And then, there were 5

I am not MIA. I just am reliving the blissful, often times tiring (surprisingly, not so bad with this one. did I just jinx myself?), craziness that is infancy. Oh yeah people, I FINALLY gave birth to my third baby! I know, it's awesome! And, guess what? It's a SHE!

My precious mini-Micron (mM) arrived on 8/23/15 at 11:06 p.m. weighing in 6 lbs. 9 oz and all 19.29 inches of her. I won't trouble you guys with my crazy birth story, but let's just say, I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR! I'm just happy to no longer be pregnant and heaving around several pounds of increased blood volume, water, a 2-3 lb. placenta, and a baby. 

I will admit to you all, I never really pictured myself as having more than 2 kids. When I had both Micro and Micron, I thought to myself--I struck my own personal gold--I have one of each. I can experience raising a boy and a girl (though I'd have been happy with whatever genders God gave me)! The thought of adding another child to our already full, busy, and chaotic lives seemed like a drunken mishap. But it was not that. My husband always wanted to have at least 3 kids (ideally, he'd want 4--but let's just say--NO WAY, JOSE), and when he told me this years ago after having had Micro, I was surprised. I just assumed we both were on the same page and wanted two kids. After Micron was born, it took a few more years for me to become open to the idea of having one more. After all, Micro and Micron are less than two years apart and how I survived those early days with two kids under two were a blur. Thank goodness. But I managed it and both are doing well.

I knew we wanted to try and have a third after my sister's wedding, after Mr. Fliz attained his CFA, and after I got to run a few more races...God is good and great, he gave us one more :)

So, here we are, a party of five. It's been a bit overwhelming at times, but because Mr. Fliz and I have two helpers, we've been lucky in managing the chaos. Micro and Micron dote on mM so much, they are like a second-set of parents. It's a true joy to watch my family grow and open ourselves to this new being. Right now, apart from being knee deep in nursing, changing wet nappies a bazillion times a day, and juggling raising the rest of the brood, I just want to soak all of this in and enjoy what blessings I have. Welcome to the world my newest bud, Dada and I love you so very much.

Hello beautiful! Our mM!

Just pure joy!

Bumpdate

I am in my 36th week of this third pregnancy. After 16 weeks, my nausea and vomiting subsided. It was hard, but I'm in the home stretch now and I'm getting more excited to meet this newest little bud in our family. 

We got our bigger car and the garage is 97% complete. At least we can park both vehicles inside now. Though as any homeowner knows, home projects can be a PITA. Our garage was overdue for a makeover and nothing like a major life change to do that. I owe it all to Mr. Fliz. It was his hard work, effort, and long nights to getting it almost pinterest-worthy. There is still more work to be done. It's neverending!!!

Baby is quite active and I've noticed it has it's patterns. It gets most active after I've eaten or between the hours of 9-11 p.m. and always starts "waking up" around 5:45 a.m. (Hey, little one, if you keep to that schedule post-birth, we're all good ;). Micron has been ever-so-sweet all along this pregnancy. She often talks to my belly and introduces herself. She gives my belly little hugs and kisses and I just hope she'll be that same way once she meets her little sibling. 

Our summer has been quite busy as usual. Right after kids got out of school, we went on a mini-vacation and since then, have been preparing for all things baby. The kids had swim classes in the late afternoon and have been extremely helpful around the house ( since bending down to do laundry is a burden). I stopped doing The Bar Method once 8 months hit. My attendance to classes dropped from 4x/week to twice a week and once I started to get major lower back pain, I knew doing my favorite workout would have to be put on hold. I've been pretty good about being as active as I can during this pregnancy compared to the past two. It's getting more difficult though, I've succumbed to buying a maternity belt in my last month of pregnancy because I just can't deal with being on my feet for hours on end and my lower back paying dearly for it. Walking my dog is my little exercise.  

Amidst all this, our summer has been full of pool time, kids bowling free at our nearby bowling alley, and plenty of family and friend celebrations this summer. Our weekends inevitably become crazier than the weekdays. 

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer. It's going by too fast now. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Let's all go on the Yellow Submarine. The Yellow Submarine...

Yes, you should go on the yellow submarine.

One of the excursions this pregnant Mama enjoyed was going out on the Yellow Submarine out to the arches in the Sea of Cortez. A friend of Mr. Fliz had recommended to take a boat out to see the arches and despite having a heavily pregnant wife, said it would be fine. They were right.

We scheduled our tour with our concierge. Originally, someone suggested taking a private water taxi. That would cost us a bit more, but the concierge encouraged the submarine experience since I was pregnant and that the kids would enjoy it more. Cabo Expeditions is located near what used to be the old Wyndham Hotel (I can't remember what the name of the new hotel is, but it's near the Marina where you meet to board the sub) in Cabo San Lucas. Parking might be a bit hard, but we managed to find paid parking inside the plaza where the tour company is.

The sub ride was fun. However, there is a noticeable "gas" smell when you go below deck. Everything turned out to be fine, but do be cautious and weary. The entire experience was about an hour and a half.  They take you pass Lover's Beach (which would have been nice if you do take a water taxi to stop by), take pictures before and during the ride you can purchase afterwards, get a chance to see a few sea lions (sometimes these big fellas usher you in and out of the marina--so look out to open water as you pull away from the dock) near the rocky arches, and you get to see schools of fish down below.

Attached to each seat in the sub below is a guide to the various fish you might encounter and it's fun for the family to do together. They do little games onboard and my son scored a cool little prize for answering some trivia. The guides speak in English and Spanish. They offer water small water bottles onboard. It's a fairly relaxing ride. If waters are rough, be cautious and hold on accordingly when above deck. The sea gets a bit rough once you get closer to the arches as there are several boats and water taxis venturing to the same destination.

The Road less traveled

Our first excursion in Cabo was off to a rocky start. Literally.

Let me begin by saying, when asking your concierge about excursions and cool little places to visit, take caution. Ask good, specific questions. Upon booking a yellow submarine tour that would take us out to visit the famous arches in the Sea of Cortez, our kind concierge recommended we go visit Cabo Pulmo, as it's an excellent place to snorkel and the sea is a bit calmer. She said it would only be an hour drive or so. It was a no brainer, we had a car, and Mr. Fliz and I are normally up for any exploration of our destination.

The drive to Cabo Pulmo was not what we expected. We had a simple four-door car and once we got off the main highway, we had about 10-12 miles of what I consider, the road less traveled. By small four-door cars. It was not a paved road. There were potholes and rocky terrain that only made sense if you had an SUV. Even the few minivans we saw were struggling to drive. My poor baby in my tummy must've been in shock as we kept bouncing around the car for what seemed like an endless hour and a half of going very slowly through unpaved gravel and rock. I feared we would ruin the rental and end up with blown tires. It was the most unpleasant drive I've ever had in my life. What was our concierge thinking? Did she not note my huge belly and the fact we had two little kids whose patience could wane at a moment's notice? During the drive I wanted to call and scream at her. You might say, why didn't you just turn around? After the pothole road, the next half mile was paved, and after having driven over an hour already (remember it's a one way highway), we figured the road couldn't get worse and we already set our minds to getting there. This is traveling folks. Unexpected surprises and adventures.

Somehow, we made it after like 2.5 hours of frustration. We immediately set out to have lunch and ran into others who complained about the ridiculous road conditions. It was late afternoon by the time we hit the beach and ended up staying for just an hour and a half after all that. The water was getting a bit rough as the afternoon wore on, so Mr. Fliz didn't feel completely comfortable having the kids go in without him. 

Cabo Pulmo is definitely a destination worth going to if you get there early and snorkel or dive. They have several little places to rent gear and from what we've heard, the diving and snorkeling are great. Just make sure to ask around for a good place to swim and dive if you're not going through a company. 
In another life I might be encourage to go there again, but I'd sooner go to Hawaii or the Caribbean to experience calmer beach experiences. 

Yummy fish tacos (prefer mine grilled) near Cabo Pulmo

A jacuzzi that made it all worth it

We chose Cabo as it was a beach destination and allowed us to basically fly for free using Southwest points for all four of us. The flights were short and yet, we were going somewhere international, so it felt like we were truly getting out of town. 

As I've posted on the blog before, being an SPG member has worked out really great for us. The two properties SPG offered in Cabo were the Westin and the Sheraton. The previous year, Baja Sur was hit hard by hurricane and most hotel properties were still recovering from the devastation. The Westin was closed and so we decided on the Sheraton. Sheer luck, really. I preferred the location of the Sheraton than the Westin, though most reviews leaned more towards the Westin in general. I'm sure both properties are excellent. The Sheraton was centrally located along the hotel row, whereas the Westin was towards the beginning and quite a bit further from Cabo San Lucas.

You can see my review of the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf and Spa resort here. My favorite part of the room apart from free wi-fi (given as a perk since we're SPG members), was the jacuzzi tub. There's nothing more relaxing than having a nice big tub to soak in when you start to see your ankles turn to cankles. It made bathing on vacation more fun and relaxing. Of course, for my kids, having a bath in the jacuzzi was like the after party from the pool. 

I liked that the hotel offered fresh brewed Starbucks coffee. Not sure if they offer this every Wednesday at the hotel, but massage services are discounted by 30% for anything above 50 minutes. I booked myself a pre-natal massage that truly brought smiles upon my face. It was exactly what I needed and I felt completely rejuvenated afterwards. The spa is very clean and serene. They had a steam and sauna room, an indoor/outdoor lounge with water features, a small locker room to change in that provided each client with a towel, bathrobe, and slippers. 

The food at the property was mediocre. I will say that the Sushi at the sports bar was really good. 

There are five pools at this Sheraton! Five! We never had an issue finding chairs, but the place was not fully booked. Everyone who worked there were very friendly and helpful. The kids got a kick out of riding on golf carts to get around the property while there. 

Location is ideal. The Sheraton is only a 10-minute drive down to Cabo San Lucas. We rented a car which I'd really recommend if you have small kids and want to get around easily. Parking at the hotel is free.  The bus stop is a good 20-minute walk uphill outside the entrance gates.

Below are some pics of the hotel grounds.

When pregnant, head to Mexico, of course!

It's starting to become a knack of my husbands' that when I'm pregnant, he takes the family to Mexico. When Micro was just 17 months or so and I was about 6.5 months pregnant, we went to Cancun for summer vacation. Yeah, it was super hot, humid, and hard. But I survived! This time around, since I'd be 7.5 months pregnant and now with two active kids, we opted for something a bit closer and didn't require much flying time. Cabo San Lucas it was!

We left just two days after Micro finished Kindergarten. I was tired from the entire week of school activities and we attended a graduation party the day before. Our flight the next day was early. I packed a few days in advanced and still I forgot to bring a few important things. This pregnancy is going by fast and I'm all belly. Which makes it so difficult to get around. I'm short, have no torso, and so there's no room but for this baby to stick waaay out. Though we had to take two short flights (we used Southwest points to fly us all out), it was still really hard to feel somewhat comfortable flying at this stage of pregnancy. Is there actually a comfortable stage of pregnancy? The frequent trips to the loo and losing more interior space in a plane were quite an adjustment. Thankfully, people are generally more understanding and kinder when they see my belly and I take advantage of whatever that offers me. 

Don't get me wrong, I was happy to get away. No matter how hard traveling is while heavily pregnant, I still would do it. It's to keep my wanderlust satiated and a great start to summer.

What surprised me most about Cabo was the dessert feel. You could easily mistake the area for Arizona. Dried up river beds, cacti everywhere, rocky brown hills, it certainly wasn't what I expected. But I shouldn't have been surprised since we were a thousand miles from the California deserts anyway. There's one major highway and if you take the toll road it's much faster to reach all the hotels between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.

The tides are changing

Wow! The end of school has come and both my babes have completed an amazing year. A toast to the two of them!! 

Micron's last day of school was three weeks ago. It was so adorable to watch these little people, most of whom I've known for two years, grow, and know most will enter Kindergarten or TK next year. I've watched my little girl grow in confidence these past two years in preschool. I really want to thank the wonderful teachers who helped her develop in ways I couldn't imagine and that surprise me. 

A week and a half ago, Micro completed Kindergarten. The past few weeks have been filled with end-of-the year activities and performances. It's such a joy to see my kids truly enjoy school. Also, a relief. As a parent, you can only hope that your child's first few years of going to school provide positive, encouraging, challenging, and diverse experiences that make it enjoyable for them. Mr. Fliz and I have been extremely lucky that our kids have had that privilege. I hope this for all parents and caregivers and their families. 

To my babes, 

Mama and Daddy are so extremely proud of your accomplishments. I know it's not always an easy road to tackle, but your fighting spirit and curiosities are blessings. Keep asking those, "why, who, what, how come questions." The answers you find may not always make sense, but it's your job to interpret these answers as best you can by being your best self, always. We love you! Wishing you both many years of continued joy and success!

It's Spring, baby!

I know it's been like forever and a day since I did a post. I'm now almost 7 months pregnant and I fatigue too easily these days.

To catch up with what's happened: My in-laws paid a quick visit for my husband and my birthday. They were such a welcome relief for this pregnant Mama in helping to care for the kids. Pick-ups and drop-offs, feeding them, and helping us clean our playroom and the kid's room. Talk about productive! They were so instrumental in helping with that! Those are things grandparents are great for--knowing when to give relief to their kids. Micron has finished up basketball and baseball, which took up plenty of our weekends the past few months. In addition, Micron closed out her soccer season last weekend. The Mr. and I have been busy trying to get our act together and get baby preparations done. 

Mr. Fliz turned the big 4-0 in April and took a guy's getaway with good friends, who also happened to turn 40, by jetting off to New Orleans during JazzFest. Yes, I am officially jealous!! What I wouldn't give for some soft shell crab po'boy, Mother's jambalaya, and some crawfish! Ugh..I salivate just thinking of it. My mother turned 70 and she insisted we take her to Las Vegas for her birthday since we couldn't join my sister and her husband when they take my mom to Maui in May. Not the smartest woman, my mom. Casinos and I'm 6 months pregnant...yeah, that'll be fun ;) Well, she deserved a getaway and hadn't been to Vegas in over 15 years, so it was long overdue. It was ok and my kiddos got their first taste of Sin City. Let's hope they don't get accustomed to it ;)

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind as school ends. Micron is out of pre-school! What an accomplishment! I can't say I've been looking forward to it, since it makes me feel bittersweet that my youngest is growing up too fast. It kinda rocks your boat as your kids grow another year and you can't help but feel that time is purposefully trying to speed things up so all you catch are glimpses of moments. I tried my best to soak it all in. 
Micro will be graduating Kindergarten next week and I'm sure I'll have some heartaches.

We have a vacation coming up and I'm really looking forward to just relaxing and sleeping in. This summer will be busy for me as I try to unearth all the baby stuff I've put into storage and getting big home projects completed. It won't be perfect, but I'm sure we'll pepper in a good amount of pool time, bike rides (maybe not me, as my balance has been off-center), and weekend grilling. My good friend had her third baby a few weeks ago and there's nothing better than holding a newborn against your chest. I continue to pray that our little bun in the oven is doing well and I look forward to many cuddle sessions with this growing family of mine. 

Me and my much-taller little sister on my surprise bday get-together. Tks Mr. Fliz!

Because it's Vegas! #YOLO first limo ride for my babies. Spoiled!

My beautiful, spirited love! So proud of you.

Not-so surprising news

I know its been quite awhile since I've posted, but I've been busy. The festive holiday season has passed and we had lots of celebrations. School is in full swing, and amidst all that was going on, I came upon some great news.

We have a new member of the household. We haven't met this new member as he or she won't make their debut til end of August.

My brood and I are beyond thrilled! I have always known in my heart that my family was not yet complete and at some point, Mr. Fliz and I wanted to grow our household by another two feet 😉.
Like previous pregnancies, I have had plenty of morning sickness. I'm finally getting through the worst of it and look forward to the rest of this journey. 

This year will bring many new changes. It's a bit nerve-wracking thinking I have to go back to diapers and sleepless nights, but I'm excited. I want to cherish what I can of this pregnancy, as I expect it to be my last. We are busily purging the house of unnecessary toys, cleaning out the garage to make room for a second, and bigger car. 

Micro began his basketball and will soon start Farm ball (coach-pitched baseball little league). Micron will start soccer. We are busy, busy, busy bees. I'll do what I can to chronicle this pregnancy, but I'd much rather soak it all in when I can than go on the computer.