Life in the new year...and years past.

Well, it is 2011 and I can hardly believe how fast time is going.  Happy New Year to all of you! Much love from the country.

It's been weeks since I have blogged, for one simple reason: I am pregnant.  There is nothing wrong with me, but I have found that carrying around a human being inside you tends to slow you down some.  I am used to multitasking, but I am growing larger and clumsier by the day so my attention needs to be more focused on what I do, therefore making me cut  down on what I do.  It's a well known biological fact that pregnant ladies tend to get clumsier in their last trimester.  Those who know me know this is a problem for I am blind and have always been clumsy.  And so, nature has told me to slow down, which means I have not done all the usual things I do around the holidays.

For instance, if you did not receive a holiday card from me, you were not the only  one.  I didn't send any this year.  I never actually got around to buying them and addressing them was more than I could manage.  I'm sorry.  I am sure next year you will get one with an adorable picture of Sofia that you won't know what to do with once the holidays are over.


Michael and I finished our labor and delivery classes.  I feel it was well worth the time and energy, just because it gave Michael the opportunity to interact with other dads to be, and to put himself in that position mentally of what going through labor will be like.  We also got to hear all about options we will be given at the hospital, with an opportunity to ask a lot of questions which without a doubt will help us later.  Michael did remarkably well.  He was always a model student so in a classroom environment he always excels.  He changed the doll's diaper, bathed her, and practiced swaddling and everything else.  We will see how he does it later when the baby is made of skin and bone and not plastic.  The only hiccup was when he did a choke hold on the baby doll when the teacher said "Let's talk about choking".  Not what she meant, but that's my Michael. 

We also went to see the doctor this week for our 30 week appointment.  That's right folks, we are ten weeks away from baby!  It was interesting for many reasons.  For one, I had all kinds of questions about the changes I have been experiencing lately, all of which my doctor responded with "perfectly normal".  He is usually very optimistic, and I leave the office feeling pretty and healthy and good about what's to come.  Not so much this time.  
Lisa: "I've been having a lot of pain in my hips lately"
Dr.: "The pain in your hips has not begun yet. It will get much worse".


Lisa: "I've been having shooting pains in my abdomen.  Sometimes the feel like they are coming up from my groin and I feel it sharply all over the belly, then it goes away"
Dr.: "Yeah, also normal.  You know what that is?  That's the pain of bone hitting bone when the baby moves. 'Shooting pain' and 'pregnancy" go hand in hand towards the end."


Um... Thanks for not sugar coating it doc.  He says I am doing remarkably well, I look great, and life in my womb is very good.  He also gave me a 3d ultrasound.


We learned several things from this ultrasound.  For one my belly is awfully crowded with a lot of gunk.  Also, we are definitely having a girl, as indicated by the 3d image of her girl parts we saw on the screen.  And last but not least the Ayala-Sanchez genes are very powerful stuff.


Now, I have always suspected that she would look like me, just by looking at my three nieces.  They are all improved versions of their Titi Lisa, gorgeous babies who have grown up to be a gorgeous woman in Linda's case, a gorgeous young lady in Andrea's case, and a gorgeous little girl in Camila's.  I know, I know, everyone thinks their nieces are gorgeous, it's human nature.  But those of you who have met mine know I am telling the truth.  The girls could be models, they are that beautiful.  They have actually modeled some, all of them.  Not that I approve- I believe they should focus on their inner beauty and intellect more than their appearance, but that is a subject for another blog.  


The point is this, at 30 weeks in the womb the doctor said "Sorry buddy, this baby looks to be all mama.  Maybe your next one will look like you."  Of course, all my nieces show traits from the other side of the gene pool.  In some pictures Linda looks just like Sonia, and both Andrea and Camila show some of Mayra in them.  But, I am going to show you the baby pics of all of us in support of my theory that my family genes are STRONG.  Ready?

Baby Country Rican
 This is me, sometime in 1974.  Adorable little creature, aren't I? I can say this because I get no credit for this.  My mami and papi gave me good looks, it is all biology. Notice all the dark hair and the big cheeks, for you will see them again, and again, and again, and again.  


God I was cute!


Here is my oldest niece Linda sometimes in 1988:
Linda was my first baby girl.


What did I say about the hair and the cheeks?  I was 14 when Linda was born, and when my brother arrived home from the hospital that night the first thing he said was "La misma Lisa" (she's the same as Lisa).  Titi


I give you my brother Lucho's first born, Andrea in the year 2000:
Andrea holds the biggest cheeks record.
Now, Andrea is also the one that has the most Asian looking eyes, a trait that runs in the family and that her daddy has as well.  All of us have slightly slanted eyes, but Andrea's are the most pronounced.  This makes her even prettier (if possible), it gives her a different look.


Last but not least is my baby niece Camila, born in late 2004:
Deja vu huh? It's Camila, trust me.


Um, yeah.  Her cheeks look bigger than Andrea's here, but trust me Andrea took the trophy later on.  Do you see the family resemblance? I know some of you are bored with my love letter to my nieces, but it is my blog, so tough!


OK, so there you have it.  Those are the Ayala girls as babies.  But wait, you say there is another little girl coming?  Yes, there is. Now I have a few pics from the womb to show you.  She is only 30 weeks so she is not fully cooked yet.  However, you can already see the big cheeks and the nose and the lips.  Unfortunately, we could not get a full shot of her face due to the umbilical cord getting in the way, and all the other gunk.  I have cropped it so that it is not a huge mess.  I am sure my doctor will give me another ultrasound closer to my due date, where hopefully we can see more.  

But, here is Sofia 2/3 of the way cooked:
Kind of a sideways view


My pregnancy books say that it is in the third trimester that baby starts to accumulate fat on her body.  So this is her STARTING to put fat on...yeah.  I think she might break Andrea's cheek record.



Here's another one, and yes, that is my nose:
Is it my imagination, or does she have a double chin already?   
I can only guess that at birth she will have a full head or hair, and will weigh at least 8 lbs.  Biology is hard to argue with.  Now, we can hope that her hair is not too straight, Michael has a nice wave to his hair (even if he does not like it)  I have been wishing she would have Michael's eyes - because they are gorgeous.  One can hope she will inherit his math skills and not mine.  All this is just in great fun, because really, all we hope for is a healthy baby, ten fingers, ten toes, etc. But the beauty and the intelligence would be nice too...


That's all I have for now.  From our growing family to yours, I hope 2011 brings you all that your heart desires.

Comments

  1. Beautiful photos! The one of Andrea did not come through for me to view though. However, the ultrasound looks like your baby photo and your other two niece's photos. Unbelievable! Little Sofia is going to be a 'Little Lisa'!!! A beautiful 'lil Lisa:) Happy New Year!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous is your friend, Sandy! Sorry, it was the only way to post! Love you dear!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. All the baby girl photos look SO SIMILAR - you do have a strong gene pool that lil' Sofia is coming from:) I am so excited to meet her!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I love my mommy!

Last pregnancy update

Barefoot and pregnant