34 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How far along: 34 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +22 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yes.

Best Moment this Week: Lunch at Panera Bread today with my husband!

Gender: BOY! Baby Caleb :)

Movement: His kicks are SO intense! It amazes me someone so tiny can kick so hard!

Food Cravings: Junk, mostly sweets...and also Thai food. And boba.

Food aversions: Healthy food, lol.

What I Miss: Being able to do anything without back pain, pelvic pain, vaginal pain, any kind of pain! Lol.

Sleep: I've been sleeping okay. It's the trying to get comfortable TO sleep part that's horrible.

What I am looking forward to: Buying and receiving more things for Caleb.

Love,

Tiare

Resolutions

With the new year fast approaching, I thought I should get a jump on my resolutions--one of them being to procrastinate less--and actually do the stuff on this list in 2013.

I RESOLVE TO...

1. Stop taking everything so seriously
2. Laugh more
3. Complain less
4. Be less jealous
5. Be more outspoken
6. Be more confident
7. Get in shape after recovering from Caleb popping out
8. Get my size 13 ass back to a size 9 ass
9. Get back to eating healthier food
10. Drink more water
11. Stretch more
12. Replace my old bras and underwear
13. Download more albums to my phone
14. Be the best wife and mother I can be for my family
15. Remember to take time for myself once in a while
16. Have date nights with Mike
17. Remember to spend time with immediate family too
18. Take more pictures with family and friends
19. Find a job
20. Work hard
21. Save money
22. Pay off credit card debt
23. Get more organized
24. Take a trip
25. Don't get too stressed out

Love,

Tiare

Day 23: Favorite vacation

My FAVORITE vacation is any of my trips to Disneyland! I have been 3 times and every trip was filled with great memories! I am definitely a big kid at heart and there is just something magical about that place. I am most excited about taking Caleb to Disney someday. Definitely when he's old enough to walk! Maybe when he's around 4 years old or something. So exciting!

The last time I went to Disneyland was April of 2008, with Mike.. for our honeymoon! It was so exciting because it was Mike's first time! I wish we were rich so we could try all the restaurants and food carts. I keep hearing the food there is incredible! I've only tried a couple of their restaurants, and I don't even remember which exact ones.

Anyway, yeah.. when Caleb's here though. Omg, I'll probably be more excited than he will be! Lol. I can't wait :)

Love,
Tiare

Our Christmas Goodies

Mike got me...

Hunger Games Blu Ray

Because I love The Hunger Games Trilogy :)

Ted Blu Ray

This movie is AMAZINGLY funny!

Crock Pot

I already have a mini one, but now I have a 6 qt. one.. can't wait to use it!

Wax Warmer

LOVE! He got an owl because he didn't want to get a plain one and knew I liked owls.

Scented Wax Cubes

Not the scents in the picture though. He got Creamy Spiced Eggnog, Line-Dried Linen, Spiced Rum Cake, Shimmering Cherry Blossom, and Tranquil Garden Spa. They smell incredible!

And I got Mike...

Bond 50 DVD Collection

His inner Bond was super excited about this! :) Haha

Assassin's Creed Ezio Trilogy

Assassin's Creed III

And my family got me...

Keurig

:) It's so cool. And it came with 12 K-Cups.

Thank you fam!

K-Cup Carousel

Mike and I also received money from my uncle. Thank you uncle!

What did the hubs get from my family?

Issey Miyake Cologne and Aftershave Balm Set

Our favorite scent on him :)

Headphones

My family also got us...

Ferrero Rocher Chocolates

Mike only ate 2 because he didn't like them. So, I ate the rest.. lol. There's only 2 left.

We must have been good this year! :)

Love,

Tiare

Day 22: Favorite city.

I love to travel. It is always fun to explore a new place or return to one of my favorite vacation spots. But I would have to say that my favorite city is my hometown of Honolulu, HI.

There are no words to express how much I love that little island of Oahu. I get a warm feeling whenever I think about it. I can't even begin to count the amazing memories I had growing up there. But what I love MOST about the island is the people. It's such a close community. I'm so thankful to have been born and kind of, somewhat raised in Hawaii.

I am a firm believer that: There is NO place like HOME. And for me Honolulu will always be home. In fact, I would be THRILLED if that is where Mike, Caleb, and I end up one day. I can't think of a better place to raise a family :)

Love,

Tiare

Day 20 & 21: Nicknames/Picture of yourself.

Nicknames

T or Aurie

Old picture of myself, 2 years ago

Love,

Tiare

Day 19: Something you miss.

MOST of my family lives in Vegas or Hawaii. Aside from missing the obvious (parents & sisters), I miss my family that live in Hawaii.

There are my grandparents.
Then my uncles & aunties.
Then my cousins.

My Nana, papa, uncle Vincent (mom's brother), aunty Marie (mom's sister), & my precious cousins.

My aunty Marie has three children. All girls. I miss those kids! They're SO cute ;) I hate being so far away from them. I am so ready to see them all again! Hopefully for my sister's graduation!

Sera, Scarlett, and Jessie :) SO cute, right!?

My cousin (Ryten), his girlfriend, my grandma, aunty Lani (dad's sister), & my other cousin (Ryley, but we call him Hano).

My aunty Lani has two children. Both boys. I love & miss them too! Hope I see them again soon too! I have one other uncle (dad's brother), who lives in Seattle.

My uncle John.

Love my family & miss them TONS!

Love,

Tiare

Day 18: Something you regret.

I have a couple of things I regret. I would definitely do them differently if I had the chance. BUT every decision I have made along the way has gotten me to where I am today. And where I am today is EXACTLY where I want to be :)

Love,
Tiare

32 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How far along: 32 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +18 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yup. However, I don't really go out since I'm on modified bed rest, so I just wear sweats & shirts all the time. :)

Best Moment this Week: Receiving more baby gifts in the mail!

Gender: BOY! Baby Caleb :)

Movement: Getting stronger & stronger. He is doing somersaults in there!

Food Cravings: Ice cream, potato chips, chocolate, pies..you know..the JUNK food!

Food aversions: None.

What I Miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

Sleep: This week has been bad. My back pain is on another level.

What I am looking forward to: Caleb arriving in several weeks! I can't wait! I'm going crazy! :)

Love,

Tiare

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to.

Top 5 things I'm looking forward to this/next year.

1. More Miami Heat basketball. We still have a great team this year! I'm so excited!

2. Christmas. It's my 2nd favorite holiday. This is my first Christmas away from family and friends, but I still have my husband with me, so it's not bad.

3. Moving back to Vegas. I will finally be able to have a better chance of finding a job!

4. Caleb's arrival. February 8, 2013 can't come soon enough! I'm so ready to meet him!

5. 4th of July. I can't wait, it's going to be one of Caleb's first holidays! Lol, $94 for this though!? Sheesh, Ralph Lauren. 

Love,

Tiare

Day 16: Dream Home.

When I think about my dream home, I think about bay windows, sunken tubs, walk-in closets, and most of all.. a nice kitchen. But ultimately, those things aren't what's important. Home to me isn't just a place, it's a feeling. A feeling of love and security. It's knowing that I get to spend the rest of my life with the person I love most. Home for me is anywhere Mike and Caleb are. Whether we live in a big house or a small apartment, as long as I have these two people there: I am HOME.

Love,

Tiare

Day 15: Bible verse(s)

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice! - Philippians 4:4

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6:8

I look up to the mountains--does my help come from there? - Psalm 121:1

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. - 1 Peter 5:7

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? - Romans 8:31

Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13

Love,
Tiare

Day 14: A picture you love.

I asked my little sister to send me some pictures to share for "Throwback Thursday" on Instagram, and she sent me this picture of me and her. I couldn't help but laugh! Malia and I were so weird! We still are, lol. I remember always doing this face for some reason, it was my go-to silly face.

Here is a more recent picture of me and Malia. Actually, this was 2 years ago.. lmao, but it's the most recent one I have of just us two. Even though we are far away, I still love to look at all of our old pictures and remember the fun times we had. I'm SO thankful for all of the wonderful memories I have with Malia :) I need to make more with Kiana!

Love,

Tiare

We've Come A Long Way, Baby!

7 months and 3 weeks!!! I'm almost 8 months pregnant!

It's getting hard to breathe. Caleb and my uterus are pushing on all the internal organs...cramping my lung space a little! It feels so fun when he's moving around...heehee. At first it felt like little bubbles popping in my stomach, or kind of like...little taps on your belly. Then as he's getting bigger...it feels like BIG ROLLING movements.

Lately at bedtime, my husband will build my little "fortress of solitude" with pillows around me so I can get comfy. It's not so fun though when I have to move a pillow out of the way a couple of times to get up and pee in the middle of the night. Caleb takes up a lot of room, including bladder space! Hahaha.

Love,
Tiare

Basketball In My Belly

It looks like I must have swallowed a basketball or something :)

It's hard to believe I've got another 9 to 10 weeks of stretching left to do!

XOXO,

Tiare

P.S.

I love Caleb like crazy!

The Belly: Week 28 (Late Upload)

Kicking in the belly.. (don't mind my obnoxious voice) I kept meaning to upload this video after I filmed it, but kept forgetting. This was 2 weeks ago.

I always want to try and get a creepy alien-in-the-belly looking video, but I guess he's not a fan of attention - the second I try to get a video of him kicking or moving, he stops. Lol. I tried to get a more recent 30 week video of him moving, but.. ehh, I guess he's not up for it. But, I still love him.. lol.

As far as I'm doing, fairly great. I love being pregnant, but there are definitely its uncomfortable moments - peeing constantly, aching vagina, sore hips, itchy skin, ribs hurting. Luckily, my feet and ankles aren't swelling.

Oh, today.. Mike and I went to Caravail's Day Spa to redeem my free pregnancy massage (compliments of the Pampered Pregnancy Program at the hospital I'm delivering at). It was great, for it being only 30 minutes long. The full massage is an hour long, but that's $80.. lol. The therapist was gentle and it was just so relaxing. She massaged my back, thighs, calves, and feet. All my pains were gone and when she did my back and feet especially, omg.. it was amazing, lol. I was definitely satisfied.

Love,

Tiare

STRETCH MARKS?!

On Friday I found stretch marks on my belly! Aaaahhhaahhah! I seriously thought I was blessed to have no stretch marks so far and then I was getting ready to hop in the shower, and then.. ugh. Straight up stretch marks. I have them right just on the underside of my belly. So, that sucks balls. Nothing I can do though, just.. gotta deal with them.

Sigh, sucks though. My belly is REALLY starting to grow now, and I am getting more and more freaked out about getting more stretch marks. I was slacking on the cocoa butter routine for a few weeks. I knew I shouldn't have stopped! Ugh, lol. My weight gain has been gradual though, but I guess that doesn't matter. My mom has stretch marks from having me and my sisters, so I suppose I was doomed to get them eventually.

I hope they don't get too bad, because I want to wear bikinis in the summer.. lol.

Aaaahaahaaah! =/

Love,
Tiare

The "pregnant after a loss" mindset is a sad one.

In April of 2011, we were thrilled to find out that we were expecting our first baby. Devastatingly, on September 01, our son Micheal Cortez Jr. was born at 23 weeks old and lived for just several minutes.

In May of 2012, we found out we were pregnant again. Our handsome son, Caleb Amana, is due to arrive on February 08, 2013 and we could not be more in love with him. We are truly lucky!

While pregnant after a loss, I didn't think it was possible to become any more doubtful. I thought I was cautious last time...this time I was 20x more cautious and felt as if I was always "knocking on wood." Throughout this pregnancy, I would say to myself "I am pregnant and I love my baby." Then I would realize...well, what happens if I lose this baby too? So I also started saying to myself "I will bring this baby home." Then I would think of how I brought our first son home in ashes and clarified: "I will bring this baby home ALIVE." And then I would remember Mike and think, "I'd better say 'we' to clarify. We will bring this baby home alive." And then I would realize that I was pretty much tempting fate to give me a baby with health problems, so I started to think, "Okay, I need to add 'healthy' in there. This baby will stay alive and healthy."

I think it's clear that Caleb gave me OCD during this pregnancy.

I am pregnant.
I love my baby.
This baby will stay alive and healthy.

Love,
Tiare