Happy Halloween!

Hope you all are enjoying your Halloween today!  Today I went trick or treating with my family.  I wore my bumblebee costume from last year and it fit perfectly! So comfy! 

My Niece Erin was a Pink Witch

My nephew Jack was Bob the Builder (something that he likes to wear all the time)

My Sis-In-Law Kerry wore an awesome blue wig and took care of Jack's helmut since it was too big for his head.

and My Bro was a typical Met's fan :)

Next year, we'll have fun collecting candy for BGC and I couldn't help but think about costumes.  Actually yesterday my Sis-in-law Sabrina and nieces Skylar and Brenna gave us a costume for BGC for the future.  It's Princess Leia! Totally right up Nelson's alley :) Can't wait to use it! She will probably fit in it when she's around 2-3 years old, depending on how fast she grows!  I have a feeling Nelson will be Yoda or Darth Vader that year. 

So I just did some googling on what types of baby costumes are out there, and here are some funny/cute ones.

this one just makes me chuckle.  Poor flamingo baby!

My favorite by far!

Baby Elvis!

This would be in honor of Nelson, he is a Taco fanatic.

Skunkie!

and last but not least - MJ!!!

We may be changing her name...

to Snow... and it's not because we're hippies :)

You see, the past couple of big celebrations that we've had this year have all ended up being a little comical.  Apparently snowstorms have been the main theme.  First it was my 30th birthday on Dec 26th.   Nelson had planned an elaborate surprise bday party at Foxwoods, Highrollers bowling Alley.

Seeing that it was going to be a major snowstorm in all of the Northeast, Nelson changed the plans last minute and we ended up having a bowling party in a nearby town, which was still a lot of fun.  We ended up driving home from CT that night and it took about 5 1/2 hours.  Very memorable 30th bday and something that I would never want to change.  

Then this weekend, we ended up going to CT for our baby shower.  We would have never have guessed that there would be ANOTHER Northeast snowstorm in OCTOBER.  Saturday, we met up with some friends for a late lunch, and the entire restaurant was empty.  Looking out the window, we saw a winter wonderland. It was extremely surreal and I couldn't believe that it was October.  After lunch, we ended up going to Nelson's brother's house and when we arrived, he and Nicole hopped in our car with her homemade chili to head to Nelson's sister's house because Nate and Nicole lost power. 

Got to Sabrina's house and hung out with the family and their new baby puppy Mojo.  He is so cute! Then maybe an hour later, the lights went out.  Lost power.  Wow! I've never experienced something like this.  So we hung out and had some chili in the dark.  It was fun none the less and we ended up getting a good night's sleep back at Nate and Nicole's. 

In the AM, Nelson and I decided to head to his mom's house to take a shower and get ready.  They have a generator.  Their house was up and running like nothing happened! It was sad though, because their beautiful umbrella tree died from the storm.  :(

We then headed to the shower in Newington, CT at the Portuguese Club.  On our way there, we saw many trees down and lots of towns without electricity.  It was nuts.  When we got to the Club, we were welcomed with a round of applause and we were happy to see familiar faces and happy to hear that everyone was ok.  What was great was that everyone got a chance to get out of their homes to have some warm food and drinks since the majority didn't have electricity.  About an hour later, lights flickered, and power went out.  But that didn't matter! The food was cooked and the company was having a good time.  Again it was something that we will never forget.  A great story that we can tell our little one when she gets out.  She was really spoiled yesterday with lots of love and generous gifts from everyone.  We are blessed to have such a wonderful family and group of friends.  Here are some photos of the shower.  My mother in law, Elaine, did so much planning before and keep in mind that she did this while she was home from work because she had to have BACK surgery! Super Ava indeed! Thank you Ava Elaine!

New Parents to Be!

New Parents with the Grandma's

Nate and Nicole are giving us a trial run with this baby.  They strapped her into the car seat.  She's still in the car seat, hope she's ok :)

Name that baby! Boy, did this game get the competitors out!

What a beautiful cupcake shower cake! Thank you Sweeney's! We have the baby somewhere and won't eat it!

Yawwwwn

 The Sweeney's got us the Turtle hamper and in the hamper was literally a TON of clothes hanging on a laundry line.  It was such a cool idea.

They got us Portuguese outfits, a shamrock outfit, and even an Argentinean onesie! 

This baby will definitely eat well! Thank you Skylar and Brenna for being my helpers!

Are you really my RELATIVES!

My Avo and Ava Spoil Me! 

Hawaiian homemade quilt!

Homemade quilt and bear (not shown) by Linda!

THREE homemade blankets by Athena (1 for each grandparent and 1 for us)

Everything was so lovely and we can't wait to try on all of her little cute outfits! Thank you so much who came yesterday and thank you to the Castro's and family for putting together a great shower! We feel truly blessed and loved!!! 

Now this is going to be interesting...

1 - I'm still feeling sick, so red nose, no makeup, glasses, and messed up hair.

 

2 - It's going to snow about 6-10 inches in CT tomorrow night.  HMMM...

I'm not really all that frazzled about the snow, I just think it's very interesting and ironic that we will have our first snow fall in the FALL AND when I had my bridal shower in NY is was literally right after a snow storm... This Sunday we will be having a Baby Shower with the CT family.   Hmm coincidence much?  Is God trying to say to prepare for a snow baby?  We'll just have to see about that.  

And what's even more ironic is that for my NY bridal shower, I also had a red nose.  Actually it was this red gash thing that came out of no where.  Strange I say...

HOW DO THEY KNOW?

Everyday I get an email from What To Expect.com and other pregnancy sites.  I noticed that they are always sending me stuff related to what I may be going through at the time.  A few weeks ago it was trouble sleeping and this morning, I got this:

Week 32: Feeding a Cold and Flu

How do they KNOW?! Well the article was interesting and luckily I've been following what they've been saying.

"At 32 weeks pregnant, your immune system is suppressed during pregnancy in order to protect your fetus (an outsider) from being rejected by your body. Good for your pregnancy and your baby, not so good for your chances of staying healthy."


Here are other tips:

Comfort yourself: Go ahead and soothe those aches and pains the old-fashioned way: Chicken soup for the soul, sinuses, and throat, as well as any foods that make you feel better inside and out. Scrambled eggs, applesauce, hot oatmeal, English muffins, plain pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes are all comforting to you and good for your baby. If it's a stomach bug that's bugging you, start out slowly and think bland, bland, bland (this is the one time when white — as in bread, pasta, and rice — beats whole grain). Stay away from fat in all its forms (have that toast dry, that pasta unbuttered), as well as sugar (which can prolong diarrhea). And don't forget to revisit your old morning sickness pal, ginger, which works just as well when your nausea's triggered by a virus.

Drink up: In the short term, liquids are more important than solids — especially if you're losing them through a fever, a runny nose, vomiting, or diarrhea. Aim for at least one cup an hour, and though any liquid you can get down is better than no liquid, opt for nutritious fluids when possible (chicken broth pureed with well-cooked vegetables, juices, smoothies). Hot beverages will definitely soothe a sore throat, so keep a thermos filled with broth, hot decaffeinated tea, or diluted warm juice  near your bedside. If your tummy's tumbling, consider sucking on ice chips, Popsicles, or rehydration fluid (such as Pedialyte).

See C: Vitamin C is nature's most potent healer, so lay it on yourself in the form of C-rich fruits, vegetables, and juices (but not supplements, unless your practitioner has recommended them). If your tummy's too tender to visit the citrus family, turn to less acidic choices (a mango or papaya, cantaloupe or honeydew, white grape juice that's C fortified). And speaking of vitamins — try to keep up with your one-a-day prenatal habit, but if you can't keep it down, don't worry. You can play nutrient catch-up once you're feeling better.

Go easy: If acidic foods are doing a number on your sore throat or tender tummy, stick to foods that won't cause more irritation. Puree the soup, thin out your hot cereals, and dilute juices for maximum comfort.

Get milk: Don't shelve milk during your cold just because you've heard it's a mucus maker — research has yet to back up that myth. If it seems to make your symptoms (whatever they are) worse, find other sources of calcium to tide you over. But if it doesn't bother you, go ahead and drink up.

Eat smart: Stop colds before they even start — up your intake of fruits and veggies. Studies show that eating at least seven servings of fruits and veggies a day during your pregnancy lowers your risk of developing upper respiratory infections like colds and sinus infections. And don't stop at seven — the Pregnancy Diet recommends nine servings.

OFF TO WORK, thank goodness it's Friday.  I'm feeling better, but not 100%.  It's hard to knock this out of my system.  I can really tell that my immune system is not what it was before pregnancy.  As long as BGC is healthy, I'm happy, stuffy, but happy :)

I'm not superwoman...

I'm still sick, thought I was feeling better yesterday but then towards the end of the day it hit me hard.  The positive - baby girl doesn't feel sick, I'm just taking it for the team.  I got up this morning, took a shower, and then realized that I just couldn't see myself get in the car and drive.  So I waved the white flag and called out.  I don't like calling out because for 1 - I feel guilty because my student appointments are either cancelled or someone else has to cover them and 2 - it's something out of my control and the only thing I can do is wait and rest, both of which can be very boring.  I know it could be worse, so I'll stop my complaining :)

Here's my kitchen counter for today (minus the tissues)

My mocktail is a combination of OJ and Pomegranate juice. Yummy.  My mom will be bringing me soup later today but I have a reserve just in case! I also feel like I'm a VAPORUB junkie, I can't get enough of it.  I put it in steaming water and I breath it in, feels good but can be intense.

Oh and I've been doing the Neti Pot...

except that I don't wear an elf hat and ears.  I don't really enjoy doing it.  I dislike having any water going up through my nose.  So much so that I wear a noseplug when I go swimming.  Dorky I know, but it's just this thing that I can't get over.  So when I tried it the other night, Nelson chuckled at me when I finally got it to work.  At first it was difficult because I was pretty much swallowing the salt water.  Felt gross.  

On a pregnancy note, last night I went to a breast-feeding class.  It was very interesting but it was hard to take it all in since I wasn't feeling all that great.  I'm excited to breastfeed and I think it's amazing that the baby can learn on their own within an hour of birth.  Skin to Skin contact directly after birth is the most ideal way to get the baby familiarized with latching.  Within an hour, the baby goes through 8 stages: from birth cry, relaxing, crawling, to finally suckling.  The video was amazing to see how the baby just knows how to do it.  It's just like when animals give birth, it's all instinctual.   So hopefully BGC and I will get to experience what they call "The Magical Hour!" 

Ok time for my grapefruit! Ta Ta for now!

Colds are never fun, but even more so when you are preggers!

The past couple of nights I've been waking up congested, sore throat due to post nasal drip, and a darn headache.  I'm a little sick, not drastic, but still enough that I can't think straight and my whole head is cloudy and pounding.  I'm fine but it's just very annoying that I can't take a Tylenol cold to help with the stuffiness, heavy head feeling.  I did take tylenol this AM and a few hours ago, so hopefully that will help with the headache.

The doc said I can take Tussin DM and do the Neti pot.  So far, I'm trying to see if I can just deal with the traditional "stick your head in some steam method."  It feels good but then the congestion just likes to creep back in. BOO! ok enough complaining!

I'm gonna go sniff on some more Vapo Rub!

My Pregnancy Bear

I wrote about this a while ago when talking about my nighttime sleep ritual.  I have a little stuffed Met's bear that I sleep with every night.  I usually tuck him under my arm and he keeps me cozy.  I never have been one to sleep with stuffed animals and I know it may sound weird but he's been with me throughout the pregnancy so I need to keep him around.

Yesterday, my brother, father and Nelson worked VERY hard on the house.  They replaced two doors upstairs and took out the nursery closet's door.  When I got home (at about 730pm) Nelson was still hard at work and he was covered with dust.  Poor guy.  Needless to say our bedroom and hallway was a dust-ball and we cleaned up shop quickly.  We needed to replace all of our bedding as well just in case there was dust.  SO, I also had to give up teddy for the night.  :(  Nelson threw him in the wash and when I was leaving this morning to go to work, he was hanging out to dry:

He looks pretty happy now since he's all clean, but he's nakey!

This morning I realized, thanks to the radio, that in 2 months it will be Christmas Eve.  This is sort of freaking me out.  And it doesn't help when I get emails about Christmas shopping and clothes...

 Yes this is cute, but it's a reminder that we have 9 weeks til we have a little lady coming into this world.  There's this mental checklist that I have in my head ranging from what to pack for the hospital, to what food to have in the freezer before all havoc breaks loose.  Well one thing is for sure, is that we have a wonderful support system of family and friends, so I guess I just have to take a chill pill and know that everything will be peachy keen!


Oh and today BGC has decided to kick me right under my right set up ribs during the day.  I've been catching myself saying, "Dude! Seriously?!" Always with a smile on my face of course, but I never say dude, so it's a little strange to hear me say that. 

31 weeks! Working on a Sunday!

Today I have to go to work an open house at Hofstra but it's only a few hours and I really don't mind getting out of the house.  My bro and pops are over here helping Nelson with replacing door frames and other manly stuff, so getting out of the house is AOK with me :) They are working too!

This shirt is so comfy. My mom got it for me at Motherhood maternity and it's perfect for this cool, fall weather.  Thanks Mom!  My pops took this photo so we were having a little photo shoot.  He even got in on the fun!

His belly is not as big and he looks like he's ready to work or break into someone's house/car with the crow bar.  He's actually removing the molding in the nursery.  What's the string for?  Not sure.  He loves having string around.  You never know when you need to tie some stuff up!

Yesterday our friend Mike came over to jam with Nelson (guitar).  It was nice seeing him and also good for Nelson to get a break from working on the house.  Mike is really a funny guy.  He looked at this clock:

And he really thought that it was a countdown clock for the deficit to become balanced, you know bc us Castro's are "crazy liberal" according to him.  He then realized that it was a baby countdown clock. 

We couldn't stop laughing!

Hope you have a lovely Sunday! 

Sorry just had to...

post again... How cute are these?

Oh Friday Night!

How I love thee!!!!

I'm tired! Today we had our Communication Career Fair at Hofstra which is always fun.  Love seeing all the students dressed up ready to go!  I'm usually always pooped after a career fair since I chat it up to many employers, students, and faculty.  It takes a lot of energy to be "on." But it was a great turn out and I'm now so happy to be home in my pj's on my couch, writing on blogger. :)

Oh! Some fun news! I never ever win ANYTHING.  Yesterday at the prenatal yoga class, there was a raffle for a free 30 minute prenatal massage.

And guess who the lucky winner was?  YAY! Me! So of course I'm paying to add on an extra 30 minutes for a full hour. I would be a fool not to :) Next Saturday, Nelson and I are both scheduled to get a massage at our friend's Massage Envy in CT and then 2 weeks later I'll get another one at my Prenatal Yoga place.  It's an awesome yoga/massage/meditation center in Franklin Square, NY - https://www.facebook.com/KashmirHands?sk=info - Like them on facebook!
I love the instructor Dina, amazing!

So today after the Comm fair, I went to Trader Joe's to stock up on veggies and fruit and I could not help but to buy this:

Brussel Sprouts! Who wouldn't want to buy this cute brussel tree? 

Nelson thinks we can use it as a weapon too! Watch out! 

After Trader Joe's I went to visit my mom, pop, my brother Jeff and Kerry and my niece and nephew (Erin and Jack).  It was nice to hang out with the fam.  My father was able to hear baby girl's heartbeat through a stethoscope so that was fun.  It's very faint to hear but awesome nonetheless.

Ok now we get to watch some Dexter! I'll probably fall asleep during it, but that's OK!  Have a great Friday night!

Turn Your Speakers Up to Hear the Best Sound Ever!!!

If you can't see the video in your email, log on to the blog to check it out.

Today we had our 30 week check up with the scan to make sure she's growing at the right rate.  Well guess what folks, we have a healthy baby on our hands.  She weighs 3lbs 6oz so far and she is in the 48 percentile, so she's normal! yay! She's at a perfect weight, has a perfect heart and really long legs according to the technician.  I think she gets that from her mommy :)

She's also head down, way to go baby girl!  Oh and I also asked the technician "She's still a girl? She didn't grow anything since we last met?" "Yep, still a girl!" LOL I wonder if she realized that I didn't believe her from the last time.

The technician tried her best to get a good profile shot with the 3D image, but Baby girl's face was just pushed against my uterus.  She takes that after her dad.  I can see Nelson pushing his own face against a window so his face is all smooshed.  She's a funny one! The 3D image video above is a little freaky.  Reminds me of halloween because of the coloring!

The Dr said that I just have to WATCH MY WEIGHT because she's at a perfect weight right now and we don't want a big baby for delivery.  So with that being said, I will try my best to limit the extra chocolate I've been inhaling! :) I also am slightly anemic, so he gave me a prescription for some IRON.  But all in all, we are doing well! Thank goodness :)

OH and according to the scan, she's due on Dec 25th NOW! Let's just see if she proves them right! We both just want a healthy baby girl, so she can show up whenever she wants (but after 37 weeks please!) :)

Spinning Buddies!

So every Tuesday after work, I've been trying to go to Spinning class.  Last month I had a few Tuesday night commitments so I didn't have much of an opportunity to spin it up.  So now since my schedule has freed up a bit, Tuesdays are spinning nights.  And I have a buddy!

Joe, on the right, works with me at The Career Center.  He's been my photographer at work for the majority of photos and if it's not him, it's Deanna.  :)  I have to say that he took a somewhat flattering photo of me here.  I don't look pregnant.  When you take it from up above, you always look better! :) 

He's also my office neighbor and we started work on the same day together, so needless to say we get along well! He's very sweet during spinning class, because if I slow down or just sit instead of stand during a "climb," he looks over and asks me if I'm ok. His mama raised him well.

I noticed that tonight's class my HR went up a lot easier than previous classes, so I had to adjust my resistance and slow it down.  During our "climbs," I envisioned me going through labor, especially since I was huffing and puffing.  I can even see myself in the actual hospital gown.  And what really clicked for me was when the spin instructor said these words:

"Push through it."

"You came this far, dont give up."

"You need to earn your recovery."

No matter how tired I am during spinning, those encouraging words help me get through it.  And when she was motivating us, I pictured myself getting through labor/delivery the same way.  Encouraging words are absolutely necessary during the "marathon." I know that I have the best partner for that (speaking to you, Nelson).  So in the end, I'm actually looking forward to labor.  I'm excited because I have to "earn my recovery." And you know what my recovery is, looking at BGC's beautiful eyes.  Night Night!  We get to see our Baby Girl tomorrow! Will update you then! 

If it wasn't for Mars Volta and the Red Hot Chili Peppers...

...things may be a little different these days!

Five years ago Nelson and I went to a Red Hot Chili Pepper Concert.  Mars Volta, a really loud and noise clanging type of band opened up for the Peppers.  We both didn't particularly like them, and in order for us to "live" through the noise, we held each others hand.  From that moment on, we were both hooked to each other (well I'll speak for myself) but since we never really had an official anniversary, we decided later on that October 17, 2006 was our special day. 

So today's blog post is dedicated to the wonderful man that I call my husband and will soon be called Daddy (well we actually started calling him daddy).  He's been amazing throughout this whole pregnancy journey.   He's made my pregnancy easier and easier each day with the amount of support he's provided.  Ok ok, enough of the mushy stuff, but had to say that I'm so happy that we went to see that awful bad Mars Volta.  The Chili Peppers were pretty awesome and put on a great show.  And the rest was history!!! 

Here are some old school photos of the future parents from 2006...

30 WEEKS!!!! Wahooo!!!

So I'm pregnant at age 30, just reached the start of my 30th week, AND after weighing myself this morning, I reached the 30 lb mark.  I was debating whether or not I should reveal that, but heck, I've been trying my best to keep up with eating healthy (minus the chocolate/pizza) and exercising.  So it could be A LOT worse!

This upcoming week is going to be a very exciting one.  Wednesday morning we get to see our little girl again on the big screen :)

Speaking of big screen, did anyone watch SNL last night?  We were very lucky that a friend was able to offer us tickets last minute.  Seeing that we need to "live it up" as much as we can, we of course accepted :) As most of you know, I worked at NBC so it was awesome seeing some good friends last night that I haven't seen in a while.  The subject of the evening, "I'm expecting." "Oh I can see."  I never realized how strange it is for people to just stare at your belly.  It's kind of uncomfortable.

So the highlight of the evening... We were going into the main area where the audience sits, then the seating director took us down to the stage level.  I was not expecting that at all and what's funny is that I never had the opportunity to sit on the stage level before since I worked there.  Nelson had the royal treatment when we were dating and got to sit there before, so it was certainly a treat for me.  And the best part....

Only Nelson! He got his head on tv, lol.  It was so funny to watch this.  The host was Anna Faris and the musical guest was Drake.  During the musical performance, I felt BGC moving so I think she either was dancing around or was woken up by the loud music.  I'm happy that I can check off the list that Baby Girl Castro has been to SNL in utero.  All in all it was a fun evening.  

Today I feel it though! Getting to bed at almost 3am did me in and I feel like I'm hungover.  So I'm just taking it easy today and cooking little things here and there.  

Hope you all have a fantastic week! 

~ Soon to be parents in 10 weeks