her so much already!!!!

Here are some pictures from our appointment... and if you're interested, send me an e-mail or comment and I'll send you the video that we took of the heartbeat and ultrasound! Don't want to post it on the web though, it's a secret link on youtube, so just let me know. Thanks!

 

Profile view

 Amazing view of baby's face, arm and leg!

Baby Hillger waves hello!!!

Second Trimester!

I can't believe I'm starting the second trimester! I feel very lucky that I didn't have a horrible first trimester... Besides those two weeks around week 9 where nothing sounded good or tasted good, and it was not easy to keep things down. But other than that it was ok! I've been feeling great, and am starting to get my energy back! Now we have everything moved from the cook house to the coats house, so now the unpacking and decorating begins! I'm glad I'll have some more energy for that! We are loving our new house so far, and the animals really love it! Well, thats about it for now! We're shopping in midland today, woo hoo! Don't forget to please vote for Cristina!!! Thanks and Gig 'em!!

13 Week Survey

The 13 Week Survey

How far along?: 12 weeks and 6 days! HELLO Second Trimester!

Total weight gain: A little over 5 pounds!

How big is baby?:3 inches long, almost a whole ounce, and about the size of a peach!

Maternity clothes?: Nope, although I am already building up quite the selection! My awesome momma has been making me clothes! How cool!

Stretch marks?: Nope!

Sleep: So. Much. Better.  - Although I'm still tired all of the time it is not near as bad as it was. Point and case, last night I stayed up until a whopping 11pm! hehe

Best moment this week: Seeing the baby bump still there day after day! =)

Movement: No again!

Food cravings: Yesterday and today I have been craving a pulled pork sandwich... and I have no clue where that craving came from, but man, I better get one soon!

Gender: Latest dream said it was a girl, and the Chinese birth chart says a girl... haha, but nothing means nothing!

Labor Signs: Negative!

Belly Button in or out?: Still an innie!

What I miss: Cookie dough... Maybe I should learn how to make it sans-eggs. That would be nice.

What I am looking forward to: Our appointment in just a few days! Carylon says we will DEFINITELY be listening to the heartbeat! I can't wait for that moment! Hoping to video it!

Weekly Wisdom: If moving, make sure to have AWESOME in-laws and family around. ;-)

Milestones: Baby's body is starting to catch up to baby's head! Vocal chords are developing, but thank goodness we can't hear the crying yet! Lastly, we are pretty much to the "safe" zone. The chances of miscarriage greatly decrease past the 12th week. Praise God!

Baby bump is here to stay!  

Ignore the slouching... and don't you love my Bearkat get-up?

Fun(?) Facts:
 - Current weight: 118.6, gained a whole pound in a week!
- I don't want to measure my chest, because I'm scared of the size, haha... just kidding, but definitely, we might need to go bra shopping!

Dream a little dream..

Big news. Well, to me. I had my FIRST gender dream! Really one of my first baby dreams in general! In said dream something strange happened... at my doctor's appointment they took out the baby (attached and all still) and showed it to me, then proceeded to put it back in. Don't ask for details, haha... actually, I didn't really dream any details other than getting a real life sneak peak at our baby! And... in the dream.... Baby Hillger was a girl! =) Now, I know that nothing means nothing, as my mother-in-law likes to say, haha, but it was nice to finally have some sort of dream! Also in the dream Darren told me what he wanted to name her and I said "No way!". haha.. oops. So, it was really strange, yet really cool at the same time. Now... if only we could find out for real what Baby Hillger is!

I promise I'll do my weekly update soon so that you can see the baby bump! However, we have no internet at home yet, thanks to moving, so it's kinda hard to post! But, I promise I will soon!

In other news... did you vote yet for Cristina? Here's the link in case you forgot! Daily Dose of Reality - vote for Law Mama!!!

Vote for Cristina, aka Law Mama!

Hey Everyone! HUGE favor to ask... PLEASE go to this site, The Daily Dose Of Reality, and vote for my awesome friend Cristina, aka Law Mama. She's an amazing blogger and friend, and deserves this win! =)

Thanks bunches! All you do is click on her's, I think it's the 5th one, "Happily a Law Mama", and you're done. No e-mail entry or anything!

Have a great and blessed day!

Monday Minute

Today Cristina posted on her blog the "monday minute", of which she is up for hosting and I will give you details Wednesday on how to vote for her! So anyway, here we are with no Internet, except phones, and no tv, so I'm blogging! I promise to update on the baby bump soon!! ;-) Until then enjoy the following!

1 - Who is your favorite childhood superhero?

I would have to say Batman. Growing up with 2 little brothers during the time when batman was cool led to seeing every movie and owning every action figure. Haha... We never really did comics so if it wasn't on tv/movie we didn't really know about them. Oh, I just came up with a better answer..... Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!!!! They were awesome - and hey, they were superhero worthy in my book!

2 - List something you have done for pure shock value.

Hmm.. I'm not really that crazy. I do have to say that my junior year at A&M, my roommate and I decided it would be fun to try to dye our hair.... Keep on mind hers was black and mine light brown. So we bought the "wash out in 30 days" dye and off we went. Mine turned out maroon.... No lie. And naturally, hers didn't take. Now this may have not been intentional for shock value, but it definitely created a shock! :-) mayyybe I'll post a picture later... If you're lucky!

3 - What is the most recent thing someone has said/done to you that left you picking your jaw up off of the floor.

Man these are tough questions! I'm gonna go with a dumb one just cause I can't think, but we found out our insurance deductible is going to start over on January 1st... So looks like unless my indemnity plan kicks in, we'll be paying for all prenatal care and having the baby out of pocket. You gotta love healthcare.... Don't get me started!!

4 - Do you have a moment where you gained clarity about your life?

I think when I was a sophomore in college I realized that there was no way I could become a vet, and that I needed to change majors or something.... Then I realized that life was hard as a grown up, ha.. And that supporting myself took a lot of work! I don't know... It was a rough year filled with a lot of life changes, but I definitely decided to grow up and figure out my life then!

5 - What are you doing to achieve your biggest dream?

I've always held great dreams for myself and worked as hard as I could to achieve them. In high school I made a list of everything that I wanted to accomplish, and checked off every single one. I've kept this up... I graduated top of my class, summa cum laude, from Tech back in December, but I knew my education did not stop there. I knew I wanted masters... My aggie ring and aggie diploma. So, I made the decision to go back to school. I'm pregnant, working full time, and totally involved in my community, but I'm now a grad student! Whoop! It'll be hard, I'm sure, but I'm damn proud of myself for working towards my goal!

Canceling Dr. Phy

I don't think I've ever felt better about canceling a Doctors appointment! Today I called and canceled our fertility treatment appointment with Dr. Phy in Lubbock... because, we didn't need it! I wanted to wait until further along in the pregnancy before canceling.. just in case. Now that we're almost to the end of the first trimester, and Baby Hillger seems to be doing great, I decided it was time! Plus, I wanted to give them plenty of time to schedule in another couple needing their help.

Today my Dad's friend from Midland sent me a link to a baby clothing website called Faith Baby. They have some cute stuff! One t-shirt I saw that I really want had the words "Worth the wait" on it. So cute! See below for a picture! Pretty sure I'll have to order this! Even though I know we didn't have to wait near as long as some other couples, it still feels like it was forever until we got pregnant.


Baby Hillger, you were so wanted, and you are so loved... We can't wait to meet you in less than 200 days! =)

12 Week Survey

The 12 Week Survey

How far along?: 11 weeks and 4 days!

Total weight gain: Back up to our 5 pounds, and holding steady, haha.

How big is baby?: About 2 and a half inches and about half an ounce! Yahoo! =) Baby is about the size of a "large" plum!

Maternity clothes?: None as of lately!

Stretch marks?: Nope!

Sleep: I can't wait until the second trimester... I'm hoping to gain some energy back! I'm so stinking tired still! Speaking of, I better hurry this along so I can go to sleep!

Best moment this week: Talking about where our baby will soon sleep, and later play... Darren telling me he's come up with a name if it's a boy!

Movement: No again!

Food cravings: Not really any yet!

Gender: Still don't know, but still thinking it's most likely going to be a boy!

Labor Signs: Negative!

Belly Button in or out?: Still an innie!

What I miss: Doing whatever I please, haha. I can't do much moving right now since I can't lift heavy boxes. I couldn't ride the mechanical bull at the festival, lol... little things like that! But, they REALLY don't matter and I could care less because I'm having a baby!

What I am looking forward to: Our appointment in one week, and the end of the first trimester!!!!

Weekly Wisdom: Try to eat as soon as you can in the morning. It helps the nausea!

Milestones: Our baby is now a little acrobat.. even though I can't feel it yet. Baby can now also swallow! Crazy, huh??? My uterus has moved on up and so now I am getting a baby bump! Also, we're now entering the "maintenance" phase, because all organs are done and now it's just time to grow!

Do we look a little fatter?

Fun(?) Facts:
- Current weight: Stuck at 117 again!

*******
In other news! This survey was so late because we have been SO stinkin' busy with moving. We have to be out of the house in about a week, so it's crunch time! We've been packing and moving things to the new house every night. I'm about to die of exhaustion, but luckily I have THE BEST husband and in-laws in the entire world. They've been making things much easier for me! Also, I got my course schedule for my online grad school seminar... looks like it should be a piece of cake! Hooray! Now I just need to start on my first lesson! This weekend we had a wonderful visit from Cristina, Evan, and Liliana. She has grown so much! We can't wait until our own little baby gets to play with her! They'll be best of friends, I know it! ;-) Well, time for bed now.. I'm pooped!

Feelings...

Time to talk about some feelings! Not all mushy gushy, I promise! This week has been SO much better than the last two weeks. I think I'm finally over the "hill" of feeling sick. ::Knock On Wood:: I have not been nauseous, have not thrown up since Saturday, and gag less. Haha, you're welcome for the TMI. ;-) Granted, I am still so stinking tired. Oh, and my boobs do not hurt near as bad! Hooray! So, hopefully since I'm nearing the end of the first trimester, things will really start to get better and easier. One can hope!

The other day I was at Kirklands because they're moving and having a huge sale. There were these cute photo albums with initials on the front. I wanted SO bad for one of them to speak to me... boy or girl! But all I could do was sit there and stare at them not even knowing what letter I'd be looking for. So, I gave up. So much for having a sign! Darren still thinks now that it'll be a boy, and he's settled on a name he really likes... but we'll see!

We have this weekend and next weekend to move and then that's it. Oye. It'll be a LONG weekend for us. Thank goodness it is a 3 day weekend! Hooray for made-up Holidays! Then we'll be in the new house and I can begin to nest, hehe. Oh, I'm sure Darren just can't wait! My online class hasn't started yet, hehe, so I've just been relaxing while I can. I know all hell is going to break loose after this weekend and we'll be going non-stop... so naturally, instead of trying to make it better by getting things done a little at time, I choose to relax. ;-) Gotta love it.

Well, better be getting back to work! Happy Labor Day everyone!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. . .-Lamentations 3:22-23