26 weeks

Wow, this pregnancy is running away from me. So hard to believe this little one has been incubating for 26 weeks. He's a little trooper as mama is really busy right now and definitely not getting enough rest, but I can feel him all the time kicking away and enjoying life. He is extremely active. So much that he can give me quite a surprise at any moment. You can physically see my stomach move around pretty wildly if you're looking in just the right moment. Sometimes it's difficult to concentrate on anything else. Mateo is somewhat interested in my belly as well. He'll say hello and give me some pats. I really think kids are smarter than people give them credit so I'd like to think he kind of knows what's up. I don't expect that he completely understands the complexity of it, but I tell him that he used to be there and soon he'll have a brother. It's clear there is something in my stomach ;-)!

Fortunately, I've been blessed with two wonderful pregnancies so I don't want to complain, but juggling work, the house, a husband, a toddler, the Junior League presidency (hooray!) and general social outings is seeming like a lot. I'm doing my best to remember to breathe as I know that so much of how I feel right now is being transmitted to him.

It's 8pm and I feel like having a bowl of cereal and crashing for the night. I feel this way quite often actually. Too tired to think about food or anything else. Javier has been a champ and has been cooking lots of wonderful meals when he's been home, but he seems to have been out of town a lot over the past few months. We're about to face a pretty massive transition as the last day of his job is June 30th. As if adding a 2nd baby were not transition enough. I'm hopeful and optimistic about change. Everything will be great!

I've been trying to figure out if I'm bigger this time around or not and I don't think I logged my weight well last pregnancy. The midwives have all the info, but at 26+ (almost 27) weeks in this time around, I've gained 15 pounds.

21 weeks

20 weeks

Another Day at the Beach :)

It's another BOY!

Javier, Mateo and I have just come from the appointment with Santa Barbara's premier perinatal doctor, Dr. Soffici. My memory of this appointment with the first pregnancy was wonderful. It's such a special time to see the 4 chambers of the baby's beating heart, the healthy spine and other healthy organs and also the baby's sex. I remembered that we were able to view all of this on a 40" LCD on the wall above our heads - a very magical memory. But, when we arrived in the room today, much to my surprise and disappointment, I found the monitor is actually quite small. Again, nothing as exciting as the first time. Also, I started to have some intuition that I have been carrying a baby girl around. When Dr. Soffici mentioned the sex as "obvious", I knew in an instant I was wrong. "Unmistakably another boy," he exclaimed of his discovery. It took a while to sink in .... okay, another boy. Well, that seems easy enough. We have the clothes, we have another boy - perfect. But why do I somehow feel a little strange and why has no other mother ever talked to me about this feeling that probably happens to a lot of mother's who learn that their second baby is the same sex as their first. Ideally, we would like three children, but obviously we'll need to re-evaluate after two for financial and other reasons, and at this point our odds are leaning heavily toward a one-sex family. Ultimately I believe very strongly that God always gets things perfectly and that having two boys is going to be really fantastic, I don't want to be misunderstood. I simply wanted to take some time to explore the feelings of learning that your second baby is the same sex as your first. ... If anything, I think it makes the case for 3 kids even stronger :)! Congratulations to the brothers Muslera! And congratulations to Javier, Mimi, Abu, Grandpa, Abuelo and all of the rest of our loving and supportive family and friends. A healthy baby is the ultimate blessing.

18 weeks

Wow, just reviewed my 18-week photo from my pregnancy with Mateo. I'm definitely bigger already this time around. The roundness looks more full. With Mateo at 18 weeks, my stomach looked kind of like it was fighting to come out, but this time I'm round and looking quite pregnant already. Hum, wonder if this baby is bigger or if one just shows differently the second time around.

Wednesday, April 6, is the big day. The day we will apparently find out if we are to have a baby boy or girl. The fact that I want to know disappoints me, but I cannot live with this level of curiosity for 4-5 more months knowing that we could know. I really admire those who do not find out. It's an amazing statement of character given the technological world in which we live.

Super Cute Photo - March 7th (15 weeks)

16 weeks - Take 2

My dad and his girlfriend, Chris, left our house on Friday after staying one week with us. It was so much fun to have them around. I especially loved that Mateo and his grandpa got to spend so much special time together. I love our life here in Santa Barbara, California, but now that Mateo is in the picture I find it very sad that we don't have any family nearby. But it's important to always see the bright side of things and that is we have a lot of wonderful friends and a really blessed life here in Santa Barbara and no family member is ever more than a flight (or two or three) away. We had a lovely visit and enjoyed the Saturday morning farmer's market, the annual SB Orchid Show, a Muslera BBQ and several local eating establishments. Javier and I eat out very rarely these days so I enjoyed all the meals prepared by others. Mateo did as well. I guess he's one of the main reasons we don't go out so much, but he was a super champ and did extremely well for a 15 1/2 month old toddler. The bread helps - he seems to be a carb loader and generally really enjoys eating.

In other news we got a new vehicle, more of a family vehicle. Javier sold his 1995 Volvo 850 Turbo and we purchased a 2010 Honda CR-V. We're hoping it will suffice with two kids. Now, Javier wants to trade in our other car (our 2006 Acura TSX) for a used Volvo station wagon. It's true, even with one child, a regular sedan can suddenly seem very small.

My pregnancy is going all swimmingly. In fact, I often forget that I'm pregnant. I feel great. We had an appointment with our midwife a couple of weeks ago and got to hear that great sound of the baby's heartbeat. I love it! We find out in a couple of short weeks if we are expecting a boy or a girl. I don't have a super strong intuition this time. Nothing like last time, but I do have a slight inclination. I'll be so happy either way, truly. A happy healthy baby is all I can request and to be given such is a HUGE blessing!