16 Weeks

Another 4 weeks and I'm halfway done! I still can not believe I am really pregnant, seems so surreal. Only a few updates since my last post: we found out that it's a BOY! Here's the money shot:



I go back for my complete growth/anatomy scan on March 11, and hopefully "he" will still be a "he". I've been feeling great, got my energy back and I'm so happy to report that nausea/morning sickness is gone forever. That stuff is brutal and I wish it upon no one.

I've felt a few movements from the little guy here and there but nothing substantial. Big sister Ava loves to "kiss da baby", see pic below:


We keep asking her what we should name baby brother and she replies, "baby brother". I really don't think it's clicked yet as far as her understanding that there is a real baby in mommy's tummy. She did graduate from her first 8 weeks of gymnastics. She got a blue ribbon that she calls her "present". We are still doing gymboree as she just has a great time with the other kids there too. Oh, and she LOVES boys. Whenever we see boys (no matter what age), she says, "awww look at the cute boys". Yep, we are in some serious TROUBLE here folks lol.

Since the weather has been nothing short of perfect, we've been hitting the beach alot recently. Ava loves to play in the sand, throw shells and chase the "duckies" (sea gulls).







And of course I have a blast taking and editing photos of her. Her excitement for the little things is a small reminder of how precious life is. Speaking of life, here are a few more ultrasound pics of our nameless little boy.....

fist pump:


profile: (he looks like me, right? just say yes, it's in your best interest)

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I don't know and I don't wanna know!!

Maternity clothes? You betcha

Stretch marks? No thankfully

Sleep: Lately not so good, had a cold so haven't been breathing too well

Best moment this week: Finding out we have a SON on the way

Movement: very little

Food cravings: spaghetti & steak

Gender: Boy

Labor Signs: none

Belly Button in or out? in

What I miss: clothes that fit, not grunting to get up

What I am looking forward to: not being pregnant anymore

Weekly Wisdom: pregnancy is only temporary

Milestones: making it to the 2nd trimester!

For the next week the baby is the size of an avocado.

And here is me proudly displaying Junior:

Changing Direction

Ok I feel guilty for not documenting this pregnancy as much as I did the first. I think I shall begin to intermingle a few posts about pre-natal visits and the inhabitant of my uterus. Aren't you thrilled? I will start by saying that this pregnancy has been easier than the first. I suffered pretty bad acne with Ava, with this one - not so much. I'm almost 14 weeks and morning sickness has subsided for the most part (fist pump!). We are going for an early anatomy scan next Tuesday and I can barely wait. I am dying to start brainstorming nursery ideas and also names for this next one. I'll take a page out of my friend Jessica's blog and start posting her weekly/monthly poll with answers. Here goes.

How far along? 14 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: about 10 pounds (I'm an eater if ya hadn't figured that out already)

Maternity clothes? You betcha

Stretch marks? No thankfully

Sleep: Love it! I sleep all night but do get up around twice to pee

Best moment this week: Having my mother in law see/hear the heartbeat on the doppler over skype (she is in NY)

Movement: none yet

Food cravings: none really

Gender: unknown

Labor Signs: none

Belly Button in or out? in

What I miss: my skinny jeans

What I am looking forward to: finding out if it has a hot dog or a hamburger

Weekly Wisdom: pregnancy is only temporary

Milestones: making it to the 2nd trimester!

For the next week the baby is the size of a lemon.


But between the weigh gain, the belly pop, and the bloating, I feel as big as Stay Puft.
Until next time, thanks for reading!!

Test Post

Does this image look sharper than the one below? I've been playing in Lightroom and learned how to export properly with the correct sizing and sharpening settings.

Friday Fun!

We've had some wet weather lately so today after it quit raining we unleashed crazy girl to play in the puddles in front of our house. She had quite a fun time. Question for bloggers, does anyone know how to link/upload larger images than what blogger will allow?

Princess Thursday

My 2 Main Subjects

Inspiration = YOU

Greetings all! I'm back again but this time around I will be documenting my experiments with photography and maybe some video editing here and there. My true passion is to photograph wild animals in their natural habitats, but with a busy 2 year old running loose and another on the way, I'm afraid my passion will have to be a serendipitous journey. Until then, I'll attempt to stick to capturing captive animals including my toddler.

I started out by seeing other mom's photos online that were spectacular, crisp and looked like a professional had done them. I thought to myself, "I can do that", so I started stalking them to see how it was done. I learned so much in the world of DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras, different lenses, composition, even tried dabbling a bit in photo editing programs such as Lightroom.

I purchased my first DSLR camera - a Nikon D3000. I shot with it (and the kit lens) for a while until I knew which lens I wanted to invest in next. I opted for the telephoto lens (18-55mm) which would allow to me zoom in close to wildlife from a far distance. I've learned how each lens is dynamic, and which situations to use each lens for optimal results.

This will be a never-ending journey of learning, practicing, experimenting and hopefully capturing a few breath-taking images, as seen through me & my little viewfinder.

Enjoy.