It´s a......

GIRL! We were so convinced it was a boy but the sonogram showed pretty clearly that our baby is going to be named Leah. I am so excited and Marco is ecstatic. So with that announcement, here is a belly pic. I am 24 weeks and honestly, I look way bigger in this picture than I really am. I don´t feel as big as I look. I think it has to do with the shirt.

I am one of those people who really enjoys seeing belly pics on facebook and I am also that person who is dying of curiosity to see the photos of my friends who choose not to put up the photos. Come on! One shot. It is so exciting! No need to be shy!

I am right at the 6 month mark which means the third trimester is almost here! Woohoo! Bring on the symptoms to come with it (including the baby at the end. That would be nice.) Apparently, after the rush of energy and feeling great during the third trimester, the expecting mother has all of the third trimester to enjoy having to pee a lot more again, aches and pains in the back, legs, butt, boobs etc., and loss of the ability to bend over in front which in my case means having to take more time picking up Pepe´s poop...joy! So far so good though. I am sleeping through the nights without having to get up to pee. I have my trusty lotion applier every night (thanks hubby!) so the stretch marks have not come (keeping my fingers crossed that I don´t get any but I am a realist and besides, they are a badge of honor!) and I am still able to keep up with my kindergartners at work. We will see how long I will be able to work. I plan on working through November and just taking off two weeks before the baby is due. If there aren´t any complications, that should be fine. Marco and realized that next time though we should shoot for having a baby in September or October time so that we can maximize maternity leave AND vacation in January.

I have been nesting like crazy this past week and for those of you non-preggers folks and new to the term, it means that I have been getting all sorts of projects done around the house. This includes setting up the stickers in baby Leah´s room, getting all of our wedding photos printed and catalogued and put into an album, buying a dryer (YESSSSS - warm underwear!!) getting a sweet new pot set for our indoor garden, making a baby registry (still in the initial stages. I am really just trying to keep it to the must haves before baby is born right now. Any suggestions are welcomed.), organizing the office/baby´s room which means getting books and papers into a new set of plastic drawers which will free up the book shelf for baby books and toys, and donating clothes. Phew! I also am also planning on taking my driver´s test so I can get my Peruvian license before we get our new car. I also have to make sure that I am set up and ready to go with EsSalud should I have any emergency with my pregnancy. I am going to check them out this Saturday and get registered in their system. While I am at it I will get a few questionable moles checked out.

This is one wall of the baby´s room. I bought these reusable stickers on Amazon for $8.95 USD. We will see how reusable they are the first time we move.

I am super excited because Marco and I are going to go to Mundo Bebe this weekend. It is a huge baby store on Javier Prado and while I know it might be a better idea to have a gift registry at Ripley or Saga, it will be nice to see what this place has to offer. A pack n play and a stroller with a car seat are on my must have list.

Other than that, things are going well. I am back to eating much healthier and swimming. I can´t wait for this little girl to come along and change our lives completely for the better. I can´t even tell you how sweet it is to watch Marco interact with my belly. I can already tell that the two of them are going to be attached at the hip. She is going to be his princess and I am totally fine with that as long as she also learns how to be a thoughtful and respectful girl.

And as I mentioned in a facebook update, I am not letting myself fall into the stress of doubts and worries about all the stuff I have no idea that will happen or not. I am looking at all the positives and remembering that whatever difficulty that comes our way with raising Leah, we will figure it out and enjoy the adventure. Happiness and joy are my top feelings and I plan on keeping them that way even when we are totally exhausted from life with a newborn (and then a toddler, small child, adolscent, etc.). Bring on the adventure!