Sunday, October 21, 2012

Frijolitos: Twenty-Seven Months & Three Months

Life is great.

Our days have a certain structure to them. There's a pattern to the things we do; a routine. We get up, we have breakfast, there's a nap, errands, a playdate, a museum visit, an outing, then lunch, more naps, play time at home, the hustle of getting dinner ready, two sometimes very needy kiddos, bath time for one, dinner time for all, bed time for one, pj's, story time for another, kisses, bedtime for another, and resting for two very tired parents. Eric and I recount our adventures at the end of the day and usually go to sleep thinking about our babies. Little and sometimes big things change from day to day; there's ups and downs. These days just.slip.right.through.our.fingers. It's hard to stay in the moment sometimes and really appreciate all the good things life has brought us. I really can't complain about anything. Not.one.thing. Man, I'm lucky. But, there are moments; quite a few moments fortunately, when I can actually think about all the good in our lives and take a close deep look at each of my babies and notice how they are changing and how wonderfully amazing they are(and they're really MINE!). For those I am extremely thankful. I wish I could take every minute I have with them and make every second the very best for them and all about them. But, there's that routine and the things that need to get done and time just gets away from me. So, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and trying my hardest to be the best mommy to them and the wife my hubby needs and taking more minutes out of my busy, non-stop, sometimes crazy days to appreciate the little things; especially those little noses on those cute little babies of mine.




That's why I need to stay on top of these! I don't want to forget all the things little my kids do or say. I've been thinking about keeping a written journal. Something I can keep on my bedside and write in before bed. Nothing where I'm going to write a detailed explanation of my day, but simply the highlights, bullet points perhaps of the things said or done that I just can't forget. Do any of you do this? I've seen some journals specifically devoted to that type of thing, like a "line a day" type of thing and that seems do-able. I think I need to get one tomorrow!

Amélie


  • is a little parrot. She repeats everything! I love it. 
  • can have conversations with me in Spanish. So nothing extremely detailed or anything. But tonight she and I had a conversation about her wanting bread to have with her dinner and how she should eat it with her soup. It was amazing! My girl is bilingual! Yes!
  • is loving purple right now.
  • is in love with balloons. 
  • has an amazing memory. Today we went to Banana Republic because I wanted to try on some pants and she asked for a balloon when we went in the dressing room because she remembered that last week when we were in the same exact dressing room there was a balloon that she got to keep. Crazy pants! 
  • loves her tio Christian. We saw him yesterday and tonight she was still talking about her tio. She loves my brother. 
  • really loves playing with her friends.
  • will ask to watch "telé."
  • knows what a "punkin"/"caabaza" is(pumpkin/calabaza)
  • always asks me where her brother is and will point him out all the time. She loves him. 
  • when I say I'm going to feed Sebastian she'll say, "Astian. Leche." Also, when I'm kissing her goodnight, she'll grab the top of my shirt, look down it, and say, "Leche para Astian." This always makes me laugh.
  • loves to help me in the kitchen.
  • swinging/rocking is her jam.
  • really enjoys skype-ing with her abuelito in Guatemala and her BFF "Sphia"(Sophia) that lives in Berkeley. 
  • is still being potty trained
  • wants to wear her "botas"(boots) almost every day. Knows that when she wears her rain boots she can jump in puddles.
  • loves to do crafts and paint/color. That's my girl.
  • especially loves the weekends because her daddy is here all day.
  • gives the BEST kisses. We have a little routine at bedtime where we chat for a bit and she points out things like my nose, ears, earrings, hair, mouth, tongue...things like that and at the end I ask her for kisses and end with eskimo kisses. Well, she's recently decided that when she gives me regular kisses it's necessary for her to put both of her hands on my face and pull me to her so she can kiss me. Oh my gosh, I love this so much. The first time she did this I just died. I was so happy I asked her for more kisses and she happily did so because she noticed it made me happy. Now, she asks  for "ottos besitos"(otros besitos/more kisses) and then quickly puts her little hands on each side of my face. I cannot get enough kisses!
  • has the cutest little girl face I've ever seen(she is my daughter :) ).

Sebastian


  • is sooo talkative. I've never met a baby that talks this much or...
  • smiles as much! If you talk to him or smile at him, he's all smiles. 
  • is growing like a weed. He is wearing 3-6 month clothing and is growing out of some of them already. He's long and those cheeks! Gah, I love those cheeks! 
  • has been rolling from belly to back for a few weeks now.
  • went through a growth spurt that lasted a very long week. Thank goodness he's back to sleeping his regular night hours and feeding regularly and not all day and night. 
  • watches his sister all the time. They recently had their very first in-depth conversation that ended in Sebastian getting upset because Amélie was getting so excited and loud about the fact that Sebastian was talking to her. 
  • really loves his swing. Yippee!
  • can still only be awake for about an hour(max.) at a time before he gets grouchy. Except for the hours before bed time.
  • is cuter than ever!
  • is still learning to fall asleep on his own. He's a stubborn little guy, but he's doing a little better. There was one night I just had to let him cry for a while because nothing was making him happy and he needed to sleep. He eventually fell asleep. 



Monday, September 24, 2012

Frijolitos: Twenty-six and Two Months

I was running errands the other day and happened to walk by a t-shirt store that focuses on Latin American themes. I peeked inside as I a strolled by and happened to catch a glimpse of some itty bitty t-shirts: one in pink and one in brown that had "Frijolito" with an image of a cartoon bean dressed up in either a bow, gloves, and big lashes, or a simple T. I quickly ran in there to take a closer look and I had a hard time resisting to purchase one for each of my frijolitos. How appropriate, I thought. :)



Time never ceases to surprise me with it's ability to move so quickly. As a write this, Sebastian is close to being 10 weeks old. As a person looking from the outside, I would think ten weeks seems like a long time, but from where I stand, ten weeks is just the other day, just a little guy in my arms, just my "newborn" baby. But, there isn't a doubt that he is definitely getting bigger and that the days are flying by. Amélie is also changing SO much every single day. Sometimes I just sit there looking at her and think how much of a big girl she is becoming. She's stringing words together and surprising us with how much she knows. She's got a bubbly, sweet, and happy personality. We really are very lucky parents.

So, before another day/week/month goes by before I have time to write, I thought I'd make a quick list of where my kiddies are today.


Amélie



  • loves pink
  • is currently learning her colors and can correctly identify them about 80 percent of the time
  • likes to repeat everything!
  • very interested in shoes. The brighter/shinier/girlier; the better. 
  • let's me style her hair every morning
  • knows all her body parts in Spanish and English
  • loves her baby brother, "astian."
  • gives the best kisses
  • really likes to point out people's noses
  • likes to sing
  • knows to ask for her sunglasses when the sun is in her eyes
  • actually enjoys riding in the car now
  • really loves coloring
  • can translate from Spanish to English and vice versa
  • is very girlie
  • the swings at the park are her favorite
  • has a contagious little girl laugh
  • can play with bubbles any time of day
  • doesn't like having her hair washed
  • likes going to the library
  • loves reading books, especially Curious George, Thomas the Train, and Clifford
  • knows who Elmo is
  • makes us laugh all the time
  • loves to dance
  • can be shy when it comes to making new friends
  • prefers sitting in her chair at the kitchen counter than sitting at the kitchen table
  • LOVES anything having to do with water
  • could eat a "hog gog"(hot dog), burger, pizza, pancakes, and "shnackies"(snacks) all day and every day
  • talks all day
  • is 26 pounds
Sebastian

  • has the best baby smile
  • loves to smile at anyone that will talk to him
  • really likes being snuggled
  • talks a lot
  • totally rocks at tummy time
  • is really strong and can hold his head up really well
  • is constantly moving his legs and arms
  • can eat all day
  • likes to watch his sister move
  • doesn't like being in the car/car seat
  • has approved the use of a lovey for bedtime snuggling
  • is finally using the pacifier to soothe himself
  • sleeps really well at night
  • is starting to create his schedule
  • can sleep from 7pm to 6am and wake up twice
  • is starting to go down for his naps much faster and easier
  • still won't put himself to sleep without mommy help 
  • sleeps swaddled but usually wakes up with one arm out
  • will fall asleep in the ergo every time
  • makes the cutest little pouty face
  • has brown eyes and light brown hair
  • loves bath time
  • likes being warm
  • likes to hit the toys hanging from his play mat thing
  • is 10 pounds, 12 ounces

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Mimi and Kiki

By the title you could believe that this is about individuals by the names of Mimi and Kiki, but they are in fact two things we never leave the house without- Amélie's special blankie (mimi) and her binky (kiki).

I wanted to write about this because one day I'll be able to look back and enjoy all the little or not so little things that were a part of our lives with these two babies. These two objects have certainly become a big part of our lives in the last several months.

For a while now, as long as we've been tucking Amélie into bed at night, she's always had her blankie. As part our routine we lay her blankets on top of her and then wish her a goodnight and give her a kiss before we walk out the door. Well, somehow along the way, Amélie decided her blankie was mimi. Since I was a child, I've always referred to bedtime/sleeping as mimi. I think it's just a nickname for dormir, which means to sleep in Spanish. It's not something I made up. My parents used the term and I've heard other people use it as well. Anyways, since then we've called her blankie, mimi. There was a time period of about two months a while back where Amélie wanted her mimi to go with us everywhere and we were fine with it. The doctor even said it was a good thing she was attached to an object as her security item and not a human. He said it was perfectly normal. We thought it was cute. She got over taking it with her everywhere, but it still remained part of bedtime.

Mimi's helping me eat my special pink! cupcake. 
This girl is in love with pink(how ironic) due to Pinkalicious books. 

Fast forward to about two months before Sebastian arrived and Amélie started asking to take mimi (oh, and we think it's a "she." ie. "Where's mimi? Where did you leave her?") with us everywhere. We were okay with it again, but it slowly progressed and now is at a serious obsessive level for her. We can convince her to leave mimi home for certain things or put her down for activities, but we almost never leave home without her because it.can.be.bad! The thing doesn't leave her sight at home, too. We probably hear her asking for mimi no less that 4 times in an hour. If she's(mimi) in the other room and we can't get it to Amélie THAT second she will go into hysterics while repeatedly asking for mimi and kiki. Imagine this happening while we're out and mimi is at home? Help.

Color without mimi and kiki by my side? Heck no, Joe. 
Mimi on the chair, kiki on the counter. 

Mimi used to get dragged on the floor and you can imagine this thing got filthy! There were a few times where I tried to convince her to take another blankie, but nope. That's not mimi! We even found a fleece with Curious George, whom she LOVES, on it at Joann's that I made into a little lovey blankie with the hopes of it taking the place of mimi, but that did not work for a minute. I was seriously embarrassed of my little girl walking around with her dirty blankie she didn't want to give up and so I cut her in half. That way I can wash one half while she has the other. Thank goodness she didn't notice.

I think along with the sense of security that she gets from mimi, she also feels the same way about kiki. Her binky has always just been part of her sleep routine. We'd give it to her right before we walked out and sometime throughout the night she's spit it out and that was that. It wouldn't be seen or talked about until the next sleep session. But again, about two months before Sebastian arrived (noticing a pattern??) she started using her binky all the time! Ugh, I hate that darn pacifier. Right before she started asking for it all the time, I was at the point where I was thinking about putting the binky away somewhere and never seeing it again because she's a big girl and I felt it was time for it to be gone.

If she's got mimi, kiki is right there too- in her mouth,  in her hand, or by her side. I'm always asking her to give it up and she usually will, but unless she's happily and busily preoccupied, she'll ask for it again. Although, even during any meal time she wants to have kiki right next to her plate. It's ridiculous.

Playing the keyboard? Can't do it without kiki and mimi(on the chair)!

At her two year well-visit we brought it up with her doctor and he told us not to worry about it because he thinks is a phase that she'll grow out of soon enough. I'm fairly certain it has something to do with a certain little addition to our household. It totally drives us crazy right now because we seriously cannot leave the house without these two things and we have to know where they are at all times as if they are our third and fourth children, but I'm sure it'll be something we look back on and tease Amélie about when she's grown. I'm really hoping that comes sooner than later. =)

Little brother; I'm the big girl with my mimi and my kiki in hand! 

Gosh, I love that girl and baby boy!

Do any of your kids have a security item they can't live without?

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

The Challenge

It's time! I'm feeling almost completely like my former self physically, and at seven weeks post-partum, I think it's safe that I begin to workout. Woo. I'm excited. I really enjoy working up a sweat and getting some results.

Since the beginning of September coincides with my ability to workout, I've decided do to a fitness challenge of sorts. I've actually convinced the hubby to do it as well. We are going to be doing the  "One Hundred Pushups" training program. I'm going to be adding running to my routine since that's my thing and it also happens to be one of the few workouts I can do with both of the kids. I've got the double jogger ready to go! The thing I also like about the pushups program is that there is a timeline and ending date. It'll give me a chance to compare now to then and it doesn't seem like that long of a time period. Also, my goal has been to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight and shape by three months post-partum. I'm only 5 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy, but my shape is another story. We'll see.

I was hoping to really begin in earnest this week, but our household has come down with a cold. First it was me, then Sebastian, followed by Eric (who's the biggest baby of all), and today Amélie's been displaying symptoms. I'm also waiting on my carseat adapter to arrive in the mail since Sebastian really prefers riding in the carseat as opposed to the actual stroller seat at this point. It's supposed to get here this week. That means I'll start running as soon as it arrives and that Eric and I will probably complete the initial push-up test this coming weekend and start the plan on Monday.

Of course, here are my dreaded before pictures. I took some showing my actual belly, buuuuut, I don't think I'm ready for the interwebs to see that just yet.



Eek! I can't believe I've added these. As you can see in the top picture, there is a pooch in the lower portion of my belly. Lucky for me, at this point my natural waist and upper torso seem to be back to the shape I was before. My skirts, dresses, and higher waisted pants fit just fine. But, most of my jeans are definitely snug(read: muffin toppin') around that darn pooch and I can grab the extra skin. I'm going to include my measurements because that'll give a better idea. Bust: 38 inches. Natural waist: 29.5 inches. Hips 37 inches. Gah. Oh yeah....my weight. Today I'm at 130lbs. Before baby I was between 120 and 125. I'm happy at 125, but will be more than happy to be at a constant 120. 

Alrighty, so here's hoping that six weeks from Monday I'll be down five (or more!) pounds and looking more fit! 

Oh, I've also been trying to be consistent about using my "Lose It!" app. This last holiday weekend was a bust, but I'm back on this week. Wish us luck! =)

If anyone wants to join in on the fun, it would be awesome to see some before and after results as well. 


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Birthing Our Boy

I went in for my post-partum visit this past Thursday and my doctor asked me if we were planning on having another baby. She's so funny. I really had to chuckle while I gave her my response. I just had a baby. Actually, she also sorta laughed considering what I went through to deliver this little guy. I said that at this point we're happy with two and how I don't think I want to go through another baby surprising us with his/her position at the last minute. She understood and then commented that perhaps there's something funny about the shape of my pelvic bones. Perhaps. Or maybe we have some silly children who love moving around. I think it's the kids.

For WEEKS I had been having contractions. They started off mild, more of a tightening like Braxton Hicks, nothing major, but definitely contractions. The first weekend they started Eric was convinced the baby was going to make his appearance. I, on the other hand, was not as optimistic. I didn't want to get my hopes up and I just had a feeling. They came on very regularly, 5 minute intervals for hours and then tapered off and disappeared into the night. The next day they would come back, again, regular, continuous. But nothing that would make me believe it was time. That first weekend our neighbor came over to decipher my contractions since she just had a baby a few months ago and determined that my contractions where like the painless ones she'd had that actually led to her quick and easy delivery. Oh, how I hoped mine would turn out the same! 

I called the advice nurse that first weekend the contractions started to get her opinion on my status since we were going to be driving an hour away for a wedding and she believed that these contractions would lead to my delivery within a week. I made it through that week.

At my appointment at the end of that week, my doctor believed she'd probably be seeing/hearing about me having the baby within the next week. Yup, made it through that week as well. Contractions coming and going, but not increasing in frequency. Great.

At this point, it had been two weeks and I was a mere week from my due date. On the Monday of that week, the contractions were stronger and were coming every 5 minutes. Okay, I thought, let's call and see what they say. Off we went to L&D around 5PM. They checked me, 3.5cm. Not enough to admit. We waited and walked for two hours and still no change; back home we went. Bummer. 

Somehow, the contractions did not keep me awake that night and I slept soundly. When I woke up the contractions were still there, still painful, still 4-5 minutes apart. I did not want to go in and have them send me back home again. But, at 1PM, after walking to the library and having to stop every few minutes, I finally decided to call again. The nurse agreed we should go back, BUT...there was no room! Ahhhh! They were going to send us all the way to Redwood City but at the last minute the nurse decided they'd make it work. Thank goodness.

We were admitted for observation and again am told I haven't progressed. Oh, man. At this point I start crying, am feeling very frustrated, and tell Eric I want to go home. He convinces me we should stay because they will check me after two hours before they will send us home again. I begrudgingly decide to stay even though I'm not feeling optimistic; despite the fact that my contractions were definitely getting stronger and more painful.

A little over two hours later, they finally check me. I very clearly remember the doctor's name was also Johnson and thinking this was a good omen. =) Five and a half centimeters! I laughed/cried while the doctor, nurses, and Eric all cheered. It was about time! This meant I could finally be admitted and placed in a regular room and not the itty bitty uncomfortable room they put women in for observation. It also meant time for the epidural! This time around I wasn't going to wait it out and see how far I got. As soon as I was uncomfortable, I wanted drugs.

Once we were in our huge room, they quickly came in and started the procedure for the epidural. It felt like it took them a long time, but once they finished and the drugs were administered I felt great. From this point on, which was about 5PM until hours later, I felt fabulous! Eric and I hung out watching TV, reading magazines, listening to the music we brought, and chatting with our awesome nurse.

They checked me a few hours later and said I was moving along. That continued for a while until they decided to break my water to get things moving along faster. Things did progress faster after that and a while later I started to have a lot of pressure and pain. They checked me again and said I wasn't fully dilated yet so they brought in the anesthesiologist to give me other pain killers so I could feel better and get some rest. Whatever she gave me was heavenly! I quickly fell asleep, I believe it was around 1AM and slept for a while. When I woke up they checked me and said I was really close. It was at that point that they started to question Sebastian's position.

Oh, Sebastian. There were three doctors that started to check me and try and figure out what position Sebastian's head was in. He was definitely head first. Good. He definitely had his chest toward my back. Good. But....what was that they felt at the opening? An ear? An eye? A forehead? Well, it took a while and a lot of discussion amongst the doctors and with us, but they finally figured out he was "face presenting." Something that is very, very rare. Basically, he was facing the exit. It's funny now, but he still loves pushing his head back in that position. I have to be careful because his heavy little head will quickly bounce back. He loves looking around. Anyways, at this point they bring up the fact that I cannot deliver him vaginally if his head is in this position. One option is to give me pitocin to make my contractions stronger and hopefully push his head into the right position. We try that option and it doesn't work. The only other option is to try pushing and see if it moves. I pushed a few times and he moved lower, but his little face did not adjust. At that point it was time for the c-section.

Since he'd moved lower when I pushed, I could not get them to move me into the OR and give me more drugs fast enough. The pressure/pain was unbearable. But, since it wasn't an emergency, they went along with business in a slightly faster pace. It wasn't fast enough for me! They took care of some things in the room and then wheeled me into the OR. They did a bunch of things (drugs!), the doctors and nurses chatted, they brought Eric in, and at 6:17AM on the 18th, Sebastian was born! It felt like forever before I actually got to see him and I had to wait even longer to hold him, but once I did it was fabulous. He nursed immediately and I got kiss and snuggle my little guy.

It's a little disappointing to think about how I labored all the way to the end and then ended with a c-section. But it was really the only way he could have come out. At least, out of the 12 or so hours that I was in active labor, I was only uncomfortable for a few. My boy also came out very healthy and that's all that really matters. 

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Two, Too, To

We have TWO kids!

What little time or energy I had before to spend blogging has now been divided in half. Almost. Now that our sweet Sebastian is here, I want to document all of his new and exciting developments. So, even if it's a quick list of things, I'm determined to blog. :)

Life with two littles has been busy, tiring, and wonderful at the same time. Amélie has been displaying some very needy/whiny behavior and has her two year molars coming in. Translation = somewhat difficult child. Sebastian on the other hand started off with a bang! Nursing wonderfully from the first hour of his life, sleeping, sleeping, sleeping, and cooing and smiling like a perfect little baby. Of course he didn't enter the world in the perfect way I imagined (story later- ended with a c-section. Boo), but we adore him just the same.

Week two of my recovery sucked. I'd been feeling great; getting out, doing a few errands and then...bam, I was down. I got the stomach flu, got some really painful stuff put on my incision at the doctors (oh, it burned!), and then woke up with a plugged duct after recovering from the other things. Bad week! Thank goodness I'm feeling almost normal now.


Our two year old is growing and learning sooo much! In the month since Sebastian's birth she's probably learned two new words a day. She just surprises me every day with her big girl behavior. Her favorite things right now are coloring, playing with water, reading books, trains, saying words, going for walks, Curious George, riding her trike, and whining.

Happy girl after getting a very special big sister care package from her great aunt Judy.

Too much...

sweetness from Amélie for her brother. It's too cute! She's all about the baby. Where's the baby? Is the baby sleeping? Does the baby want his binky? I'm so happy to see how much she loves him. My heart just explodes with gushy sweet loving for my babes.

much sleeping?! As if that is a problem. It was when I was supposed to be feeding my little guy who also loves to eat. A lot. Unfortunately that seems to be over since he's been refusing to go down for his naps easily or really at all for a week now. He is still a very good night sleeper. But I won't get into much detail as I don't want to jinx us! Riddle me this: How am I supposed to spend what feels like hours trying to get a fussy tired baby down for a nap while also trying to keep a toddler entertained? Someone please give me the answer. I am very frustrated with this issue at this point. I've tried everything I know. What are your secrets?


Going back to work and days at home.

Eric had a tough time transitioning at the beginning of his time off and I was worried; worried about him getting frustrated and worried about me not being able to help. It took some time but Eric was able to get the hang of taking care of a toddler at home all day and also help me out. He was such a huge help and by the end of his time off I was really nervous about how I'd do it without him. Well, he went back to work on Wednesday and we survived. Eric didn't want to go back to work and we missed him very much. I think we'll be looking forward to the weekends.

A proud daddy

I made it out of the house with the babies every day since Wednesday. I have to get out or else I get stir crazy. We went grocery shopping, went to the park numerous times, and enjoyed a play date. I think once Sebastian gets back into napping and a more structured day routine, things will go a lot smoother. I can't wait. Although, really, it wasn't bad this week. I didn't cry once.

Getting back to my former self.

I did a good job and gained 30ish pounds with Sebastian and have about 10 more to lose (unless my boobs now weigh ten lbs. Ha.). Ugh. I ended up swelling AFTER having him due to the fluids I received at the hospital. Darn it. I had made it all the way without any swelling and to come home from the hospital all swollen was a real bummer. It took two whole weeks for it to finally go away but I'm still having night sweats randomly. I'm pretty close to fitting into my regular clothes and I'm happy about that since it's only been a month. But I'd really just love to be able to work out like my regular old self. What is up with this poochy belly?! I have to take it easy and wait till I'm completely recovered. There's been a lot of walking, but it just doesn't make me feel like I'm really working out. I've decided I'm going to document my progress for self accountability and who doesn't love a good before and after?! Also, I am hungry all the time and it is so hard to not grab the unhealthy snacks that seem to be calling my name. I've lost a lot of weight before doing it the old-fashioned way (eating well/exercising), but I didn't have two kids. Time for a new strategy.

Hey, someone is sleeping!

Happy One Month Birthday to Sebastian!



Really, where does the time go?!?!

We all love you very much! I'm looking forward to all the things we'll be sharing and getting to know who you are.


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

So close: An Update

Here I am at 36 weeks! Where does the time go? I feel like I just went in to meet my new doctor. Now, we're only a few weeks from Sebastian making his arrival.

I had a visit with my doctor today and it was so exciting getting to see Bean-dos all squished up in my belly. It was once again confirmed that we are indeed expecting a little boy and his sweet little face with that cute button nose just melts me. It's Amélie's nose. =) It was much harder to make out his body parts since he's so big now, but there were some very identifiable ones.

The doctor did an internal exam and said I'm dilated 1cm and slightly effaced. That's moving in the right direction, even if it isn't much progress. It's more than what I was with Amélie when I was induced at a little over 37 weeks. She measured me and I've been consistently measuring about an inch smaller than the week I'm at; today I was 35. I'm also very excited about the fact that I have not shown any symptoms of preeclampsia during this pregnancy! No swelling! No proteins in my urine! No abnormalities whatsoever! With that in mind, I'm hoping for the most "normal" laboring experience. I really hope to spontaneously go into labor and have it be much shorter than it was last time. Oh, and I don't want to push for three hours! I'm not scared or nervous and am keeping a very positive mindset. Positive and happy laboring thoughts are the only thing allowed, even with this very uncomfortable back pain.

Our bags are packed, the car seat bases are in the cars, and the nursery(including his clothes) are ready to go! My daddy man also asked me a few weeks ago when we'd like him to come stay with us. I wasn't sure if he was going to be able to make it out, but he got ill and had to resign from his new job; at his doctor's suggestion (my daddy recently became a medical assistant. I'm so proud of him. He went back to school.) Yay. We decided it'd be great for him to come at the beginning of July so he can celebrate Amélie's birthday with us since we wasn't able to last year and then stay as long as he likes and can. Right now the plan is that he'll probably be here until about a month or so after Bean-dos arrives. We're really thankful and happy that my dad can do that. He was here with us when Amélie was born and he helped us out immensely. He's so great with babies and can really cook! He's also the best houseguest.

Now all I ask of Sebastian is that he either come before July or after the 11th of July. I keep thinking how it's very possible he can arrive on Amélie's birthday and I'm crossing my fingers that doesn't happen. How weird would we be...the family with only two birth dates and four people(since Eric and I have the same birthday.) I also want my kids to have their own day. Think positive thoughts for us!

Oh, and because a post is not as much fun without pictures, here's a few from life lately. 

She put them on herself.

Park day in SF.

Having fun with my phone.

The teething has given her a really runny nose lately and on that day she had a fever. Not only was it hot outside, she was hot all over. When she woke up from her nap we decided to go bottomless. After some cold water, tylenol, and Curious George, she was up and ready to play at her table. 

My little lady having her "tea."

Riding the steam train through the Santa Cruz mountains on Father's day. 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

A Special Space for My Little Boy

I couldn't wait to move Amélie into her big girl room so that I could put out all the things that I'd been working on for Bean-dos. This past weekend we successfully moved Amélie into her big girl bed, which, ended up needing some little repairs that I'll talk about in a post about her room. So far, so good! She LOVES climbing up the little step stool and just laying in her bed. We've had no problems with her not sleeping. Woo. I'll share more about her room soon.

After getting her to bed on Saturday, I quickly got to work changing the crib back to the regular set-up since we'd converted it into the toddler bed. I wanted to make sure that Amélie knew that wasn't her bed anymore and sure enough, the next day she went in there and was a little surprised and climbed on the side to peek in. She wasn't disappointed and even said, "Baby?" Maybe it actually makes sense to her?!

It took me a few days to get everything I made and bought (mostly thrifted) up and organized, although I'm sure there are little things I'll change before he gets here.  It's all the same furniture that was in Amélie's nursery that I shared when we lived in San Francisco. I basically set it up almost exactly once we moved to San Jose.

Oh, and because I made something I want to share that has his name on it and we're really not keeping it a secret, I'm spilling the bean's name; Sebastian. We're definitely decided on that name. It was really one of three boys names we liked and I think we're going with Gabriel (one of our top three and my brother's name) as his middle name. Yup, he's going to have a long name. My other choice was Julian, but Eric vetoed it because he said he didn't like the way it sounded with Johnson. We love his name and think it goes really well with Amélie's name and sounds great in Spanish, which, is an important factor for me. Oh, and people always ask what his nickname will be. Well, I'm not a fan of nicknames. So I'm not planning on him having one.

Here's Sebastian's nursery!


eric was so proud to have found that little collection of The Hardy Boys at a garage sale and is so excited about one of our kids reading them one day. it's so sweet.

sebastian got a new lamp. the giraffe had an unfortunate painting accident. representing SF, of course. we've joked about driving up there just to have me and the kids born in the same city.

the changing cover I sewed, little wooden bears that are engraved on the back with "Yellowstone 1969," that we found at an estate sale, a fox I painted, and a picture I enlarged from a Golden Book I found at an antique store.

same chair, different pillow, some thrifted art, new store-bought art, and curtains I made.

the larger piece is a needle point.

it's the elephant again

moses basket with bedding I made and the large ruler I stained and painted.

amélie decided her cow should sleep there for now. we've already marked how tall amélie is on the ruler. I hung it up so it's accurate.

the shelf above his dresser with random goodies

do you see gumby?! I loved him.

the bedding I made. you can't tell here, but the pleat in the middle has the houndstooth fabric I used on the curtains. a fun rug i picked up at IKEA and the vintage thrifted afghan that inspired the color scheme.

a boppy cover I sewed with the same fabric I used for the moses basket, same bumpers from amélie's room, some swaddling blankets I dyed and sewed, and the fox I made.

enlarged images from the Golden Book I found at an antique store.

eric even commented on how he got a more "manly" clock. he also said it's a good thing it has large numbers on it that I'll be able to read in the middle of the night. thanks, honey.

i kept that elephant watercolor in here from amélie's nursery because it's perfect in that spot. 

There are still a few of Amélie's belongings that haven't moved over to her room yet, but I still have time. I'm looking forward to taking my time putting all of his little clothes in the dresser, just like I did for Amélie. He has quite a wardrobe that I purchased from the huge baby resale event I went to and sold some things at two months ago. I'm so excited to dress up a little boy. =) I would say we're ready for him, but I can wait. We have lots of things going on until he gets here! Although, my back would say it's ready for him.right.now! pain!