13 Weeks Pregnant Picture

This week has been a hectic week. We are in the process of moving so we have had very little time on our hands and somehow this week got away from me and I was not able to take a proper 13 week pregnancy picture with the updates. I do think I feel smaller this week, maybe less water retention. 

Here are some mirror photos after first waking up.  I feel the need to explain the messy background (for the 4th time)...there are boxes in the background, a missing bedskirt, & everything under the bed is being pulled out because we are moving back up to Orange County. 

 These pictures were taken at 13 weeks and 6 days pregnant. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, again. I took these shortly after waking up so the bump is looking quite small, which I do not mind considering it grows about 3x that throughout the day. 

My two lines on the sides of my abs are slowly dissipating and my obliques are fading away as well...I still get surprised every morning when I am like, whose body is this?! Zack always has to remind me...hey crazy you're pregnant. I am getting so excited for a rounded bump!

How far along: I am 13 weeks and 6 days along in these pictures!

Symptoms: Not getting that tired until around 9PM. This is a big difference compared to the 5PM bedtime I was having in the first trimester. I am feeling lightheaded if I do not eat often. I had an entire week without any morning sickness and now I have thrown up 5 times and never threw up in the first trimester...I think it is because I am not eating as often because I haven't been as hungry as I was in the first trimester. 

Cravings:  I am definitely loving citrus fruits and if someone mentions steak I am all in...but I don't have cravings on my own. Just if something is mentioned for a meal it will either sound delicious and I will have to have it or it will sound awful and I will hate whoever suggested it. I did have a moment either this week or last where Zack and I were done packing up our place for the night and we wanted to unwind with some "Orange is the New Black" on the couch and I couldn't do it without popcorn. So we had to go to the store and get popcorn so I could dip it in mustard (not abnormal, I did it before pregnancy). 

Aversions: I am trying to come around to cooking my own meat. I came as far as wandering over to the meat section in the grocery store and picked out thin chicken breasts. They are currently in the fridge waiting for me to either come around and cook them up or freeze them for a later day. I haven't had many aversions this week or last week so that's good! 

Wedding rings: On

Sleep: I don't think I took a single nap this week, YAY MORE ENERGY!

Excited for: Confirming the gender of our little one in June. We know the sex but we are waiting to confirm it!

Missing: Working out hard, with summer coming up I am missing feeling tight and toned...but nothing else really, I am getting excited for what is to come! I feel like everything is going so quickly now that I just want to cherish it all.

 
Movement: None

Dr. update: We see him in June to confirm the gender!

Exercise: I am still doing my best to be active everyday. Like I have said, it isn't that hard to just get out there and walk when you have a massive dog that is staring at you remind you it is time for a walk haha. I will still do light weights and go to the gym and try to incorporate a HIIT workout. Doctor still wants my heart rate around 150BPM so it is limiting, but being active is still one of my priorities. 

Well that's that for week 13...I am already into week 14 so there should be an update for that soon and some other posts in the mean time. I have just not been posting as much because we have been so busy packing up our place and taking trips to and from San Clemente to bring everything up there. We should be out of our place in June so that's what the next few weeks look like for us!

XOXO

 Sydney

My Everyday Make-up Go-To's

Here are a few of my favorite go-to make up products! If I have to be somewhere and I am heading out the door these are the things that I always have in my make-up bag to help complete my look quickly. These are things that I have used for years and consistently, so they are my never-fail products. You can't go wrong with any of these!

1. Mac Pro Longwear Concealer- I wear shades NC20-25 and NW20-25. I probably need to get a few darker shades because I am getting fairly tan each day just being outside. I use the NW20-25 under my eyes and the NC20-25 to cancel out any redness and brighten certain areas on my face. 

2. Nivea Lip Butter- I have the scent carmel cream. I have multiple lip products from them and I always apply it to my lips before I apply any lip product because I like my lips to be smooth and not all cracked. This one smells like candy and deliciousness so it is one of my favorites to use everyday.

3. Anastasia Brow Wiz- I use the shade soft brown. I never fill in the whole brow I just fill in sparse areas if I have any. I haven't gotten my eyebrows done since I was married over a year ago so this always helps to even things out on days where I need it. I also think by doing your eyebrows it makes you look more awake and ready to go!

4. Loreal Voluminous Mascara- I use this mascara for my everyday make-up looks and even when I am doing a little bit fancier make-up. Having been in school for 4 years I just couldn't justify buying my favorite Diorshow Iconic Mascara (MY ALL TIME FAVORITE). So instead I get my cheap fix using the Loreal Voluminous mascara in carbon black. IT IS SO BLACK. It doesn't leave that gray cast that some mascaras can have leaving you with even duller lashes. I will be picking up my favorite Diorshow Iconic Mascara soon though (I'm having withdrawals).

5. Beauty Blender- If you are in the need of something to apply your make-up quickly, this is it. I use it everyday for that reason. It cuts the amount of time applying foundation or concealer in half. I have loved my beauty blenders for a very long time now and I am never without them. It is amazing.

6. Tarte Cosmetics LipSurgence Matte- I have loved this product for years and years now, I can't even tell you how many years....I think since the week it came out I have had it. It is my best friend. I have the shade 'Exposed'. I love the other shades as well and have been meaning to get my hands on them, but I have this one always because it is the same shade as my lips naturally, just slightly deeper so it emphasizes my natural lips. When I do an everyday look I rarely use a heavy lip product, I use this amazing peppermint scented stick of gorgeousness. 

XOXO

Sydney

12 Weeks Pregnant Picture

Okay so this week I am feeling significantly LESS bloated. My 11 week picture is just concerning...my face was bloated, my arms were bloated, my belly, everything. I felt like a walking water balloon. Yes, I do feel bloated this week, but far less than I did last week. Last week I just felt like a giant water balloon.

Of course I waited until late afternoon to take my 12 week picture, one of the things I told myself I wasn't going to do. Another thing I failed to do this week was take the picture at an earlier day. Today I am 12 weeks and 6 days pregnant, 1 day away from 13 weeks...so that just goes to show where my head is at...I forget everything.

Yes, I am bloated in this picture, but not nearly as bad as last week so here is the 12 weeks and 6 days shot for you guys! Right after a workout and some grocery shopping. I really need to get on top of these belly shots! I am looking like a mess in all of them haha.

How far along: I am 12 weeks and 6 days along in this picture! 

Symptoms: Still getting tired pretty early in the evening. I am definitely starting to go back to eating normally so that's a good sign. I have severe lightheadedness if I do not eat when my body needs me to eat. I get random bad headaches....but all in all, this was a really good week!

Cravings:  I am still loving citrus fruits. I am eating a lot of grapefruits and spicy foods I still love. I am not having that bad of cravings this week and feel like they are finally starting to subside which is nice. I can get used to this whole second trimester thing;).

Aversions: No aversions this week! I mean random things don't sound good...I still can't cook my own meat. Weirdest thing in the world I know. It doesn't even make sense to me. I am just so put off by the idea of making my own meat. I was craving steak at the beginning of the week and my mom texted Zack and I asking if we wanted Jason (her boyfriend) to BBQ chicken or steak for dinner and without hesitating or even bothering to ask Zack what he wanted I texted back, STEAK!!! So no real aversions this week, just something little everyday sounds gross...nothing in particular.

Wedding rings: On

Sleep: Less naps this week, YAY!

Excited for: We had our 12 week ultrasound at 12 weeks and 4 days and we saw our little love. I just had little tears running down my face. The ultrasound technician was nearly positive of the gender, but we won't be saying anything until our 16 week ultrasound to confirm it, but it will likely not change ;)

Missing: My old body. I am not upset by any means, but there are some mornings where I am like wow, I don't even recognize this body...and this is just the beginning haha.

 
Movement: None

Dr. update: We see him in June again so a few more weeks!

Exercise: I workout every day of the week, whether it be walking the dog, weight training, the eliptical precore machine, or HIIT workouts at home I make sure to do something every single day of the week. I think it has been helpful with keeping the baby happy and healthy. Same for me too. I always feel better after a good workout with baby, even though I can't push myself nearly as hard as I was before being pregnant it still feels good to sweat a little and release some endorphins.

There are some mornings where I struggle with the way my body looks, but that's just because I am still at the awkward in between stage of pregnancy where it just looks like you've been throwing back one too many beers. I am just so excited for my belly to round out and make a cute little bump. I am appreciating every moment I have with my little one in my belly. Zack is getting really excited this week as well. I think it is becoming more real to him, especially after the ultrasound.

I would love to talk to any mommy's out there or even do some mommy blog stalking ;) so if you have any blogs you suggest or a blog of your own you want to share leave it in the comments below!

XOXO

-Sydney- 

12 Week Ultrasound

So we had our 12 week ultrasound today. I am 12 weeks and 4 days (as expected) so I am closer to the 13th week mark. 

The ultrasound technician that we see at my doctors office was extremely confident in the gender! We knew it was likely going to be a stretch to see the gender today, but the ultrasound technician was mostly positive that she was correct. The ultrasound technician started calling the baby by the gender, which kind of gave it away that she was confident in the gender she was seeing. I love going to see our technician because she takes her time with the ultrasound. We are never rushed and she is always super into it and gets excited with us which is half the fun of even seeing our little peanut face. 

We are so excited and hey, if it turns out not to be the gender she says then at least we know there is only one other option! We would be so lucky to have either a boy or a girl and we are just excited that the baby is healthy and everything is measuring on track. I was planning on including the rest of the pictures from this weekend, but I was just too excited to get the baby's ultrasound picture up to share with you guys. I have about 7 pictures but I will share the one that shows the most!

In the ultrasound picture above the baby's hand is covering the face partially, but you can still see the nose and the forehead and the little hand! We are in love I just keep staring at the ultrasound pictures and so does Zack... he is beyond excited. I think he was even more excited than I was because he wasn't able to make it to the in-between 9 week ultrasound appointment so for him the baby went from a small little peanut shaped blob with a heartbeat to a full on kicking, swimming, amniotic fluid gulping baby. Also, you can see the baby crossing its legs. Those FEET. I just want to have the baby here with me already! I know it will go by quickly and I am even more excited now. We are getting to the best part about pregnancy. I can't wait to feel the little munchkin kick. 

At some point this week we are going to do a gender reveal for our families. We have a few ideas planned out of how we are going to go about doing it. But for now it is just fun listening to everyone's guesses!

If you wanna make a prediction of the baby gender post it below in the comments! 

You will know soon enough ;) Might be fun to see who was right! 50/50 shot!!!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and hope your Monday wasn't too painful!

XOXO 

Sydney

I've Popped! & What we are Up to!

Around 11 weeks I was still feeling just kind of bloated and I was still able to suck my stomach in every now and then if I wasn't super bloated and you couldn't tell anything was going on down there. But a few days into the 12th week I woke up, and normally I wake up with a relatively flat stomach, and there was this lil' baby bump! I cannot suck it in at all anymore, there is no hope. I keep trying but when I do there is just this little beer belly that just sits there while my upper abdomen sucks in just fine haha. I feel like I have lost a lot of muscle strength in my lower abdomen it is a weird feeling!

So I will just show you the picture of waking up I think at exactly 12 weeks and then a few days later (yesterday) when I was at the gym and I had my little baby just hanging out working out with me.

Haha, not the cutest looking belly, just looks like I have a beer belly, but after breakfast and drinking some fluids it kind of evens out into more of a rounded little belly and not so much of a lower abdomen belly. Yes, it was laundry day again, hence the halfway taken apart bed. I'm just either getting unlucky with the days that I take these mirror shots or I am just extremely impressive and just super on top of the laundry...I think that we should agree to go with the latter.

Yesterday I went to the gym and here is the little belly friend with me. I normally go to the gym everyday or I will walk Oak around the neighborhood for an hour or so or do some HIIT workouts at home. If Oak doesn't get a walk during the day he for sure gets one at night. We never miss a day and it is also really good exercise for myself to walk a lot while pregnant. It is a low key workout and Oak holds me accountable ;). It has just been so hot out we normally stick to walking him at night. 

Last night we decided we would head up to San Clemente for the weekend until Monday. Zack has a friend's graduation party to go to and we were going to have to be up here anyways. The reason we are staying until Monday is because I have my ultrasound appointment later in the morning on Monday so we figured we would make a weekend of it up here. Fortunately it has cooled off. I do however love the heat when 7PM rolls around and we don't have to be bundled in sweatshirts like we normally do being so close to the water. Above is a picture I took when we were driving up to San Clemente last night. It was a pretty sunset and thought I would take a second and snap a picture!

Sadly there have been a lot of fires between San Diego, Oceanside and San Clemente. All you could smell in the air last night was smoke. Hopefully the families that had to be evacuated are safe and hopefully this more moderate temperature today calms things down.

I will be updating the blog probably on Monday with the rest of our weekend festivities as well as the ultra sound! In the mean time if you follow me on instagram you can have a pretty good idea of what we are up to! In the mean time enjoy your weekend!

XOXO

 Sydney 

11 Weeks Pregnant Picture & Body Image

Let me just start by clarifying a few things, I took this picture at 6:30PM at 11 weeks and 6 days pregnant. I am one day away from being 12 weeks pregnant here and I also have consumed about 12 water bottles throughout the day prior to this photo and had just eaten dinner maybe 30 minutes before. I woke up from a mini nap and I was irritated that I had forgotten to take the picture again this week...so I jumped out of bed and took the picture in two seconds. Normally I attempt to take the picture some time in the morning but that never works out, for my 12 week picture I likely will and I am sure I will look much smaller than I do here. I am not gonna lie, I was pissed when I saw this picture and I just thought, whatever, I don't even care anymore... I am exhausted and I am pissed that I look bloated, but there is nothing I can change about it. It has been a really difficult week for me emotionally dealing with my changing body. I knew that pregnancy would bring on changes, but for some reason the weeks are flying by and I wake up and look in the mirror and try to suck it in and it just doesn't happen anymore, it is going by quickly and I feel like each week I am slowly not recognizing my body and it is a lot to take in. I am so grateful that I am healthy enough to carry a baby naturally, I know that women struggle to get pregnant and I know my mom certainly did and I am not taking any of it for granted, I am just adjusting to changes just like an other woman would be. I think my recent upset is largely attributed to the fact that I haven't been in control of my eating habits, not like I am eating out of control, but that I am not eating as clean as I would like to be. Typically I am good about making home cooked meals every night loaded with veggies, but vegetables have been appalling to me lately and I have been sick for the majority of the first trimester and have been needing to eat carbs and bready things more often than I would prefer. I cannot wait until the second trimester rolls around...I can't wait to regain some energy and feel somewhat like myself again. 

How far along: I am 11 weeks and 6 days along in this picture and look like I could be delivering tomorrow.

Symptoms: Sleeping all of the time. I am falling asleep 3 hours after I wake up in the morning. This morning I fought the urge to fall back asleep and I ended up just dozing off periodically throughout the day. So I think I am just going to listen to my body and fall asleep for that extra thirty minutes in the morning to stay energized. Uhmm what else...oh yeah, I pee every five seconds. Not exaggerating, if I even drink an entire waterbottle in a short period of time I will go to the bathroom maybe 6 times after that one water bottle. I get annoyed with myself. It is a lose-lose situation too, because I can't just cut back on liquids because I am always thirsty! I love water bottles as it is (weird obsession), but I have already almost finished off a arrowhead case of 24 waters in 2 days. I think Zack might've had two....So all in all I have been sleepy, peeing like crazy, thirsty, bloated, and morning sickness here and there.

Cravings:  Towards the end of this week I have been loving all fruit again. I kind of took a break from my cold banana obsession and now it is back, I have about 2 bananas a day and I have grape fruit, multiple oranges, and nectarines...However, I do not like baked goods whatsoever, like if there is a plate of cookies in front of me I can easily pass them up...I can't say the same for any chewy candy like skittles and jelly beans, but for some reason this week I am all about baked goods. Cheesecake often crosses my mind, I think I have day dreamed about a cupcake a few times and I had a box of cookie mix in my cart at the grocery store that Zack convinced me to opt out of, that largely had to do with the fact that my cart was filled with things like fruity pebbles, red velvet cupcakes, peanutbutter cookie mix, what else did I have in there? oh yeah...ice cream. He said that the cart looked like a five year old girls cart and there were way too many colors that were coming from all the wrong aisles of the store. I started cracking up and looking down at my ridiculous cart and he allowed one thing haha I opted for the ice cream to share with him. Normally I am not like that at the grocery store at all so we were laughing about it for the majority of the trip.

Aversions: When I am hungry everything sounds awful. I hate all things. I make Zack look on pinterest to come up with dinner ideas and he throws out a good 15 ideas and I hate them all. I have begun to get really frustrated with myself because nothing sounds good lately, but I feel sick and I don't eat until the point of feeling sick and I end up eating something crackery or bready and it is extremely annoying. I know this part of pregnancy will end soon, but for as quickly as it goes by it certainly does have its moments that feel like they will go on forever. 

Wedding rings: On

Sleep: All the time, that's all there is to say about that. 

Excited for: Our next ultrasound appointment on Monday where we get to see our little jelly bean gummy bear peanut love face.

Missing: Having a normal appetite. Miss eating the foods that I loved filled with healthy veggies. The fruit kick is a good sign at least and I feel like my body is slowly adjusting and gonna handle the second trimester much better. I am missing super sweaty workouts. 

 
Movement: None

Dr. update: We see him on Monday so nothing yet!

Exercise: I workout multiple times a day. I go on a walk with Oak and Zack usually at night since it has been so hot and I also workout during the day. I will either workout on the eliptical or the bike or do some home exercises here or both. I have been easing back into HIIT workouts again after I was on bed rest for two weeks last month and I have just been doing them at a lower tempo. I haven't been going my hardest because I want baby to be safe, but I am also working up a good sweat and doing my best to strength train.

All in all it has been a very emotional past few weeks for me regarding pregnancy. I have read moms everywhere struggle with the body image thing. It was something I was prepared for, but I was not sure how much it would affect me. I am adjusting and I know that my body is healthy and I am loving every minute knowing that I am growing a healthy baby, but I am a girl and I am aware of my body and I am hormonal and entitled to a few mini break downs here and there when I have to use a rubberband as a button for my jeans haha! My doctor did mention that I would likely be showing early on because I don't have the longest torso in the world...or one at all for that matter so I know that everything is going along as it should, I just think I am going to need to invest in some maternity clothes here pretty soon!

XOXO

-Sydney- 

I Love You MOM

Happy Mother's Day 

To all of you mommies I just wanted to wish you a Happy Mother's Day (yesterday)! 

I can't wait until next year when I get to have my little one with me and everyone celebrating all of the great mommies out there. 

Yesterday morning Zack and I drove up to San Clemente to celebrate our Mom's and his dad's birthday. We went to Oak Creek in Irvine, which is where my Mom's boyfriend, Jason, works. It is a beautiful golf-course restaurant and because it was such a beautiful day we were outside on the patio. We had My mom, sister, two brothers, brother's girlfriend, myself, Zack, his mom and dad, his sister and nephew. It was a really yummy buffet with breakfast, lunch, and dessert. We ate and did presents there! We ended up watching a movie later on too. 

Here are just a few of the million pictures we took when we were there, Zack's family took a few after us! 

My mom and I laughing because she went in for a cute baby bump touching picture and ended up grabbing my boob instead. 

My mom and I again. There was no good lighting here at this time of day as you can see the struggle in some of our faces, haha.

Lovin' on my Mom.

She is the best!

Zack and I snuck a picture for my almost first Mother's Day! Can't wait to meet you little baby, we love you!

Believe it or not, in this picture the majority of us are smiling, and out of about 11 pictures of this same stance we got one where we were all looking in the relatively same direction. That's what you get for having 4 kids mom! Messy pictures and little boy attitudes haha. My youngest brother in the black didn't change his facial expression once for any of these family shots....I think he may have opened his a little more in one of them haha little brat. But this is my younger sister and my younger brothers taking a picture with our beautiful mom on mother's day. We all love you very much!

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day and loved on your Mommies a little extra, I am sure I am going to understand the "you deserve it" phrase later down the road when my kids are making me want to pull my hair out, but for now I will just say it and hope it carries some weight! I hope all you mommies enjoyed your day because you deserve it!

XOXO

Sydney

We Have Graduated with our BIOCHEM BS Degrees!

Finally! It is over! Yesterday, on Saturday May 10th 2014 Zack and I graduated. We graduated with our Bachelor's of Science degree in BioChem and he with a minor in Business as well. We graduated with Honors and Tri-Beta. As of right now, it seems like college took forever to go by, it was hard class after hard class and I took 20 units or so my last semester. Just thinking about all of the science courses we took it is crazy to think we got here. Zack graduated in December of last year, but had to wait until the May ceremony to walk. I am happy he was able to walk with me though, it made sitting in the blazing sun with our black cap and gowns a little more bearable;). 

I know that in a few weeks or months I am going to look back and think wow, that went by quickly. As for now, I think I was in hell for 4 years haha, just kidding, it wasn't that bad. It definitely was difficult though. We had to take some extremely hard classes, pull some all-nighters, go to bed consistently at 2-3 AM for a semester, and sometimes we would forget if we had eaten dinner or not haha. We did make some great memories and we had fun staying up late studying with each other and teaching each other. Luckily, we took a few classes together and it was so fun living with a study buddy. We always have great conversations and science-y discussions and it is fun to be able to connect on that level, but even more fun to tell each other when the other person is wrong about something! We can't wait to answer the silly questions our kids ask, like why is the sky blue and why are sunsets red and be able to answer their questions with a very scientific answer ;). A lot of the "silly" questions they have we will be able to answer and it is fun to think that we will also be able to challenge them and get them to really think. We can help them with homework and just engage them and get them excited about education. 

We cannot wait to move on to the next part of our lives, welcoming our little baby in November, having more late nights....only this time we will have another friend with us demanding a diaper change or feeding. Zack will be starting a new job in about a month and eventually leave his lab job, we will be waiting for baby to get here and I will be working on a few jobs here and there. I cannot work in a lab yet and be around chemicals so for the next few months I get to enjoy a small break from work and just do a few things here and there. He will be based in Orange County where our family lives so...looks like we are moving back up to San Clemente, Dana Point, or Capo Beach area. I will start doing some house hunting this week! Our little studio was a great place to be close to school and felt like an upgrade from a dorm room, but now with a huge doggy-friend and a baby on the way we are outgrowing it and ready for a change.

These next few months are going to be full of changes and we cannot wait for them!

Our parents have been so supportive and loving and we couldn't have done it without them. We are off to San Clemente today to celebrate our Moms and give them some love. Do the same with your Moms! They love you. I will be doing a Mother's Day post after today so peak in for that!

Have an amazing day!

-Sydney- 

Pregnancy Comparison Photo

So I know I haven't posted my 10 week update and I will be posting that at some point tonight hopefully. Things have just been crazy with school. Tomorrow is my last final and then on Saturday I graduate and I am done forever! I will be taking lots of pictures of graduation I hope and I will be sharing those on here as well. shopping for a graduation dress was interesting. Normally I would wear something form fitting that is a sundress, but when I attempted that it just looked like I had packed on weight in my mid section not a cute look.

Last weekend I thought it would be interesting to do a little comparison photo of the day or so after I found out I was pregnant compared to 10 weeks. I didn't really notice too big of a difference as these weeks have progressed, but when I see side by side pics I am like ohh now I see why my jeans are tight and why I haven't even pulled them out of my closet in over two weeks. I know compared to later months this comparison is gonna look like nothing, but as of right now I thought dang! I am pregnant. 

So just thought I would share with all of you. I know that I am always on Pinterest looking at comparison photos or weekly photos because I love to see the changes, it is fascinating to see how much a body can change in a short amount of time. 

 Ignore the mess in the back, I am pretty sure it was a laundry day both days! Anyways, not a huge difference, it just looks bloated, but I definitely feel a huge difference. Especially in a bathing suit...I just want it to be a cute bump now! No more awkward stage! haha

Have a great day!

-Sydney- 

Happy Birthday Month Mom!

Last night was my Mom's 50th birthday party. Her birthday is on the 8th, but with graduation coming up and my little brother's birthday on the 15th this worked best. Her boyfriend and her closest friends threw her a birthday party at their house. They had a bartender, a Deejay, and TACO MAN! It was so fun. Of course I was sober Sally, but it was fun watching everyone and hanging out. I got to see my Aunt that I haven't seen in forever and my Uncle as well as my God mom. It was a great night. Zack was pulled onto the dance floor a few times by some sexy ladies;) he is such a trooper haha. It was good hanging out with my sister since we always miss each other when I visit home. She is at Toni and Guy and finishing up this summer and working at Sun Dried Tomato and with me being in school full time we always overlap schedules, so it was nice finally being able to hang out with her. 

So before I get into birthday party stuff I will just a couple salads that I have eaten over the past couple of days. On Friday, Zack was craving el torito grill salad dressing so we went and grabbed that from the store. We roasted up some papitas, added some roma tomatoes and he made homemade corn tortilla strips to add to it.

Then we went up to San Clemente on Saturday and we were there pretty early to lay out in the sun and just relax until it was my mom's party that night. So we went to guicho's eatery in San Clemente and Zack picked up the torellini and I ordered the hearts of palm salad, deliciousness. 

Now moving on to the birthday party festivities. Zack's parents met us there and they hung out for quite a while there talking to everyone. We got there right as sun was setting, we took a few pictures with my mom, my aunt, my god mom, and my sister and we started greeting all the guests. It was a really good turn out and my mom's boyfriend and her friends did and amazing job making her feel special on her day. Everyone was dancing, drinking and talking and it was definitely a nice break from thinking about finals. I just wish we could've stayed up there until this afternoon. We left Oak with my Dad at his house while we were at the party so we got back to my Dad's to grab oak close to 12 AM and then drove home and passed out. WE WERE EXHAUSTED. 

These pictures are not in any particular order, I really wish I would've taken some pictures before the sun went down. The set up was gorgeous.

My mom blowing out her candles from the cake her boyfriend bought her! So cute:)

Nothing like some sexy moves ;)

A picture of Oak and I before we left him to go to the party :(...I hate leaving this little stud muffin, I can only imagine what it's going to be like when I have to leave my little baby every now and then. He doesn't mind to much though. He gets to stare and bark at everyone on the beach laying out on the deck....his favorite.

A picture of my sister and I

More cake pictures, right before we all started singing happy birthday to her :) She was a little surprised since we just interrupted her dancing haha.

More sexy moves...and some yummy dessert

My mom getting everyone to start dancing, she was getting into it. My uncle had a theory from his college days that no one dances outside, so my mom was trying to prove him wrong and she ended up winning and got everyone dancing haha, this was probably the best part of the night. Watching Zack get dragged out there with all the women was a plus. 

Well, now onto "studying" for finals. NO MOTIVATION! But HEY its over in a week and then no more finals ever again. 

-Sydney- 

9 Weeks Pregnant Picture

9 Weeks Pregnant Update 

** Just so we are clear. This was at the end of the day, after what I am sure was my maximum sodium intake for the day and lack of water in this blazing heat we have been experiencing...so excuse the bloating. I know I am going to be showing early, but I don't know how accurate this image is this week  haha.  I really need to start taking these pictures in the morning and not the afternoon like I have been**

Moving on....

How far along: Technically I am 10 weeks along right now, but this is a 9 week update. I like to wait until the end of each week for a picture and for the updates so that way everything is accurate. So many of my cravings and moods change in the middle of the week that this is the best way to summarize everything.

Symptoms: I haven't been that nauseas this week. I think it is because I get up pretty early for school during the week and I like to eat immediately. On the weekends I sleep in a little longer and by the time I wake up I already feel super sick because I don't have any food in my system. Uhm, my digestive system isn't moving as quickly as I would like it to....My boobs feel even bigger than they normally are and I definitely need to invest in a few new bras. I have just been living in sports bras for the time being. 

Cravings:  I am still only craving things that I don't have at home. I do not want to make myself a meal. It is the weirdest thing...I get sick to my stomach thinking about preparing a meal. It is completely unlike me because I cook 3 meals a day every day of the week and now I can't stand to be in the kitchen. 

Aversions: Not too bad this week. I don't know what it is about zucchini, but I am traumatized by it. I find myself thinking about it during the day just to see if I am still grossed out by it...I get sick to my stomach and I am just like, yep...yep it's still gross. I don't know why I am so grossed out by some foods right now. Ones that I don't even have that often as well. I can't even fathom making my own chicken right now. I usually like to have chicken in a few dishes a week for protein and just the thought of making my own chicken gets me sick to my stomach. I have a disgusted face just typing this. 

Wedding rings: On

Sleep: I love it. It's my favorite thing to do. I take naps before bed, I wake up on the weekend and then lay in bed...it is the only thing I like to do right now. I feel like I can't get enough of it. However, it is extremely inconvenient considering finals week is next week (woo then I graduate).  

Excited for: Graduation, definitely. Our next doctors appointment in about 2 weeks I am excited for as well. I can't wait to see the little friend's hands and feet and nose. Ahhh just so excited. 

Missing: Working out hard, feeling energetic, and having a normal appetite. 

 
Movement: None

Dr. update: One more day of the progesterone suppositories and I am done with them. No doctor update for a week and a half or so, until our next appointment. As of right now things are still looking good!

Exercise: As much as I can. I go to Zack's gym at work and I get the bike and eliptical in for the day. Our puppy love also gets a walk every night so that ranges from 30 minutes to an hour  for each walk. I also do a lot of workouts at home and have been using the resistance band for squats instead of super heavy weights and I have been doing a lot of leg workouts and upper body workouts when I have enough energy. 

I have been so busy these past few weeks that I haven't been posting consistently aside from these bump updates/weekly updates. Once Friday hits next week and I am done with college and finals forever I will be posting much more...I will be working on quite a few projects that I have planned this summer and want to include all of you. 

It has been so hot here in Southern California this week, it makes me want summer here so badly! Wherever you are, I hope you are enjoying the weather or looking forward to some better weather!

-Sydney-