22 Week baby bump.



• How far along? 22 weeks
• Total weight gain: When I checked last week, I was up 8 lbs.
• Maternity clothes? Yes some. I've just about outgrown most of my shorts. I had to squeez into these white ones and ended up changing out of them.
• Stretch marks? No new ones.
• Sleep: I have not been sleeping that great this week. I'm having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.
• Best moment this week: It was a mediocre week but still good because my shoulder/neck muscle knots hardly bothered me.
• Miss Anything? Not too much.
• Movement: Definitely!
• Food cravings: Chocolate
• Food aversions: Not really
• Boy or girl: Girl!
• Labor Signs: No
• Symptoms: Lots of annoying gas especially at night. Nausea when I don't get much sleep.
• Belly Button in or out? In though the top part pokes out a little.
• Wedding rings on or off? On.
• Looking forward to: The weather to cool down! It's been so hot and muggy these days.
  
  
  
  

My great love..

"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." 

~ Sam Keen

I'm so thankful to have H in my life!! With each passing year I fall more and more in love with him. I was crazy about him when we were dating and I still am. I still love when I see his name come up on my caller ID when he calls me from work-or from anywhere really.

I really feel so lucky to have him and I appreciate how hard he works for us. I try to make his life as easy as possible by being supportive, keeping the house clean, having dinner cooking when he comes home, and taking care of errands. Some of the other stuff I do may be considered 1950's, but I do these things because we both give and take in the relationship and don't take each other for granted. If I serve my husband first it has nothing to do with being submissive and subservient. I do it out of respect and love for him. He has always loved me and treated me the way I've wanted to be loved and treated.

I never really had a dream guy in mind when I was little other than the standard tall and handsome, but who would have thought the love of my life would come from the opposite side of the continent. H was born in Jordan and moved to the US when he was around 7 years old. He is the baby out of 7 kids. We actually met through a mutual friend dated for almost 2 years and he proposed at the Hotel Monaco in Seattle. He is Muslim and I am Catholic so after a secret ceremony on September 26th (another story), we pledged our love again the next day on September 27th in front of our family and friends. I couldn't have asked for a better wedding. I'll talk all about it in September when our anniversary comes up.

Seeing him with our girls just makes me fall even more in love with him. I can't even describe the feeling. He's such a good father and loves his girls immensely. I thought maybe with this pregnancy he may be more nonchalant about it, but once again he's proved me wrong. He makes sure I'm taking care of myself and protects me. He is not put off by my growing belly and places his hands on it alot to feel the baby move. Best of all he makes me feel beautiful and sexy.

People say marriage is hard work but honestly I haven't felt that way. Maybe because we've always had common goals and enjoy marriage and all that it brings. We love and respect each other but we have our disagreements too. He has his bad habits and I have mine. You have to pick your battles. For instance do I want to yell at him about leaving his stinky work socks in the living room, or should I get on him about not taking the trash out. Ha-ha! He would probably complain about how quick tempered I can be or how these pregnancy hormones make me fly off the handle. 

We've both changed over the years but I still find him as handsome as the day I met him.

We've been through our fair share of life events: A wedding, pregnancies, searching for our perfect house, a miscarriage, career changes. Through it all he's always been supportive and is always so calm and reassures me when I start worrying. As I mentioned before we had a hard time trying to conceive our second (Layla) and I had a miscarriage before her. I actually had my D&C the day before one of her wedding anniversaries and I was devastated. I remember I had to buy a new anniversary card because the one I had already written had the baby mentioned. My heart was broken but H was always strong and knew that we would concieve again one day and not to worry. He never lost hope and sure enough our second blessing came.

I wish I had pictures of Serena as a baby on the computer but this was 2002 when I still used a disposable or polaroid camera. Alot were also accidentally lost. I do have a few baby pictures but more family pictures than anything starting when she was little.

Love him!

Outfits and having fun with matching..

Even though I stay home, I still look forward to the weekends because I get to spend more time with H and I also get extra help with the girls. H has a long drive to and from work so he normally doesn't get home during the week till about 6:45 pm.

On Friday, Layla refused to take her morning nap so we went to the park at about 10:30 am. Came home, Layla napped and hung out till later in the day when we went to my in-laws for dinner.

They thought they were too cool for school with their sunglasses. ;)

Saturday we had a wedding to go to for a friend at the couples house. It was hawaiian themed so they told everybody to come dressed casually. A good thing too, because it was pretty hot! We had a nice time with our friends and Serena got to go swimming in their pool while she was there. She loves going swimming!

Here is what we all wore.

I'm also posting my makeup because I realized that I missed my normal everyday look. I've been experimenting with more makeup lately, and I still think I prefer my normal wear best.

My normal makeup look is:

Revlon Photofinish foundation in nude
Black eyeliner pencil
Eyebrow pencil by MAC
L'Oreal collagen mascara in black
L'Oreal lip gloss in soft muave
NARS orgasm blush
Maybelline age rewind concealer

I also run a teensy bit of black shadow right above my eyeliner. It really helps the eyes pop and makes your lashes appear fuller. I also hardly wear under eye liner. If we are going out somewhere I will apply a really light eyeshadow on my lids and brow bone, go heavier on the blush and really brighten under my eyes by using a lighter foundation and concealer.

Here are Serena and Layla's outfits from Saturday.

We all kind of stayed in the same color scheme of pink, blue and white. Serena was actually dressed first and what I wanted to wear actually matched a little with her outfit. I then picked out Layla's outfit. They never match because of the big age difference, and Serena doesn't let me dress her but occasionally it happens and I like to join in the fun sometimes.

Older pics. Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

That's really all I could find out of my pictures. See! I'm not that bad. However I am having another girl and they will be 16 months apart soooo....;)

Sunday was a lazy day. H went to help his brother's with a project so there was lots of playtime with my girls. We did a puzzle, the girls played in my room, and Serena and I did an at home pedicure.

Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend.

Baby #3..

I could hardly sleep last night. I was so excited about this morning. I woke up about 6:30 am and H followed at about 7:30. We had a friend come over to watch the girl's and drove to the doctor's office holding hands.

I was ushered into the ultrasound room pretty quickly which was nice for a change. I layed down and H put his hand on my shoulder.

On the screen up popped a head, then an arm and a body.

There it was. My baby. The little being that's been kicking me. I fell even more in love, and relief that the baby looked healthy washed over me.

The tech did the measurements and then came the part where she looked to see what we were having. Deep in our hearts we already knew but wondered if we would be pleasantly suprised.

"It's a girl" said the tech. We laughed and said "I knew it".

I'm happy and H is too. I had some mixed feelings as I did want to give my husband a son but this is what we were blessed with and we are grateful.



Got my hair done...

I finally did something about my roots and I also got it trimmed. I saw a friend at her salon and I was very pleased with the results. I normally get my hair highlighted, but we didn't do highlights. I'm not exactly sure how she did it, but it works for me! The only thing I've noticed now is it's pulling a little red as my hair likes to do but hopefully it doesn't change too much more.

I love the way the light makes it shine!

We also trimmed Layla's bangs for the first time at home. She's always pulling her bows out and her bangs keep getting in her eyes, so it was time. Of course I saved her hair.

In other news, t-minus one day till we find out if the girls are getting a baby sister or a baby brother. I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight out of excitement and being anxious. It doesn't matter what gender we are having. I'm just praying for a healthy baby, I haven't seen this baby since I was 7 weeks.

20 Week Baby Bump

• How far along? 20 weeks 2 days....(I took this picture like two days ago but I don't think the bump has changed.
• Total weight gain: I missed my last doctor's appt but I weighed myself the other day and it said 107 so up 8 lbs.
• Maternity clothes? Yes some. I'm also still able to use the hair tie to keep some of my shorts/pants shut, but not all.
• Stretch marks? No
• Sleep: I haven't been sleeping through the night like I was. Some nights I'm waking up at least once.
• Best moment this week: Hmm. Again I just love feeling the baby move and yesterday was a good day with the family. I'm so blessed to have an amazing husband and seeing him with the girls just constantly makes my heart melt.
• Miss Anything? Not too much.
• Movement: Definitely!
• Food cravings: My cravings aren't like they used to. I haven't really had any lately.
• Food aversions: Not much other than still one of my husband's cologne's smell.
• Gender: Not sure yet.
• Labor Signs: No.
• Symptoms: Random pains in my back or stomach.
• Belly Button in or out? In though the top part pokes out a little.
• Wedding rings on or off? On.
• Looking forward to: Finding out what we are having this Thursday!!!!
  
  

I'm so excited. I can't wait! I still have a feeling it's a girl though.

Any guesses?

If it helps, the heartrate has been high, I appear to be carrying the same and the first trimester was a little worse than my other two.

Simple blue & a makeup tutorial..

I used to shop at Forever 21 alot. Like most people I loved the trendy outfits for a low price. About a year ago I stopped shopping there. I just can't find anything I like anymore and I have no patience to go through their messy displays. I do still have quite a few items that have lasted me awhile though. 

Take for instance this top. I wore it when I was pregnant with Layla and now I have a chance to wear it again. It's really really comfortable and long enough to cover my belly till the beginning of the third trimester.

(Please excuse the smudgy mirror..)

You like my house slippers? Hee-hee. I can't stand walking around barefoot in the house. My feet get cold and I don't like picking up any small crumbs.

I also wanted to share this daytime makeup tutorial by Jennifer Stano I found on Youtube. She is gorgeous and has a killer wardrobe. You can find her blog here. Occaisonally I try out some makeup tutorials just to change my look up a little but I usually don't have great success. However I was able to follow along easily with this one and I really liked the way it came out.

The most hilarious photobombs..

If you're anything like me, than you probably have a list of websites you like to visit on a daily website. One of my favorites is Hollybaby by Bonnie Fuller. It's all about celebrity baby bumps, style, and news. Love.

There was a recent post about the best kid photobombs ever. So funny!

It's so funny that I came across this, because I recently had my very own photobomb this past weekend in the car when I wanted a picture of my hair and make-up.

Weekend Recap..

Phew! We had a busy weekend. Well no scratch that, we had a busy Friday and Saturday and I had a lazy Sunday. Friday I took the girls to see the little mermaid performance at the Miller outdoor theater. It was crazy hot! I'm so glad I brought sunscreen, snacks, a blanket to sit on and an umbrella for some shade. The performance was nice and luckily only about an hour long so we weren't baking for too long.

(These pictures are all from my iphone so the quality isn't that great)

Serena happened to snap this picture just as Layla was munching on a cheerio. Oh and something embarrassing to share because I really am having alot of these moments. ;) When I got up at the end of the play, I had this huge sweat stain right where my bump was pushed under my chest. I was also starving at that point and had to desperately try in vain to dry the spot before we walked into a restaurant to eat. 

Ahh..good times..

On Saturday we had two parties to go to. The first one was a 1st birthday party for a good friend of ours. I wasn't able to any pictures but one, but we had fun sharing the day with our friends and catching up. After that party we headed to another party for one of my friend's where again I wasn't able to take many pictures. If you have a toddler, you know how hard it is to really enjoy yourself and relax when you take them to another persons house. I did take a picture of my outfit though. ;)

On Sunday we woke up bright and early at 7:30 am despite wanting to sleep in because that's when Layla's internal alarm clock goes off. I made breakfast for us and then we settled into our Sunday morning routines. In the early afternoon H took the girls to my in-laws to spend time with them. I was pretty tired and my shoulder knots were bothering me so I decided to stay home. It's so strange to have the house to myself! It's really rare for me, so I caught up on some Army wives, ate some ice cream, cleaned, made kafta for my dinner, blogged, and listened to music from my long lost ipod.

I had to snap a picture of Layla before she left (Serena is hardly into taking pictures anymore) because she was being adorable like usual. Still not walking at 13 months but she's getting really close. She will let go of the furniture and take a step or two and she can now stand up on her own without using something to pull herself up.

Splash Pad...scenes from the weekend.

I'm posting these late, but Sunday was my nephew's 7th birthday and it was held at their local splash pad. The girls had a lot of fun though Layla wasn't too fond of being in the water without me or H right next to her in the water. We let Serena hold her for a bit but she was still a little scared. This summer I plan on spending a lot of time at the pool with the girls, so hopefully she starts getting more comfortable in the water. She does love baths though.

Birthday outfit..

Friday June 1st was my birthday and I had such a great evening with H. He really made me feel special and it was a memorable night. Earlier in the morning he told me that he wanted to take me out to eat for dinner so be ready and have the girls ready by 4pm because he was going to get off work early.

Of course I tried on a dozen outfits before I finally found something suitable for this bump. I didn't have alot of options and wished I had gone to the mall and bought something new, but I settled on an old Forever 21 top and my trusty Heidi Klum maternity pants. H got home by 5:00 pm with a beautiful orchid and my mom showed up 30 minutes later. I thought she was going with us, but she was here to watch the girls. It was just going to be me and H. Yay!

First went to an art gallery and we were going to do some shopping at the Galleria but we ran out of time. Traffic had been really bad. So we went to dinner at an amazing steakhouse (so delicious), and it felt just like old times when we used to eat at nice restaurants with no kids. Two men (one who looked like he had juusstt a little two much wine) came over, shook H's hand and congratulated him on my pregnancy lol. There was also a nice girl who stopped me and we talked babies. It was fun.

I only got one picture of H and I dining because it was so dim inside and that one came out super dark, so here are some pics of my outfit I took in the restaurant bathroom.

18 Weeks!

• How far along? 18 weeks.
• Total weight gain: I'm not sure. I haven't weighed myself lately, but I know the weight is coming.
• Maternity clothes? Yes some. I really need a belly band now. The hair tie trick is not working anymore on most pants.
• Stretch marks? No new ones.
• Sleep: It's not as good as it has been. I'm starting to wake up some nights.
• Best moment this week: It's been a great week. I love feeling the baby kick daily.
• Miss Anything? Not too much.
• Movement: Definitely!
• Food cravings: Nothing really stood out this week.
• Food aversions: Not much other than still one of my husband's cologne's smell.
• Gender: Not sure yet.
• Labor Signs: No.
• Symptoms: Random pains in my tailbone, or stomach.
• Belly Button in or out? In
• Wedding rings on or off? On.
• Looking forward to: My Dr's appt on the 7th.