Happy Labor Day

29 weeks and 3 days pregnant....

Wow how time flies! I cannot believe I am already in my third trimester. Time still seems to be going by slow, but fast at the same time. I'm feeling baby Silas moving regularly & luckily during my ultrasound...now I know what the hiccups feel like. He's been head down now so I am constantly feeling him hiccup in my butt. It just feels like I have a strong pulse down there & a weird feeling at that. I'm assuming he's a night person just like me because I feel most of his movements around 10pm, right after I have eaten my dinner & then again early in the morning. I'm not sure if he's been waking me up or not, but sometimes I think he does because I don't normally wake up early.

We finally have our carpeting done so now his room is set up. It is a mixture of a guest bed and the crib. We only live in a 2 bedroom townhome, so space is limited. I made a sign with his name, but that is all I'm doing with his decorating. We might be moving so I feel there is no point on decorating, especially when Silas doesn't care! Hopefully we get our assignment to Hawaii. I would really like to be closer to my family & most of all, I want Silas to be close to his grandparents.

ahhh...only 11 more weeks to go. it's still hard to believe when i say the number...soon it'll be single digits. I hope he's willing to stay in there until 37 weeks atleast. Then I don't mind him coming out..i'm sure I will be so huge I will want him out.

Not doing much for labor day except cleaning...but happy labor day!

Diapers

26 weeks & 1 day pregnant....

To cloth diaper or not?? That has been a question I asked myself since I first saw the ad for cloth diapers in one of my baby magazines I've been receiving in the mail. For months I've been doing the research online and benefits include that it's eco-friendly, it saves TONS of money, and less chemicals for baby. I'm sure there are more benefits but, those are the ones that stuck out for me. I am not against disposable diapers at all, but I wonder why more people wouldn't use cloth diapers, especially because they save so much money. Although there are pros, there are many cons as well..and maybe that's what it is that makes people not want to cloth diaper. This includes, but is not limited to...washing constantly! However, I wash clothes ALL the time & my husband washes his gi in the washer everyday, so maybe I would just be able to sneak in the stinky diapers with his stuff LOL!!

Today I bought 2 different cloth diapers. I bought a fuzzi bunz diaper & the 4.0 Bumgenius diaper. I didn't realize that the Fuzzi Bunz weren't one size fits all like the bumgenius, but I liked the fact that the material in the Fuzzi Bunz was softer and that you can adjust the tightness of the leg area. I'm going to wait until Silas pops out to try both of these and see which one I like before I spend anymore money on diapers. Who knows, I may end up hating cloth diapers! Also, I plan on getting Silas circumsized and would feel more comfortable if he used disposable diapers until he heals, so that'll give me some time as well to figure out what I prefer.

Oh the dilemma...

Artwork

25 weeks & 3 days pregnant

Art

It's funny the type of interests you take on once you get pregnant. I discovered this Japanese artist who lives in Canada and she has some amazing stuff. I wish I could be that creative! Some of these drawings she did while she was pregnant and I find them so beautiful that I'm thinking about buying some. They are different and I like that.

This is one of her many drawings and has her own blog which you can buy her stuff @ http://www.plastiquemonkey.com/

Doctor's Appointment

So I had my doctor's appointment on the 5th of August, measuring 25 weeks. Silas' heartbeat was 140 and sounding wonderful. I just wish instead of "hearing" the heartbeat, I could see it on ultrasound! If I had my own machine, I swear I'd be applying that gel and watch him all day long. I still sometimes cannot believe I have a human being living inside of me. It's pretty amazing.

Crib

I am happy to say we finally have a crib! I've been searching around on craigslist & online @ stores and out of all places, found one at Walmart for $159.00. I wanted a white crib but wanted one that was a convertible crib and for some reason I felt white later on for a boy would be too "girly" looking. I love how white looks so fresh and clean though, but I'm still happy with our espresso colored one. Now I am just waiting to recarpet our bedrooms and will set it up afterwards. The box is just sitting d0wnstairs for me to look at everyday and I'm so impatient I want to set it up and take it apart to take it upstairs, but I'm trying my hardest to wait because most likely my husband will be doing all of the work with building it.

Being half Japanese

I came across this website called http://www.hafujapanese.org/....

These half japanese people are making a documentary on "hafu's" which is wonderful because I am one of them! Please check it out if you are interested and especially if you are half Japanese! Reading some of the interviews on the website made me want to discuss a little about me & my half japanese-ness....

I was raised in the states and also lived 5 years at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, Japan. My mother is Japanese and my father is American (German & Irish). They both met when my father was stationed at Yokota AB many years ago when he first joined the military and he brought her back to the states. I always wondered about the language barrier and how two people can come together even though they may not understand everything. I also sometimes think it would be very hard coming from two completely different cultures and trying to raise a child in one. If you know anything about Japanese culture, I feel they never express their emotion like Americans do, who are very opinionated and say what is on their mind..usually.

As a little girl I was brought up in the states and knew I was half Japanese but as my parents would say....I would tell them I was 100% American and 50% Japanese. I believe that because I lived in the states, I didn't recognize that part of me. I went to school with predominantly white & black people, but they were all military brats just like me so I was never picked on and didn't exactly look "asian" at all.

After elementary school I moved to Yokota AB in Japan and I had never seen so many people that looked like me. It was actually quite intimidating and I honestly felt out of place. Among the Japanese people, I really felt out of place because I was looked at as a foreigner & they often like to stare, possibly wondering where I come from. The base had so many teenagers that were of mixed races & I immediately went to my comfort zone and made friends with "white" people. As a little time went on, I realized that I had more in common with people of mixed race and I could share more experiences that were similar to "those" people. So automatically...i was drawn to them and felt comfortable with the fact that I was half Japanese.

Thank goodness for my experience of living in Japan. Unfortunately my dad got orders back to the states, but I was there at a time when I was a teenager and going through the stage of finding myself. It made me understand my mother a little better in the way she thinks. (She was always a little more strict than my father.) Now as an adult, I've adopted Japanese culture & American culture into my lifestyle. I tried learning speaking Japanese for 7 years and always seem to forget the language. The only thing that has really stuck with me was the hiragana and katakana. I'm also married to Shon who is half Japanese as well & although we share that same culture, we were brought up completely different. The way he views his Japanese side is different...and I feel he is more Japanese than me, but that is just how we grew up. It is nice being able to share some of the same food likings though ;)

Walking around in the states, especially living in Florida, I just look American. If some people are educated or have been around other mixed people, they may notice that I'm "something", but they don't know what. I went to a Thai restaurant one day and I'll never forget that this one lady knew/guessed I was half Japanese. It was amazing! Trust me...you had to be there...I think I almost jumped on the table screaming about how amazing it was.....

So now that I am having a child, he will be half Japanese too! Well, really he will be 50% Japanese, 25% Mexican, & 25% White. He is going to be beautiful, but I want him to experience each culture and have an opportunity to learn more about himself (of course maybe when he gets a little older). Although he is also going to be half Japanese just like my husband and I, he will go through a totally different experience than the both of us. One thing I regret is the fact I do not know any Japanese and would've loved to teach him...but maybe that's what grandparents are for (haha!). One thing I do know is that he is going to have some awesome food and he's already getting a taste for it in his amniotic fluid!!

Silas is eating great!

24 weeks pregnant & 34 1/2 inches & approx 132 lbs

6 months down!!! woohoo! I dont know whether time is going by too fast or not fast enough! I'm measuring 34 1/2 inches but ate tons of food tonight and wouldn't doubt that extra 1/2 inch is coming from the food I ate. Went over to my friend's house and she made Pho, which is a delicious Vietnamese dish I've never attempted to make. She, however, did a wonderful job with the soup & also made spring rolls and cookies that I devoured. I'm really thinking Silas is enjoying the variety of food I'm eating which is consisting of lots of ethnic food & of course the cartons of milk I've been going through! Recently I read that I should be drinking 3- 8oz glasses of milk a day and a study was done showing that mom's that drank lots of milk had larger babies instead of premature babies. Maybe my body naturally knows this and that's why I've been craving milk, but I am no expert...and just purely enjoy the taste of milk in my cereal.

As far as baby goes, he seems to be doing ok...constantly moving & floating around in my amniotic fluid. My husband and I purchased a Graco doppler at Walmart for about $23 and tried that out yesterday. I'm thinking about returning it because I didn't hear a single thing except my own heartbeat and the gas/food in my stomach moving around. The stethescope isn't working either...so I guess I should be patient and wait until my next appointment which is next week. Although I've felt Silas moving around in there, I have yet to actually see my stomach moving. I cannot really explain the feeling when he moves. Sometimes he startles me and makes me say, "OH!" or "AH!" It doesn't feel like gas either, it just feels like a little person in there moving around...because it is! He is already entertaining me and I enjoy every second of it =)

Trip to Pensacola

23 weeks & 6 days...

Fort Walton Beach doesn't have many baby stores. Target and Walmart are the only 2 stores offering anything decent and even those stores don't carry many products in the actual store! They do carry many items online, but I want to touch and feel the things I want to buy for my first born! So, my husband and I drove out to Pensacola today to look for more baby things. They have a Toys 'R Us there, which was even smaller than the usual ones I've seen. After researching for many weeks on what type of carseat or travel system we were going to buy, we've finally decided on the Chicco Miro & will buy the strap 'n go to go along with it.

Although the travel system would've been cheaper, I've read many moms talk about the fact that their options were limited and if the car seat was good, the stroller sucked. Plus, I love the car seat for the fact that it is good until 30 lbs, the ease of putting it in the car, and the design of course. I am still not sure whether or not I will use a sling for the baby, so this will keep my options open as well. Now all I have to do is order this car seat online and it will be about $150.

I'm starting to find out that shopping for baby items is becoming very stressful. Not only is it hard to shop for myself, now I'm on a time crunch and have to buy tons of stuff for Silas (and baby boy stuff is not easy to choose!!) I think I would've had an easier time if I was shopping for girl stuff because I am one & I know what I like. Now I try to shop for things my husband and I will both like...because he is a man of course and has to have "manly" things for our boy. So luckily I found the car seat...WOW a whole blog on a car seat!!! But happy with our choice & I think it's gender friendly =)

Indigestion

23 weeks & 5 days down...17 more to go

Past couple of days I've been sufferring from indigestion. Trust me, it is no fun. No matter what I eat, nothing wants to stay down. I cannot imagine what stomach life is going to be like for the next 17 weeks. Besides indigestion, I've had the energy to make amazing food the past couple of days. For some reason, the past 22 weeks I have not been able to think of anything to cook & often have to ask the hubby for suggestions. However, I have no clue what came over me this week, but I am enjoying thinking of new things to cook & making delicious dinners every night. One awesome thing about pregnancy is that whatever I crave...I have an excuse to eat it THAT DAY without any questions. So Friday I went to Bonefish with a couple of my girlfriends. We all ordered their infamous Bang Bang Shrimp. Now, with my indigestion bothering me...this choice wasn't the best, but it is too good to pass up. Anyway, since then I was craving their shrimp and finally looked up the recipe online. I found out how easy it was to make it & made it on Monday night.

Sauce:

1/2 cup of thai sweet chili sauce (can be found @ walmart)1/2 cup of mayo

add sriracha to taste *picture to the right* a.k.a cock sauce

Shrimp:

1 lb shrimp

cover with cornstarch, egg, and panko crumbs & pan fry in oil

cover cooked shrimp with sauce & sprinkle w/chopped green onions

Now back to pregnancy....I now weigh 131.8 lbs and my belly is measuring 34 inches around. I am constantly hungry! At 8 weeks pregnant I was 121 lbs, so I have gained about 10-11lbs so far. Although I was dying to have a big belly, seeing the weight on the scale go up sucks! I am still working out and doing crossfit, but I scale my workouts down a lot so I don't get too winded. It has been great and I know these exercises will benefit me greatly as my belly gets bigger and when baby Silas comes and wants to be held.