Ipolito is 4 years old!!

Happy 4th Birthday Ipolito!!!

I cannot believe my baby boy is 4-years old!! It truly seems like just yesterday I gave birth to him.  Here is a copy of what I posted on Facebook for his birthday. I just want to have it somewhere else as well:

FOUR years ago today, Jose & I welcomed our first child into the world! Our Ipolito Ismael is an amazing, loving, caring, generous, intelligent, and gorgeous little boy. He has taught us so much in these four short years and we look forward to many more with him. I just know he will be a great big brother to Dos. When I first heard what J wanted to name him I was was very hesitant, but I a

greed because I knew it meant so much to him. I NEVER planned to call him Ipolito, but when I met him I knew he was my Ipolito. Our Ipolito was our first miracle from God and we love him so much! Happy Birthday Ipolito Ismael!! "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living my baby you'll be."

Some of my favorite Ipolito-isms:

• He wears size 12-12.5 shoes
• He wears size 5T
• He loves, loves, LOVES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
• He loves these foam things he calls his swords. I mean LOVES them.  He doesn't go anywhere without them. He sleeps with them & takes them everywhere. They are on the sink in the bathroom when he bathes and he tells us not to touch them.
• He is still into his video games. He has quite the collection of DS and Wii games. I think he has more than Jose or any of my nieces and nephews.  BUT I will say Jose hardly ever pays more than $10 for them....at least that is what he tells me. ;)
• He has such a great personality, is generous, affectionate, loving, and caring. He is always kissing and hugging on us and his Grandparents.  
• He always compliments me: "Mama you so pretty!" "Mama you look so beautiful today!" "OH I love you so much"
• He tells me he wants to marry me when he gets big like Papi.  I have explained to him that isn't the way it works but I love that he wants to.
• He loves to eat fruit, veggies, and cheese. He is really into pizza right now too. Another one of his weird diet things is he loves salami and cheese.  Weird, huh? I blame that on Papi.
• He is such a Mama's boy and a Papi's boy. I think it helps that Jose is gone half the week at work because when it is just us he is all about me. When Papi is off he is all about Papi. It works for me because by the time Jose is off I am just a little tired.
• He will be a big brother in just 8 weeks or less!
• He is very helpful and loves to clean. In fact he says he has to go to Grandma & Grandpa's to "help them." "They need me." I think it is because every Wednesday when he comes home, he has a new toy (brand new or "borrowed")
• He associates Wal-Mart with Grandma & Grandpa and getting a new Turtle toy.
• He loves to dance and sing. His favorite current song is Gangnam Style by Psy.
• He loves to talk about his penis and bootie.  (I am trying to correct this, but it must be a boy thing.)
• He is hot natured like me.  He likes to sleep without a shirt....sometimes without pants.
• He is very inquisitive. He wants to know everything. He also does very well in most situations other children his age do not just by us talking about it beforehand or explaining what will happen. For example, when he went to his 4-year old WCC we told him what would happen and what to expect. I also explained his shots and was truthful when he asked if it would hurt.  He was a champ and only cried with the third one for about 10 seconds. The doctor always compliments us on how well he does.  
• He loves to read books before bed.
• He always has an opinion on EVERYTHING!
• He has played t-ball during the summer and the fall and is a great little player.
• He is our pride and joy.

I am so proud and blessed to be Ipolito's Mama.  He has taught me so much in the past 4 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything! I love you Ipolito Ismael Flores.

Week 32

Week 32

How Far Along:32Weeks

Size of baby: My little guy is the size of a honeydew (4.5 lbs & 19 in).

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 3 more pounds this week.  I am up to 5 pounds of the 9 pounds I lost at the beginning.

Maternity Clothes:  I wear maternity clothes but am able to fit into my regular scrub pants and scrub tops.  I definitely am able to wear less scrubs now and find myself wearing t-shirts with my scrub pants.

Gender: A little boy!

Movement: My little guy is very active. He rolls and kicks quite often. I can tell he is still sideways though.  His head is on my left and his feet on my right.  

Sleep: I am sleeping the same. I wake up at specific times to potty...about every 2-3 hours.

What I miss:  I miss sweet things.  I definitely WILL have a piece of pumpkin pie tomorrow!

Cravings:  I still am loving my Fruit Loops and apples. I have added Frosted Flakes and Flaming Hot Fritos to the list as well.

Symptoms: My feet are swelling pretty much every day now.  My right ankle looks yucky too.  It is weird that my feet actually look normal size. I normally have narrow feet.  I can't wear Dansko's anymore to work only tennis shoes.  I get very uncomfortable more often and I walk as fast as a snail. My lower legs are also getting swollen. I have pitting edema most of the time.  The doctor (both the cardiologist & OB/GYN) told me I need to wear compression stockings ALL OF THE TIME!! I bought new ones just today.  They also told me to stay off of my feet as much as I can and rest.  Easier said than done, but I am trying really hard. 

Week 30 & 31

Week 31

How Far Along:31Weeks

Size of baby: My little guy is the size of a head of lettuce - same as last week

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 2 pounds of the 9 I ended up losing. I lost two pounds this week. I don't know where it is going. I eat. Healthy. But I eat! Plus my stomach is obviously getting bigger and bigger.

Maternity Clothes:  I wear maternity clothes but am able to fit into my regular scrub pants and scrub tops.  

Gender: A little boy!

Movement: My little guy is very active. He rolls and kicks quite often. I can tell he is still sideways though.  His head is on my left and his feet on my right.  

Sleep: I am sleeping the same. I wake up at specific times to potty...about every 2-3 hours.

What I miss:  I am starting to miss sweet things...pumpkin pie, ice cream, cake...etc. It will all be worth it in the end. I will have a piece of cake at Ipolito's birthday party this weekend though as long as my sugar is low.  

Cravings:  I still am loving my Fruit Loops and apples. I have added Frosted Flakes and Flaming Hot Fritos to the list as well.

Symptoms: My feet are swelling pretty much every day now.  My right ankle looks yucky too.  It is weird that my feet actually look normal size. I normally have narrow feet.  I can't wear Dansko's anymore to work only tennis shoes.  I get very uncomfortable more often and I walk as fast as a snail.

Week 30

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of baby: My little guy is the size of a head of lettuce!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 4 pounds of the 9 I ended up losing. 

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity clothes but am able to fit into my regular scrub pants and scrub tops.  

Gender: A little boy!

Movement: My little guy is very active. He rolls and kicks quite often.

Sleep: I have been sleeping off and on. I wake up every 2-3 hours. I guess I am getting ready for little guy to wake me up for feeds.

What I miss:  I missed french fries this week.

Cravings:  I still am loving my Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, and apples.

Symptoms: My feet have started swelling. Woo hoo....NOT!

Our trip to the hospital

Yep, I said it. We had to go to the hospital yesterday.

The day began as many Saturday's do....we slept in (as much as we could), got Ipolito ready for his t-ball game, and woke Papi so he could also come.  The game was great....a little windy, but otherwise great!

Afterwards we came home to change and headed out to Grandma's so Papi could sleep a little more. On the way over there I started having contractions. I figured they were Braxton Hicks, so no big deal right?! BUT they were pretty painful.  Then I noticed they were pretty regular. Well, again I told myself not to worry. By the time we picked up lunch for everyone and got to my mom's they were still happening (we were going on 30-45 minutes by then).  We were eating and I started crying. My poor mom was so helpful and told me to calm down. I started timing them and they were roughly every 3-3 1/2 minutes apart and lasting about 1 minute to 90 seconds.  I called the on-call doctor and of course she said to come in. By then I was terrified.

The contractions were hurting very badly. My back hurt just like it did with Ipolito. He was there and wondering why I was crying. I had to leave him with my nephew, Bubba, and my father while my mom took me to Harris.  I prayed the whole way and so did my mom.  I also prayed for my mom to stay calm because she was driving a little crazy like.

All I could think was what if this is it? We have nothing done. The baby has nothing but blankets. The baby will have to be in a NICU for at least 10 weeks. What problems can I anticipate? This isn't really happening is it? I have so much to do. Poor Ipolito. How do I explain not bringing a baby home to Ipolito? Ipolito doesn't have a bag packed. I don't have a bag packed. Jose is sleeping. Do I call him and wake him? Oh dear....he is going to have to pack a bag for me. How in the world is going to pack my panties....the one's I like?! What if he forgets my deodorant? What about Ipolito's birthday and party?!

Many crazy things were going through my mind. I was just crying and crying but also trying to stay calm.  We  finally got to the hospital (in one piece...thanks Grandma). It took forever to find the Maternal Observation Unit which is where I was told to go. Once we figured out that level 1 is actually above us (we were on level G) we found it quickly.  They ushered me into a room and got me hooked up. I was indeed having contractions every three minutes and they were pretty strong.  The nurse was fabulous. I put on football (hey I am an Aggie and the game was due to come on) and just tried to pay attention to that.

They performed an AFP test on me, which is to see if labor is imminent in the next 4 -6 weeks and checked to see if I was dilated. Well, my cervix was so high she couldn't get to it (a good sign). They decided to watch me another hour to see how the contractions progressed and to wait for the test to come back.  Well the contractions started to go away.  The test came back invalid and they couldn't repeat it for other reasons.   Then the contractions came back. Then they went away. The doctor eventually let me go home and told me to rest the rest of the weekend.  Thank God!!!

As I was leaving I told the nurse does this mean I can't do my marathon training anymore? She told me I was crazy. I said, well that is what I equate running after my 3-year old to.  We came back to Grandma's where I found Ipolito well taken care of.  I took it easy the rest of the night and today.  I feel so much better and I just thank God I didn't deliver Dos.

Week 30

Week 30

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of baby: My little guy is the size of a head of lettuce measuring 18 inches and 3.2 lbs!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 4 pounds of the 9 I ended up losing. I didn't lose or gain any weight this week. 

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity clothes, but can still fit into many of my normal shirts.

Gender: A little boy!

Movement: My little guy is very active. He rolls and kicks quite often.

Sleep: I am sleeping better than last week but still not great. 

What I miss:  Eating whatever I want.

Cravings:  I still am loving my Fruit Loops and apples.

Symptoms: My belly button is really looking odd these days. It sticks out a little but is still an outie.  I think my stomach is getting very large these days. I also am getting a little nauseous after I eat. I guess my stomach is being pushed up these days.  I have the most horrible spider/varicose vein on my R ankle. The ankle is swollen and now i have to wear different socks to work. My feet are also swelling.  My skinny feet look normal now.  

Week 29

How Far Along: 29Weeks

Size of baby: My little guy is the size of a butternut squash!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 4 pounds of the 9 I ended up losing. I lost two pounds this week. I don't know where it is going. I eat. Healthy. But I eat!

Maternity Clothes:  I wear maternity bottoms. I am wearing more maternity shirts now but can still wear some of my non-maternity shirts. Last weekend was super cold and I was able to wear my winter coat and even button it! I guess I have a jacket to wear.

Gender: A little boy!

Movement: My little guy is very active. He rolls and kicks quite often.

Sleep: I have NOT been sleeping well this week. I have been sick since last Tuesday with a cough and congestion. I haven't really felt bad but the cough is annoying....especially b/c when I cough or sneeze I sometimes have an accident (the liquid kind).  

What I miss:  Nothing really.

Cravings:  I still am loving my Fruit Loops and apples.

Symptoms: My belly button is really looking odd these days. It sticks out a little but is still an outie.  I think my stomach is getting very large these days. I am looking forward to the growth!

Weeks 27 & 28

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of baby: My little guy is the size of a small cabbage!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 6 pounds of the 9 I ended up losing. 

Maternity Clothes:  I wear maternity bottoms. I am wearing more maternity shirts now but can still wear some of my non-maternity shirts. I am dreading this weekend because it is supposed to get cold and I don't really have a jack to wear. I guess I will be wearing Papi's!

Gender: A little boy!

Movement: My little guy is very active. He rolls and kicks quite often.

Sleep: I am starting to be very uncomfortable on my right side. I sleep with my snoggle pillow but I was really loving that right side.  I know you need to not be lying flat on your back so I rotate between my left side, right (for a little bit), and my back with pillows propped under my right hip.

What I miss:  Nothing really.

Cravings:  I still am loving my Fruit Loops!!

Symptoms: I find that I am very uncomfortable on Wednesday's and Thursday's! I also find that is when I do most of my growing.  My belly button is very weird looking. I say the hole is getting smaller and smaller every day! I also noticed the other night as I was coughing my belly button pops out! It is so freaky and weird.  Jose was totally grossed out and made me laugh so hard it was popping out then too!

More and more people are noticing I am pregnant....BUT quite a few still don't know or are just finding out.  This is kind of funny to me because I obviously feel and think I look pregnant.  Last week to Ipolito's baseball game I wore an Aggie shirt I bought that says "Future Quarterback" You should have seen the shocked looks the other mothers gave me. I could tell they didn't know I was pregnant. One even asked how far along I was.  

How Far Along: 27 Weeks

Size of baby: My little guy is the size of a pineapple!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained 6 pounds of the 9 I ended up losing. 

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity bottoms. I am wearing more maternity shirts now but can still wear some of my non-maternity shirts.

Gender: A little boy!

Movement: My little guy is very active. He rolls and kicks quite often.

Sleep: I am starting to be very uncomfortable on my right side. I sleep with my snoggle pillow but I was really loving that right side.  I know you need to not be lying flat on your back so I rotate between my left side, right (for a little bit), and my back with pillows propped under my right hip.

What I miss:  Nothing really.

Cravings:  I still am loving my Fritos, Cheetos, and Fruit Loops!!

Symptoms: I find that I am very uncomfortable on Wednesday's and Thursday's! I also find that is when I do most of my growing.  

More and more people are noticing I am pregnant....BUT quite a few still don't know or are just finding out.