Home Stretch!

Time is flying by so fast these days. Christmas came and went. We are heading into New Years and into the home stretch with this pregnancy! It's crazy how completely difference this pregnancy is. I know he is a boy this time, but man, complete 360. Jan 16th seems like FOREVERRRRR away but it's just a little over 2 weeks away now. That's the day my C-section is scheduled. If Jack comes earlier then that I will be so happy, but at this point it's just a waiting game.
Over the last two weeks I came down with a pretty nasty head cold. Not to mention a really bad ear infection. I've never had an ear infection before and it's not fun. Not only am I 9 months pregnant but not being able to hear out of my ear has made life a lot harder to deal with in the last two weeks. I'm pretty sure I told Victor the other night that I would take another 9 months of pregnancy over another ear infection! That says a LOT! Losing complete hearing out of one ear has been a big pain. If you were to whisper in my ear I couldn't hear you, but every noise in the house echo's loudly in it at the same time. Makes no sense to me what so ever! But sitting in a restaurant with all the people talking or just in the house with the TV on, people talking and dogs barking. It all echo's in my ear a million times louder than normal. Super fun!
Last week when I saw my OB I was a wreck. Physically, emotionally. I was still working and training a temp under so much stress at work. My ankles and hands were unbelievably swollen. I was hacking up a lung and my nose was running out of control! One look at me last week and she told me I was to be off of work that day and on bed rest. I'm pretty sure I broke down crying in her office because I was so relived to be done with it all! Physically I was so tired and hurting. Emotionally I was going crazy. It's amazing to me what these hormones do to you.
This week I went into my OB and she was amazed at how much better I looked, felt and I wasn't crying. Haha. She's got to put up with pregnant women all day, I'm sure she is used to it. The week has been a lot of sitting on the couch, laying in bed, resting. Just what the doctor ordered. I still have the ear infection this week, but apparently with some more antibiotics it should go away soon. I'm not nearly as  congested as I was. My cough has mostly gone away but not completely yet. I'm still trying to rest. I get so bored though! I'm crazy, I know, I just can't sit and watch TV all day and lay on the couch. It just doesn't work well for me. I want to pull my hair out by 5pm. Out walking around doesn't work so well these days. I can't go for more then 10 minutes without needing to sit down. Even standing in the kitchen making dinner is so hard on my back! SOOO ready for Jack to just get out of me already!! Come on little "big" guy. Bust out already!

Christmas

Over Christmas we had so much going on and we were able to come out with lots of great pictures. Spite how horrible I feel and how bloated pregnant I look. We meet up with my sister who has the best camera ever, in Riverside to take some family pictures! 

 These girls love each other so much and always have so much fun together!

Despite one of my cousins passing away right before our Harp Christmas get together it was nice to see everyone. It was a tough week for everyone and a hard day to get through, but we did. This is the first year without my Aunt Jan too, which I know was weighing on everyone's mind. Gotta love my big crazy family though.

Some perks of Victor working at a fancy hotel this year were there Christmas parties they had! The first night Victor and I got dressed up and hang out at the hotel playing black jack, open bar, dance floor, nice dinner. Can't wait to take full advantage of that next year. Then on Sunday morning they had a pancake breakfast with Santa! It was pretty cool and Alana got to sit on Santa's lap and tell him everything she wanted for Christmas!

Christmas Eve morning we spent with my family. It's been several years since my sister was in town for Christmas so that was nice. Since my mom has died, they escape for every holiday they can. It was nice to spend time with everyone that morning and have breakfast. That night we went over to Victor's mom's house and had some awesome tamales and opened presents with them. I have to say, it was a great day full of family and love! 

Our house got decorated with all the trimmings, well at least the inside did. I didn't have the drive this year to do any of it, so at least some of it got done. Every one of our neighbors had lights up on the outside of their house and so Alana was really sad we didn't decorate with lights on the outside this year. But I told her next year we would. Christmas eve we left the tree lights on and it was amazing the memories it brought back for me. I was in bed looking down the hall at the shadow of the lights and it just reminded me of when I was little. I could always see the shadow of the lights in our room down the hall as we laid awake waiting to hear Santa come. Every year my sisters and I would sneak out to see what santa brought us and at a decent hour... 6am too early? We would send my little sister into my parents room to wake them and tell them what she got from Santa. Those were the days!

Catching up

It's been awhile, I've got lots to catch up on, so I'm sorry for the photo dump and short stories, some of these deserve their own blogs but as of right now aren't getting them. The last few months have been so busy and full of parties and things to get done!

My sweet little Lexie turned 4!



Alana and I went to Krispy Cremes and I showed her how donuts are made! She had a great time and loved her hat! I remember taking my mom to the first to open many many moons ago!

 


Alana was Jasmin for Halloween by day and Minnie Mouse by night.



FINALLY a Miguel's Jr. opened in Costa Mesa, not to far from my work, so of course I was there for both soft opening days and go about once a week now! AMAZING to have one this close. Although I don't get out to Corona as much now.

Halloween came and went! We took Alana to the pumpkin patch and she played some of the games.



 

Jack and I voted! And WON!



My beautiful God Daughter Kali turned 6 and had the coolest Girls Rock birthday party!

Chrissy always goes all out with decorations! She is pretty amazing!

Complete with tutu's she made. Wardrobe, hair, makeup and glitter tattoo's!



We got a box UPS with Jack's bedding in it from my aunt and Alana decided she was going to live in the box for the next week! She drew and colored on every inch of it! From practicing her ABC's to drawing pictures! Artist at heart!

I did my first load of Jack's laundry!



Alana helped me make meatballs for some yummy meatball sandwiches!! This girl is the BEST helper a mommy could ever, ever have! She helps me fold the laundry, clean everything, cook, you name it, she wants to help!