Just Because The Baltimore Ravens Won....

Ok, those who know me very well know that I seriously love my football.

I love the Baltimore Ravens so much that Nate and I even planned our next vacation around the Ravens. We were going to take the vacation, this upcoming November, to go to Baltimore and watch the Ravens play the Steelers at home. Obviously, getting pregnant put a bit of a kink in this plan. So, for this year we settled for getting NFL Ticket and buying my self a fairly large men's Ray Lewis # 52 jersey to wear in my last two months of pregnancy.

I love the Ravens so much that starting at the Christmas season this new wreath will be hanging on my door:

Totally gaudy, but ridiculously awesome.

I have even asked for this bracelet for Christmas to match the earrings that Nate got me last Christmas:

Way better than a Tiffany piece!

If I knew somebody who did nails like the picture below, I would be sporting this look from September to January:

OMG! Where do I find the person that did these nails?
 Hello, way better than a french manicure!

I think were all getting the idea that I love the Ravens!

So you ask WTF? Why is Julia writing a blog about her love for the Ravens?

Well in case you didn't know, this past Monday night game was a big, big win for the Ravens! They beat the Patriots 31-30 with a thrilling field goal with 2 seconds left. They beat the fucking Patriots! Tom Brady can go back to Giselle and cry his little eyes out.

I was so pleased with my teams performance that I told Nathan to hurry up and get the camera because I'm in a picture taking mood and these are the pictures he got.

Look at that belly! 

I don't look that pregnant from the front.
I wanted to show off my shirt and big, awesome pregnancy boobs.

Looking good for 20 weeks pregnant!
I have only gained 5 pounds! 

Be happy that the Baltimore Ravens won...and if you want more picture updates then pray that they keep winning. (Especially against the disgusting Steelers!)


Ironically, our baby is due February 9th, very close to the date of the Superbowl which is February 3rd. I know that I don't have the best luck, so I probably will be pushing this baby out on February 3rd. Knowing my luck situation even more, and that the worst possible thing always happens, it will be a Niners vs. Ravens superbowl, which is mine and Nates favorite teams! Nate and I have been cracking jokes since we found out the due date that I will be in labor watching the super bowl, and honestly, it will be an awesome way to get my mind off the pain. I told Nate that if this is the case he needs to write Ellen DeGeneres so we can get some nice superbowl swag!

Documenting Baby

My husband is a picture taker and he loves being in them. In fact, he loves it so much he has a 800 dollar professional camera.

I am not a picture taker, nor do I like being in them. 

See the problem here?

While perusing pinterest recently, there are all these 'super cute' pictures of pregnant ladies documenting monthly what they look like being pregnant. These are super cute, but lets be honest who wants to see themselves getting as large as a blimp and who has the time do to this crap? Plus the ones that people tag are of the tiniest girls who don't look like they are really 40 weeks pregnant, but  rather look like how I do at right now at 20 weeks. Seriously people? If we were all only that cute and small at 40 weeks.

She just looks like she just ate a large hamburger and maybe a slice of pizza.

Unfortunately, Nathan wants to takes these pictures and I have always had a strict policy of taking pregnancy photos. 

I prefer to treat pregnancy photo ops with a 1950's attitude. In the times of Lucy and Ricky, the women weren't even allowed to say they were pregnant on television and taking pictures of your pregnant belly were out of the question. Sounds like my kind of pregnancy! I just think that its my body and I don't want all these pictures of me looking like a large cow out in the world.

I have slowly, and by slowly I mean at the speed of a turtle, allowed pictures of my belly to be taken. 

There are rules however:

1. I must know that the picture is being taken.

2. I must always have a piece of clothing covering my belly. Those naked pregnancy photos freak me out!

3. When I get over 7 months pregnant, there will be only one more baby belly specific photo. It will be right when labor starts and its to be used completely as documentary purposes to show how large I really got.

4. NO PICTURES OF ME DURING BIRTH AND RIGHT AFTER BIRTH. 

5. The picture of me holding my baby the first time will be like Beyonces. 

Perfect hair and make-up, not the look of a women who just went through 18 hours of labor.

So folks here it is....the 20 week baby bump photo.

Yes, I'm brushing my teeth and about to go to bed. I know its not as cute as some pinterest posts, but honestly you're all lucky I even let Nathan take a photo of me pregnant. I promise the next one will be done with the professional camera. So, expect one next week when we find out the sex of the baby :) 

And no I will not do some stupid gimmick of having a thing tied around my belly with the color matching the sex of the baby, gender reveal cakes,balloons, or Nathan kissing my belly.
Thanks pinterest for those stupid ideas.

Seriously? Slaving in the kitchen to reveal the gender?
What happened to a good ole' fashioned phone call?

-Julia

Dolla, Dolla Bills Ya'll!

This week has been one that has been full of great surprise and some serious blessings by the lord.

Did you know that in Sacramento the average cost of having a baby is between 18,000-24,000 dollars?
The school system should let teenage girls know that it costs that much to push something out of your vagina, so maybe they should think again before they let their boyfriend visit it first.

Of course you don't think about that stuff when your trying to have a baby or want one, but when the lady from the finance department at your doctors office calls you and tells you the news, it can create a lot of stress. Pregnancy books of course tell you nothing about this, and its not like the insurance companies help because hell, they just want their money. So, before Nate and I had to make the decision to start a family we had to check our finances first.

It is known that Nate and I have the world's shittiest insurance, as in we have to meet a 9,000 year deductible. In layman's terms that means you better come up with 9 grand by the time you push that baby out, in cash, because that is what you are going to owe the hospital. Nate and I have been saving religiously, but lets be honest, thats a little less than 8 percent of Nate's yearly income! It has effected us in the sense that lunch dates are no longer, shopping for clothes needs to be looked at more carefully, filling up the gas tank causes me to cry a few more tears, starbucks runs have come and gone, and overall we just get to be at home staring at each other. Ok well, not entirely, but its more similar to the lifestyle we were living two years ago, than the one we were accustomed to a few months ago.

Its also hard when I see the money that my husband works hard for just go medical bill, after medical bill rather than into our savings account or some other purchase we have been saving for.

Then on Tuesday the lord answered our prayers.....

I get to get picked up on my parents insurance on January 1st, 2013!!! Thanks to Obamacare, parents can have their kids on their insurance until they are 26 married or not, and since I don't work full-time I qualify.

We now only have to pay 10 percent of birthing costs aka 1,800 dollars!! We already have this saved in our health savings account, and then some just in case.

Nathan still needs to keep his insurance and the baby will be on his insurance once its born. However, we can actually take that money we were planning on saving for the birth and use it for baby doctors visits and what not for the following year, rather than my 9,000 dollar hospital bill.
I also can go back to visiting Starbucks :)

Thank the lord.

Just a side note: I am not a Barack Obama supporter and I fundamentally don't agree with Obama care. I agree with parts of it, like that people should not be refused health care because of pre-existing conditions, making insurance companies more accountable, and the fact that someone can be on their parents insurance til they are 26 are the only positives. I think that if you are 26 and under that it is ok, unless it costs your parents more money. If it costs your parents more money for you to be on their plan, even if its better, and they are planning on picking you up, you better make up the difference to them!! Especially if you are married like me, you should make up the difference! Fortunately this is not the case for us.
I will also be voting for Mitt Romney in this election, so call me a hypocrite or shoot me. Overall the Obama administration has screwed Nathan and I more in regards to taxes, that I could careless if I found a loop hole in his otherwise, crappy health care law.

Feeling the flutter

This week had been an uneventful week until yesterday when Nate and I were picking up the car from the shop. After I had dropped Nate off and was sitting at a stop light, I felt the baby move for the first time.
I was so excited that I immediately called Nathan and said, "I swear I just felt the baby move."
He then was so excited for us and he asked if I was sure. I replied, "Well, unless I have a very large tapeworm then it has to be the baby."

I can now feel the baby all the time and its amazing, but a bit scary at the same time. I think that a lot of women don't really talk about how scary having the first baby can be, and just pretend like its all the 'amazing cycle of life.' Its really taboo to say, "Yes I'm elated, but also deathly afraid." There is a lot of societal pressure to be all gushy, gushy pregnancy all the time even if it does not fit your personality. (Ahem..not mine at all).

The fact is I'm scared and I think its okay to be scared! Its okay to admit that damn this thing has to come out a hole that is totally not 10 centimeters big. I'm afraid how much its going to hurt and honestly birth looks completely nasty. I guess I still have 4.5 months to figure it out...ugh.

For now though, I will focus on the fact that I can feel our baby and that gives Nathan and I so much joy.


Julia