THE Name!

So, at this point I realize our sweet baby girl's name is no secret, BUT I promised a post all about it so here ya go...

I was never a huge fan of my own name (no offense mom, I really like it now)... plus Crystal Gazda sounds way better than Crystal Hubbell (I would get tongue tied on my own name... redic..). Growing up, I always encouraged everyone to just call me Crissy. By the time I started college, I decided Crissy wasn't "mature" enough so I went back to Crystal.. although still not a fan. SO, when it comes to choosing a name I take it VERY seriously. 

In high school, I made the decision that I was going to adopt a baby from Asia when I was older. So, my names were: Isabella Grace for a girl, Jackson Alexander for a boy, and Vivian Rose for our Asian girl. Well, my then boyfriend's cousin took Isabella Grace (and it's now too common of a name for my liking anyway) so that's been out. I informed Adam of the other 2 names and he's been on board since day 1... although he's not quite sure about the adopting thing so he has always said Vivian Rose would be our biological girl's name. 

So we get preggo and while everything else seemed overwhelming, picking our name should be easy-peasy, right? Wrong!! We find out that Jackson is the MOST common boys name in the U.S. right now... WTF! So panic mode sets in there because boys names are HARD and I don't want him to be Jackson #6 in his class (although wouldn't "JAG" (his initials) be a cool name?)! And as far as the girls name... I freak! because again, what if she wants to change her name too. This is all too real! So, we decide to wait until we find out the gender to start stressing about names since then we'd only have to stress about one gender. 

Well... It's a GIRL!! Now what are you going to name her?? Talk about pressure! We had 3 "top names" picked out by this point, and decided to wait until she was born to choose. BUT I started to get requests for the name and initials so people could buy her sweet monogrammed things... who wouldn't want that!? Plus I really wanted to call her by her name... Lil' G and baby girl were getting old. 

So at 20 weeks, I sat down with Adam and we talked it out. Since we already had names picked out, AND since Adam had already made it clear (since day 1) that he liked Vivian I thought it was going to be easy. Again, wrong! I had secretly decided Vivian was the name and just wanted Adam's approval. So when I asked, what does he say? A completely different name! $%&@!?? Here we go again. I liked Vivian Rose and he liked Paige Olivia. Now don't get me wrong, I love Paige Olivia, but I like the option for nicknames and you can't do much with Paige. So that discussion lasted another week before we compromised on Vivian Paige. And can I just say I'm (STILL) in love with her name. It's classic, timeless, beautiful, unique and most importantly it just feels right. When I saw her sweet face on the 3D ultrasound I knew we made the right decision. 

Vivian Paige ladies and gentlemen: 

Now the reception of her name has been mixed (of course). You can't please everyone, so it's good we couldn't care less what anyone else thinks. But, I have to share some of the best reactions.... Most people ask if it's a family name since it's very vintage, but it's not. When we shared the name with my grandmother, she wasn't very enthused and asked how I came up with Vivian. Although not (completely) true I decided to tell her it was inspired by Pretty Woman since that is both of our favorite movie.... her response: "You're naming your daughter after a prostitute?!???!" Well, that didn't pan out like I hoped... oh well, you can't win them all ;).

For the record... I thought of Vivian Rose before Jessie James Decker (that seriously erked me...), and while I am not a fan of Angelina Jolie, I'll be the bigger person and share a name with her daughter. 

Now let's hope she likes it as much as we do :)

Lil' G Week 33

Week 33 (5/18-24/14)

Another good week! I worked all week, had an awesome girls day with some of the ladies here and their adorable kiddos, then Adam and I started out our weekend Thursday night. Since it was Memorial Day weekend and Adam had Friday and Monday off, we originally planned (ie in January) to go to San Diego for the weekend.... well we both decided after weeks of non-stop on the go that was a bad idea and cancelled... now that turned out to be a GREAT idea! We had such a great weekend with just the 2 of us!... literally... all of Tucson left. We went to dinner Thursday night, ran errands Friday (Adam learned the true appeal of Target), spent the day by the pool Saturday, did some major nesting on Sunday (I'll post Adam's baby projects when they're done ;), had a quiet restful morning Monday, then my bestie, Lindsey, came to town to spend the day with me!

Adam had fun with the hats at the mall: 

Me and my belly float! Best invention ever!

What a difference a year can make! Memorial Day 2013 and 2014:

So lucky I get to spend my Memorial Day with this handsome Airman! 

The bumps! 34 weeks and 18 weeks! 

Oh and we had a very cute house guest (our neighbors dog, Abby). She likes to play "bobbing for toys" and pull every.single.one out until she decides on her fave... which is usually Lola's biggest one...

 Cuddlers ;)

Due Date: 7/7/14!!

The baby is the size of: a durian fruit?? 17.2-18.7in and 4.2-5.8 lbs

"Your baby is still gaining weight (about half a pound a week), and she could grow up to another full inch this week. With that much baby inside your uterus, your amniotic-fluid level has maxed out, which explains why some of her pokes and kicks feel pretty sharp these days. (There's less fluid to cushion the blows.) Antibodies are being passed from you to your little one as she continues to develop her own fetal immune system, which will come in handy once she's outside the womb and fending off all sorts of germs." http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week-33.aspx

Gender: It's a girl!! And we decided on a name!! Later post about that!

Symptoms: I have a lot more energy, but I hit a wall by 5pm and am usually in bed by 7 or 8. I still have the sinusitis (constant stuffy nose).. especially when I eat?? Frequent headaches, hip/joint pain, and I pee all the time! like I have to pee after I pee... So, needless to say with the hip pain and peeing, I don't get much sleep either! She moves all of the time! I will say, those kicks used to be cute, but it's starting to get painful! She's starting to really get under my ribs and kick me in the stomach when I eat... not fun, but I do rely on those kicks to remind me she's ok so keep it coming! I also mentioned the crazy stretching feeling I get when I walk farther than a quarter mile (ridiculous I know) or go up stairs. It's different from round ligament pain (I have that too).... it feels like a ton of pressure and my belly is just going to pop! and of course it goes away when I rest. I still haven't bought my maternity belt... I just can't put another layer around my belly yet. It's VERY difficult to bend over or get comfortable. I'm ALWAYS hot, tired and hungry, and "Pregnancy Brain" is now SERIOUSLY no joke (so if you see typos and odd things in this blog, that's why)! And the nesting has settled in full force. 

Sleep: pretty much impossible! I get up every 1-2 hours to pee and reposition. My snoogle is my best friend right now though!!

Cravings: I'm loving OJ, kind bars, lara bars, tea, salads, sandwiches, smoothies and FRUIT! basically anything cold, so ice cream is fair game too! And this week I was ALL about Sonic grilled cheese and strawberry limeades..... I started out the week with a small limeade and ended it with a route 44.... This preggo isn't playing around. 

Food Aversions: STILL can’t do bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, whole tomatoes or certain kinds of meat.

Total Weight Gain: 16lbs and 9 inches around my waist! Lil G is growing! and I'm beginning to feel large and in charge!

Activity: Daily 150's, walking as much as I can, CLEANING, and stretching (gotta get ready for labor)!

Lil' G Week 32

Week 32 (5/11-17/14)

8 weeks left!! 
This week was another busy one! I flew back home to Tucson on Tuesday night (there was no chance for standby any other time and I was ready!), babysat my friend's adorable baby girl on Wednesday, worked Thursday and Friday, and then over the weekend I learned what this whole "nesting" thing is all about! I spent ALL day Saturday and Sunday cleaning EVERYTHING (I even washed the washing machine before washing Viv's things), organizing, filing, planning, and explaining to Adam the purpose of it all.... although, I think I just convinced him that I'm truly crazy. 

Before and After of the room we're using to store Viv's stuff (she wont have a nursery here since we are leaving very shortly after she is born). And it's still a work in progress:

Viv has been moving like whoa!! It seriously reminds me of THIS. Seriously out of control and FREAKISH! It's getting so painful I've started practicing different "tones" with her to see what she responds to... there aren't many... she's going to be fun!

Due Date: 7/7/14!!

The baby is the size of: a squash. 15.2-16.7in and 2.5-3.8 lbs

"What's up with your baby? She's starting to get ready for her big debut, tipping the scales at almost four pounds and topping out at just about 19 inches. In these past few weeks, it's all about practice, practice, practice as she hones the skills she'll need to thrive outside the womb — from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking. And speaking of sucking, your little one has been able to suck her thumb for a while now. Something else to note: As more and more fat accumulates under your baby's skin, she's becoming less transparent and more opaque." http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week-32.aspx

Gender: It's a girl!! And we decided on a name!! Later post about that!

Symptoms: Much better! I have a lot more energy, but still nauseous most days. I also still have the sinusitis (constant stuffy nose).. especially when I eat?? Frequent headaches, hip/joint pain, and I pee all the time! like I have to pee after I pee... So, needless to say with the hip pain and peeing, I don't get much sleep either! She moves all of the time! I will say, those kicks used to be cute, but it's starting to get painful! She's starting to really get under my ribs and kick me in the stomach when I eat... not fun, but I do rely on those kicks to remind me she's ok so keep it coming! I also mentioned the crazy stretching feeling I get when I walk farther than a quarter mile (ridiculous I know) or go up stairs. It's different from round ligament pain (I have that too).... it feels like a ton of pressure and my belly is just going to pop! and of course it goes away when I rest. I still haven't bought my maternity belt... I just can't put another layer around my belly yet. It's VERY difficult to bend over or get comfortable. I am VERY tired and hungry ALL of the time, and "Pregnancy Brain" is now SERIOUSLY no joke! The nesting has settled in full force. 

Sleep: pretty much impossible! I get up every 2 hours to pee and reposition. My snoogle is my best friend right now though!!

Cravings What I can stomach: I'm loving OJ, kind bars, lara bars, tea, salads, sandwiches, smoothies and FRUIT! basically anything cold, so ice cream is fair game too! And this week I decided I NEEDED a chili dog (again, if you know me, you know how odd this is). So, I went to the store, bought the supplies, and made a DAMN GOOD dog. Adam was in heaven. 

Food Aversions: STILL can’t do bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, whole tomatoes or certain kinds of meat.

Total Weight Gain: 15lbs and 9 inches around my waist! Lil G is growing! and I'm beginning to feel large and in charge!

Activity: Daily 150's, walking as much as I can, CLEANING, and stretching (gotta get ready for labor)!

Lil' G Week 31

Week 31 (5/4-10/14)

Holy Moly!! Only 9 weeks left! We're in the single digits!! This is starting to get real people!!
This week was quite eventful. It was nurses, teachers, and military spouse appreciation week all in one so I felt pretty special!! I worked all week, then left on Thursday for Galveston to see family and attend my G-town baby shower!! The trip there was INSANE! I fly stand-by through Adam's family.... meaning no guaranteed seat, but my trusty "Travel Angel" (aka Adam's dad) is always a phone call away to guide me so I haven't had an issue yet. Until this time... I arrived at the airport in Tucson at 5am to try and get on a flight, and here's how my day went (PS all flights to Houston stop in DFW):
-5:55 flight: no seat, but next in line... so close!!

-7:30 flight: it's looking promising but 30 minutes before the flight they announce that it will be delayed because there is awful weather in DFW (the 5:55 flight is still circling waiting to land in DFW)
-8-10am: still waiting, gate agents are telling us it could be 2pm before we leave... SEVERAL people cancel... good news for me though, plenty of seats available for if/when it finally leaves 
-10:15am: Gate agents get the ok to board us and I have a seat to DFW!
-2:30pm: We land in DFW, I get off the plane to find my connecting flight (it was chaos).... It took me about an hour to get to a gate agent (because this chaos hadn't properly updated online for Travel Angel) and figure out that ALL flights were cancelled leaving DFW, and I was NOT waiting around all night. 
-3:30pm: Against my mother's wishes, I decide to rent a car and drive to Galveston... it was quicker and it was only sprinkling in Dallas so what's all the fuss about??
-4pm: I rent a car from Hertz and head to Galveston ($220 for 24 hours!?!! $&*@.... you better believe Hertz heard the wrath of a preggo for all that highway robbery!). Well... turns out it was sprinkling at the airport, but the rest of DFW was experiencing a torrential downfall, 70mph winds, and a tornado warning... ooops! I made it out safe thank the Lord!
9:30pm: I FINALLY make it to Galveston and am greeted by a VERY excited 6 year old cousin and Grandma (they waited up for me, how sweet!)... 
THE END

Luckily, the rest of my weekend was great! I had pretty awesome QT with my whole family, ate a TON of tex-mex, and had the best baby shower I could have asked for. So many of my family and friends came to shower Viv with love. She is one lucky lady! I also celebrated my first Mother's Day. 

Cute little favors my mom made for everyone (flowers that say "Happy Mother's Day")

Nicole and sweet baby Ivy:

Jenelle flew all the way from San Diego to surprise me! Love her!

Some sista love :)

My personal little favor:

More beautiful flowers from the lovely Paige:

Now THAT's a home cooked meal! God bless Meme 

And of course that Tex-Mex!! Yummo!

Cole and I (Viv's biggest fan!) He's going to come to AZ and show me how to take care of Viv ;)

Due Date: 7/7/14!!

The baby is the size of: a pineapple.. my fave!! 15.2-16.7in and 2.5-3.8 lbs

"Weighing in at three-plus pounds and measuring 18 inches long, your baby is quickly approaching his birth length — though he's got to pack on another three to five pounds before D-day. Also developing at an impressive clip: your baby's brain connections (he's got to make trillions of them!). He's now processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses. He's also putting in longer stretches of sleep, which is why you're probably noticing more defined patterns of wakefulness (and movement) and rest (when he’s pretty still)." http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week-31.aspx

Gender: It's a girl!! And we decided on a name!! Later post about that!

Symptoms: Much better! I have a lot more energy, but still nauseous most days. I also still have the sinusitis (constant stuffy nose).. especially when I eat?? Frequent headaches, hip/joint pain, and I pee all the time! like I have to pee after I pee... So, needless to say with the hip pain and peeing, I don't get much sleep either! She moves all of the time! I will say, those kicks used to be cute, but it's starting to get painful! She's starting to really get under my ribs and kick me in the stomach when I eat... not fun, but I do rely on those kicks to remind me she's ok so keep it coming! I also mentioned the crazy stretching feeling I get when I walk farther than a quarter mile (ridiculous I know) or go up stairs. It's different from round ligament pain (I have that too).... it feels like a ton of pressure and my belly is just going to pop! and of course it goes away when I rest. I still haven't bought my maternity belt... I just can't put another layer around my belly yet. It's VERY difficult to bend over or get comfortable. I'm also ALWAYS HOT, so poor Adam has had to revert to sweats in the house even though it's 90 degrees and climbing in AZ.... And the nesting is setting in... if I buy one more bin or organizational tool, Adam may cut me off..

Sleep: pretty much impossible! I get up every 1-2 hours to pee and reposition. My snoogle is my best friend right now though!!

Cravings What I can stomach: I'm loving OJ, kind bars, lara bars, tea, salads, sandwiches, smoothies and FRUIT! basically anything cold, so ice cream is fair game too! One day I had a sudden craving for a twice baked potato... so, I pulled into Boston Market, bought their veggie plate and a cookie, ate the cookie on my way home, then didn't really want the veggies/potatoes anymore... although, they were still happily consumed.  

Food Aversions: STILL can’t do bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, whole tomatoes or certain kinds of meat.

Total Weight Gain: 14lbs and 9 inches around my waist! Lil G is growing! and I'm beginning to feel large and in charge!

Activity: I'm finally off of "pelvic rest" so I'm back to my "daily 150's" ;) and I walk when I can... although it's getting VERY uncomfortable!