36 weeks, 2 days

5 more days until Rhina is considered full term. This week she is the size of a Crenshaw Melon.

According to my weekly email from babycenter.com, strange dreams are likely to occur from this point on. From this point on? I've been having pregnancy nightmares for months! The most common is, of course, that my water is breaking or that I'm in labor and something is keeping me from getting to the hospital. What's funny about the water breaking dreams is the water between my legs always feels so real! You know when you were little and you would dream that you were walking into the bathroom, and then sitting on the toilet and going? And then you ALWAYS woke up peeing the bed? The sensation of water between my legs is so real in these dreams I always wake up thinking that my water MUST'VE actually broken. I quickly reach down to feel my pajamas and the sheets and am always shocked when I feel nothing but dryness.
I'm sure these kinds of dreams are to be expected, but some of my other dreams have been extremely scary! Apparently I've even woken up Berto from the panicking in my sleep. He'll shake me and try to wake me up, without much luck, at least that I can remember. The next day, I'll have no memory of him waking me up, just very vivid memories of the horrible dream. Two dreams in particular that stand out and have reoccurred in some form:

-Someone breaks into our house. Berto goes downstairs to investigate and the intruder stabs him with a large steak knife. I go downstairs and pull the knife out of Berto's back and stab the intruder. The intruder's wife/girlfriend (apparently they are some kind of Jack & Jill robbery team) then shows up with another knife and stabs me directly in the stomach! I'm horrified but slowly realize that I don't feel any pain from the knife. Maybe everything will be ok, I think. As if reading my mind, Jill smirks and says, "you know when it doesn't hurt, it's because the baby's already dead." Then I wake up.

-Berto & I are on a hike somewhere in the desert when a snake comes from out of nowhere and bites the top of my hand. And when I say out of nowhere, I really mean it. I have no visual of the snake crossing our path, or me seeing or approaching it. It's just suddenly attached to the top of my hand, and Berto & I know without a doubt that it's venom is deadly. I take my other hand and rip the snake's fanged grip out of my skin by the back of it's head. Immediately some sort of emergency response and park ranger team is on the scene and examining my hand. They say "We could give you an antidote to save your life, but it will definitely kill your baby. So what'll it be?" spoken as casually as if I'm about to place my order in at a drive thru window. The end.

Terrible, I know. I wish there were something I could do or some way to not remember these horrible dreams. Just another reason I would LOVE it if Rhina could make her debut sooner rather than later! Why couldn't I just have amazing sex dreams like so many other pregnant women?

Hawaiian Winter Rhina

This weekend was the last of our baby showers. Yes, we had 3, though one was a surprise to me. Baby Rhina certainly is loved!
My aunts/cousins/friends threw this shower for me at my cousin Louisa's beautiful home in Oak Park. The best part of the shower was spending the weekend with all of my family members who came from all around the country to be together this weekend! My mom and sister flew in from California, my aunt Laurie from Florida, and my aunt Jennifer took the train from Phoenix. It's always a good time when my mom and her four sisters, "The Wiebers Girls", get together. Living all across the country, they are always so very happy to spend time together. Our family is dominated by women, both in numbers and personality. And now that all 8 daughters of "The Wiebers Girls" are "grown up", we make for quite a congregation; each of us stubborn and unusual in our sense of humor, among other similarities.
For example, I'm not sure everyone at the shower quite understood or appreciated our Hawaiian Winter Salad recipe. My aunt Amy found a recipe in an old Lutheran cookbook for the most vomit-inducing jello salad recipe you could ever imagine. The ingredient include:
Lime Jello
Tart Apples
Canned Pineapple with Juice
Radishes
Green Olives
Green Onions
Avocado
Celery
Garnished with Sour Cream and Green Peppers
What?! Have you ever read a more foul listing of ingredients that just do NOT belong together? Well, neither had Amy, so she promptly cut the recipe out of the cookbook, framed it, and hung it on her kitchen wall for all to read, laugh, and be appalled by. And appalled we were this weekend as we all of us ladies gathered at her home on Saturday afternoon/evening to eat pizza, watch movies, and catch up. My sister was especially intrigued by the recipe and it was decided the next morning at brunch, a mere hour before the start of the baby shower, that we needed to make the Hawaiian Winter Salad to add to the shower menu! I'm still not sure if Berto really understands why it was necessary that we rush to Jewel and spend $26 to make the world's most repulsive jello salad, but he went along with it. My kitchen was a frenzy for 20 minutes as we quickly boiled water and chopped ingredients.
I guess to really understand you need to know a bit more about my aunt Amy. She is the youngest of "The Wiebers Girls" and was, of course, brutally picked on as a child. During road trips, my mom and other 2 aunts would point out the most run down, trashy house, shed, barn, or any other free standing structure that they could spot out of the car window and shout "There's Amy's house!!" until Amy cracked and broke down crying. Today, maybe or maybe not because of the taunting, Amy lives in the most beautiful and tastefully decorated home in Highland Park (in my opinion of course). It is upscale without being ostentatious, chock full of vintage pieces and antiques without trying too hard, equipped with every modern convenience but full of country charm. She loves to shop, decorate, and entertain. The only thing more perfect than her home or more fun for her to do (other than perhaps to hold infants), is to plan the perfect table display. No one can coordinate table linens, candles, and china or make a homemade floral arrangement or seasonal centerpiece like my aunt Amy.
So to see my aunt's face as we presented the Hawaiian Winter Salad, instantly destroying her perfect "Christmas Tea" themed shower table while simultaneously bringing the horrid recipe from her kitchen wall to life, was priceless.

We never did get the jello to set correctly with all the ingredients, but we didn't care because we never dreamed anyone would actually dare to try this mess. We did have a couple takers in my friend Tanna and Berto. Everyone got a good laugh when Berto ate a couple bites, declared it "not bad" and continued eating! Not that I should be surprised by his rhino diet taste buds by now!

I'm so thankful for all of my friends and family for being so outrageously generous and supportive during this exciting time! 5.5 weeks to go! Hopefully a bit less than that, but I am trying to come to terms with the fact that everything is on her schedule from now on!

Berto with "The Wiebers Girls", and Rhina

In our holiday coordinates

Some of the family at the shower

A Couple Pics from the Hyatt Shower

On Giving Thanks

This Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful for. I have an amazing husband, family, friends, and co-workers!

A couple weeks ago, my staff surprised me a baby shower at work! When one of them let it slip that morning that there was a surprise shower taking place for me that afternoon, I played cool and just assumed it would be the ladies in my department, maybe a couple people from the front desk.

But at one o'clock when I entered Meeting Suite 4, the lights turned on and it seemed half the hotel was there shouting surprise! My coworkers had a huge turn out in response to the departmental invitations that my lovely PBX ladies had sent out. Stupid me didn't bring my camera, but one of the ladies bought a disposable for the shower and I haven't had time to go to the store and do the old school one hour film developing. I tried last week at Target, but their photo center was closed unless you were using the automated kiosk. I guess there really isn't much of a need for a real person anymore. Anyway, back to the shower. My ladies went all out on the food and decorations and everyone was extremely generous in their gifts. I am very thankful! I will post pics as soon as I can get them printed and then scanned.

This past weekend the Jaquez side of the family threw Baby Rhina a similarly fabulous shower! So many cute rhino details!


Berto, Baby Rhina, and I are so grateful and blessed to have all of these people's love and support.

8.5 weeks to go! Don't get too comfortable in there little Rhina! I mean, I know it's all about you and stuff, but it would really work out better for my work schedule if you could move things along and get here around 37-38 weeks. So if you could go ahead and plan on that, that would really put my Thanks-o-Meter over the top...Thanks!

Mom-Mobile

Last week we traded in my cute 2 door Honda Civic for something more Baby Rhina friendly. I feel like such a soccer mom! This Honda CRV was used but with only 26k miles and 1 previous owner. I love all the space and storage, but mostly that I won't have to flip my seat back and forth just to get Baby Rhina in and out of her car seat.



The pictures aren't the best, but I've been leaving for work and getting home in the dark, so these pictures taken in the hotel's parking garage will have to do. I'm looking forward to Daylight Savings this weekend, so I'll get another couple weeks of seeing daylight on weekdays.

The Football Wives

High school football season officially ended for the Morton Mustangs last weekend. It was strange and nice to have Berto home Friday night and Saturday morning, but it was also bittersweet. I was missing my Football Wives. I love that all of us coach's wives get along so well. I will miss our dinners at Lalo's, tailgating in the elite, beige pass only south parking lot, freezing in the stands, post game pizza and beer at R'Place with the boys, and of course, jamming out to Wilson Phillips! Until next season ladies! Hopefully we will make plans to see each other before next August, but the traditions will have to wait until then. And I'll enjoy having Berto spend more time at home, at least until next week, when wrestling season starts!

Annual Parties

This weekend we went to Dubuque to attend the Third Annual Fuegerfest. It was a great time had by all, as usual, with lots of authentic German food, music, and beer slinging. Fuegerfest was such a blast that it was actually labor inducing last year, with Jack Reinhardt Fueger joining us just 3 days post Fuegerfest II. Here's the "littlest man" himself enjoying his JACK o'lantern 1st birthday smash cake.

It got me thinking that I've never posted a word about our annual Jaquez Labor Day parties, which are definitely blog worthy. 2010 was the year of Jersey Shore which entailed baked ziti, Italian sausage, Snooki punch, tans, notes to Sammi, and lots of fist pumping!

Ronnie & Sammi


Guidettes


Joshy D & L-Woww


The shirt before the shirt


Situation Cake


Ham & Water


GTL!


2011 was Saved by the Bell!

Slater, Kelly, Lisa, and Zack


Inside the kitchen at the Max; stacks of burger baskets and the deep fryer ready to cook up homemade fries and onion rings


The Max


Caffeine Pills


Max Menu


Maxwell Nerdstrom & Violet Bickerstaff


The Cake


Lisa, Jessie, & Kelly


Taking Mr. Carosi's order

Berto & I are already scheming up themes for 2012 - got any ideas?

So-Called "Fetal Echocardiogram"

It was another ultrasound. Undoubtedly with a much higher price tag. At least after 2 months of drama and phone calls, I am finally on Berto's Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO! Ok, so maybe there was a bit more focus on the heart this time than in the previous ultrasounds, but not a whole lot. And it didn't really seem like anything new was determined at all. Baby Rhina is still showing steady growth. She is measuring small, but within healthy range. The doctor asked what my size was when I was born saying that her size is likely in relation to mine. I didn't know the answer. I think I was smaller, but I couldn't quote a weight, so I had to text my mom. Apparently the doctors were worried about my size, but I was healthy, just small at 6lbs 1oz.
The good news about yesterday's fetal echocardiogram, is I'm done with these special appointments. I'll still have ultrasounds once a month to check her growth, but I can incorporate them into my regular doctor's appointments instead of the specialists at the fetal maternal medicine center in Hinsdale. The even better part, the 3D ultrasound pics!

10.9.11 Envy

Completely impressed by this woman! Running a 1/2 marathon at 17 weeks is nothing compared to this!
Berto & I both vowed this weekend to run the Chicago Marathon in 2012. Hopefully we can figure out a schedule with a new baby that allows both of us time to train and get in those long runs.

24 weeks, 3 days

I can't believe my 2nd trimester is nearing it's close! It's been very exciting to go from wondering, is that the baby or a bowel movement? to knowing, and even being able to see her little movements through my clothes. Between 7-9pm every night she really gets active. Berto likes to talk to her and try to get her to respond to his prompts with kicks and punches.
I am still having appointments practically every other week to watch her growth due to the SUA, but so far everything is progressing perfectly. The level 2 ultrasound wasn't what I thought it would be at all. I thought it would be in 3D, but it was exactly like the 20 week ultrasound. So much so, that when they asked if I had any questions, I said, "so why am I here? How was this one different than last week?" For some reason, it felt almost inappropriate to ask. The doctor definitely seemed as if I was the first person to ever question the necessity of the procedure. She said it was more "in depth." I tried to laugh it off on my ignorance for her sake, but I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm just being told to do all these things to run up my bill. Seriously, the screen looked exactly the same, and they took all the same pictures and measurements as the 20 week ultrasound. Only the doctor and location seemed different to me. I guess better safe than sorry, but I can't help feeling that some of this is just completely unnecessary. Like next week, for example, we have a fetal echo cardiogram so they can get a better look at her heart and all the chambers etc. The doctor told me that the level 2 ultrasound confirmed up to 80% that everything is good with her heart, but the fetal echo cardiogram can tell us up to 83%. REALLY? 3%? I have to take time off work and go to a special hospital for 3%? What is that really going to tell me or the doctor? And in the long run, what difference is it really going to make at this point in the pregnancy? And c'mon "fetal echo cardiogram" just sounds expensive... At least as of Oct 1st I'll officially be on Berto's good, union, government insurance.
Now for something more enjoyable - ultrasound pics!


20 weeks


My favorite of the ultrasound pics from 20 weeks - just look at that cute little smile!



3D ultrasound pic from First Peak Ultrasound at 17 week

Es Una Nina!

So as we suspected all along, Baby Rhino is actually a RhinA! Intuition I guess, but from the very beginning we both agreed that we thought Baby Jaquez was going to be girl.
At 17 weeks, we went to First Peak Ultrasound in Oak Park. They specialize in ultrasounds just to tell you the sex. That, and trying to sell you useless merchandise like DVD recordings of the entire experience set to music of your choice. Needless to say we paid the minimum fee for the basic ultrasound. It took awhile for the ultrasound tech to be able to say either way because apparently Rhina likes to sit Indian style. The tech had me try going to the bathroom and changing positions to get her to uncross her legs, and she finally did, but just for a second. Though she said she was 99% sure, we decided to wait to share the outcome with the world until after the official 20 week, in-depth ultrasound.
Last Friday, the tech was able to instantly confirm Rhina status. She also confirmed that Rhina is growing perfectly in spite of having single umbilical artery. We have a level 2 ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday so they can get a closer look at the umbilical cord. I'm sure she's in the 75% of entirely normal births with SUA since she is developing perfectly and I have no other risk factors for abnormalities, but better safe than sorry. And at least the level 2 ultrasound should be pretty exciting - ultrasounds are always fun!

Physical Set Backs

Yesterday I completed the Chicago Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon. I run this race every year as the hotel is given 10 complimentary registrations as part of the contracted room block we have for the expo staff and runners.
My time this year was a full hour behind previous years, but I do feel really proud of myself for finishing a 1/2 marathon at 17 weeks pregnant. Though it took a bit for me to feel that way.
My pride was hurting during the race. Especially when I had to admit that a distance I must have run 40-50 times between all the races and marathon training I've done, was physically just too demanding anymore. When I had to walk. When I tried to run again, and my body just wouldn't. I hate being the person walking during a race. I really hate it. And it's sad to admit that my pride was hurting even more than my body. I kept looking around thinking, "I hope people can tell that I'm pregnant." I was actually wishing my bump was larger to make it obvious to all that my handicap was not lack of preparation, determination, or athleticism. At one point, I even resented the way I had positioned my race number, thinking that the way it was folding out was making me look less pregnant and more like someone out of shape who had signed up for their first 1/2 marathon and not trained properly. I even considered stopping to readjust the safety pins.
I kept having to force myself to stop this way of thinking; telling myself that my body has limits now, and they are there for a good reason. Why is my pride so important that I needed to have strangers know why I was walking 1/4 of the race? I knew that I was doing the best I could physically do, and that should have been enough. This is definitely something about myself that I want to work on. In the past, I've judged others during races. I've even blogged about it. And I think my own judgmental attitude attributed to my feelings during Sunday's run. I know what my pre-pregnant self would've thought of me during the race, and there lies the problem. Why am I so quick to judge?
After some reassurance from Berto, a foot long sub, some icey hot, and a Teen Mom marathon on the couch, I truly became happy with my performance. After all, how many people complete a 1/2 marathon in their lives, let alone 17 weeks pregnant. Perspective!

16(+11) and Pregnant

Has it really been 7 months since my last post? Not that posting is really necessary because everyone who reads this is either my friend on Facebook/Twitter and gets up to date info there, or is actually my friend that I keep in touch with regularly. I do enjoy reading old posts on here and remembering what I was thinking or feeling at the time, so like most, I guess, this blog is really more for me as a memory "book", and I'd like to start being better at posting more regularly. Especially now that I'm going through one of the biggest life changes there is - pregnancy.

I guess I will just start by answering the hot topic questions:

How far along are you? 14 weeks and 4 days

When are you due? January 23rd

Were you trying? We decided to stop preventing it and see what happened. I guess you could say we were "sort of" trying. We were both thinking that it might take a few months before anything would happen. It took approximately 2 weeks.

How are you feeling? Absolutely fine. I never had any morning sickness. I don't feel tired, at least, any more than my narcoleptic self. Still can't watch a movie past 9pm without falling asleep. Nothing new there. At one point I took 4 pregnancy tests because I didn't "feel" pregnant. The only symptom I've experienced is some bloating during the first couple of months. That's it. I've been extremely lucky thus far.

Is it a boy or a girl? We will find out around Labor Day when I'm 20 weeks, and yes, we are going to find out!

Are you still running? Yes, and it's perfectly healthy for me to do so. I'm just not pushing myself. I actually did the Soldier Field 10 mile at 6 weeks and the Warrior Dash at 9 weeks.

Are you excited/ready?Of course we are excited! And nervous. How does one really prepare? Who is ever really ready for their first child? Yes, you can buy all the stuff, read all the baby books, take all the classes, and get all the advice. But are you ever really ready until it's thrust upon you? Maybe ask me again when I'm 39-40 weeks and ready to just get this baby out of me!

Are you going to stay home with the baby? Obviously I will take a maternity leave, but my husband is a teacher. We have a mortgage and student loans. One of us staying home is NOT an option. Yes, day care will be expensive, but we both make enough where it still makes financial sense to work. Would I love to stay home? Of course. Would Berto love to stay home? definitely. But it's just not in the cards for us.

Well, those are the top questions I've been getting asked. I'm very excited for this 2nd trimester getting underway. I'm excited to look pregnant and not just bloated or like I'm packing on the pounds. Sometimes I feel like the time is going by very slowly, like I've been pregnant for such a long time now. Other times I feel like, am I really 1/3 finished with this pregnancy already?