Welcoming Giovanni!

December 14, 2016December 14, 2016 mrskfit12 Comments

As I write this, my little babe is fast asleep and I can’t believe he is here! A week ago today I was laboring at the hospital, a few hours away from meeting my little boy.

This past week has flown by, and I’ve quickly learned that life with a newborn is very busy! Between the feedings, changings, and pumping…the hours in the day seem to disappear. I’ve been lucky to have my mom in town from the east coast, and thanks to her I actually get a chance to eat. I’ve also been able to shower and nap, which are huge accomplishments in and of themselves.

It’s funny how quickly you adapt to ‘mom life’ when your newborn arrives. My focus has shifted completely and I’m 100% devoted to my child and his needs. Breastfeeding has been going well for me, and Gio certainly takes after his dad in the eating department. He has no problem latching on, although he does prefer the right breast. (To compensate, I’ve been pumping my left often.) He is healthy and happy, and even tempered. He slept straight through his circumcision without crying (what baby does that??) and slept through getting his blood taken a few days later. Kendrick joked with the nurse that he is better at getting his blood taken than his momma.

Well, before the little one wakes up I want to try and share what I can from his birth story.

So, here goes!

I was laying in bed on Monday morning, December 5 when my water broke. At first, I wasn’t totally sure that’s what it was. When they portray your water breaking in the movies they make it seem like it’s this big event when everything comes gushing out of you. Well, that wasn’t the case. It was more like a slow trickle that I couldn’t control. Kendrick had just left for work, and so I called him to tell him the news. “Call the hospital!” he said. “I’m coming straight home.”

I called and they told me it sounded like all the signs were there, but they wanted to come in and check me to make sure. They said if my water did break, I would be admitted, so to come prepared. My heart started racing hearing this, and I quickly got changed and cleaned myself up. All our bags had already been packed, so we were ready to go! I wasn’t sure if I would experience this big rush of waters on the way to the hospital so I put a towel down on the front seat just in case.

The drive to the hospital was surreal; I kept looking over at Kendrick and he would turn and smile back at me. We couldn’t believe it was happening! Kendrick called his parents to let them know the news; they had flown in over the weekend from South Carolina and were staying close by. We arrived at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City at 10:19 am. My midwife confirmed that my water had indeed broken, and so I was admitted. Because my blood type is 0-, I had to have a RhoGam shot during my pregnancy and after getting admitted, they had to give me antibiotics (penicillin through my IV) so that I wouldn’t infect the baby when our blood mixed. I’ve never been good with needles, and after getting my IV put in my blood pressure started to drop. I could feel myself getting faint and losing consciousness. Kendrick said the baby’s heartbeat dropped significantly and all of a sudden 5 other nurses were in the room. They put an oxygen mask over me and told me to lay on my side to help increase blood flow. I kept taking deep breaths and tried to stay calm so that his heart rate would come back up. It started to come back up, and after a couple minutes the nurses said that he was doing better. They left the oxygen mask on me though and continued to monitor for a little longer.

After that extravaganza, I continued a slow labor process into the afternoon. By 2:30 pm the nurses wanted to give me citotec to help move the contractions along. Citotec is a more mild form of pitocin, that I was able to take orally. It only took half a pill to get the contractions started. However, they were still not close enough together so four hours later they gave me a full dose. That made the contractions really strong, so much so that by 10 pm I decided to get an epidural. This time I did not pass out…thank goodness!

My contractions slowed and I was able to sleep for a few hours. Then, I woke up and started feeling them again. The anesthesiologist came in the morning to give me a stronger dose and I ended up throwing up all over myself. From then on, it was hard to keep fluids down- I was nauseous and dehydrated. I was also taking a bag of penicillin every few hours through my IV.

My mom arrived around 11 am. (She flew in straight from Pennsylvania!) She wasn’t supposed to arrive until the 10th, but I had called her late Sunday night (the day before my water broke) and told her I wanted her to come out earlier. Who knew I would start laboring the next day!? It all worked out perfectly.

I continued laboring through the morning and still felt strong contractions; my epidural wasn’t giving me any relief. Finally, by the afternoon, they decided to give me pitocin to speed up contractions so I would have the “urge to push”. By this point, I was in lots of pain, dehydrated and exhausted. I had been throwing up liquids and juices I was trying to keep down.

Kendrick was so worried I wasn’t going to make it through the pushing phase, and even called my midwife aside asking if I should have a C-section…I could barely open my mouth to suck on ice chips.

But then..something strange happened. After they gave me pitocin and decreased my epidural (they decided to do this because an epidural often slows down the labor and dilation progress and I wasn’t progressing as quickly as they wanted me too) so… after they did this, instead of being in more pain I just fell asleep! I passed out but they were monitoring my contractions on the screen and saw that I was having really strong contractions but not waking up. It was very strange!

However, the nurses said not to wake me, because I would need my strength for the last and final phase. I slept for an hour or so and after waking up I felt much better. When my midwife Terri came in she said they weren’t going to give me more epidural; instead they just wanted me to push! It was time to get this baby out. I started pushing at 5:10 pm and had Kendrick, his mom, my sister, and my mom with me in the room. Kendrick was holding my left leg, a nurse was holding my right leg, and I was instructed to grab behind my knees and pull both legs back. While pushing, there were always two people holding my head up (my sister, Kendrick’s mom and my mom rotated).

At 7:45 pm, on Tuesday, December 6th Giovanni Natiello Ribeiro made his entrance into the world!

My midwife Terri immediately handed him to me and I watched while Kendrick cut the cord. They let me hold him until Terri finished stitching me up and cleaning me and then after that the nurses took Gio to clean him up. (I’m glad they let me hold him during that time it was a nice distraction from what she was doing!) They weighed and measured him (8 lbs, 12.9 oz. and 21 inches long) and then gave him back to me to nurse. He latched on at 8:45 pm- an hour after coming out, and nursed until 9:30 pm- 45 minutes!!

After that my sister and mom left and Kendrick’s parents helped move our bags over to the other room we’d be staying in post delivery. My legs were still numb from the epidural so the nurse helped transfer me onto the other bed. They wheeled me and baby over to the other room. That night there were a bunch of nurses in and out checking on me and baby. By that point I was so exhausted and just wanted to sleep through the night, but I knew I had this little thing to take care of and that it would be a long time before I was able to get an 8 hour stretch of sleep again. It’s such a strange feeling after giving birth; you wait 9+ months to meet your babe, and then they come and it’s like meeting a stranger. I did not recognize his face, his features, his expressions, or his sounds yet. Now, a week later, when I look back at his birth photos I see HIM- Gio. But at the time, it was all so foreign to me.

***This post has been interrupted by a projectile pooping incident…OH the joys of parenthood!!

Well, before something else interrupts me I will end this post here. This past week has been a wonderful, crazy ride that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Each day brings a new adventure and a new laugh.

Happy 1 Week birthday little man!!

Here are some photos for you to enjoy 😉

Last belly shot before leaving for the hospital!

After getting admitted at the hospital

Carbo-loading! 😉

Putting on a brave face before I started pushing

Gio is born!

Our precious little nugget 🙂

Heading home 🙂

No longer two…but three ❤

Lessons for Parenthood

November 22, 2016 mrskfit6 Comments

This Thursday will be our last holiday without a child. It’s kind of a big deal.

The sentiment among most first-time parents is this: “Our lives are going to change and they’ll never be the same!” Kendrick and I have accepted this and do not feel a sense of regret, but rather a sense of present awareness. And so, we’ve been soaking up this time together as much as we can. We even took a spontaneous trip down the coast last weekend to Big Sur. At first it seemed a bit crazy to drive 2 1/2 hours to Big Sur and back in one day; but why not? We didn’t have anything holding us back.

We actually met a couple sitting next to us at dinner who had a 10-month old daughter and had driven all the way from San Diego for the weekend. We asked if they had been traveling much and the wife said, “Oh yes! She’s been on 5 planes this year, and we’ve even taken her camping. Having a child shouldn’t prohibit you from doing the things you love.”

Our dinner view at Nepenthe in Big Sur– so worth the 2 1/2 hours we drove to get there!

Made it just in time for sunset

I was so grateful for her refreshing outlook on parenthood. For the most part we’ve been lucky and have received encouraging comments from parents, but occasionally you have a parent who doesn’t hesitate to share their less than ideal experiences.

I understand that parenthood isn’t all roses, and that’s okay. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Well, there is one promise I can make to my son that I know I can keep; which is this:

“I will not be perfect.”

This reflection came after reading Karl Pillemer’s book, “30 Lessons for Living“. I recently found it on my bookshelf and realized I had never read it. Karl is a Professor at Cornell University and ran a study in which he interviewed several elderly around the country, who ranged in age from mid-sixties to 102! He compiled all the information from their interviews into a book of 30 overarching lessons that they wanted to pass on to the younger generations. The chapter that most intrigued me, especially at this phase in my life, was the one titled, “Nobody’s Perfect: Lessons for a Lifetime of Parenting“.

I have to admit, I actually read this chapter first instead of starting at the beginning of the book. My two favorite lessons were these:

It’s all about time
Take a lifelong view of relationships with your children

Here’s what I wrote in my personal journal on this topic.

Dear son,

Your dad and I talk about the first lesson frequently because we feel it is the most important gift we can give you…our TIME. You will grow up so fast and we want to be there for you through it all. Our number one value is family, and so you can expect that we will make that a priority in our home. Some children have dads or moms who work too much and travel all the time and miss out on special life events. We don’t want to be those parents. We want you to remember us being present in your life and being part of the things that are important to you.

2. We realize that once we become parents, we will always be parents. Even when you leave the home, we will never stop being your mom and dad. However, our relationship will change when you’re older. You will no longer have to report to us, you will be in charge of your own life. And so we hope that the values we teach you in the home will follow you into adulthood. The decisions we make in the next 18 years will lead to either a positive or negative relationship in the future; and so I pray that God will guide us with the wisdom to be the best parents we can be for you and that we foster a healthy, positive relationship with you.

We also realize that we are not perfect; so there may be times when we make a wrong decision or say something we don’t mean. Please know that no matter what happens, we will always love you- because you are part of us. You were created by God, but you share me and your father’s DNA. There is no one else in the world like you, and there never will be- even your siblings will be different.

If you ever doubt my love for you- I hope you will read this and find comfort. You are SO loved and as we get ready to become parents, we can’t promise perfection, although we commit to do our best to:

Listen
Maintain openness
Have good intentions

Te amo meu filho, (I love you my son)

❤

To my parent readers: If you were being interviewed, what lesson(s) would you give to the younger generations on parenthood?

Please leave your comments below! 🙂

PS- thought I’d include an updated bump picture! 37 weeks, 4 days along…we’re in the final stretch!

Week 34 Reflections…or should I say ramblings ;)

October 28, 2016 mrskfit1 Comment

Here we are…week 34! Only 6 short weeks until this little one arrives. I’ve been thinking a lot about how our lives are going to change, and it hit me that November will be the last month we are just Kendrick and Angela. By December, we’ll be mom and dad…how crazy!

I know that technically I’m a mother now, because I’m carrying a baby inside me…but once he’s out in the world, I’ll transition from just Angela…to Angela, aka Mommy. I brought it up to Kendrick this week and said, “Babe, I’m forever going to be Mom. Like, it’s going to be on my epitaph now.”

“How morbid,” he replied.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally thrilled about becoming a mother…and I feel so blessed to even be able to go through this process. I have loved every minute of being pregnant and will miss carrying him because it’s been so amazing to feel his every move. I smile when I look down at my belly because I know he’s safe and protected.

This week he’s the size of a pineapple…and about 5 pounds! He’s between 19-22 inches long, which I still can’t imagine but explains why my belly pulls itself in opposite directions when he stretches.

It’s been 2 weeks since I went on maternity leave and it feels like the days go by a little slower now. Without a regular schedule, it feels like I have so much freedom. I’ve been sleeping in as late as I want, trying to convince myself not to feel guilty since once he’s here I won’t be getting any sleep!

People have been asking me if I’m ‘nesting’, and I tell them I’ve been doing that since July. Once we found out we were having a boy, I started browsing furniture and gender specific nurseries on Pinterest. I knew I wanted a calming, neutral palette- no bold colors or crazy patterns. I fell in love with a design I saw here and used it as inspiration moving forward. I actually ordered the same exact crib pictured here, and also the same blue paint color. Once the room is complete (just waiting on the chair to arrive!) I will write a separate blog post with details as to where we got everything. 🙂

We moved into a new apartment at the end of May, which jump-started my obsession with getting rid of our junk. Anything we hadn’t been using, I tossed. I knew that we would be accumulating a whole lot more stuff once baby came, and that thought was enough to scare me into major closet purging. After my parents came to visit in August, I started tackling the guest room closet, which would now be the baby’s closet. We had been storing Kendrick’s clothes there temporarily, so I now faced the challenge of combining our wardrobes. I found myself at The Container Store more than once that week, crazily organizing every bit of space I could. The less we had, the better; if I noticed a shirt or pair of pants Kendrick never wore, I tossed it in the donation pile.

Well, after all my crazy antics, his room was finally ready to be decorated. Since we’re in a rental, Kendrick initially opposed to painting his room. It took some convincing, but in the end I played the pregnant wife card to my advantage. 😉

As I mentioned above, today is a new week of development for Baby K-Fit. Since the day I found out I was pregnant, I’ve been keeping a journal that I plan to make into a book as a keepsake. I’ve been writing it in every week, sometimes two or three times a week depending on life events. It’s been so special to look back on what I wrote the day we heard his heartbeat, and when we found out the gender. Another ritual has been reading a weekly pregnancy guide called, “Praying through your Pregnancy“. My mother-in-law read through the book last year with my sister-in-law and when I told her I was pregnant, she suggested doing the same thing. I loved the idea so much that I shared it with my mom as well. Because I live so far away from both of them, this is something that has kept us linked through this process. The author shares little bits from her own pregnancy journal each week, information on baby’s development and related scripture and prayers.

Back in Week 16, I chose two verses that I would continue to pray during my pregnancy. The first was from Matthew 6:21 which says,

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I chose this because it is also a quote in Kendrick and I’s favorite book, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. We want our son to always trust his heart, because it is the most powerful thing he possesses.

The second verse I chose was based on the character quality I desire most for my son:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9

Kendrick and I believe kindness will get you farther in life than any other trait. We also believe in the law of reciprocity. What you put out in the world comes back to you, not necessarily in the same form or right away, but in other ways you may not expect. Therefore, if you continue to be kind and do good onto others, that goodness will come back to you.

If you’re a Mommy, I’d love to hear about any special rituals you did/do during pregnancy.

Thanks for reading!

❤ Angie & Baby

Entering Maternity Leave & Hiring a New Trainer

October 14, 2016 mrskfit1 Comment

This week I trained my last client before becoming a momma. I’ve been reluctant to admit how hard training has become on my body, because I’ve had a wonderful pregnancy thus far. I like staying active, and the thought of going on maternity leave made me fear that I would be sitting on the couch watching reruns of Friends all day.

Being a business owner, I knew the implications of taking a maternity leave…it didn’t mean paid vacation, it meant paying someone else to take over my job. In the past, it’s been difficult for us to find trainers that we feel are 1) Qualified; and 2) a good match for our Studio. We’ve received plenty of resumes with pictures attached of candidates flexing or even worse, sending a video of themselves grunting and posing in front of a mirror. To say we were nervous about diving back into the candidate pool is an understatement. The fitness field can be full of egotistical trainers, and we wanted to stay far away from those people as we could.

My favorite thing about our Studio is that we are community driven. We want everyone who steps in the door to feel welcome and accepted, and not intimated. We expect our members to greet their fellow classmates by name, and come in with a positive attitude. We live in the Silicon Valley, so we know the pressure and stress our members face every day in the workplace. We want the Studio to be a haven or “happy place” for people to come and de-stress; not just physically, but mentally as well.

Another “rule” we have in the Studio is for people to make friends. We encourage people to not only learn each other’s name, but to learn about them. If you’re gone for a week, you better believe there will be someone in your class asking where you’ve been. It creates accountability that you otherwise might not have had if you were attending a class with 30 people, who never said Hi or Bye to you. That’s why we keep our classes small, not only for accountability reasons, but so that we can correct people’s form and make sure they’re doing the exercises correctly. My biggest pet peeve is when I try an exercise class and see that people are doing things incorrectly. I can’t help but cringe and think, “How come no one is correcting them??”

The most common mistakes are with lunges and squats. Too often I see someone do a squat where they drop their hips too low, or do a lunge with their knee over their ankle. I’ve always told my clients to remember the magic number…which is “90” for 90 degrees. Your knee in a lunge should be at a 90 degree angle, and same with your squat- you should always keep your butt out to protect the lower back. The minute you drop those hips, say hello to serious back pain.

Proper lunge form

Proper Squat form

Now that I’ve gone off on a tangent about proper form, I’ll get back to our hiring process. Thankfully enough, this time around we had much better luck with the trainer pool. We interviewed some great candidates, even some that we felt were over-qualified for the job. In the end, we found our perfect match! She couldn’t have come at a more perfect time as well. I’ve been struggling with serious back pain these last couple weeks, and feared how much longer I’d be able to train if we didn’t find someone. The universe works in mysterious ways, and it was like God knew exactly what we needed, at the time we needed it. I feel totally confident that our new trainer will do an excellent job taking over for me. In the meantime, you’ll find me blogging and writing more, and also doing lots of back end stuff for the business like marketing and advertising.

I feel so blessed to be in a position where I can take the time off I need to prepare for this new life coming soon. I’m also incredibly thankful to have such a supportive husband who has encouraged me in this new phase, and understands how important rest and relaxation is for both me and baby. It’s only been 3 days, but I think this new adjustment is working well so far…( I haven’t even watched one episode of Friends) 😉

Thanks for reading and encouraging me to keep this blog going.

Sending good vibes your way on this Friday 🙂

So long Second Trimester!

September 16, 2016September 16, 2016 mrskfit1 Comment

WOW! I don’t even know where to begin. This second trimester has been packed with so many fun and exciting memories. I have truly loved every minute of pregnancy and have no complaints (…so far 😉 ). Each week brings new joys and new developments for baby, and I’m cherishing the days one by one. I’ve never been an overly emotional, or overly anxious person and pregnancy hasn’t changed that. I feel calm and at peace that everything is moving along just as it should…because why worry about things I can’t control?? My mom has been a great example for me as a woman of faith…and I grew up with this verse as a constant reminder in our home:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” -Matthew 6:25-27

Worrying never accomplishes anything; and so I’ve continued to hold tight to this verse during pregnancy.

When we left off after the first trimester, Kendrick and I had just moved into our new apartment. We started the second trimester with a trip to Lake Tahoe to celebrate Kendrick’s 33rd birthday. We did not know the gender at this point but I wrote in my journal about a dream I had that I thought it was a boy. Little did I know that in a few short weeks we would know for sure!!

Week 14

Baby is the size of a lemon
His neck is getting longer and he is no longer slouched
He is sprouting hair and his eyebrows are filling in
The roof of his mouth is developing
His digestive system has started working, and his intestines are now producing meconium (waste)

Week 15

Baby is the size of an orange
Baby’s ears are positioned on the sides of his head and his eyes are moving from side of the head to front of the face…(he is no longer an alien!)
I’m definitely eating for two…

Week 16

Baby is the size of an avoado
His facial muscles are developing and he can now frown and squint
His eyes are working and can perceive light (although his lids are still sealed)
Baby can hear my voice!

Week 17

We find out baby is a BOY!
He is the size of a turnip
Baby’s heartbeat is beating twice as fast as mine
His fingerprints are forming
We travel to South Carolina to visit my in-laws and meet our nephew!

Week 18

Still enjoying vacation in South Carolina, my sister-in-law takes gender reveal photos for us
Baby can yawn and hiccup
His nervous system is maturing

Week 19

He is the size of a mango
I’m starting to browse nursery furniture
The vernix develops protecting his skin from the amniotic fluid

Week 20

We are half-way there!
He is the size of a small cantaloupe
I feel baby kick for the first time! (while watching The Bachelorette…hehe)
He weighs as much as a coconut
His eyes can finally open

Week 21

Baby is the size of a banana! (his dad’s favorite fruit)
He is sleeping 14 hours a day and can taste the foods I eat
Arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles – explains why I have started to feel him kicking!

Week 22

Baby is the size of a spaghetti squash
My momma comes into town!
He now weighs 1 pound
His grip, vision, and hearing are getting stronger
We make a trip up to wine country to celebrate my mom’s 50th birthday!

Week 23

He is the size of a papaya
Capillaries and lung cells begin their maturation process so baby can breathe
Keratin is being added to his skin cells
Skin has a red hue- due to developing veins and arteries
My dad comes into town!
Kendrick has a dream of being at Disneyworld with our little boy…in his dream his hair is black and his eyes are dark and Kendrick said he looked like me and had my smile 🙂

Week 24

We are back in Tahoe for summer vacation!
Baby is the size of an ear of corn
His face is almost fully formed
Baby’s brain cells have matured enough to develop conscious thought and most likely memory
I go stand-up paddle boarding on the lake

Week 25

Baby is the size of a rutabaga (an ugly looking turnip)
He is SUPER active
Kendrick and I go to Babies R Us to browse some strollers and gliders for the nursery
Baby is about 13 inches long- longer than a ruler!
Baby is packing on the fat
His nostrils are opening- he’s not taking in air yet, just “breathing” amniotic fluid

Week 26

He is the size of an eggplant
We (or should I say Kendrick) sets up his crib!
He weighs 2 pounds
He can open his eyes!
His eyelashes are growing in
Teeny tiny fingernails have arrived

Week 27

He is the size of a cucumber
We’ve made it to the end of the second trimester…and I’m in total nesting mode! No resting for this momma; I’ve been cleaning out baby’s closet, organizing his things and hanging those precious clothes
Sept. 9th-Kendrick hears his heartbeat through my tummy!
Baby grows an entire inch this week alone

I feel so incredibly blessed to be entering this third and final stage. It’s been an amazing process and as I’ve been writing and looking back on his development, it is a total miracle for sure!

In just 3 short months our little man will be here…I’m thinking this Christmas will be my favorite yet ❤

Here’s a look back at the growing bump :

Baby K-Fit’s Big Reveal!

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016 mrskfit2 Comments

“You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” -Psalm 139:13

black and white

Kendrick and I are overjoyed to announce that we are expecting a…

Baby BOY!!!

I have officially hit 20 weeks- halfway through my pregnancy. Yesterday we had an ultrasound appointment with my doctor and this was when we were supposed to find out the baby’s gender. SECRETLY we have known for over 2 weeks now… You may be thinking “What??!”

Well…I’m going to tell you the story : )

Kendrick and I flew to South Carolina to visit his family during the week of July 4th. Our nephew was born January 7th of this year, and we had not gotten to meet him yet. We had no plans of finding out the gender at this time, nor did we even know there were such places where we could find out. The first night at dinner, his sister told us about 3D ultrasound clinics that also offered gender reveal packages. As soon as Kendrick heard this he exclaimed, “We have to go!” We looked up where the nearest clinic was located, and how much the package cost. We were surprised to find there was a clinic only 20 minutes away from his parents house. The website said that if for some reason the technicians couldn’t figure out the gender, you were welcome to come back another day at no extra cost.

Kendrick was sold – but I was hesitant. I am very much a planner, and this was NOT in my plan. I had a very strong instinct of what I thought the gender would be, and although we both wanted to find out, I somehow felt like I was cheating the universe. Kendrick was understanding and told me to sleep on it, and that if I wasn’t comfortable, we didn’t have to do it. When I woke up in the morning, I revisited the website and thought, “What the heck! I’m gonna do it.” So I called and made an appointment for later on that day.

I had talked to Kendrick the night before about what the benefits would be if we found out. The biggest benefit was being able to tell our family in person, which was a HUGE plus. Living in California, most of our news is given over the phone or on FaceTime…which isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s definitely more exciting to be able to celebrate good news in person…I think everyone would agree! Another benefit was that I had been planning to have my sister-in-law take maternity/gender reveal photos for us…initially, we were going to take both blue and pink photos (since we didn’t know what we were having) and use either one or the other after we found out. Well…you can imagine how overjoyed Kendrick was when he realized that we would only have to take ONE set of photos instead of two…ha ha.

Fast forward a few hours later…and we were on our way to find out whether our baby would be a little girl or a little boy! I had butterflies in my stomach and kept wondering “What if my instinct is wrong??” The suspense was killing me! The clinic was located in Fort Mill, a cute little town south of Charlotte. As soon as we walked into the clinic, we were greeted by two very friendly women who would be performing the ultrasound for us. The room was bright and inviting, and as I lay back on the table I knew that in a few minutes we would find out the best news of our lives!

After what seemed like forever, the technician finally got to the baby’s legs and told us she was going to look for the fateful sign…however, the baby’s legs were crossed and she couldn’t get a good image. I started getting nervous and wondered if we would have to come back another day to find out. She told us to be patient, and that she was just waiting for them to move. And as soon as they did…she pointed her fingers up to the screen and said “Do you know what that is??” I was just looking at her fingers which were shaped like a “V” instead of looking at the screen. In my head I was thinking, “Oh my gosh …it’s a girl.” (I was surprised by this because up until now I swore I was having a boy). Quickly I heard Kendrick exclaim “It’s a PENIS!” And then I laughed because there it was…plain as day. We were having a boy…which is what I thought all along!!

A funny side note, right as the technician revealed we were having a boy, Kendrick looked down at his phone and saw that his dad had texted him with a prediction, “It is a boy” he said. And he was right!

We had such a wonderful experience at 3D Dreams in Fort Mill. Included in our package was 20 black and white photos and as a bonus they even gave us a DVD of the whole session! It was so special to be able to listen to baby’s heartbeat and watch him on screen with our family at home. I highly recommend visiting a 3D ultrasound center for anyone who would like to know their baby’s gender. When we had our scheduled appointment yesterday, we were actually pretty disappointed because it was a very formal experience. We just had a radiology specialist perform the ultrasound instead of our regular OB, and she was very technical since her main job was to do an anatomy scan (look for any irregularities or concerns). We left the appointment reflecting on the wonderful experience we had at 3D Dreams and we’re SO happy we decided to do it.

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All these beautiful photos were taken by my incredibly talented sister-in-law Lauren. She also took maternity photos for Kendrick’s sister and everyone in the family keeps urging her to start her own business!

We took these photos on July 8, which is my sister and brother-in-law’s anniversary. Those who know our story know that we met during the weekend of their wedding 4 years ago…( I was MOH and he was Best Man). Pretty crazy that just 4 short years later we’re pregnant…and my best friend turned sister is taking maternity photos for us!

Here’s a couple photos from our gender reveal ultrasound (just shy of 18 weeks). As of yesterday (20 weeks), he weighs 12 ounces and is expected to arrive December 7!

baby 1.jpg

Sucking his thumb, a habit he inherited from dad 😉

baby 2

Dear son,

Here are a few hopes I have for you…

I hope you grow up to respect women like your Daddy – you have A LOT to learn from him. 😉 He is such a good man. Always have courage to do the right thing and be kind. Love is your greatest power and gift to the world. Everything stems from love…because God is love and God is creating you right now, week by week.

Keep growing strong.

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

Always follow your heart, the heart that is beating inside me and can hear my heartbeat. You’re the only one who knows my heartbeat from the inside.

All my love,

Momma ❤

Link for my dress is here.

Handsome Fella onesie is from BabyGap.

Custom announcement onesie is from this Etsy shop.

Ribbon wands are from Etsy.

Baby K-Fit: The First Trimester

June 30, 2016June 30, 2016 mrskfitLeave a comment

Hello friends!

I’m sorry I’ve been so behind on my blog. Between our move at the end of May, unpacking and decorating the house, and growing a baby; I haven’t been able to keep up with it all! I’m now 16 weeks along, and I’m happy to report things are going tremendously well. I honestly don’t feel much different from before I was pregnant, except for the little bump that’s formed, and the fact that I can no longer zip up my pants. Before I get ahead of myself, I want to update you on the first trimester happenings.

Week 4- April 5, we find out we’re pregnant!

Week 5- Symptoms:

Increased appetite
Lower back pain when I wake up
Breast tenderness
Vivid dreams

Week 6-

No nausea
Told my sister Alishia we’re pregnant!
Wrote the first letter to my baby

Week 7-

Baby is the size of a blueberry
Baby’s mouth and tongue are forming
No nausea
Some constipation
Sick (but with a cold-stuffy nose, sore throat)
No food aversions

Week 8-

Baby is the size of a raspberry
Baby’s heart is beating 150 times a minute (twice as fast as mine!)
No nausea
Hungry …A LOT
Constipated
Boobs are growing
Had our first ultrasound appointment and got to hear the baby’s heartbeat!
Took our first bump picture

Week 8 was such a special week for us! After finding out we were pregnant, I was SO excited for our first appointment and couldn’t wait for week 8 to roll around. However, as we got closer, I started to get more and more nervous. Would we hear the heartbeat? I literally had stomach pains and couldn’t eat the day of our appointment. I also had no idea what to expect so that was part of my nerves. My OB-GYN was so sweet though. She was friendly and talkative and Kendrick even recognized her (we still have to figure out from where). Finally the time had come…and I looked up at the screen and waited to hear her say something. “The baby looks great,” she said…and as soon as I heard that, I was instantly at ease. Then she said “I’m just trying to get a good picture for you.” Miraculously she pointed out the head, and the bottom, and the little arms and legs starting to form. I couldn’t believe how clearly it looked like a baby…even at 8 weeks! It is truly incredible. Then we heard a sound on the monitor…the baby’s heartbeat! Kendrick had been holding back tears, it was such a special moment. I couldn’t believe that we did it; we made this baby and he or she is growing inside me!

Week 9-

Baby is the size of a green olive
Baby has ended embryonic stage and is now a fetus
Flew home to Pennsylvania for Mother’s Day to surprise my mom and told my parents that I’m pregnant! It was so special to be able to tell them in person and I had actually booked my flight home before even knowing that I was pregnant! It couldn’t have been better timing

How I told my parents:

The day after I flew in, my mom saw a box of flowers on the front porch so I brought them in and they had my name on it. I had a suspicion they were from Kendrick- so I started to get nervous that my mom was going to find out. I brought the box inside and she asked “Who are they from?” and I said I don’t know…probably Kendrick. She asked why Kendrick would be sending me flowers. I put the box on the table and opened the envelope with the note inside. Sure enough they were from Kendrick and the note said:

I turned the note over and told my mom not to look at it. I told her to get my dad and I quick ran upstairs to get the onesie I had made for them. I told them to close their eyes and hold onto a sleeve of the onesie. My mom was so excited and on the verge of tears. They opened their eyes and she screamed…she started crying and then I got tears in my eyes. We all hugged and cried and just soaked up what this moment meant.

Link for the onesie here.

Dress is Urban Outfitters; Shoes are Toms.

Week 10-

Baby is the size of a prune
Baby’s stomach and kidneys are working, producing digestive juices and urine
Finally…the word is out! We told all our family and friends this past week
Eating eggs everyday, lots of meat and english muffins
Still having strange dreams

Week 11-

Baby is the size of a lime
Baby’s hands and feet have individual fingers and toes
Kendrick and I celebrated our two year anniversary 🙂
We signed a lease for a 2-bedroom apartment

Week 12-

Baby is the size of a large plum
Baby has more than doubled in size during the past 3 weeks
Baby’s pituitary gland has started producing hormones that will enable him or her to make babies of their own…crazy!
Had my first trimester blood tests done
Kendrick and I moved to our new place!

Can’t believe how fast the first trimester went! Thanks so much for reading and following along during our journey.

Much love ❤

Angie & Baby

Our new addition: Baby K-Fit!

May 18, 2016June 30, 2016 mrskfit4 Comments

The Ribeiros are expecting!

I am so happy to announce that Kendrick and I are expecting!! Baby K-Fit will be arriving in early December! It’s been a whirlwind past couple weeks, and I am so relieved to finally share the news.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I wrote in my journal and detailed everything from that day. I want to share with you my first journal entry, but before I do…here’s a little backstory…

Kendrick and I were on the same page with children; we knew we both wanted them, we just weren’t sure when exactly that would be. I love kids and actually worked as a Nanny before we got married. I could have been ready for kids as soon as we got married, but I’m glad we decided to wait a couple years. I didn’t want to rush into motherhood, but also knew that starting a family was something very important to me (and Kendrick). Our first year of marriage flew by, and it wasn’t until last September that we got to finally take our belated honeymoon.

I have a friend who had a baby in September, and my sister-in-law had her first child in January, so unfortunately (or fortunately) I started getting baby fever. By the time we went home for Christmas, I had already stopped taking birth control and the plans for Baby K-Fit were in full swing. We weren’t sure how long it would take to get pregnant, so we just assumed that it could take up to a year, and if it happened earlier, then we would be just as happy!

Fast forward to April 5, the day we found out the news! I want to share with you the excerpt that I wrote in my journal.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Today I found out I’m pregnant! It feels so surreal. The reality hasn’t sunk in yet…but if this baby is healthy and able to grow …I’m going to be a mom! So here’s how it happened…

Kendrick and I have been preparing for this. So it was not a complete surprise. I took an ovulation test last month so I knew that we had “done it” when we were supposed to. I didn’t think we would get lucky and it would happen on the first try! Kendrick said I had been irritable with him over the weekend. I didn’t think too much of it as I have not experienced any other symptoms except a slight increase in appetite. I was supposed to get my period on Sunday; and when it didn’t come I just thought, “Oh I’ll get it…there’s no way I’m pregnant yet.” I’ve been cognizant of the fact that getting pregnant is a miracle and not every woman is blessed with that opportunity. I recently read about a blogger I follow who had a miscarriage…and I am still worried that will happen to me. So today, when I realized I am 3 days late, I decided to buy a pregnancy test. I told Kendrick and he was getting excited about the impending possibility. I went to CVS, bought a test, and drove quickly home. Kendrick wasn’t home yet, so I took the test alone. Right after I did it, I placed it on the counter and waited. This particular test had a countdown…so I saw that it was reading the test. Then, it appeared.

pregnancy test

Could it be?? Is this how simple it was?? A life changing moment in a matter of seconds. I tried to act calm… I knew Kendrick was on his way home and wondered how I should tell him.

I decided to wait and let him see the test for himself. I heard his car pull up and got anxious…then heard him turn the key- his eyes met mine.

“Did you do it?” he asked.

I smiled. “You didn’t wait for me?” he teased.

“I have something I want to show you…” I said.

We walked together to the bathroom where the test was sitting on the counter. He looked down at it.

“Oh my gosh…” he said. “I know…” I replied and we embraced. I could feel tears forming in my eyes.

“I think I’m going to cry.” he said.

“Me too.”

“I’m going to be a dad.”

I nodded. “I want to take another test to be sure..but the test popped up pretty quickly. I think I’m pregnant.” I said still stunned.

me and K with test

Kendrick couldn’t have been more excited. I am so blessed to have a husband who can share in this joy with me- and it’s something that we both want.

Shortly after all this happened he went for a run. When he returned he was already starting to worry about our child’s future. I told him that’s where we just have to do our best and pray that God takes care of the rest.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11

Thank you to our family and friends for your support and prayers for us.

We are thrilled to be starting our family and lucky to have you along for the ride!

Mrs. K-Fit and Baby K-Fit

❤

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