Oliver: 1 month

Our baby boy turned 1 month a few days ago and even though life with 3 kids is extremely hectic, I can't let his 1st month go unnoticed in the blogging department.
Oliver is such a cute baby, lucky for him because if he wasn't so adorable I don't know how I'd deal with his crazy sleep "schedule"; he is basically ALL OVER THE PLACE with his habits...sleeps whenever, eats whenever. Of course the whole thing is my own fault but I don't see how I can get a baby this young on a routine, especially with breastfeeding "on demand" and all. (Suggestions are always welcome!)
People ask me all the time "how is having a boy different from having girls?"; well... my answer to that is the eating! OMG.. this baby boy wants to eat ALL day long, sometimes I feel like my boobs are going to fall off with all that sucking. Aside from that, the boy and girl thing doesn't feel so different...YET!
Oliver weighs 10lbs 8oz and is 22 in long; he has gained almost 3lbs since birth and is totally healthy. His neck strength is pretty impressive and he has already rolled from belly to back a few times (talk about a precocious child!).  He loves showers, breastfeeding, music and especially loves his sisters. The few smiles he has graced us with were all a result of him looking at Olivia; he is completely fascinated by her and it melts my heart; the bond they show with their itty bitty brother is just so adorable.
Oliver was diagnosed with reflux and thankfully he was given medication for it; it seems to be improving slowly so hopefully he will start sleeping longer stretches since he will be more comfortable, or so I hope! The longest sleep stretch so far has been 3 and a half hours, he basically wakes up and goes from perfectly content baby to starving monster in about 30 seconds time! Currently he is sharing a bed with us (I swore that would NEVER happen at our house! LOL) and loves being held and cuddled.. people say we're "spoiling" him and I say "what the heck!"...he's so cute I can't stand it! ;)
Happy 1 month, baby boy! We love you and you are the missing piece we never knew was even missing in our family! Thank you, God for such a wonderful baby!

7 years of blogging!

THE blog is 7 years today! I can't believe it has been that long since I started journaling our family life...
It is SO much fun to document all the adventures we have and even better to read all posts later and reminisce about the good times.
Sometimes people assume that bloggers post for "likes" or followers; some others find it boring or even narcissistic to blog, but the truth is that life is a collection of memories and keeping them organized in a blog is the best idea out there, along with pictures and what not.
I know this year hasn't been too active in the blogging department for me, but now that the baby is here and we're adjusting to our new "normal", I will do my best to keep up the writing!
Thanks for everyone who has followed my blog during the past 7 years...it's fun sharing thoughts and ideas with loved ones!

Happy Blogging! and Happy Birthday, blog! :) 

Oliver's Birth Story

On my previous post I wrote about the few incredibly challenging weeks towards the end of the pregnancy and about how the pain really made it difficult to enjoy the journey and see the silver lining, so it's only fitting that I start this post where I left off the other...

As I was trying to fight through the challenges, I convinced my doctor to schedule me for an elective induction at 39 weeks gestation; he agreed and everything was set for September 23rd; at this point I was happy to finally see a light at the end of the tunnel but the night before the BIG day I got a call from the hospital to tell me the induction had been canceled because there were too many "real" emergencies at the hospital.  Needless to say I was super bummed and incredibly upset; after all I had gone through how could these people be so insensitive to my needs??!? But that is life and I had to suck it up. 

On Thursday, September 24th I went to my 39 week appointment to check on the baby and follow routine since the induction had been cancelled. I was still in a lot of pain so the nurse practitioner referred me to the hospital to get an IV pain medication because at this point, I could barely function with so much sciatica pain and she felt it wasn't fair to keep me waiting in suffering! (Thank you, Laura!). 

I got to the hospital on Thursday at 7pm and went straight to Labor & Delivery triage, where they hooked me up to monitors to check on the baby (he was perfectly fine, of course) and ran a few tests including an NST and a biophysical ultrasound.  They set me up in a room and I was given pain meds (Nubain) on an IV; I finally felt some relief and decided to rest a bit. 

A nurse came in shortly after and told me she had orders to start a Cervidil induction; even though my cervix was already soft at this point the doctor thought it'd be a good idea to use the gel and maybe the contractions would just start without the need for any other meds...and they were right! 

After just a few hours of the Cervidil, my contractions started and I was ready to get the show on the road. Within a few hours I was dilating fast and easy and sure enough begging for an epidural because I was SO DONE with pain at this point. 

The epidural process was long and hard because I couldn't sit still due to my severe sciatica issues; at one point I thought I wouldn't be able to get it and was preparing myself to go through labor without anesthesia (thank God that wasn't the case!)

Shortly after I got the epi, my doctor came in and broke my water and that's when things got REALLY exciting; I progressed from 6cm to 10cm in a matter of two hours and was ready to get the baby out! I did have some nausea and vomiting throughout the labor process but nothing too bad. 

Around 6:40pm I started to push and after 20 minutes the baby was out!

Oliver Gabriel was born exactly at 7pm on Friday 09/25 weighing 7lbs 11oz and measuring almost 20 inches. He didn't cry right away, which was a little scary, but apparently the little guy had swallowed some fluid on his way out and was given a little oxygen upon arrival. 

When they put him on my chest, it felt like my world was now complete! I had a piece of the puzzle which I never knew had been missing and Ignacio and I just looked at each other and cried like babies. It was such an emotional and heartfelt moment.  All the doubts about my ability to love this baby instantly disappeared and everything just felt right.  He was so perfect and beautiful and we were overjoyed with so many emotions!

The hours following the labor and birth are really fuzzy. I know we got a few visitors (mainly family), I know the baby ate and cried, I know I cuddled and kissed him like there was no tomorrow and then the sleepless nights and days started...and we're at it!

The girls met him within a few hours of birth and my heart never felt so full!

We're now a family of 5 (wow!) and settling into our new "normal". 

Oliver is such a good baby; he eats a lot and loves mommy's boobs more than anything.  We are spoiling him rotten and are so thankful to God for this little miracle!

Back to blogging with an overwhelming amount of updates!

After a 2-month blogging hiatus, I am happy to be back to the "Blogosphere" with an overwhelming amount of updates that are certainly overdue. I have said many times before that the reason I keep a blog is for my kids to read when they are older, so I owe it to them to keep up with all these stories as I am sure they will enjoy reminiscing about their childhood as they grow up!

Truth is, my absence from blogging wasn't voluntary, but rather the result of two VERY MISERABLE months, where my pregnancy ailments were so unbearable I was on bedrest and unwilling to even open up a computer... it sucked... it really sucked!

The kids ended the summer with a bang at the tennis/golf camp, which they enjoyed tremendously just like every year. They even got medals and special mention awards at the end of camp party.. it was fun!

In mid-August, I had a great baby shower hosted by my mom and sister. My closest friends got together to celebrate the impending arrival of our baby. It was an amazing afternoon and I will always cherish the memories!

At the end of August, the kids started school again; they are now in 1st and 3rd grade and I, of course, can't believe how fast time flies and how little I can do about it.  It's such a joy to see my two little girls turn into little ladies and discover the world through their own eyes. They were certainly excited to go back to school and see their friends.  It was quite the busy week! Here they are on their first day of school! :)

Now on to the pregnancy misery summary.  The Monday after my baby shower, my sciatica pain got unbearable and I started having mild contractions and pelvic pain. Just when I thought the pain couldn't get any worse, it just kept worsening by the day...I went to the hospital and was sent to L&D triage, where I was treated so poorly all I wanted to do was cry; somehow after I was sent home, my pain got even worse and it all went downhill from there.  I went on bedrest and spent the last 4-5 weeks basically crying every night with horrible leg cramps. My husband had to cancel every single business trip that came his way and I could barely stand. I was starting to get so depressed of how dysfunctional I was; I couldn't even shower alone, or go to the bathroom; it felt like my family was falling apart because I couldn't even leave my room to be a mother and a wife.  

The very few times I managed to leave the house I had to use a wheelchair and rely on anyone who was able to give me a little bit of help.  I started to resent the baby and fear my labor; I questioned if I could even love the baby after he had made me so miserable for so many weeks.  Everything bothered me; every time he kicked, every doctor's appointment, every phone call, every visitor.. I was in such a dark place and I am thankful for all the prayers that were lifted up in my name! I'm glad the worst part is over. 

Here's my last belly picture, taken on one of those rare "good" days I had towards the end of the pregnancy. 

..and here's a bonus picture, taken during one of my triage visits...the not so pretty side of the journey. 

My next post will be about Oliver's birth story and how I finally overcame all the darkness that surrounded the last few weeks of my pregnancy.  It's not always rainbows and butterflies and it's important to know that everyone has bad days even during the happiest of times!

Happy Blogging! ;)

6 & 8

Even though I'm a little late with this post, I feel like I should write it just to keep up with my blog's tradition! :)
So, last week my girls turned 6 and 8 years old; even though time flies and I feel like they just grow up too fast, I no longer get sad about it because I know they are happy, healthy and thriving and just by seeing their personalities develop, I know I must be doing *something* right!
Let's start with the little princess, who turned 6 on the 16th...I cannot begin to tell you how fun she is! Gaby is such a sweet and sassy little girl with the most stubborn personality. Even though she's definitely someone you don't want to cross, she is such a joy to be around.  She loves the Ninja Turtles as much as she loves Barbies and that is what I love about her, the fact that she is such a versatile and open minded little person. Gaby enjoys going to the movies, dancing, traveling and playing with small toys (like Shopkins). She is the ultimate cat lover and really enjoys playing independently.  She will be starting 1st grade next month and she is so ready to go back to school and see all her friends again!
Happy Birthday, Gaby! We hope you had an amazing day!!

Then comes Olivia, who turned 8 on the 17th (have I mentioned how cool it is to have their birthdays so close!?!?).
Olivia is such a special little person, she is so in tune with everything that happens around her and she is definitely my best friend and my little accomplice.
She is funny, smart and has such a good sense of humor, always finds the joy in every little thing even when things aren't going as expected.  She particularly enjoys traveling and has such a long list of places she'd like to visit, including China and Australia.
Olivia will be starting 3rd grade in a month and even though she isn't as excited to go back to school as her sister, she sure is ready for the challenge.
Olivia is a little more social than Gaby, she enjoys playing with friends and is into group activities where tons of people get to participate.
Happy Birthday, Olivia! We hope you enjoyed your day!


For their birthday celebration, we took them to dinner at Benihana and they really enjoyed their Hibachi and all of the love from family members.
We are so blessed to have these two little girls in our lives and I am sure they will be the best big sisters our baby can ask for!  Happy Birthday girls!

As an added bonus to this blog post, here are two videos of the girls talking about their favorite stuff, only because videos are always more fun than pictures!

Pregnancy Update: 29 weeks!

I haven't blogged in almost 3 weeks and last time I posted a pregnancy update, I was 20 weeks along, so it's fair to say that this one is long overdue!

Up until a few weeks ago, my pregnancy had been rather uneventful (thank God for that!) but in the past few weeks being pregnant hasn't been THAT much fun!

Here's the low down.... at around 23 weeks I started having terrible sciatica pain; it was so awful I couldn't walk and I was in tears every time I had to turn in bed or when I had to do whatever (minor) effort.  Following the insistence of my husband and a few friends, I started seeing a chiropractor 3x per week and he definitely helped a lot!  Then at around 25 weeks, when I though the pain was taken care of, my body decides to come up with a NEW kind of pain... this time it was "round ligament pain"; I swear I thought I was going to die. It was so bad that I ended up in the ER fearing appendicitis or who knows what issue from hell; it turns out (according to the ER nurse) I was "lucky" on my previous pregnancies for not getting this *very common* symptom, which apparently (and just like everything else in pregnancy) is NORMAL! Ugh!

Ok, so there I was, just trying to get by and dealing with sciatica pain and round ligament issues when nausea and vomiting decide to come back full force...to make things a little more fun! So I basically puked every other night for about a week, which apparently is also NORMAL! But hey, at least I could be sure that baby was growing strong and healthy, right?!? :)

Fast forward to week 26 and it was time for the Glucose Tolerance Test, which I FAILED! ugh! Now I have to do another test, which lasts 3 hours just to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. I really hope I pass this one because I don't want to finish my pregnancy with insulin and special diets (fingers crossed!)

So just when I was getting over the disappointment of having failed my sugar screening and enjoying the last day of vacation, I fell down the stairs at my brother in law's house in Ohio and almost broke my foot! Thankfully, I fell in such a way that I protected my belly and the baby was safe the whole time.  Too bad my foot wasn't as lucky! I ended up in the ER (again!), got a boot and every possible medical equipment to help me move around. I was completely confined to my bed for 5 days and even though I'm still in pain and it will take time for my foot to heal, at least I am mobile now and getting my independence back!

Here's a couple of belly pictures from the last two weeks!

With all of that said, I still feel very blessed that my baby is growing fast and healthy and my pregnancy has progressed without any major/real issues.  I have gained a total of 6 lbs and the baby is measuring right on track for his 09/30 due date.  Emotionally I still feel a little insecure at times and even fearful that this is all happening so fast, but I know God has a plan and He chose me to be the mother of this baby and that means the world to me!

Happy Blogging!

Movie Review: "Inside Out"

It's no secret that I am a Disney/Pixar fan and to me all most of their movies are just great...but in trying to be objective in reviewing their latest one, I will go ahead and say that it was AWESOME!!!
It is so refreshing to see movies that aside from being incredibly entertaining, also carry a powerful message that will likely stay in our minds for years to come...this is exactly the case with Inside Out.. we just loved it...
The plot is based on a clever look of Riley's emotions that basically control all of her moods, personality traits, etc.
These emotions are also in charge of her memories, whether happy or sad and they guard them with their lives...literally...
The movie is very colorful and extremely creative; it takes the viewer on a journey through Riley's brain and it provides a kid friendly explanation as to why all feelings and emotions are necessary because they compliment each other. I love the message of "feelings are what make us human" and there are no "bad feelings" just emotions that work together to make us who we are, to develop our personality and empower our relationships. The characters are fun and unique and the plot is developed smoothly, which helps capture the attention of both children and adults the same.  The movie also features jokes intended for adults (i.e. facts vs. opinions- you have to see the movie to know what I'm talking about!) that make it even more appealing for all audiences.
I could go on and on about how amazing this movie was, but I will let you see it for yourself.  This one gets 4 out of 4 stars from me.. We can't wait for it to come out on DVD! :)