weight gain: 6 lbs. {i thought i was going to double from the last appointment…phew!!!}
maternity clothes? not yet! pants really don’t fit, around my waist that is…haven’t gotten the belly band yet, so my kid sized legging still work, as long as i roll it down! whoop!
sleep: getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom has actually lessened {yeah!}. getting a full night’s sleep has gotten much better.
physical state: a little bit more energized! i’m less nauseated and tired. my early bedtime still exists but at a more reasonable time than 8 or 9 pm! 10 pm is not bad, right?! the acne, oh the acne! my face is just covered in cysts, whiteheads, and pimples…gross. ewww, really gross. and what’s up with the hot hands and feet?! blech.
miss anything? i still miss my starbucks americanos, sushi {i miss you white dragon roll from coast!}, bagel & lox, deli meat sandwiches, not so much alcohol since i never really drank anyways! oh, and my eggs over easy {boohoo}, i love my eggs over easy.
baby movement: not yet!
food cravings: fruit {cherries, blueberries, mango, red grapefruit by the pound}, ice pops, cereal, hot spicy foods, cheddar cheese sticks. i’m in love with pop. i never drank the stuff before but i love it now! so, i buy diet so i don’t go nuts drinking the stuff all the time. the crazy part, i really don’t eat sweets!! i might have a nibble once in a blue moon but that’s it!
bump status: i feel i’ve got a full, blown bump. i mean, c’mon…i’m only 12 weeks but that thing is already massive?! i keep asking my pregnant and past pregnant friends…is this normal?!
gender reveal: not yet! majority of folks says it’s a girl! like i said, i’m taking tallies. we’ll see…
we celebrated charlie’s 40th birthday party this past saturday!
happy beurffday charlie!
leyla had rented out a private room at goose island and hosted charlie’s friends and family at the fete! we had food, drinks, and yummy cupcakes from molly’s!
a sunny afternoon and a lunch date with a friend was in order. i was super excited to meet up with jodi and jett! we planned a lunch rendezvous at floriole in lincoln park. it was sunny and beautiful outside and i was itching to sit al fresco, thank goodness they had outdoor seating!
i got there first and i was really, really excited because i hadn’t told jodi, yet, that i’m pregnant! it was bursting with excitement to tell her! i saw her strolling up the sidewalk with baby jett and i got up to greet her, we hugged, and sat down {trying to hide my protruding belly}. we talked about ordering, so jodi got up to peruse the menu and then we both got into line to order. only a few minutes had gone by before i blurted out, “i’m pregnant!!!!”. she was so happy!! i couldn’t contain myself, besides, i was so self conscious about my bump, i know it would have been only a few minutes before she would notice!
she was so ecstatic about the pregnancy! we sat down, our yummy food came, and we chit chatted non-stop about everything. it felt so good to be out in the sun too! after spending quite a bit of time at the restaurant, we decided to traipsed around the neighborhood since it was so nice. we stopped by a few stores and strolled around the block. we both had gotten new cars and we wanted to check out our new vehicles! so we walked to each other’s cars to admire the newness!
[jodi and jett]
[jodi insisted on a picture to show her mom, ann {love ann!!!} and other peeps]
after talking, and talking, and talking, we finally parted ways to go about our merry day! it was so lovely to see jodi and the babes {he’s so adorable!!!!}.
well here it goes!!! the pregnancy journey begins…
[the shocking surprise…the omg stick]
[my first cup o decaffeinated joe, way back in march // bongo room // hubby charming came home the same day i found out! yay! we enjoyed a lovely day together in awe!]
i was so apprehensive of the first few months!! i was a bit afraid. i only imagined nausea, sickness, vomiting, tiredness, crazy eating…almost all of it’s true! i thought to myself, how will i hide this from people i know and how will i, especially, hide it from my co-workers?!?! peeps that see me more than anyone else in my life!
well it was tough. any pregnancy symptom i read in my book, yup, i got it. it started with the crazy, i mean acid taking {fact: have never tried acid but i assume that is what it is like when dreaming in pregnancy state}, crazy dreams! i never remember my dreams but, oh boy, now i do!
then {not for the weak here and it might be tmi}, the headaches {um, i don’t get headaches…yes, it’s true} and the spotting that you get when the egg actually implants onto to your uterus. yeaaaahhhh, i remember that. i actually thought it was that time of the month. not the other way around {hello!}.
you eventually transform into the hungry monster. i mean, you seriously need to eat every two hours like it’s going out of style. the hunger pangs and nausea are volatile. that was the hardest part. you. want. everything. all i wanted every morning was a mcdonald’s breakfast sandwich, hash brown, and orange juice. it was my favorite thing to eat for many a mornings {ooooh, not good on the hips}.
the nausea that plagued me night and day. that was absolutely no bueno. it was especially dominant at night. come 5 pm, it was spinny central. barf. it was then compounded by mad hunger, fabulous combo, non?!
ohhhh, the tiredness. oh em gee. it feels like you’ve been hit by a mack truck by 7pm! the night owl in me just vanished! *poof* staying up past 10? uh uh. no way. i needed toothpicks to hold up my eyelids that felt like cement. that was tough. i think the last time i went to bed before 10 was waaayyy back in elementary school.
aannnddd…the smells! ugh, everything was intense. that triggered the nausea {i know i’m selling this pregnancy, huh? my description will make any women without children totally want to get pregnant 😉 perfumes, food, b.o., anything…the nose filtered it like it was a potent, concentrated fume flowing up my nasal passage.
the one and only thing i didn’t get was the vomiting! score one for meeee! yes, thank goodness! i will take everything else but please, please no vomiting!
as i neared the 12 week mark, all the symptoms have slowly dissipated! not gone completely but definitely not as intense as they were before! woo! thank goodness!
honestly, this is an amazing experience despite all of the above. it’s a teeny sacrifice to what is to come, a beautiful little baby. i feel so blessed. we are very thankful. this has been a very exciting and happy time for us! yay!!!
mother’s day has come and gone, and we seriously had the best time ever!
our mother’s day gifts were little onesie! Signifying for them that they were going to soon have a new grandchild addition to the family!
the day before, i went to the t-shirt deli {in bucktown} to have personalized onesies made for each set of grandparents! one set in vietnamese {for my parent’s…duh!} and the one set in english. it truly turned out adorbs!
[t-shirt deli goods]
on mother’s day morning, we set out to attend the 9:30 mass. it was a beautiful service and a beautiful day!
we headed up north, to argyle, to meet my family at hai yen restaurant for lunch {it was also my lovely mother’s birthday!}. after much comical bickering over the menu, we finally decided on our entrees {phew}!
so, after getting our order in, it was the right time to have my mom open up her gift {really it’s, obviously, for both of them!}. my mom was struggling, more confused by the gift itself. therefore, my dad started helping her but he was fumbling a bit as well, so i intervened and ripped open the package {notice the lack of patience on my part!}. my dad picked up the onesie and knew right away what it was. he finally showed my mom and she freaked out! they were so happy! my dad’s face, who shows little emotion, lit up and turned red from excitement! my mom teared up and both of them gave us hugs. everyone was so excited! another addition to our family!
[hmm, what’s this?]
[i love the looks on their faces!]
[little vietnamese onesie]
[my daddy]
[bun rieu]
[auntie kim]
after lunch, we walked the streets and went shopping. my mom went to town at the local vietnamese market. r really wanted a lucky cat. b begged for a broom. it was cute! we sashayed our way over ba le to pick up some banh mi’s {vietnamese sandwiches…i love them!}. we bought little treats, drinks, delicious macarons…so many yummy tidbits!
[having fun in front of the frozen fish at the market]
[r relaxing on his mini chair and stool]
[the cuties and their momma]
after shopping, we headed to the garden center in andersonville. we perused the gorgeous flowers and plants. shopped the knick knacks inside their little shop and had the kids play around the garden furniture and outdoor fountains.
we finally retired and headed back to our apartment to get some stuff done before we went on our next journey, to missy’s house for a mother’s day dinner with the heintz’s.
at missy’s we rested and relaxed as john prepared our dinner from the grill. it was time to eat {i couldn’t wait until we opened presents!}; burgers, fries, and a yummy salad {prepared by missy}.
[cute packaging]
after our meal, dessert was served {cheesecake – so delish, fruit cobbler, and cookies} and it was time to open presents! i was so excited. missy opened a few of hers, jane gave us each a gift, and it was time for her to open our gift. john was really digging the packaging {it’s a doggie bag…how could you not love it?!}. so, i prepped the gift {explaining what the t-shirt deli is about} and as she opened it, she looked over all the details {inside, i was shouting “open the wrapped package!!”}. she finally got to the package, she opened it up and started screaming! she said, “you are pregnant!”. i was then attacked with hugs! it was so awesome! such a great moment! of course she cried!
[action shots // precious!]
[showing off the onesie]
[happy family]
lots o’ hugs given all around, lots of tears of joy, and lots of very happy people around us. all in all, it was a pretty awesome mother’s day/mom’s birthday! yay!
yes, it is true! we are pregnant {wow!}! i am currently a smidge over 3 months! we are so excited for this growing, little baby inside of me!
baby heintz is arriving in november! just in time for thanksgiving!
i still can’t believe this is happening. it’s planned but unplanned…ya know what i mean?! what a whirlwind it’s been and it will continue to be one! we have been bursting at the seams to tell everyone and finally, the cat is out of the bag!
is it a boy? is it a girl? all we want is a healthy baby…then maybe we can debate the gender {i’m taking tallies!}!
we are so joyous and feel so blessed to be on this wonderful journey. we are very thankful and thankful for the overwhelming love and support from our friends and family!
today is a day to celebrate all the mom’s out there!
a job that is never ending. a mother’s love never fails. a mother’s love is always giving. a mother’s love is sometimes all you need.
i celebrate my mom today because of the unconditional love she has always given us. through good times and bad, she was and will always be there. i look back at my life and cannot even fathom how she was able to do what she did! even though i lived it! she worked full-time, raised five kids, and always, always had a full dinner on the table!!!!
i love my mom and i am grateful for all that she has done for me. i must say that one day isn’t enough to say i love you and thank you. celebrate everyday as if it were mother’s day!
love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
our one year anniversary photos are featured in utterly engaged magazine {page 82}! how exciting!!!!
it’s a feature called he said/she said! the editor of the magazine asked us to answer the questions separately, honestly, and privately to really have some fun around comparing answers! we did, i promise! no cheating on our replies!
it’s so much fun to read our individual answers. i’m quite succinct and hubby charming was very verbose! it makes me smile to read our responses and feel the connection through our words. of course, jen huang did an amazing job capturing our love through the photos we took in central park this past fall. i’m so happy with how they designed the spread and so ecstatic to share our story with the world!
[photos by jen huang]
i hope this happy article helps brighten your day!
i got up early {gasp!} and did many tasks! it’s always so satisfying to check things off my list {i know, i’m a list kind o’ gal!}. i think i was trying to fit too many tasks into my morning, as the clock was ticking, i was feverishly rushing to get things done. i needed to get out the door before noon to go see my dad! yikes! i’m so tenacious and steadfast, i let my determination get the best of me!
i finally completed my projects and rushed to get dressed. ugh. i still had to throw out garbage, recycling, and carry some obtuse items down to my car! i finally made {just a little past noon!} and was on my merry way to the ‘burbs.
i picked up lunch for thuy and my dad. we ate, we conversed, and then we just hung out. it was fantastic to be able to lounge around outside in the warm sun! after lunch, thuy left back to work and i just hung out with my dad for the rest of the afternoon. i waited for my mom to come home to say hello and then off i went to meet kim for dinner. of course, you can’t let a day off go by without a stop at target!
i met up with kim at her place, hung out for a bit, and then we headed on our way to dolce to meet up with thuy and then eventually terry and the boys {reagan had his first baseball lesson!}. drinks, apps, pizza for the boys, and delicious meals for the adults. it’s always a pleasant and relaxing time here!
[we didn’t even realize we all had a nautical theme going on until terry pointed it out!]
[the rich and delicious mushroom, spinach ravioli]
reagan and bennett just love being there! it’s like they own the place. they are too funny and cute. they totally get lost in their own world. it’s so cute to see them so engrossed in their conversations…and most of the time you just can’t understand b! but always too cute to watch!
well, it was another successful and fulfilling warm day! tootles.
