Terrible two's

Ethan has been one very active toddler, especially since his baby sister was born. He has done some things over the past couple of weeks that I’ve found to be both hilarious and scary. Some of these incidents have occurred when I was half asleep or sound asleep, since I’m sleep deprived due to having a 7-week-old baby.

This morning I woke up to the clinging and clanging sound of coins next to my bed. Ethan had found his daddy’s spare change. Ryan recently taught him the names of each coin, so I assumed that he was only playing with a few. I found it to be no big deal, since he does really well with money as far as NOT putting it in his mouth. Later on, when I walked by his Little Tikes police car I glanced down and saw a huge pile of change in the “trunk” of his car. I couldn’t believe that he transported all of those coins by hand while I was sound asleep. As I was laughing hysterically he said, “Take a picture…call daddy.” He read my mind. I immediately took a picture and called Ryan at work to tell him what a character his son is. Ethan was so proud of what he had done.

Now last week was a different story. My precious son nearly caused me to have a heart attack. When I woke up at 7:30 a.m. it was very quiet and Ethan was not in his bedroom, or anywhere else in the house. As soon as I started to panic I spotted him through the back sliding door. He was in the backyard playing with his toys, which he got from the garage. I calmly explained to him that it is very dangerous to go outside without mommy or daddy. That experience has caused us to take better precautions, which will keep our active toddler inside. Fortunately, the inside of our house is very childproofed.

I’ve found that constantly keeping an eye on Ethan is very tiring, especially when he’s in the same vicinity as his baby sister. It is one of the most challenging things I’ve experienced so far as a mother of two.

Proud of being a coin collector

Ready to go shopping with daddy's $

Oh no...he found mommy's mascara

Little warrior ready for a scrub down

Mother's Day

I know I'm a little late, but this Mother's Day was the best one I've had so far. Ryan and I decided to host the special day, since Emily was only two weeks old. It was such a blessing to spend the day with my family and friends, especially with BOTH of my kids. Ryan cooked the meal we had on our wedding day for everyone, which was absolutely delicious. My gifts from Ryan, Ethan, and Emily were a new backyard porch swing and a fan for my laundry area, both of which I love! Here are some photos from my special day...

Baby nursery contest

I recently entered Emily's nursery in a contest.  Please contact me for voting information. Thanks!

Emily Grace has arrived!

MOTHERHOOD SURVEY - SECOND BORN

1. WAS YOUR SECOND PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes…married for 2 ½ years

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I was overwhelmed with joy!

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Absolutely not!!!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 26-27

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I took a pregnancy test as soon as I missed my period.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My mother-in-law, since she was the first person I saw the minute after taking a pregnancy test. Then I called Ryan at work to tell him.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes...I don't like secrets.

9. DUE DATE? May 9, 2009

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Off & on…it was really bad in the beginning, but then got better.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Regular coffee (that I had to give up), frozen yogurt, ice cream, fruit, chocolate, cheese, dried cereal, and sushi

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Nothing really

13. WHAT WAS YOUR SECOND CHILD'S SEX? *Girl*

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
No way...I wanted a girl since I already had a boy.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
30 lbs. (10 lbs. less than I gained with my first pregnancy)

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew about it. Again, I don't like surprises.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? No, praise the Lord!

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Riverside, CA

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? I was scheduled for an induction, which took place at 9:00 a.m. It went well, since I was contracting on my own and was already effaced at 3cm and dilated at 50%. My doctor broke my bag of waters at 1:20 p.m. I was 10 cm at 4:30 p.m. and Emily Grace was born at 5:00 p.m.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? My husband drove my mother-in-law and me. My mom followed behind us.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? My husband, mom, and mother-in-law were all my labor & delivery coaches. :)

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? I had Pitocin to help induce labor and one dose of Stadol (which I was told is similar to Benadryl or Tylonel) at 2:30 p.m. By the time I had to push the medication had completely worn off, but once I saw my precious baby the pain went away.

27. WHAT WAS YOUR CHILD'S WEIGHT/HEIGHT? 7 lbs. 3 oz. 19 in.

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? April 27, 2009

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Emily Grace

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR SECOND BORN TODAY? She is 20 days old.

32. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU FIRST SAW YOUR BABY? I was in shock at first. I wasn’t expecting to deliver as soon as I did. I didn't think it would happen until 7:00 p.m. or later. I couldn't believe how beautiful she was, since I never got a 4D ultrasound and had no idea what she would look like. I immediately fell in love. It was such an amazing feeling to have a boy and a girl. I felt deeply blessed, content, and happy with our family of four.

33. WHAT WAS DADDY’S REACTION WHEN HE FIRST SAW HIS BABY? Ryan was also in shock at first, because of Emily's fast arrival. He was so thankful and relieved that she was healthy and also felt like she completed our family. He is still trying to get used to having a daughter, since he’s been around boys his whole life, but cherishes every minute he spends with her. He agrees that with me that she couldn’t be more perfect.

34. WHO WAS THERE FOR YOUR BABY’S ARRIVAL? Emily's daddy, Grandma Denielle, and Grandma Mary were there for the labor and delivery. Her Grandpa Tim, Aunt Teresa, Aunt Kaitlyn, Grandpa Allan, Uncle Kurt, and cousin Randi all came to the hospital shortly after her birth. Her Grandpa Tom was there for my labor, but had to leave and came to see her the next day at home.

Emily Grace's arrival

Gentle big brother

Proud big brother

First trip home

Welcome home Emily

Not quite a day old yet

Grandpa Tom "Mac" seeing his granddaughter for the first time

Grandpa Allan "YayYay" & Grandma Mary love their grandchildren

Love my baby girl

Little cuddle bug

Grandma Denielle "Aba" loves her grandchildren

Daddy washing her hair for the first time

Ethan pouting & not wanting his picture taken :(

Love her chubby cheeks

11 days old

Coming soon...

I have been pregnant with my second child for almost 38 weeks, which doesn’t seem possible. Where does the time go? I have such mixed emotions about it, especially since this will probably be my last pregnancy. Here’s a recent update:

On Thursday, April 16th my doctor said I was dilated to 2cm and effaced at 25%. I was having lots of contractions for the following couple of days, but fortunately made it through the weekend. Ryan was the caterer for my cousin Shannon’s wedding on Saturday, so it would not have been good timing. We prayed about it and thankfully God answered our prayers. =)

On Wednesday, April 22nd my doctor said I was dilated to 3cm and effaced at 50%. He gave me the option to schedule an induction for next week (once I’m 38 weeks and full-term) or according to him, "let mother nature take it’s course". I explained to him how well my induction went with Ethan, since I had a different doctor and asked him if he thought it would go just as well this time. Basically, I wanted to know if he thought my body was ready and would work with me, not against me like it did with my first induction. I was dilated and effaced with Ethan, but needed a little nudge to help me establish a regular contraction pattern.

He said he felt very good about it, especially since I’m petite and carrying a decent size baby of approximately 7 – 7 1/2 lbs. He agreed with me that it's probably not a good idea for her to get too much bigger, since I’ve been dealing with bulging varicose veins this pregnancy that are both painful and unsightly.

My induction is scheduled for this Monday, April 27th at 8:00 a.m. as long as a room is available. Thankfully, my family has been very supportive and will all be with me when Emily arrives. Ryan, my mom, and mother-in-law will be with me for the entire labor and delivery. I’m both very excited and anxious to meet my baby girl! It’s hard to believe that I will be a mother to not one, but two children in less than a week.

Preggo pics

A good friend of mine (our wedding photographer), Inma Ruggieri took my pregnancy photos last month. She did this on March 13th when I was 32 weeks. Her website is: www.sevillaphoto.com.

In the beginning of the photo shoot, Ethan struggled with me exposing my belly and refused to be photographed. In a whiny voice he kept saying, "Close the door mommy!" Of course, he was referring to my shirt. It was the funniest thing! :) He finally calmed down once Grandma Mary, Inma, and I sang songs with him.

I really like a bunch of photos that she took, but here are a few of my favorites...

My hard-working hubby

I am so blessed to have married a handyman. Ryan is such an amazing, selfless man who puts a lot of time and energy into home improvements for our family. This past weekend he definitely outdid himself with projects.

He has always been very artistic, which definitely showed when he got the idea to give the nursery an abstract bubble effect. Here is a brief list of what he recently did in Emily's room:

1. He painted two different sizes of crown molding – one red and one black. His dad came over last weekend to help him put it up.
2. He traced four different sized circles on the wall using paint cans, a bucket, and a soda can.
3. First he painted the circles with primer, and then did one coat of Heirloom Red. He’ll complete the bubble effect this week by painting another coat of red and doing some touch-up work.
   
4. He installed a clothing bar in Emily’s closet underneath the existing one. My fun project yesterday was hanging up the rest of her adorable baby clothes!
5. He glued wooden ladybugs on the "Emily" wall letters and mounted a hook on the side of her crib for the diaper stacker.

He plans to have her room completed by the end of the week (excluding the windows and wood blinds, which he will install in about 1 - 2 weeks). I am definitely looking forward to the finished product.

As for the rest of the house, here is a brief list of other projects that are either in progress or were completed over the weekend:

1. We finally got some of our wedding pictures printed and framed. Ryan used his creative eye and mounted them in our hallway.
2. We found a beautiful oil paining of a vineyard that Ryan hung, which completed our dining room wall decor.
3. He hung a mirror on the back of our bedroom door and bought green paint for two of our bedroom walls, which will contrast nicely with our existing tan colored walls.
4. My laundry area in our garage will be completed soon. We made a trip to Lowe's, so I could pick out things to hang on my white pegboard (metal buckets for misc. items, white bucket for trash, paper towel holder, etc.). The only thing I need to do is label the metal buckets and buy a countertop laundry basket. Ryan enjoyed helping me make my side of the garage look as organized as his.
   

Ryan painting the circles with primer

Abstract bubble effect (first coat of paint)

Not quite finished yet...

Letters made by Amber, Teresa & Mary

Wooden ladybug that Ryan glued

Decor above the changing table

Wedding photo collage in hallway

Wedding photos in hallway