1st Trimester

I completed the first trimester, yay! That was the quickest trimester ever!! haha!! 

Just for fun, here is a similar collage from my first trimester with Hudson.

13 Weeks

On March 5th, I completed the 13th week, which means goodbye 1st trimester and hello 2nd! On February 27th we got our results back from the Panorama test. All the results were excellent and we found out what we are having. I have still been having headaches and I'm still exhausted. My doctor gave me the ok to drink some cafienne to help with the headaches, so on days when I have something important to do, I have been treating myself to my favorite Coffee Bean drink, an Ice Blended Caramel. I have been convinced this week that I am starting to feel little twitches that I think are the baby, but it is so early still that I might be mistaken.

Rachelle's Shower

On March 3rd, I hosted a baby shower for Rachelle with her cousin Ashley and friends, Cori and Natalie. When we had talked about where to host the shower back in December, I made a comment about rain when we considered having it in Rachelle's backyard. Rachelle shrugged and said it never rains in LA so we moved forward with the plans. A few days before the wedding, we got a message from Rachelle that the worst rainstorm in years would be happening the day of her shower! We couldn't believe it! We looked into switching locations, but it was too late so Rachelle ordered a tent and heaters and we hoped for the best. It was quite cold that day (I apologize in advance for my fashion faux pas of wearing nylons, especially with open toed shoes, but I'm pregnant and cold in general these days so I couldn't brave bare legs), but everything still turned out beautiful! In fact, the tent and rain sort of added to the atmosphere. It felt like we were at a Parisian cafe. Here are some of the shower details:

Cori made these adorable cloth banners to hang throughout the tent with cafe lights. She also did a fabulous job with decorating the tables and the flowers! I made a mimosa bar and Ashley's friend completed my vision with a whimsical bebe sign. We served Lemonade salads for lunch and a few quiches. We got macaroons for favors and I made labels for them and wrapped them in ribbon. I made Wishes for Ruby cards to match the invitations that everyone filled out. Rachelle's mother in law, Barbie, got a beautiful cake and cupcakes. I made a Ruby banner to hang over for the desserts. We also set up a photo display of baby pictures from both sides of the family.

We also played a few games. Christine did a game where everyone had to match the French word to the English word. Then we played the how well do you know Rachelle and Bebe game. It was so fun!

We all had such a wonderful day and we can't wait to be with Ruby!

12 Weeks

On February 26th, I hit the 12 Week mark. I weigh 131 pounds (up 7 pounds already!) I am still cold all day, then I get really hot at night. I am also still really tired and emotional. I forgot how much this part of the pregnancy kicks your butt (or maybe it is just kicking mine harder this time because I have the addition of Hudson to take care of). I keep falling asleep really early every night on the couch, which is very unlike me. I've also started getting occassional headaches. That is a new symptom for me as I don't recall ever really having headaches during my pregnancy with Hudson. Overall, though, this pregnancy has been a breeze, so I can't really complain. 

18 Month Appointment

Hudson had his 18 month appointment on February 26th. He weighs 22 pounds and 9 ounces. He says about 80 words now (well that is what I was able to count, it could easily be more). Hudson got a great report all around. He is growing and learning and happy and overall very healthy! 

Disneyland Hotel

On February 23rd, we drove down to the Disneyland Hotel. My dad had a helicopter conference to attend and invited us along to make an event out of it. Nic, Hudson and I checked into the hotel, then went over to California Adventure. We watched the Disney Junior Live show then met up with Sabrina. 

We went on a few rides and met a few characters. The highlight was watching Hud's eyes light p when he met Flik. He has never even seen A Bug's Life, but man, did he Love Flik! It made my heart swell to see how happy he was.

Hudson played in the water with Nic, Nic and Sabrina went on Tower of Terror and Hud and I grabbed a great spot to watch the Pixar Parade. Hudson of course loved it!

My mom and dad met up with us just as the parade was ending. As part of our hotel package, we had fastpass tickets that could be used at any time on any ride, so we of course used them to go on Radiator Racers. Even though this ride is not recommended for pregnant women, I decided it couldn't be riskier than driving on an LA freeway (and had to be smoother than that Lady Bug ride in A Bug's Land that I thankfully chose not to ride) and went on it. I was a bit nervous, but it was so smooth and so fun. It was my one last hurrah! After that, we went over to Disneyland to watch the fireworks, but they were cancelled due to high winds so we watched Fantasmic instead. Hudson seemed to like it and I hadn't seen the show in a really long time, so it was fun to watch. Then we went back to the hotel to listen to A Dream Is A Wish while watching the bed's headboard light up with fireworks.

The next morning, February 24th, Sabrina and Nic had to go to work, my dad went to his conference and my mom, Hudson and I went to the Mickey and Friends character breakfast at the Paradise Pier Hotel. Hudson loved it! He drank out of his fun, twisty straw, he ate specially made allergy free pancakes and he hugged and danced with all his favorite characters!

After breakfast, we went over to Disneyland. We went on Dumbo and the Casey Jr. train before meeting my dad for lunch. After lunch we went on Pirates then got some photos in front of the castle. Hud and I left pretty early because I had a dress fitting, then we had to drive home before rush hour traffic, but we still squeezed a lot of fun in!!

When I asked Hudson what his favorite thing at Disneyland was he answered, "Nonna and Opa" How cute is that?! What a little sweetheart he is.

18 Months

On February 22nd, Hudson turned 18 months old. How is it possible that I have a 1 1/2 year old?!!! He is growing up so fast! He weighs about 22 pounds. Hudson is getting better at independent play now. I caught him sitting and "reading" a book to himself...he was even pulling all of the tabs and opening all the flaps by himself. He drank oranje juice out of a real cup this month. Hudson says please and thank you and for the most part uses them correctly. He loves stacking and can correctly place all his shapes into his shape sorter. He is starting to work out puzzles, even his alphabet puzzle. He loves drawing on his chalkboard although he tests our patience by also trying to draw on other things. Hud said, "I want chalk" this month! I think it was his first 3 word sentence. He recognizes the letter H and points it out every chance he gets. When you ask him to sing his ABC's he sings "AB, AB, AB" over and over again. He slept through the night more regularly this month, that is the first time in forever! While we were up in Mammoth, Hud learned the following words: gondola, snowcat, snowman, tattoo, and oi oi oi (from the Aussie chant). He will repeat most letters of the alphabet. Yellow is Hudson's favorite color and the only one he correctly identifies. He can also say purple, green, red, blue and orange. He says I love you, but it almost sounds like he is saying Oliver. 

Miri's 30th

On February 22nd, we got a babysitter for Hudson and went down to Newport Beach to celebrate Miri's 30th birthday. We took a private yacht out into the harbor. It was such a perfect evening. We got to spend lots of time chatting with friends, enjoying the stunning sunset and we even got to see seals. We had the best night and hope Miri enjoyed her birthday celebration as much as we did. 

11 Weeks

On February 19th, I completed my 11th week of pregnancy. I still weigh 130 pounds (6 pound weight gain). Lately I have been getting the chills and suddenly feeling freezing, then I will get hot flashes and feel like I'm boiling hot. I have definitely been more emotional lately and the exhaustion has hit big time. My doctor and nurse both say exhaustion is totally normal, especially when you consider the fact that I am running around after a 1 1/2 year old who hasn't been sleeping through the nights well, but man it is kicking my butt! It makes me super nervous for my future of trying to handle two little ones!! 

Mammoth

We arrived in Mammoth on Friday, February 14th. To read more about that night you can click here.

On February 15th, Nic went skiing with Sabrina, my dad and the boys. My mom, Hudson and I took the gondola up to meet them at Parallax for lunch. It was a really windy and cold day so it was nice for everyone to take a break and enjoy a delicious lunch together. The highlight was the hot chocolate bar and desserts. 

When it was time to head back down, we found out the Gondola had closed because of the wind so Hud, my mom and I got to ride down the mountain in a snow cat. We even got to sit in the very front with the driver! It was pretty cool!

On Febraury 16th, we played out on the deck in the snow. Hudson tried skiing, we made and threw snowballs (Hudson loved that of course!) and we made a few snowmen. Everyone had a blast. 

That afternoon, Nic and I made sausage rolls for the Olympic party my mom was hosting that night. Everyone that came over picked a country, dressed up and made food from that country. The USA was represented with chili, spinach salad and cookies, Italy brought lasagna and salad, Sweden made ikea meatballs, Australia contributed sausage rolls, Mexico brought a delicious chile souffle, Greece brought spanikopita, Germany brought sauerkraut and sausages and Scotland brought caramel slice. Everyone got really into dressing up and all of the food was delicious! Everyone voted on food and my mom gave out medals in the following categories: Appetizer (we won for our sausage rolls), main course (the swedish meatballs won 1st) and dessert (the caramel slice won). We watched a bunch of Olympic events and cheered on our countries. We had a great time! 

On February 17th, it was time for us to head home. Hud got in a few more moments of play at the hangar before we flew home.