Compassion

Whenever I see a homeless person living on the street, my heart is just filled with compassion and sadness at the same time. I don't know the circumstances that led the individual to that place, but I can tell you that I would want someone to be compassionate to me if I were ever in that position.

Today, we were on our merry way to take our little Papa Chulo to his 9 month check-up (I can't believe he is 10 months already!), when I noticed the gas light on. I was already running late, and debating whether I should just chance it in hopes of making it without running out of gas, or stopping and wasting a few minutes of needed time. Of course, pulling over was the logical thing to do because I sure couldn't manage running out of gas on the freeway with three little ones (I am afraid of too much!). Off we went and I was pumping gas and trying to take care of some other things while the gas price was dwindling down my bank account.

I happened to look up and noticed a very dirty, thin, homeless man rummaging through the trash can. It wasn't the typical going through the trash can to recycle, no, he was looking for food. I watched him for a few seconds, as well as the people who were near him pumping gas. I wanted to see their reactions and to see if he was going to ask for money. This man just continued to eat the food he found in the trash, while others looked disgusted with him and drove off. As I finished pumping gas and sealed up my tank, I noticed he had come to the trash can near me and found some more food. He was in his own world, excited to have food for his hungry, shaking body. Not once did he bother a single person for a dime.

It's rare if I have money on me, as my ATM card is my "cash", so I scrounged around for some change finding a little over $2. I hate to give money to homeless people because I want them to use it for food, and would much rather ask them what I can buy them for a meal than hand over the money. Buying him food wasn't possible because of my time crunch, and I would have to unload 3 little ones at a gas station to get him something to eat. I got his attention and gave him the money, and his countenance and voice had so much delight in it. He was so very thankful, kind, and sweet. I told him he was welcome and then went on my way. As I rounded the station to get out, I noticed we had a protein granola bar in the car, and turned around and gave it to him. Again, sheer delight and a huge thank you.

As I drove off, Bella was intrigued by all that had gone on with this stranger. After explaining why I had given him money she was filled with overflowing compassion. Here was some of our dialog on the way to the doctors office.

Me: Bella, do you see how he's very skinny and dirty?

Bella: uh huh

Me: He doesn't have a home like we do with a shower, warm blankets, and food to fill his tummy

Bella: Why?

Me: Because he is homeless and lives on the streets. He goes through the trash cans and tries to find food for his tummy there.

Symphony: Well, he can get a bag and fill it with water, tie it in a knot, hang it from a tree, poke little holes in it, and he'll have a small shower (my little inventor)

Me: Great idea Symph!

Bella: Well, he can live at our house

Me: Bella, he's a stranger, we can't have strangers living at our house

Bella: Mom, if you go back and ask him his name, then he can live in our house

Me: Bella, just because we know his name, it doesn't mean he isn't a stranger.

Bella: Well, why can't he live in his car?

Me: He doesn't have a car babe

Bella: Well, I know, we can give him our car to sleep in

Me: Bell, we need our car

Bella: I know, we can give him a motorcycle from the motorcycle guys to sleep on (she's obsessed with motor-cross racing lately).

Me: Babe, he can't live on a motorcycle

This little dialog went on with her all night long as she thought of more ways to help this man. I was blown away to see how much compassion her little heart had for this one stranger that impacted her life in just a short few minutes.

The three of us talked all the way to the doctors office about making little care packages for homeless people, like our friend Kellee does. I need to make my way out and purchase a few things to put them together to have on hand when we are blessed to meet up with one again.

We were all shown how very thankful we should be for where we are and all that God has blessed us with. You never know where you can end up, but remember that they are people just like us, and had it all going for them at one time. Life is hard, be compassionate :)

Motorcross, Speedway... I Still Get Confused

I guess I should learn what the difference is since the hubby wants to make it a monthly thing.  We decided to go and watch some racing on Friday night and Grandpo went along with us.  It was totally new to him, Symph had been there once as a little one, and well Bella and little Dom  would have a new experience.  We walked up, got our tickets, and walked through the gates, and it looked a bit different to me, but hey, it had been a while so it made no difference.  Well, yes it did make a difference.  The reason why it looked so different was because we were right up close to the track, and had mud spit up and flung at us whenever the racers kicked out their wheel and revved their engine to turn (which we happened to be sitting right at the turn).  I told Dom we had to move because I couldn't possibly be guarding the baby all night and enjoy the races, so we got up to move to the opposite side.  As we got up my dad asked what was going on with Bella, and when I turned to look at her, she was full of tears and totally upset. She had been crying and none of us even knew it because it was so super loud.  Poor baby.

As we went to the other side, she continued to cry with her hands over her ears "I want to get out of here!"  mind you, I totally forgot that she hates motorcycles not only because of their loud sound, but because her Tio Michael fell off of one, which really burned that motorcycles aren't good into her little memory.  We sat down and, yep a little more dirt in the face, but I was totally thankful that there were some pretty hefty guys in front of us catching the majority of the dirt instead of us.  One guy had a good portion in his beer cup.  There were lots of crashes, one rider even had his chest ran over by another rider, and by the middle of the races Bella eased up.  I encouraged her to pick her favorite, and then we would both cheer that racer on.  By the end of the evening, she was loving it.  I did fail to mention that there were tiny little racers out there too, one of them was 4 years old!  

It's amazing how these guys and the one little girl race their bikes.  They flip their back wheel forward to make the turn and throw their leg out to help them, all in hopes of not crashing or falling over or off their bike.  Lots of adrenaline filled the crowd, and it was a fun time out on another balmy Friday summer night.

All in all we had a great time as a family, not to mention my dad winning the 50/50 (purchasing only 5 tickets!).  From here on out, we will be bringing earplugs and sitting in the top rows! Who knows, little Dom may be riding one when he's 4... his papa is already scheming it in his head.

   

Zing Zang Zoom!

That was the theme of the Circus that was in town, and the surprise that I was looking forward to my girls enjoying!  I got a call on Wednesday from Tia Jessica asking me if her and my brother could take the girls to the circus the next day, and well, of course they could!  I knew the girls would have a blast, and I was secretly hoping that Dom would take me on a date that night to see the circus, but no dice on the date!

Anyhow, the girls had a blast and of course were spoiled as always.  They were taken to dinner, had their faces painted at the Circus, watched an amazing show, and had it topped off with a humongous lollipop!  Whoever painted their faces did an amazing job!  Bella had me laughing for a long while since I couldn't ell if she was really smiling or not, once she was at home.

Thank you Tia Jessica and Tio Michael for loving us so, oh, and for taking us out for a special date!  We love you so much  :)

An Unexpected, Lovely Evening

It's summertime, and the heat is on, yet the evenings are nice and balmy.  Totally not typical for us Californians!  Today Tia Susie called and invited us to a concert in the park to enjoy a children's band (I forgot their name already!), and so we were going to surprise the girls with a little outing. 

We stopped by the grocery store and picked up some little snacks, but Tia Susie and Uncle Dan brought little treats for the girls, so of course mine didn't stand a chance.  Really, popcorn and ice cream vs. crackers and cheese, ya she wins.  

We headed on over to the park and the girls were a bit confused because we really haven't done the concerts in the parks with them, and to them, a park is a place to play tag, ride bikes, and go down slides, all of which we weren't really there to do.  We had a little time before the show began,  so we walked about the little booths where Symph got to try out a Clarinet at Claremont's School of Music booth, and Bella got to strum a harp!  

Tia Susie and Uncle Dan showed up, and we went to sit down and enjoy the evening.  I don't think the girls were really too into the music, as much as they were into enjoying the company of their Tia Susie and Uncle Dan.  They had a lovely night of running barefoot in the grass, eating ice cream, and just hanging out and being loved by their Tia and Uncle. It was a lovely unplanned night indeed, and yes, they did get to play at the park afterwards!

And so I giggle quietly to myself..

It's really quite fun to listen in on the little bedtime stories that the girls are told by their papa.  He asks them what they want a story about and allows them to give the characters names.  Dom, mind you is extremely tired, keeps going on and on with his stories because the girls are so intrigued.  He does great for about 10 minutes and then I constantly here  "and what papa" which is when I know he's falling asleep and losing the whole bedtime story as he dozes in and out. Again, it's "then what, papa" and Dom is struggling to stay wake as the girls are questioning every little bit he comes up with.  Poor guy, he's just trying to get them to sleep, but they are on the edge of the bed waiting for more, with no desire to fall asleep, but to hear so much more of their papa's great imagination.

Oh, how I love them at this age, and how I love Dom!  He really is a cool papa, and makes me giggle!

Flower Girl

Symphony so desires to be my flower girl.  She doesn't quite understand why mama and papa can't get married again so that she can be our flower girl (hmmm, this makes me want to have a small vow renewal this coming anniversary, since it will be 10 years...).  Today we laughed pretty good with the following dialog:

Symph:  Papa can you marry mama again so that I can be your flower girl?

Papa:  baby we're already married

Bella:  Papa, I want to be your tree.

Too cute!  I love my babies, they bring us such joy!

So not loving it...

My girls had crazy little habits that soothed them to get to sleep.  Although they were quite strange, they weren't nearly as bad as our papi chulos demands.  

At this moment he is going through separation anxiety that is driving me nuts!  I can't even leave the room without wailing and ear piercing screams.  His latest thing to show me that although he's a baby, he is very smart, is not letting me go when he falls asleep.  I slowly peel one arm away at a time and he immediately grabs onto my other hand or any part of my body that he happens to grasp onto.  

So, as I laid him down to sleep last night, he decided that putting his fingers up my nose was his quirky thing to do.  Disgusting, I know!  Do I let him?  NO, and he throws a fit because I don't allow it.  I think he just wants to let me know that he's thinking far beyond what I am.  He's making sure that not only am I right next to him, but I am breathing right next to him. 

Oh Lord help me with this one!

Feisty

Let me tell you, that may soon be Bella's new nickname, or perhaps something along those lines.   The kid is too much and too funny  ;)

Why?

Please tell me why I have to wake up to explosive poop  from baby Dominique every day?  Doesn't he know I don't enjoy cleaning it off his back and clothes, not to mention the baths, and clean sheets... every day!

I guess his killer smile, sweet hugs, and baby kisses make up for it!  Oh, how I love him!

I'm Slacking...

I know! 

Life with three little ones is hectic and very time consuming.  I wouldn't have it any other way, except perhaps to have a few more hours in a day!  

Sorry that I haven't updated you my sweet little blog, I will try and do better!

Up!

To celebrate the end of Kindergarten with Symphony, and a much needed break from school, we went to see Up!  Well, attempted to.

We arrived 5 minutes prior to the starting time and it was packed!   I mean come on, what would you expect for a children's 3D movie on it's second day out, during a matinee time?  We had tia Krysten grace us with her presence in hopes that she could see it with us, but to no avail.

We decided to get the next showing and arrive 30 minutes before, as the manager suggested.  Off to pizza it was.  We ate and hung out with tia, and said our goodbyes as she left to work.  We walk into the theater and it was packed!  It would have been nice of the manager to let us know that people line up where it is roped off to get into the theater 30 minutes early!  grrr.....

Needless to say, we exchanged our tickets and waited for the next showing... third time's a charm right?  After 2 1/2 hours of waiting we got in, yay!  

Not so yay!  My kiddies are super sick with colds, and did I mention we toted the baby along? We sat down in our perfect seats and it began (not the movie!):

• got Bellie her little booster seat situated
  
• I took the girls potty
  
• I stopped off and bought some "corn" (this man kept calling popcorn "corn", driving me nuts!) 
  
• Bellie chose Red Vines (do not give these to congested kids!)
  
• Symph wanted Junior Mints (great choice!)
  
• back into the movie and it's starting

I hear Bella choking, and yep, she's got a Red Vine stuck in her airway.  I couldn't rely on Dom's help since he had the baby, so I had to swoop it out of her throat with my finger... scary!  Now how do I take her candy away that she's been talking about since we left the house?  We let her have one more vine and that was it!  Apparently phlegm and Red Vines don't work.

As the movie is playing my kids are coughing, the baby is fussing, and Bella is determined to leave.  Not so fun!  I get up and walk to the hall to comfort my baby and Bella runs over and hangs out stating that she wants to leave, over and over and over and over again!  She tries her next ploy of having to go potty.  I take the baby to Dom, take Bella to the potty, and not a single drop!  Yes, I am more than mad at this point.  We return to the theater, I switch off with Dom so that I can watch a part of the movie, and he can take care of the baby.  About 10 minutes later Bella has to go potty again!  I told her that if she didn't go this time she would be in lots of trouble, thank God she went  ;)   We returned, Dom got the baby to sleep, and we watched the last 15 minutes together as a family. 

This is exactly why we don't do movies and wait for them to come out on DVD or pay per view!  A great lesson learned for me... wait til the movie can be viewed in my own home!

I do have to say that I really did enjoy the movie, aside from all the distractions, and that Symphony had a blast and was oblivious to it all.  As long as she enjoyed her celebration I am perfectly fine with all the chaos!

Another Milestone Down...

On Memorial Day we had a little last minute spaghetti dinner and hung out with my familia.  Dom, tio Michael & tia Jessica, and grampo headed out with the girls, and they hung out flying kites and riding bikes.

Tia Jessica loves to bribe my girls, and bribed Symph over and over about riding her bike without training wheels.  Dom took off the training wheels and ran after Symph as she rode her bike in a squiggly path up and down the street.  She continued doing this for a while and then tia bribed her with money to ride alone.  She did it!  Symph rode that bike of hers all alone.

On Tuesday we took her to the park and she rode around the path with little "whhoooa, wwhhhooaa,  wwhhhhooaaa" sounds coming out of her and the bike going in crazy directions, every way except straight.  After her first time around she got it down and was riding around the path with no problem.  I am so proud of you and your accomplishment my love!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Bella learned to ride her Big Wheel all the way around the park too!  Great job baby girl!

It looks like we will be taking family bike rides together very soon.  I can't wait!

Bella Grace Aguiar

My baby is turning three today and I am ovewhelmed with the love I have for her.  My parents pastor reminded us of how children were one of God's ways to show us innocence and goodness, and Bella is a sweet reminder of this to me. 

Bella is one of the sweetest and kindhearted little kids I have ever come into contact with.  She's willing to share the best of what she's got with others. She's the perfect little mama, and encourages those that are younger and even those that are older than her.  She is full of sweet kisses and hugs to give, yet she is feisty and sassy and will stand her ground (even if it involves stories about snakes knocking on her door with shoes on!).  Without fail, she falls asleep with a sweet smile on her face. Bella has a huge desire to learn, to be like her sister and be able to read.  She cries if school is started without her and has a pen and her books ready to start school each morning.  She is a total mommy to her brother, and is on top of his every need and then some.  She is smart, a joker, reserved, friendly, helpful, loving, inquisitive, testy, and my baby girl.

My baby girl has a heart of gold and it is with her unconditional love that I am constantly reminded of innocence and goodness,  and God's beautiful grace.

Happy Birthday Bella Grace!  Thank you for the huge blessing you are to us, and the sunshine that you bring to our lives each day that we see your sweet smile!

Where Has Time Gone, Once Again...

These past few months have gone by in what seems to be a wink of an eye.  

I am so thankful to be clot free, off of the Coumadin, and no longer having 2-3 appointments to go to a week!  

The girls are growing so quickly and are so sweet and loving to the baby.  Symph is slowly becoming much more independent and breaking my heart as it happens!  Why do they have to grow up so quickly?  I still want to hold her and cuddle with her, but her long giraffe legs no longer allow her to be comfortable to be held in my lap (no fair!).  She's going to first grade this year... again, where in the world does time go?  My Bellie is going to be 3 years old tomorrow!  She is so sweet and tenderhearted, a little mama and still able to cuddle!  I think I need to freeze her or something so that she doesn't get "biggies" like her sister.

I am so grateful for all that I have been blessed with and that God's hand is so evident in our lives.  

Ultra-Cute!

My dear friend is super crafty with creativity that I wish I only had a small fraction of.  I thought this was an ultra sweet gift that she got for Mother's Day from her ultra-appreciatives!

Enjoy!

Papi Chulo...5 Months

Where have they gone?  I say with all our running around to get everyone well and checked up, these past 5 months have just crept on by too quickly.

Papi Chulo:

rolls over onto his tummy and back over onto his back

loves to play with his sisters

is too attached to me

lights up with a huge smile when I walk by him

smiles constantly

has a very contagious giggle

has discovered that he has a voice

possesses a temper and is very impatient (gotta break this)

loves to stare at our faces until we acknowledge him

LOVES RICE CEREAL!  (today is his first try at it)

We love you so much Papi Chulo!

Believe Me, I Know

This has been over a two year feat that has yet to be tackled until now.  All my friends and family that know will be amazed to know that.....drumroll please......we have finally moved the girls to sleep in their room ALONE!  Many times I feel like I'm heartless in a lot of my dealings with the girls, and that Dom is so tender and kindhearted.  Needless to say, I deal with them almost 24/7, and he really doesn't have to do the disciplining like I do.  He's mostly there for the "Papa I missed you" and "Papa can we cuddle when Saturday comes?".  I'm the not so fun, and won't put up with nonsense mama.  Why?  Because if not my kids will rule me, and let me let you know, I will not have that.  

So, off the side note...  When we do get out and drive around, it always happens to be between 12 PM to 3PM, and my absolute favorite no nonsense person of all is blaring in my little Matrix filled with three little ones and myself.  Symphony and Bella have come to recognize the voice of Dr. Laura, and how much mama loves to hear her talk to others.  On one particular day, a mother called in to get advice as to how she could get her daughter to quit sleeping with her.  Her daughter was 9 years old (4 years older than Symph), and my mind went spinning on how this was soon to be me.  As Dr. Laura gave her caller advice, I made sure Symph was listening in.   The caller was basically advised to have her daughter sleep in her own room starting that day, and if she wouldn't go along with her sleeping in her room, that the mother was to get a lock and lock the door at night.  I immediately asked Symph if she was listening and she said she was.  Dr. Laura was talking about how it wasn't a healthy habit that the mother had brought upon her daughter, and my mind started up again to pursue the tenderhearted Dom to get his little lovlies out of my room.  It really didn't cause him to want to take any action, so se la vie.

Well, our sleeping conditions were as such, Symphony slept on the couch in our room, Bella slept in the middle of her mama and papa, and the baby...well, he slept in his bassinet on my side of the bed  (this was good news, since I slept holding my two girls when they were newborns in fear of something happening to them while I slept).  Bella had just become way too much of a fighter at night with her kicking, hitting, and screaming in the middle of the night.  Dom and I were the recipients of  lots of beatings, and it wasn't fun!  I finally had it and told Dom that was it, and that the girls were to be out on Friday.  I let the girls know and it was quite funny the response I got.  Symphony told me she would cry, and I said that crying was fine and she would get over it.  Here's my conversation with Bella:

B: I'm gonna cry

M:  It's ok, I won't hear you

B: I'm gonna scream

M: I'll shut my door and turn the radio up loud

B: I'll hit the door

M: I'll spank you

B: Then I'll kick the door

I had to hold myself together and not laugh, and told her what I would do to her, which I won't post here  :)

So guess what?  We did it (a week after the Friday we said we would, because they needed a bed), and they have done awesome.  The first night had a few tears, but they woke up so very happy with their accomplishment.  We took them for ice cream to celebrate them sleeping like big girls in their own bedroom.  The following day we went and purchased some soft sheets for Symph, and today Tia Jessica is taking them to get posters to hang in their room.

It's weird now, I feel like I actually have a bed to sleep in, without hanging off the edge!  What a relief this is, I actually have a husband to sleep next to, and not little hands making their way over my eyes, nose, and lips!

My 4 Month Old

sheesh, four months and the time has just flown by!  My little guy isn't so little and is just the perfect addition to our family.  He now has some little "rubberbands" on his arms and wrists, along with chunky cheeks and squishy little legs, not to mention the perfect little feet, all of which make me want to bite him (gently of course!) all the time.

At the young age of 4 months, our Papa Chulo:

• lights up when he see's me (I think it's only becasue I have the "goods")
  
• smiles all the time
  
• has started to giggle 
  
• is ticklish and doesn't know what to do about it yet
  
• holds his feet
  
• grabs onto his toys
  
• has learned to take his pacifier out and struggles, yet manages to get it back into his mouth
  
• attacks his hand or my face to try and bite on it (he's teething)
• loves to have his face completely covered to go to sleep (scares me to bits)
  
• enjoys the smuthering and love given by his sisters, mostly Bella
  
• plays with me or acts as if we're having a conversation while he's eating, a very distracted little boy!
• coos up a storm 
• screams when he is overstimulated or wants something that he can't get

We love him so very, very much!

Taken Care of and So Very Loved

I can't imagine being a parent and seeing your child struggle with an illness and then try to be too independent to accept help when trying to get back on their feet.  I am a quiet person, I don't really let anyone help, and I still have this thought in my head that I can do it on my own.  Why is it so hard for me to accept help?  Is it pride, wanting to be independent, or simply not wanting others to have to go out of their way for me?  I think it may be a bit of all three, but mostly the last.

Anyhow, my parents have just truly been a blessing to us.  They stop by just to bring us dinner and give us some company.  They spoil the girls rotten and make sure they have Cinnamon Toast Crunch, chocolate milk, a massive box of Fruit Roll Ups, Cheetos for Bella and Hot Cheetos for Symph.  They don't really bother to ask what we need anymore, because my answer is always "we have all that we need", but come in with thoughtful little things to brighten a day and let us know that they love us.

I am so very grateful that God has blessed me with the parents that I have, and that they are not only my parents, but two of my most precious friends.

How Terrible Do I Feel?

Each day as we sit down to read, Symph is instantly in a terrible mood.  Why?  Hmm...maybe because I'm impatient and too often forget that she is simply 5 years old and I have much higher expectations than I should, and did I mention impatient (oh, yes I did!).

So, we took her to the doctors around the end of January and she had her little 4 year exam, and her vision wasn't quite up to par on one of her little eyes.  She was seeing 20/20 with one, and 20/40 with the other, so the doctor suggested we take her to a specialist, and so we did.

Her little eye sight isn't so great for reading...see why I feel terrible?  Here I am being impatient and having high expectations.  I'm irritated and telling her "no, that letter isn't an "f", it's a "t", come on Symph!"  and again "an "I" has a dot and "L" is a straight line, why do I have to keep telling you this?"  man, I feel bad just writing this and my poor little one was really struggling!

So, today was the day that her Papa surprised her with the new little glasses she picked out.  I think she is absolutely adorable in them and she is just ecstatic about them.   She didn't want to take them off for the longest time!

A little side note...I looked through the lenses and there is quite a difference for her vision with these on.  What a bad mama!  I'm glad they are so forgiving at this age.  Please pray that God would give me so much more patience than I have, because it seems like I have so little.

Dom's little mini me!

5:15AM

S:  Mom, did Papa give you and sister kisses goodbye?

B: No, he's still getting ready

In comes Dom to say goodbye

D: Symph, I want you to be a good girl and help out your mama with brother and the house.

S: I can't help with brother.  I can't hold him, I can't rock him, I can't give him chi-chi, she does all that.  

D:  No, I mean with the little things.

S: What I really want to do is sweep, mop, do the dishes...

I had to just giggle to myself at their little conversation, I'm sure Dom was doing the same.

Awesome News!

I took a little stroll into the ER because I was having difficulty breathing.  After 8 hrs, a couple different blood draws, a CT scan, and an x-ray, the doctor returned saying "all clear".  I thought he meant to go home, but he meant my lungs are all clear, NO CLOTS!  Praise God!

Thank you all for your prayers, support, concern, and love, not only for me but my family too!

SHOTS

Today was the little babe's two month check-up, which meant a bunch of shots.  I am not emotionally strong enough to hold my little ones down, for their first shots, knowing that they are going to experience a pain that they haven't experienced before.  This is why my sweet hubby is so good at being at important appointments like these.  Not only was it the little one's appointment, but Symph also had to have her big girl 5 year check up.

It was perfect timing when Bella quickly said she had to go potty and so we left together.  When we returned, Symph was crying and starting to become a bit out of control, so I knew the news had to have been given about a vaccine.  I asked her what was wrong and that was the end, she cried and cried, and cried and cried.  Those few minutes of the routine check by their doctor were horrible because Symph just continued on.  The baby did well with his shots, obviously he cried, but dear Lord.....Symphony showed us the power of her lungs and vocal chords.  Her screm was piercing, and it was so much worse when Dom had to hold her down.  She was injected with the shot and my oh my did the drama continue.  I thought she was surely going to pass out from hyperventilating, or throw up.  I had no more patience by this time, so Dom had to go through whole take a big, deep breath drill with her.  I reminded Dom how important it was for him to be at these appointments   :)  I failed to mention that Symph's screaming freaked Bella out and started her little tears going, and made the baby cry before he was even given the shot....sheesh!

Symph was promised a toy (we've come to love the 99 Cent Store, Dollar Tree, and Viva Bargain!) and a dinner at an actual restaurant for her bravery (huh?).  We ate at Poncho Villas (our first dining out experience as a family of 5), and then Dom took the girls for their dollar toy.

 

Two Months Have Come and Gone

and we have enjoyed them so much!  Our Papi Chulo is cooing up a storm, always smiling, and is very loved.  He's always in our arms and cries as if he's been abandoned if no one is holding him.  It may be tiresome, but I am enjoying every moment of it because I know it's only for a season and that it's the last "season" for us since we won't be having any more babies.  I am loving having a boy, which seemed so strange to me while I was pregnant.  It is true, he's stolen a big piece of my heart!

4 out of 10

I am so very grateful that I was one of the 4 that made it to the hospital in time.  My customer sent me this link that just made me cry as I imagined my hubby and babies without a mommy.  

http://www.mattlogelin.com/if-you-havent-been-here-before/

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and love for myself and my familia!

Spoiled

Although I am still trying to take it easy from my episode that landed me a nice 1 week stay in the hospital, I am still recovering from who knows what.  Monday through Thursday I had doctors appointments scheduled each day, and my weekly blood draw on Saturday.  Nice, 5 out of 7 days dealing with medical stuff!  Anyways, I had an infection (which we recently spent 6 hours in the waiting room of ER to be seen one night) that led to another infection that just wiped me out.  Two weeks of infections, and the antibiotics weren't doing their job.  My latest infection had me out for the count, and walking around didn't seem very appealing.  It was so terrible that I was given a jump start injection of an antibiotic prior to taking a new antibiotic...ya, strong stuff (the spot that I got the shot is still hurting).

My family came over and spoiled me, again, and made dinner and brought my favorite cake.My mom made sure I didn't get up once and served me all night long so that I could try and get the rest my body needed.  The following day we had them for company again and were served up a quick, yet tasty dinner and I enjoyed their company  :)

I am so thankful that we have family who cares so much about myself and my recovery and who have been so helpful and understanding.  We've only left the house to visit three times since we've had the baby (twice to my in-laws and once to my parent's house), so please don't get offended and think we're avoiding you  :)  we're just trying to get me well and back to 100%.

Thank you guys for always coming out to me to help while I am trying to recover!  You all mean the world to me...us!

One Month!

I guess the background I have didn't show the link to baby Dom's first month, click on his name above to be directed to his pics!

Out with the old, in with the New...

and I'm not talking about year!  My girls have been overloaded with toys before they were even born.  My house seemed to be a walking toy box, and it was definitely not fun during clean up.  All I got was constant complaining and headaches over who took out what and who was playing with this or that. 

My super organized, everything has a place and there's a place for everything friend Jen came over and did a bit of "housecleaning" for my girls...er, me.  As we sat on the floor going though the toys I asked her what happened to the good ol' days where kids had a doll, a ball, a jump rope, and maybe a few other special toys.  My girls had boxes of toys downstairs, 16 totes (yes, 16!) of toys up on top of their closet, and many toys laying around on the floor in their room, and probably every room in the house.  Jen and I (mostly Jen) filled bags to donate and ended up with much less clutter, and even fewer toys!  The girls have a little "clubhouse" (my downstairs closet) with a dress up box, parking for their indoor toddler bike and scooter, and a few other little things for them to play with.   The boxes that had toys downstairs are now items for school time, and their totes upstairs have been reduced to six totes.  

What a relief for me!  I cannot handle keeping everything from who knows when because it might be used for something who knows when.  Good thing Dom was watching movies with Jason and didn't see half of the things we got rid of.  Sometimes it's just good to purge!

Jen and I will have many more of these organizing days because God knows how badly they're needed in my house.  Not only do I benefit from this, but in some strange way Jen does too because it has some relaxing effect on her...huh?  Not me!

Trying to catch up...

I've been a bit behind here, trying to get back into the swing of things , but go see some pics of our Papa Chulo!

And That Makes 9, Baby!

Not only is it the start of a New Year, but it's also our 9th Anniversary!  We have been smooth sailing and blessed abundantly!  I adore this man that God chose for me more and more each day, and look forward to growing old with him, and being his girl.

May you all have a blessed New Year and not only see all that you have been blessed with, but be grateful of it all. 

And So It Ends...

My precious friend Jen has been so generous not only to me, but my family.  As I tried my hardest to get back to normalcy in my daily life, I thank  God that I have precious friends like her that pull all of us friends together.  

Jen has always been such a great friend to me, she is sometimes my mouth to speak (I hate to be aggressive with people I know), always an encourager, a definite go-to for advice, a "lioness" protecting her own (as Susan once stated), and beyond caring and loving with not only myself but my family also.  It's kind of tradition that all of us old friends pull together and drop off meals for a week for a new mama out of the hospital, a way to let them get on their feet and have one less thing to think about doing.  We often get a day to bring a nice meal for the family, and even get to take a peek at the newest addition to the family.  Jen surpassed this and had meals for us for an entire month!  Not only did she have them for an entire month, but she had my best interest at hand.  She had each meal, (with a couple of exceptions!) delivered to her home and then dropped them by to us.  Why would we have it done this way?  Well, not only did I have the baby, but I also ended up having a large capacity of both of my lungs filled with blood clots and because of this I was told to get plenty of rest (how to do this with three little ones under the age of five I'm not quite sure).  Jen knows me well and that I would try to clean up my downstairs (where we were basically camping out), each day that a friend would come over to drop off a meal.  Not only that, but I truly needed rest and would want to visit with friends when I really couldn't handle it physically.  She was a "lioness" protecting her own and laid down the guidelines in providing meals for my family.  I am so thankful for all that Jen, along with her family, has done for us.  She is a golden friend, a keeper...as my mom stated.

So, now onto cooking dinner and actually having to go grocery shopping.  Ugh, I haven't done this in over two months, I hope I still know how to do it...totally kidding!

A very big thank you to all my friends who pulled together to help us out in such a big time of need!  I will be sending thank you cards, so don't think I've forgotten  :)  I am very appreciative!

Don't Take the Girl

I think I've recovered a bit emotionally to finally write about many of the things that would just bring me to tears had I written about them a few weeks ago.  So, I will be writing a few posts not only for others to read, but mostly for my family and I to look back on.

Dom and I loved this song by Tim McGraw titled "Don't Take the Girl".  It has been one of my favorite country songs for several years, and I have always laughed while Dom listened to it because he is always so emotional with this song.  His eyes would always well up with tears and I found it funny because I knew for some reason that he was thinking of us in the same position. I've always told him that he was so silly and that it would never be the case for us.

I remember being in the CCU on Thanksgiving Day talking to my mom and Susie and telling them about this song.  I could barely even get the words out that I was trying to tell them about this song and our crazy situation.  All the emotions I had were just welling up inside of me because here we sat in the CCU with my husband who had been so strong in a situation where his girl could have been taken.  As I hear from many friends and family about the severity of the condition I was in,  I shudder.  I am so thankful for God's healing hand over my body.  As I hear not only about how Dom gave the news to some, but how it was given,  it still breaks my heart. To hear how my love was in tears and distraught without someone to really comfort him is still saddening to me.  I don't know how I would be in this situation, honestly, I would probably lose whatever composure I had left and be a wreck.  He would be the first one to be my source of comfort and encouragement, to be my rock, just as I would be for him, but given the situation at hand, that wasn't feasible.  

There were so many times that I just wanted it all to stop and just leave and let me be.  It's hard to be in a hospital, I thought maternity was bad in not getting rest, the CCU starts their rounds/day at 3:30 AM.  I wanted to be home enjoying my family and not being at the mercy of those taking care of me (although obviously it's what had to be done).  Dom's encouragement and love (believe me, he loves me a lot to go through a lot of what he did!) gave me such a boost to push through all that was going on.  I have the best hubby a girl could ask for!  He is definitely my rock and one to be admired.

I am so very thankful for my parents and their constant encouragement and just nurturing love that they not only showered me with, but so much more so for my husband.  Dom was my rock, and I know that their love for him was a huge comfort for him and just helped him to continue being what I needed him to be for me at that time.  My parents were there as soon as they could arrive each morning with breakfast from wherever he wanted or whatever they thought he would want. They would come back with lunch for him, and my dad would make sure to bring him dinner or take him down to the cafeteria to relieve him of some stress while my mom sat with me.  That week in the hospital was one very intense time of bonding with my mom for me.  It was so comforting for me to have her by my side and to be constantly encouraged that this would pass.  She took great care of me, more that I think she would want to (in some ways), and I cannot thank her enough for her love for me and my family.  My dad was there to help in any way he could.  I know it was hard for him to see me in the state I was in, and feeling helpless in the matter, but he took care of my love and so many of his needs.  I know Dom is just like a son to them, and I am so grateful for the relationship they have with him. I love my parents so very much!

Here are the lyrics of the song:

Johnny's daddy was taking him fishin'

When he was eight years old

A little girl came through the front gate holdin' a fishing pole

His dad looked down and smiled, said we can't leave her behind

Son I know you don't want her to go but someday you'll change your mind

And Johnny said "Take Jimmy Johnson, take Tommy Thompson, take my best friend Bo

Take anybody that you want as long as she don't go

Take any boy in the world

Daddy please don't take the girl

Same old boy

Same sweet girl

Ten years down the road

He held her tight and kissed her lips

In front of the picture show

Stranger came and pulled a gun

Grabbed her by the arm said "If you do what I tell you to, there won't be any harm" 

And Johnny said "Take my money, take my wallet, take my credit cards

Here's the watch that my grandpa gave me

Here's the key to my car

Mister give it a whirl

But please don't take the girl

Same old boy

Same sweet girl

Five years down the road

There's going to be a little one and she says it's time to go

Doctor says the baby's fine but you'll have to leave

'Cause his momma's fading fast and Johnny hit his knees and there he prayed

Take the very breath you gave me

Take the heart from my chest

I'll gladly take her place if you'll let me

Make this my last request

Take me out of this world

God, please don't take the girl

Johnny's daddy

Was taking him fishin'

When he was eight years old

My How Time Flies By!

My baby is one month old today and I am so in love!  I can't believe that I was just in the hospital getting a totally unnecessary explanation of how to take care of a newborn (almost an hour!), and anxiously awaiting to show him his home.  Dom dressed the little guy, buckled him in and wrapped him up nice and warm.  The nurse approved the car seat, and off we went!

He is such an alert little guy and so very lovable!  The girls are constantly smothering him with kisses and he's already earned a few nicknames in his first few weeks of life.  I'll leave you with a few that he's been called thus far:

Papa Chulo

DJ

Papasito

Monkey

Love

Lovies

M'nique

Papas (our favorite and most often used)

Leaving the hospital

Welcome home!

Gazing at me and thinking about this out of the womb stuff  :)

Sweet little dreams, and being held by his Bella

His first Christmas, and not a single good pic of my own!

Just hanging out on mamas bed

One month old!

Sister Why Did You..

I have become a bit insensitive to my daughter's bouts with illness lately.  Is it because I am some mean, horrible and neglectful mom? No, it isn't, I love my kids bigger than the sky (as we always say to each other), but Symph has been a bit dramatic lately and that's what I thought she was being, drama.  So I came home with In N Out in hand and as soon as I walked into the house she started with her "ohing and awing" and it was just so fake.  She ate herself some In N  Out and she was fine.  She knocked out on the couch and we called it a night for her and Dom took her upstairs to sleep.

Later I came up and tried to catch up with life on the good ol' time sucker (my mac) when I heard a weird cry.  I ran into the room and immediately picked Symph up and swung her towards the trash can.  Uh, ya, she was sick alright!  I had wonderful In N Out throw up all across the carpet and on my pants....totally gross!  My little sidekick who's attached at the hip (Bella) had ran in with me and this was her input as Dom and I scrubbed the carpet:

"Symph, why did you spit on the floor?  You don't spit on the floor, that's disgusting.  Ew, look how gross, now mama and papa have to clean up your spit.  Next time spit in the trash can."

I had to turn my head as I quietly laughed a Bella and her first hand experience with someone "spitting" in front of her.  If only she knew what it really was!  I guess she doesn't remember the last time she "spit" all over my bathroom floor.  

Our son Dominique Michael Aguiar made his sweet little debut on November 25th, 2008.  He is perfectly healthy and sweet. He weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and measured 19 inches long.  

Please keep our family in your prayers as we recover and recuperate.

Humbly Broken

November 24, 2008

And so, I like many other mamas, seem to think that I can bear the world on my shoulders and that everyone and everything else should come first.   Thinking I can handle all things and acting as if I don't really need help when I do.

This is a little warning that this post will be long as I am so very grateful for all that God has done to heal and protect me and my family during this roller coaster of a ride that we've been through.

So my day was to begin, with a very messy house, no shower for myself until after we finished school (which is typical), the girls were dressed and ready to go have breakfast (which is not typical since they run around in their chonies until school is over and we all get ready together-Thank God they were ready!).  As I walked around I noticed an unbearable pain on my left side right below my belly and towards the top of my leg, the pain was so intense that little pressure could be put on my leg and I felt as if I needed a cane.  Hmm...strange, but that's how pregnancy goes, lots of weird little aches and pains, so I thought.  As I made my way down the stairs I was fine, I went into the kitchen to make the girls their breakfast, and whoa, I totally lost my breath.  Not only did I lose my breath, but I thought I was going to pass out and hit the floor because I was unable to get any air into my lungs.  I tried my hardest to just let it pass, as I have been having little fits like this throughout my last trimester, with the explanation of it being the baby sitting high on my diapraghm.  I knew I would pass out if I didn't get to the couch quickly, but I had no strength to get there, and somehow managed to get there and I quickly laid down.  I remember putting my glasses on so the girls couldn't see me crying as I panicked about what was happening.  I had Symph get me the phone and immediately called Dom to get home and help me out.  He left work at that moment and flew home, dialing 911 on the way.  I got a quick call from him and he told me that he had dialed 911 and to have Symph open the door.  Again I started crying, asking him "why would you do this to me?" There was a knock at the door and sure enough Symph opened it as my rescuers came to help. Immediately I was given oxygen, and I realized that things weren't looking so good.

As they took my vitals I remember asking if my hubby could take me to the hospital when he got home.  My first thought was my girls were seeing all that was going on with me, and that there was no one right there to take care of them and comfort them.  My next thought was how embarrassed I was of my messy house, the fact that I hadn't even showered or brushed my teeth, and that I was in pajamas with no bra and crazy hair sticking up in the air!  Nice!

I wanted Dom to take me to the hospital and not be taken by ambulance with and asked if I could just wait until Dom got home.  I even called to see how close he was and told the medics he was right down the street and that I would be fine!  My question was calmly answered by a firefighter as he explained that what was happening to me was happening to my baby too.  The Paramedics are supposed to take you to the nearest hospital, which is Kaiser right here in Fontana, but I wanted to be at my hospital.  They agreed to take me there, and God 's hand was just seen from here on out.  My neighbor happened to notice what was going on and took the girls while the paramedics wheeled me off, and distracted my girls from the chaos.  Dom arrived in time to see me leave, then immediately got the girls and was off to follow me to the hospital.

In the ambulance I was given a breathing treatment, my blood sugar level was checked, and an IV was instantly put in place (not fun while driving on a road filled with pot holes!).  My mind was turning as I thought about what could possibly be happening.

As I was put into the emergency room a familiar face came by to check on me.  It was this doctor that I had in the ER in the past that I thought was a total quack, but who happened to be right on with my diagnosis back then.   As he talked to me and tried to diagnose me I looked at my mom who was sitting with me and just gave her a look that he was crazy.  He said that he thought I had blood clots in my lungs and was going to send me over for a CT scan.  All I could think was this guy is crazy, I'm pregnant and my baby is high on my diapraghm.  

I guess he knew just a bit more that I did (after all, he did go to medical school for a reason, right?).  As time passed I was greeted by another doctor (Pulmonary Specialist) and was told that I was one of the lucky ones and that only 4 out of 10 actually make it in to the hospital.  Here I am thinking I'm going to be released and thank God He got me here in time for them to check me out. I heard the dreaded "admitting her" and was upset, but where I was being admitted was a different story.  Not only was I being admitted, but I was going to the CCU.  I thought I felt perfectly fine just bit hard to breathe, my solution was to just send me home with some oxygen. I think our roller coaster of a ride had just begun.

I was admitted to the Coronary Care Unit with the most amazing nurses, and wondering why in the world I was here.  The doctors had pretty much kept everything hush hush from me, but Dom and my parents were clear on the severity of my condition. Had I known some of what I do now (which I'm sure isn't everything yet),  I'm sure my vitals would have been in much worse of a state.

In the CCU a Labor and Delivery nurse was assigned to monitor the baby until I delivered, mind you I couldn't leave the hospital until the baby was born, due to the state of my lungs (all I could think was how uncomfortable it would be, again, not even knowing that what was going on could be fatal).  I was immediately put on blood thinners and now I would remember why I hated being in the hospital so much, no rest!

I had so many visitors that day as the news was passed around about my condition.  As my visitors left, my mom said goodnight and I cried and cried because I didn't say goodbye to my babies.  I asked my mom to say goodbye to them and she told me she would say goodnight, but not goodbye.  I think it struck me then that something was really wrong and I wasn't being given all the info like Dom and my parents were getting.

November 25, 2008

The doctors had wanted me to have a solid 4 days of recovering and the blood thinners working before I went into labor so that my body was stable and so that I could actually handle the labor.  At 3AM, I began having contractions and knew the little one was on his way.  

My whole entire fear for this pregnancy was that I wouldn't have any one to get me to the hospital in time to get an epidural, but hey I was here and I wouldn't miss the window for the epidural! Wrong!  The nurse told me that I couldn't have the epidural because of my condition, so immediately panic kicked in as I thought about the "ring of fire" I was told about.  I never had to experience this with my girls, but with baby Dom I would.  My contractions became stronger and stronger at around 6AM and at 9AM I told the nurse that he was coming, I knew it.  I began to scream, and I felt so bad for the patients in the CCU as they had to hear me in this crazy pain.  The nurses rolled my bed out of the CCU and took me down to maternity and I had the baby 8 minutes after they took me down!  Good thing I didn't deliver in the elevator.

I remember being so out of it and screaming and a nurse telling me to look at her and nothing else, and to breathe.  I remember thinking where the heck am I, this looks like a room from Lost, and I remember saying I had to poop and that I had to push RIGHT NOW!  I remember the doctor being somewhat flustered, and I remember Dom holding my hand and just being so calm.  Little did I know that I could hemorrhage and die, or we could lose the baby. Had I known the information he did, I don't think I would have been nearly as calm. I am just broken as I think back about all of this and how God's hand was in it all to guard me and keep me.  My hubby was so very strong through all of this and I am so very thankful that God has blessed me with him, my rock.

So, baby Dom was born at 9:20AM, he weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and was 19 inches long.  He is perfectly healthy, handsome, sweet, and so very loved!

Although it was impossible to be the mama I wanted to be at the moment, the maternity ward tried very hard to accommodate me by bringing him to me to nurse him while I was up in the CCU. Recovery seemed to be going well as far as I knew, but what did I really know?  I knew that God had brought us through this and that I was thankful to have our new little bundle of joy waiting for me to get better.

November 26, 2008

I was completely humbled at this point, not only with all the going-ons of having a baby and how the nurses in the CCU check on you and all that you do, but having nurses that wouldn't even let me use the bathroom and offered a bed pan instead.  Talk about being humbled!  Speaking of bathroom, there aren't any in the CCU.  All I could think of was wanting a shower, since it had been 4 days without one and how I can't go a single day without one, and that there wasn't a bathroom in the room.  Where in the world do people in the CCU shower?  Well, people in the CCU/ICU aren't well enough to do that, and if they are, they get sponge baths.  My sweet hubby helped me take a sponge bath at midnight (what a trooper he was, being so tired and all), but I still didn't get to wash my greasy hair.  Again, humbly broken that I couldn't do for myself what I have easily taken for granted.

November 27, 2008

We spent a quiet day in the CCU with no visitors until the afternoon when Thanksgiving dinner arrived from my parents and Dom's sister and husband.  It was thoughtful and sweet of them to cheer us up and bring us a Thanksgiving meal to celebrate.

On this day I was so very thankful that:

• I had a hubby who was on top of it and dialed 911 despite my pleas not to
• I had two beautiful little girls who were being brave and strong without getting to see me (due to the CCU visitor rules)
• I had a perfectly healthy baby boy that would be spoiled immediately once I regained my strength to do so
• We had family and friends that cared so much, and were at the hospital night and day
• Loved ones were quick to pray for us and add us to lots and lots of prayer chains across the US, as well as those praying for us overseas
• For God's healing hand over my body, His strength to keep on when I was just distraught with all that I was facing
• For Dom's constant encouragement, love, and compassion as I continued to get poked and prodded
• God's strength and the encouragement of family and friends which kept Dom calm and able to care for me
• That each breath is given by God, and how easily I've taken it for granted until I was put into a situation such as this.
• so much more can be added!

I was supposed to be able to leave the CCU on this day and go down to the observation unit, but that wasn't going to happen.  I learned that there was a toilet in the CCU, it's under the cabinet and swings out to be used.  I got to use the ca mode a couple of times that day, but my heart rate would sky rocket when I went to get back into bed, mind you the ca mode was only about 3 feet away.  I used the ca mode later in the evening and my heart rate went up to 175 and I was told I would be staying in the CCU.  Ah, I was a bit bummed, I really thought I was making progress.  Once again, little did I know about the state I was in.

November 28, 2008

This day was a much better day although the news of my condition wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear.  I wanted to be released from the hospital on Saturday as planned, but my hemoglobin levels were low due to the amount of blood they were drawing as well as what I lost during labor.  I did have good news, I was going to be taken down to the "tellie" unit because I was doing better and didn't need to have the constant care and attention that I needed previously in the CCU.  God totally had his hand over us because there were no rooms available, and my nurses in the CCU were going to pull strings to get me a private room so that I could have baby Dominique with me.  It was very thoughtful of them, and I was in a rush to get out the CCU where my day started at 3:30AM with breathing treatments, blood work, vital checks, my Lovinox shot, and the list goes on.  I couldn't wait to have my vitals checked every 4 hours in the "tellie" unit instead of each hour as it was in the CCU.  

I ended up being transferred late at night and was thankful that I hadn't been transferred earlier because the room was really a step down.  At the time, I didn't realize why the nurses were talking somewhat badly about the "tellie" unit, but when I arrived, I knew exactly why.  The room was just awful and not taken care of at all.  In fact, I fell asleep and woke up to see Dom cleaning my room down with the medical grade wipes and gloves on his hands at 2AM!  He had all the things I wasn't using packed up and was ready to take them all to the car.  It was so awful to him that he couldn't sleep and felt the need to clean it up.  I tell you he is more than wonderful!

Although this night was an adjustment, and being in this unit of the hospital was a step down (the nurses weren't on top of it!), I was actually able to rest a bit and feel as if I was recovering.  

The Pulmonary Specialist that was following me closely came in and said that things were looking good, and that my hemoglobin count from my blood work was looking okay, a bit low, but not in need for a blood transfusion.  I was so relieved because I was told that it was likely that I would have one if the levels weren't higher.  About an hour later I received a call from her just to let me know that my level had dropped a bit more and that the transfusion was going to take place within a couple of hours.  I was in disbelief and thinking about having someone else's blood in my body and somewhat panicked at the thought of it.  I called my mom and asked her to please come and stay with me since it would e a 5 hour process.  Dom was wasted and I wanted him to have a break and go sleep at home on our bed, and take a shower (poor guy, he hadn't changed in three days!).  My mom and dad came by the hospital and Dom left for a good few hours of rest that he desperately needed.  

The transfusion was taking place and as my dad and Dom had left I asked them to please call everyone and let them know that I wouldn't have any visitors today because it was a time that I just wanted to be alone without company in case something were to happen.  I was really afraid of my IV's and having another infiltration, yet with the blood this time instead of medication.

It was just me and my mom and it was comforting to have her with me all to myself.  She was so encouraging and strong through this whole ordeal, and I am so very grateful for her. 

Later, my mom's close friend Rita stopped by and my mom told her immediately that I wasn't having any visitors.  I knew that not only would it be nice to have Rita there for my mom, but that she would bring some laughter for me too.  I told my mom it was fine for her to be there, and her company helped make the time go by quickly.  

Once the transfusion was done, my mom was insistent on me taking a shower because I wouldn't quit whining about feeling so gross, not to mention that my release wasn't going to be Saturday after all, but now it was moved to Monday! She had the nurse get approval from the doctor for me to shower, because apparently no one in this unit was allowed to take showers (even though there's a shower in each room?).  My mom is a trooper, she got all my stuff together to take a shower and waited in the bathroom constantly asking if I was ok while I showered.  You better believe I was ok, as much as I felt like I was going to pass out, I held onto that little metal bar in the shower and finished my shower.  I got out, got ready, and went into my room to find my babies waiting for me ready to be loved.  It was such a blessing to see them and just love on them.  

Bella was so inquisitive about everything.  She wanted to know why I had IV's, why I had bruises (I told her the doctors colored on me), why I had a heart monitor, why I was in the hospital, and so on and so on.  Symph just took in all the surroundings and knew that what I had were bruises and was just trying to figure all that was going on out on her own.  

We called maternity and asked them to bring the baby up, and it was such a beautiful time with the girls.  They were in love with the baby and just consumed with him.  They both held him, kissed him, and just adored our newest addition to the family.  I honestly didn't want this time to end because I missed them so much, and this was not how I pictured us all welcoming a new baby.  It was beautiful, but I was also saddened that I couldn't be with them to care for them (they were sick on top of everything else!).  I love my babies!

It was time for the girls to leave, as well as the rest of our company (my family), and I just sat and cried as they left.  I felt so defeated (even though I was getting better) and as though I wasn't going to heal the way I needed to in order to care for my family.

November 28, 2008

Today was a new day and I finally felt as if I could fight and make this work after all.  I got out of bed and took a few trips walking up and down the hall (which if you asked me before, I thought it would be impossible to walk 25 ft), and I was ready to leave the instant they told me I could, but I still had til Monday.  

Around noon, the director of Labor & Delivery came in asking just "one question".  She wanted to know if there was anyone able to watch my baby at home while I stayed in the hospital because they had too many babies in the maternity ward.  My nurse was standing right next to her, and all I could think of was that this had been worked out and an agreement was made that my baby could stay until Monday.  I was so flustered and upset over this and told her that there wasn't anyone that could take care of my newborn at home.  She left somewhat irritated, and left me very irritated.  My nurse stayed behind and waited for her to leave and told us that it wasn't our problem and that they needed to deal with it.  She told us not to worry about it, but how couldn't I?  All I could think of was that they were now going to neglect my son since they didn't have anyone that could bring him up to me.  

I guess the Director's need to have him out of the nursery was a blessing in disguise because I was immediately scheduled for another CT scan and had the Pulmonary Specialist in my room within a few hours.  The results were amazing to us, the clots had shrunk by 60-70% and I was going home!  I was so excited to have the three IV's taken out, have my stuff packed up and taken to the car by Dom and my dad, and to finally take my baby home!

We walked into a clean house with candles lit and dinner in the oven.  My sweet brother and his wife, along with our wonderful friends/family Simon and Marisa cleaned our house while we were in the hospital!  My mom and dad were there waiting for us with dinner and the house open and ready for us to actually relax.

It was awesome to be home!  

I am completely humbled and broken to see what God has done to keep me and heal me.  So many things that I have taken for granted were magnified through all of this and I am so thankful for all that I have and all those who have just been a complete blessing to my life and my family's.  It's through times like these that it's made evident who your loved ones are and I am so very blessed to have been showered with so much love. 

We have been blessed continually with family and friends (which are really family).  My parents and my brother & Jess were great distractions for my girls as they took care of them and spoiled them rotten  :)  It was comforting to know that they were being loved on when we weren't able to do so.  

A big thank you to Jen for her support while I was at the hospital and even now that I'm home.  She's a sweetheart of a best friend, and is running a tight ship in having others help us out.  She's scheduled a full month of dinners for us and has been bringing them to us so that we aren't overwhelmed with company at this time, she knows me too well! 

I am so very blessed to be here writing this. I get overwhelmed and often cry when I think of what could have happened had I just tried to bear it on my own thinking it would pass. Not only am I thankful that Dom called 911, but that he is just beyond what I could ever want my husband to be. 

Throughout all of this and as I write, I am humbly broken to see God's hand upon my life and my family's.  His love, grace, and mercy are abundant and more than I deserve.

Please tell me why...

so many women find it necessary to ask dumb questions?  The dumbest one that I have gotten EVERY single day for at least two weeks "are you sure you're not pregnant with twins?"  I know I'm huge in front, and it looks like this kid should have been out a week ago, but come on don't they think that I probably already feel huge and wish this kid was out a week ago? 

Some women really need to keep their comments and questions to themselves...at least all the ones I've ran into the past two weeks!  There's nothing wrong with asking about a due date or the gender, but please don't rub it in!

Down to the one week

disappointment appointments.  I had my doctors appointment today and let's just say that I wasn't too excited with the news. Why do we as expectant mamas expect great news like "you're dilated to a three and he can come anytime now."  Nope, not me!  I am only dilated 1 cm and only 40% effaced.....this kid just wants to bake inside of me for who knows how long.  

As the nurse was checking the heart rate she looked at me strangely and said that she didn't think the baby was even in position and that he looked like he was lying sideways.  Oh Lord have mercy on me!  She was telling me that there were two options and one was for me to see another doctor who would attempt to move the baby into position.  All I could think was that she was crazy if she thought I would go through pain like that.  I can't imagine a doctor continuously pushing on my stomach until this child decided to move, if he wanted to move!  She then started pressing my tender stomach all over and found that the baby was in position and that nothing would need to be done after all.  Thank you Lord for your mercy! 

So, I guess that I am grateful that:

• everything is looking the way it should be at this point
  
• my blood pressure and all that important stuff is perfectly fine
  
• baby Dominique is growing right on target 
  
• I have had a healthy and smooth pregnancy that I so easily take for granted, shame on me!
  
• God will bring him into this world when he's done baking
  

18 more

days, and this little one should be on his way.  I am more than ready to birth this child and have a normal functioning body.  

A body that can:

• breathe normally without running out of breath to do just about anything:  to pick something up, eat, go up the stairs, talk on the phone, cut material, sew, ugh the list goes on!  
• appropriately circulate my blood and not swell the upper half of my body up because of how baby Dominique is laying on my arteries
• turn over in the middle of the night without having to figure out  how to sit myself up to turn around
• can digest food normally and not keep me up cursing the chocolate covered raisins that are sitting in my throat that I ate before going to sleep at 4:20AM
• actually take a shower without knocking everything off the shelves when I turn around and hit it with my huge belly
• normal skin, that isn't full of "chickenpox" as Symph keeps telling me.
  

Oh, the list could go on and on with each day that he chooses not to arrive early!   I am just glad that he isn't here yet because I've got a grip of things to make him and need the time, not to mention orders for BellaSymphony!

And so it works

goodness, the Leapster turned on and now she has a her game back!  What a great learning experience, it was down for a day.  Seriously, I'm glad it's working again, but couldn't the agony of it not working lasted a bit longer to teach her a lesson?

Lord Have Mercy

before I choke this child!

Symphony has just figured out how to use her Leapster that she has been playing with for close to a year now.  She is just overtaken by it at times, and I can't complain because it's a great learning tool for her and better than TV.  Today, she would not put the thing down, and I continued to tell her she needed to get ready to take a bath, but this new game on her Leapster just consumed her.  I made it clear that afterwards she could play the game, and that no toys, especially the Leapster where to go into the bathroom.  I told her three times to be specific and off she was into the bath tub.  

 As the girls played and laughed, their time in the tub was up and I went in to wash them up and get them ready.  Hmm...I thought to myself that they were old enough to know better than the puddle that was on the floor and carpet, but something else immediately caught my eye....the freakin' Leapster!  So I kinda flew off the handle about being disobedient and purposely not listening to me by bringing in the Leapster.  Little did I know that the next answer wasn't going to make things better.  I asked Symphony why the Leapster was in the bathroom and she told me that she wanted to play with it and so she took it into the tub....hence the water on the floor next to the Leapster!  I picked the thing up and it was drenched and dripping water.

Ok, I couldn't contain myself because not only did she straight out disobey me, but now ruined a pretty expensive toy that we had taken great care of.  I tried to turn it on in hopes that it would work, but no dice, and more fuel to my fire! I made it clear that the Leapster was very expensive, and that papa didn't work for nothing when it comes to getting special things for her.  In case you don't know, Symph has a memory that is amazing, and she let me know that papa didn't buy it for her, it was her Vovo and Vavo.  So here's our yelling match:

B:  Now it's ruined and you don't have a Leapster

S: That's okay, I'll just ask Santa for another one

B: Santa doesn't bring disobedient kids the same toys again when they are irresponsible

S: Then someone in the family will buy it for me

B: (flame just fueling) the family will not buy you one after I tell them that you purposely disobeyed me!

S: Fine, I'll wish on a wishing star

B: Wishing Stars don't work in this case! 

I was so upset, and she was too (crying), that I didn't punish her.  I figured she had enough with just our yelling match!

When Dom came home I told him quietly about our incident and immediately he started with her.  He pretty much gave her the same talk, with a bit a of a calmer tone when Symph came back with this:

S: You know, #1 Uncle Henry taught me something bad.

D: What are you talking about?

S: He told me "just forget about it"

D: What are you talking about?

S: just forget about it, forget about the Leapster

oh my, this little one knows exactly how to use and say things in the appropriate context and right time!   Dom was putting his keys away in the pantry when she was saying this and had to cover himself behind the cabinet to contain his laughter.  Needless to say the conversation was over and again, no punishment.

We are thankful that God has given us our minds to reason, but really, at such a young age?   :)

Only 24 More Days?

Oh my, the panic is setting in as reality is starting to hit that I will be having my son very soon! My body is beyond ready to birth this little one, and he has been the hardest on me of all my pregnancies (as if I've had so many...a total of three!).  My back is wasted and I can only hope that it's because I'm ready and that he's not flipped around the wrong way like Bella was, giving me back labor pain that made it's way through the epidural.

I am in constant worry that I won't get to the hospital in time and the hubby finds it somewhat comical.  I don't think he would had he gone through the labor pains that I have.  Bella's labor started and within an hour I was at the hospital and dilated to a 6, mind you that there's no epidural given after a 7.  This is my fear, that I will feel the pain because I wasn't able to get there in time to have an epidural.

As I just ramble on for my own sake, I am very excited to the new world of having a boy will bring.  I see some boys that are just amazingly like my girls who have been so much joy without emergency room trips or a torn up house, and then there are the others who are just bouncing off the walls non-stop.  Oh Lord please give me patience I'll if you give me a boy that bounces off the walls because You know I will more than need it!

A Walking Miracle Alright

Last Thursday we had a surprise night planned for Symph and her cousin Isaiah.  Jess had called and asked if we wanted to go to John's Incredible Pizza to celebrate the birthdays of these little kiddos, and we were in!  Who could resist the fun to be had?  I rarely tell my little ones about plans we have until the day of the event, or until we are on our way.  

So our time to meet up was at 7PM and so it was time to get the girls bathed and all that fun stuff.  As they were washing up, I told them we were going to a surprise with their Tios, and that we were going to have a really fun night.   At 4PM I sat here brushing Symph's hair when the phone rang with Jess on the line.  She told me we had to reschedule our plans (oh great was my first thought, I already built up the kids excitement), so I questioned why  and if everything was okay since her voice was so shaky.  The news was not good news, I thought I might deliver on the spot!

Apparently my brother fell off his motorcycle on the freeway and was in need of her to take him to the hospital...why use the ambulance, right?  I think it was a bit of shock going through his body, but like a loving wife she went and picked him up from the side of the freeway to take him to the hospital.  Thank God that my brother was surrounded by angels and protected beyond what we could even imagine.  His bike came out from under him while he was riding at 60-65 mph and he walked away with only bruising and road rash, nothing a little Vicadin can't kill.  

The fireman told my brother he was a walking miracle, and we could not agree more.  Like one of his acquaintances told him, "good thing your homeboy Jesus was watching out for you."   

The girls say that tio is no longer allowed to ride his motorcycle, so let's see how long we can persuade him to stay off of it.  For now it seems like his road rash would keep him away a bit.  I will post pictures of all his protective gear that took all the beating for him, once I get them from him.

Happy Birthday to You and a Very Merry Unbirthday to You!

Symph woke up early this morning to be surprised with breakfast in bed, a cute little tradition that my precious friend Ruby and her family have carried on.  Although we didn't do it in the healthiest manner by any means, Symph was so very giddy and excited.  We ordered her balloons and Dom picked them up, very early in the morning, and tied one on to her tray filled with sweet yumminess for a big 5 year old.  Her "breakfast" included her favorite cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, chocolate pudding with whip ceme to hold the candle in place, oreos, and milk.  I know, I know, super unhealthy, but it's her day to be the princess!

Bella woke up as we brought in the tray with a lit candle, and she just giggled and giggled thinking it was the best thing ever.  Dom and I decided to do a Very Merry Unbirthday for her and still let her celebrate like her sister.  We had two little princesses with breakfast in bed!

We love you Symph, happy birthday to you!

Here's to 5

I cannot even believe that this day has come so quickly and am rather sad, but so very blessed and grateful!  My beautiful Symphony is the big 5 year old today and I can only wonder where time has gone to.

I remember the day we found out we were pregnant and how so very excited we were that we had to tell our parents at that instant.  We invited them over for dessert and gave them a gift to open after showing them a positive pee stick...how sweet of us to share that unnecessary positive, huh? 

We have been blessed with so much joy, love, laughter, and being able to at times see through the eyes of a child through this little girl, who is blooming more and more each day.  Lately she has just been overflowing with personality doing her funny little dances out of no where, and cracking jokes that she makes up and are so funny to her.  She is so very excited about being a "big 5 year old" yet makes it very clear that she will never move out,  she has pinky promised this to me over and over. Her little mind is overflowing with questions that she wants real answers to and lately she has been bothered by the issue of death.  She is questioning so much and it just makes us see how very smart she is and how often it is overlooked because she is our baby who is growing up way too quickly.

We have been blessed to have been entrusted with her little life, and to have such a beautiful little girl not only on the outside, but on the inside too. She has a heart of gold and is so very special to us. 

Happy 5th Birthday my Symphony!

We are having a very small surprise birthday party for her on Friday for our immediate family and I thought that surprising her with decorations when she came downstairs in the morning would be fun for her, not to mention that it would make it one less thing to do on Friday.  

She was asleep on the couch and I turned off all the lights and I guess she decided it was time to come upstairs, so I was keeping her from going back down to keep the surprise.  Well, apparently she told Dom that she already saw all the decorations but that she would act surprised in the morning!  Where in the world does a little one learn about pretending to be surprised?  

She really wanted an Alice in Wonderland party, which is a whole other story, so we ran across this pretty cool stuff from a really cool blog!  We made roses and "painted the roses red" and made lots of mushrooms!  I have just a few more items to cross off my list to make it a fun little surprise birthday party for her!

Is this necessary?

Nesting,  I can't handle it!  Really, do I need to be waddling and losing my balance and then climbing up on a chair to reorganize a cabinet that had chips that don't belong there?  My whole day was filled with unnecessary reorganizing.  I started from breakfast, took a break while we home schooled, and then continued until 8:30PM when I realized I hadn't made dinner yet!

I don't know how much longer I can put up with this when all my body wants to do is rest and recline my achy feet.  Maybe it's a sign that he's coming sooner than I thought...I can only hope that this is the case!

Now, on my list of things to do was list lots of new things on Etsy....so here I am blogging between my photos loading!  I need to throw that list away!

Happy Birthday Avu Domingos!

Today we celebrated 74 years of goodness with my hubby's dad, family, and some friends.  There was lots of yummy food, a pinata filled with goodies,  some games, the birthday boy's cake, and of course, presents!

This man has been such a blessing to us, our girls, and our family as a whole.  We are so thankful that God has given us an Avu as special as he is!

A special treat....

After a very long evening with our little family, my mom picked me up to spoil me!  Oh, the joys of being pregnant! She picked me up in the morning for a treat of pumpkin bagels & pumpkin cream cheese, and a pumpkin latte...so very yummy!  I really enjoyed this time alone with her, just mom and daughter time, and wondered why it was so far and few between.  I really need to make more special times like these with her.She dropped me back off at home and was a whirlwind of help to me.  I quickly sat down and whipped up a gift for a birthday party, while she: 

• took my girls a bath 
  
• dressed them in their costumes 
  
• cleaned up my downstairs 
  
• picked up in my kitchen.   
  

What a tremendous help she was to us all on that day.

Once I was done making the gift, I got into costume too, as the Queen of Hearts.  I had made Dom the Cheshire Cat, but lets say a 10 minute effort isn't good enough! ha!  He opposed to wearing the silly mask, and missed out on our family theme.  My mom quickly took some pictures of us....enjoy!

Publish Post

Happy Halloween

We had a fun time and long night as we hit up all our friends and family members houses for some good ol' trick or treating.  

Symph was Alice and Bella was the White Rabbit.  Oh, the details...Symph knows everything and what I was making for Bella was not the White Rabbit to her, needless to say, neither was the Queen of Hearts!  I had to have a little talk about creativity with her :)

Our night ended with some Gallo Giro with my parents at midnight, and we were off to bed and ready to start another long day!  

Of all days, I forgot my stinkin' camera! ugh!

No Mean Tia...

Tia Jessica is known to rile up my girls, or the kids, to be exact.  Of course it's not to really get them mad, but just to play around.  My girls love her dearly, but sometimes, she's the "mean tia" as my brother calls her (jokingly, of course!). Well tonight she made it clear that she didn't need Symph's help separating the pumpkin from the seeds (just uping the drama of their prissiness).  Apparently this really hurt my very tired daughter's feelings, so she took the matter into her own hands as to how this situation should be dealt with.  Mind you my daughter loves to draw!  

NO MEAN TIA!

Of course my brother was beaming with her drawing, while the mean tia wasn't so happy!  Apologies were given, and of course, she is still loved and adored by Symphony :)

Pumpkin Carving

So tonight was the big night the girls had waited for...pumpkin carving!  My dad surprised the girls with a visit that included a toy (of course, he's always spoiling them!) and popcorn!  What visit could be better for a little one?  After they worked on opening those "easy to open" packages that the toys came in, we all enjoyed a donut and waited for tio and tia to come on over.  I was busy sewing (what's new?), and the show had to go on!

The girls picked out their design, and Symph got the go ahead from her tia to draw her pumpkins face.  Little did she know that papa had already had a few designs for Symph to choose from.  So off they went and cleaned out the guts, while Mike and Jess decided to make sounds as if it were torturing the pumpkin to do so.  Symph became a bit hesitant, but enjoyed it all for the most part.  It was so cute to watch her little face as she concentrated on carving her perfect pumpkin!  Bella made a silly pumpkin, I don't even know who drew the face on it  :)

As the carving came to an end Symph and Bella both finally decided to get their hands dirty by separating the pumpkin from the seeds.  This is a huge deal for my girls who can't handle to have anything on their hands that makes them dirty.  Not to mention, probably being a bit scared of what their tia and tio were doing with the sound effects earlier.

I decided at the last minute with the suggestion of my brother, to make a Jack Skellington pumpkin, and he came out cute!  Thanks brother!

Here are some pictures, please excuse the randomness of them!  I just got a mac and it's funky to learn for me!  I am also without my closest companion....Photoshop!  ahhhh....

Oh, A Hunting We Will Go..

That's what I thought until we arrived at the pumpkin patch in the high 90 degree weather.  I thought this was supposed to be Fall!  Anyway, we set out to pick our pumpkin but decided it was way too hot and sent Papa and Grandpo out for us.  They came back with some pretty white (yes, white) pumpkins, and my mom and I were super excited.  That was, until we found out they had picked them for Bella.  Not to fret, there were tables and tables of all the different types of pumpkins from their patch, er, farm!  My mom and I got to pick our own white pumpkins from the table, and Symph picked a humungous pumpkin...of course.  

The girls had a great time as we roamed the farm.  We all sat and had a water break along with super sweet ice pops to cool us down, Symph went into the jumper and bounced off the walls a bit, while Bella took a pony ride.  They topped their day off with the petting zoo where Nana took it like a champ with all those dirty sheep and goats!  Thank you mom!  The highlight of the girls time here was the monkey who would shake your hand for a ticket or $1.  If only I had caught their expressions, they were priceless!

We had lots of fun, and this has been our yearly tradition as a mommy and me kind of group, but this year it was saved for Nana and Grandpo!  Thank you mom and dad for such a fun and long day! 

A little side note, we drove over with my parents which is always a request of the girls.  My parents took us back to our casa and my mom spoiled us with a delicious spaghetti dinner!  We had one very blessed day!

Quirky, but I love it

in a strange way.  Symphony for some reason picked up this crazy little thing that comforted, soothed, relaxed, and caused her to go to sleep from the time she was about two.  As I think about it now, I am somewhat sad to say that she has grown out of it and now just "uses" me for her baby brother.  She used to call it "tickle", and if I wasn't around she would try to get her Vovo, Nana, Tia Jessica, Tia Marisa, or Auntie Jen to soothe her to go to sleep.

So, what exactly was "tickle"?  Well, she had to put her little hand on my belly button and push it in and out until she fell asleep.  Kinda quirky, but it was her little bond and way to be content to fall asleep.  Thank you to the women above that would go through this somewhat violating time with her just to let her go to mimi land.

Now she is more interested in just rubbing my belly and telling me how big baby brother is getting, and kissing him any chance that she sees the skin of my belly.  She is too adorable and prays for him every night, and wakes up and is there immediately to kiss him and talk to him about his night, "furniture", and "swimming pool"!

My Bella on the other hand has picked up something new too.  She just formed some silly habit where it soothes and comforts her to go to sleep by squeezing my arm all the way to my face in a very gentle little sequence.  It's kind of funny the way she does it, but it's also very sweet as she looks into my eyes, squeezes with her pattern and then falls right asleep.  How long this will last, I'm not sure, but I love it in it's funny little way.  I love it when my little babes fall asleep on me, it is one of the best feelings, and had I the time, I would hold them until they woke up again.

I am so very thankful that I have been blessed to stay at home with my little ones, and to have the opportunity to guard their hearts a bit longer than some mommies get to.

Oh My, Where To Begin?

Life has been hectic!

Here is just a brief update of lots of stuff:

• September 2nd-began homeschooling Symph for Kindergarten and she is doing amazing (a huge reason as to why I have neglected this blog world)!
• September 14th-Began ICAP Classes for Symph and she loves it! Not to mention Bella gets to go to preschool for free!
• BellaSymphony continues to get busier and busier with our online boutique, Etsy, Nanny Deprived , and new boutiques carrying BellaSymphony (I don't even have time to update new items right now!)
• My sewing room is almost done and it is amazing thanks to my handy hubby!
• I am 32 Weeks prego and ready for this kid to get out! Why do so many women insist on asking when I am due and telling me they thought I would answer this month? Come on, do you not think I feel like I should pop soon?
• October is here and we get to decorate for one of my favorite times of the year...HALLOWEEN! Not only do we get to decorate, but I get to make the girls costumes this year! Symph will be Alice and Bella will be the White Rabbit, and I think Dom and I may join in as the Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts since we have a fun costume birthday party to attend for Isaac!
• It's time to start on my boy's hot rod room!

34 down

We had a fun time today as we finished our homeschooling quickly without fuss to surprise Papa for his birthday. The girls insisted that we have balloons for him, which forced me to get into the never ending closet and clean it out (good thing there's no pics of it!). We found balloons, silver ribbons for streamers, and a roll of paper to make him a birthday banner. I then quickly got the girls situated with lunch, popped in the cupcakes they were supposed to make, continued to rearrange the closet and put it back together, then finished the icing off with a crushed Skor bar (one of his favorites) and blue glitter sprinkles. Oh the things you find and come up with at the last minute for the ones you love! After this we rushed upstairs and got ready, and the girls yelled out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA" as he entered the door from work. He's loved and he knows it! Thank you babe for being such a wonderful husband and papa. We are all very blessed to have a man like you in our lives to lead us, provide for us, protect us, and most of all...love us. We admire you and love you munto, munto! Enjoy the pics of them being silly like always!

Down at the LA Fair

We love the fair and try to go as much as possible when it's here. Although they suck the life out of you money wise, there are still lots of fun things to do and see that don't take the shirt off your back as payment! :)The girls sporting the Halloween clothes Nana brought them the night before...they can't wait for Halloween (just like their mama!)

Since this would be our last chance to go this year, we headed out on Friday with not only free tickets from my dad, but we dropped his name and we had free parking in the nice lot too! It happened to be Chino Hills Day at the fair, and my sister was singing so we were granted a few privileges...haha!

After my sister did an awesome job of singing the National Anthem and Hero, we took off and shopped around. We didn't buy anything but food which is ridiculously priced, but we did come home with an awesome garden gnome that we've had our eye on...thank you mom and dad!

After our looking around, we took Symph and Bella to the Winter Wonderland and Symph got to sit on Santa's lap and take a picture. I could just choke this Santa because apparently he told Symph that he would bring her a Vintage Hot Rod Barbie that is in the Museum there at the fair as long as she cleaned her room and listened to me. Great! He promised her something that won't ever possibly happen!

Aside from that, Symph had a blast sledding over and over again on the little snow hill they had in the exhibit. I told her to keep going, hey it was free and was one of the funnest "rides" she had been on, not to mention it was snow! Symph and Bella went and played in the snow afterwards, and then the building closed. It was perfect, because no money had to be spent on rides this time, and they still had a blast!Shortly after that we left the fair for 2008....we'll be back next year all 5 of us!

Simply loved....or , uh spoiled?

My mom and dad decided to stop by and see the girls tonight. My mom had already told me that she had bought the girls little Halloween clothes that she wanted to bring for them after she got off work, so we were excited for her arrival. My mom's clothes were loved by the girls and they couldn't wait to put them on. They love Halloween and can't wait for it's arrival!

Little did we know that my dad would be coming, which makes it even nicer to have them visit together! My mom had told my dad about how she had bought them some clothes, so of course my dad made a quick shopping trip. :) He came to our house with toys for the girls that they instantly fell in love with. He got Bella this little dog set that came with two dogs, a dog bed, to dog carriers, and a dog stroller, she was in love, and so was Symph! Symph got a cool cupcake baking set that she loved as well as Bella. These girls were in heaven and couldn't keep there hands off of there new little possessions!

It was a really nice evening because a few minutes later we had a knock on our door and it was my brother and Jess. All of the familia except for Krysten :( We ended up going out to Casa Sanchez's together here in Fontana, and had a very nice night together. I miss our family nights....

Ilikeybigoff

I love to cuddle with my girls before they go to sleep, and pray with them before they enter dream land. It is a blessing to have them "remind" me each night that "we need to talk to Jesus," and I love that bedtime has it's routine.

As I laid with my sweet little Bella, I held her close, kissed, ok and hugged her tightly saying "I don't want you to get big!" (she is growing so quickly, ok maybe not in stature, but her little mind is quickly maturing) . Immediately she wiped her little chest and said "Ilikeybigoff" and totally threw me for a loop because she may wipe some people's kisses off, but no her mamas. I said "why are you wiping my kisses off " and as she repeated it again, I understood what she was saying a bit more clearly. She was telling me that she wiped the big off....how stinkin' cute is that? She told me she would stay little and "wipe the big off."

Ahh, little heartbreakers I tell you. Anything to make me happy, even if it means staying little forever! :) I am blessed beyond measure with my family and am so very thankful that God has given me such joy with all of them!

"Papa Get Me Down"

Uh yeah, that's what I heard tonight as I sat here updating my online boutique that has been so neglected due to "busi-ness". I realized Dom wasn't on his way to help her, so I went in to find my kid standing in the second drawer of her dresser turning off the light. What in the world? How long has this been going on for? She stood there as if it was normal to do this, and she just needed to get down from doing her business.

Please don't mind the chonie shots, it's night time and that's what they do!

uh huh, this is the pose I get whenever I ask her to take a picture...lately!
I just had to get it again...

Scratch That...

So, I think I will be listing some hot mod prints in my Etsy shop, or creating some funky retro looking dresses (probably the latter, since I have few vintage dress patterns set for arrival this week!).

One of my customers was so kind as to send me some fabric that she wasn't going to really have the time to use, and it happened to be one of my super favs right now from Alexander Henry...Los Novios! Thank you Mariana!

I have been wanting to decorate some place in our house with a Dia de Los Muertos theme and bright festive colors for years but to no avail. After discussing our Mod theme with Dom tonight and a Dia de Los Muertos room for the little guy, we came to a sweet compromise....a Kustom Hot Rod room! So, with that, we get to incorporate so much of his papa's love as well as so much of mine, and baby Dom will have a rockin' kustom room! Now it's off to sketchity-sketchland and overflowing ideas, but I love this idea so much more than the mod room!

A bit of inspiration and ideas of what we want to use, not to mention lots of other hot rod culture to be infused!

Pinstriping done by his papa (this isn't his papa's work!)


Bright festive zarape blankets, what Kustom car is complete without one?

Glitter vinyl with either tuck & roll or diamond pleating, gotta have the infusion of upholstery somewhere!

And of course, some sweet little pinups of his own!

And so many more fun ideas! I can't wait to start, if I could only find the time to empty out my scary sewing room that I dread to lay a foot in right now to make a Kustom Hot Rod room for him!

Business has been booming and not leaving me much time to clean all the scraps and mess up, so I decided to camp out in the kitchen now until my new sewing area is finished! I guess I need to schedule that clean up party, Jess and Marisa...you did say you would help!

Such Love

These two are the best of friends and take care of each other like they are each other's mother. They encourage, they comfort, they laugh, and they play so sweetly together. I am so glad that I have been blessed to stay at home with them and watch them grow up together. I love my girls so much, and I love waking up to see this!

That's Off the Teeter Totter For You!

Ugh! Once more reason why I am so afraid to have a boy....

Bella decided to stand on the huge teeter totter we have in the backyard (on the cement, since we have no grass), and ate it forehead first, OUCH! You can't see it well but the kid had a good sized egg on her sweet little forehead that turned into a little bruise. Poor baby girl, she thinks she is so tough and can do anything her sister can. What's my son going to be like when she's already our feisty little dare devil?

If We Were Having a Girl...

I definitely would have made something similar to this for her, but we are super excited and blessed that God has given us our boy which we will be making one mod little room for!

Active

oh my goodness, if baby Dominique's movement in my tummy is any indication of how he's going to be, we are in for a big awakening! I can't believe how much this kid moves! I am a night owl by nature, and he will stay up moving for a good four hours rearranging the way he's situated or just bumping around in there until well after I've put my head down to rest...after 2 or 3 in the morning. I guess we're gonna be best friends if we're going to be staying up so late together!

We can't wait for his arrival, and I am super excited to do his room! We got all the fabric to make bold, mod bedding and some to decorate the walls of his room.

I think there's 100 days left til his birthday! Time goes by too quickly!

A Lovely One Indeed!

Another year of life to walk this earth and be blessed abundantly! I am so thankful that God has blessed me with not only another day, but another year of life and His abundant grace towards me. I am so content with all that I have and know that I deserve none of it, but because He loves me so much, He has showered me with all that my heart holds dear.

My morning started off with loving little cuddles with my Bella, which is one of the best gifts ever from a little one! Next was a sweet note from the hubby, written where all our important messages go...the bathroom mirror, ha!

I went downstairs and there was Symph watching her little morning cartoons, while my sister was knocked out on the couch. I made them their little breakfast and decided I wouldn't do a thing today since it was my day...that lasted a couple of hours! My sister woke up and wished me a Happy Birthday and immediately my girls were excited that it was my birthday and began singing to me. Bella had to remind me that I needed a candle :)

About an hour or so later there was a knock at my door with flowers from my brother and Jess, and so the day was just getting better.

I decided to catch up on my shows, and after getting through my recordings of Army Wives, and reading a couple of books to the girls, I took a quick nap and my day began. I took a quick shower, did my hair, and waited for the hubby to come home and take us out for my birthday dinner....all you can eat sushi...mmmmmm! We had a great time together and then dropped my sister off with Jess, and headed home to enjoy a few minutes outside as Symph showed her birthday gift to me. She can ride her bike by herself with training wheels! Not that she didn't know how to before, but it was my "gift", she's so sweet! Later my neighbor pulled up and brought out a beautiful bouquet of flowers, the perfect bouquet filled with lots of color and awesome smelling snap dragons! My hubby was so irritated that I hadn't received them earlier, but they were definitely worth the wait. The card was an excellent addition to my day!I couldn't ask for any other gift but to be with my family and to be given so much love! I do however get another day to celebrate my birthday! This Sunday we are going to the beach to hang out as a family, we'll then hit the candy store, and be off to Ruby's for some yummy food!

Thank you all for your emails, phone calls, and cards to wish me a Happy Birthday!

oooh, I also had some time for one of my favorite things to do...sew! I made a little apron!

Off With Her Hair!

I finally gave into the trend and peer pressure, ha ha! I decided it was time for a change and got a hair cut, or...eh, style. I have had long hair for who knows how long, who even knows how long it was? I always wore it in a bun because I didn't have the time to deal with it, so I forced myself into having to actually make some time to get ready, without it including a bun!

That's right, I got the trendy angled bob, and I love it! I must have cut a good 15 inches off and I don't miss it one bit! Oh, if I had only done this a long time ago! Thank you Berlin at Carlton!

Aye Matey...

A new giveaway! Come on over to enter to win!

"When...

do I get to stop sleeping in my room like a big girl and sleep with you again?"

This is a constant question from Symph since her deal with her tia. Although she keeps asking, she still goes to her room when she is sleepy, has me pray with her and tuck her in, and then drifts off to sleep. Her morning ritual was to come into my bed when the sun came up and papa had left to work, but now she is out in her room until well after I wake up.

I am so very proud of you mama! Oh, and you have to do this for the rest of your life! :)

And so she is a gymnist

Well, not really, but she had so much fun in her first class today! Symph is ready to take on the balance beams and mats, and is filled with much excitement! Her instructor even recommended that she go to the next level since it would be more advanced!

And what about Bella might you ask? Of course she threw in the "what about me" and "my turn" phrases that just crushed my heart. Unfortunately they didn't offer gymnastics here for her age, but we will be enrolling in Parent & Me at a different location once this session with Symph is over. I've gotta be fair, right?

Of course, in a rush and hurrying out the door, I forgot my camera!

If I were only persistent

my Bella would have been potty trained before she turned two. She showed all the signs for being ready, but did I take the time to set all aside to make it work? No, of course not because business is always calling my name, and how in the world would I set aside large orders that were due to ship so that I could potty train? Well, we started potty training with new chonies and sticker rewards. Uh ya, she was potty trained the next day! Go Bella!

If only I had been persistent! Lord help me with my priorities!

What about me?

Today we dropped sister off to go and celebrate her special day with her tia Jessica and tio Michael. She was going to have her fun at Libby Lu and John's Incredible Pizza for her accomplishment. I told Dom that we should at least take Bella to one of the two places so that she wasn't left out, and so we decided to take Bella in the evening to meet up with them and told Mike and Jess that we would meet up with them at John's Incredible Pizza.

As Symph got ready to leave, Bella was in her tia's arms, and looked at her sweetly and said "what about me?". Of course that was a little heartbreaking, so Bella was invited to go. Mind you, Bella did "try" to sleep like a big girl with sister, but wasn't as successful, but hey she tried!

Bella got to go with her sister, and was spoiled too! They took her to Build-a-Bear and made her a monkey. She loves her monkey! They even got her monkey a Tinkerbell outfit with sparkly shoes! My brother and Jess are just so wonderful with children, and such a blessing to our girls.

Thank you guys for the influence you have and continue to make in their lives!

Bribes

So simple, so easy, and kids just suck them in! Tia Jessica bribed Symph with a Libby Lu and John's Incredible Pizza day on one condition...

Sleeping in her room like a big girl!

Although I didn't think it would work, but she took it in and she was determined to try it out. What a bribe, all she had to do was sleep in her room for 3 days in a row and she would earn this trip with her tia, who spending time with is more than enough for Symph (A little side note, my girls are so very loved and spoiled by her. She adores my girls and it is reciprocated back to their tia).

So, me being the skeptical mother I am, knew she wouldn't fall for it, and that it would take a few weeks of attempts before it was mastered. The first night didn't work out so great as she ended up in our room. Her tia called her in the morning to see how it went, and before she even got a word in, Symph said "I need to try again!" Poor baby, I could hear her dissappoinment.

We tried the following night and just blew up what a fun day it would be to go to Libby Lu and JIP. That night was a nightmare as I had been trying to finish up a quilt for my grandmother's birthday very late at night. I tucked myself in at an early 3AM and here was Symphony for a drink of water...
a good night kiss...
a late night potty run...
and of course the "I don't want to sleep in my room," interruptions to my much needed sleep. She came in at least every 15 minutes until 5:30AM, and I gently rubbed her little back and hugged her each time telling her she could start another day if she wasn't ready to do this yet. I have no problem with her tucking her little self in on the floor next to my side. I'm actually quite at ease with her being there rather than her own room because she's in plain sight for me. She was determined to sleep in her own room because she wanted her special day, and so she finally laid her head down in her room to sleep until 8:30AM! YAY!

Tia Jessica heard from her bright and early as she was excited about her accomplishment, and Symph was encouraged by her tia to continue to sleep in her room for the next two days. Symph eventually just laid herself down, waited for us to tuck her in and pray with her, and went to sleep for the night with no more interruptions!

Sunday was the big day, and she was given the Libby Lu treatment, and came back with little extensions in her hair, lots of glitter on her face and in her hair, sparkle nail polish, a cool Hannah Montana headset, and lots of other fun stuff. After her appointment we met up with her as we celebrated her accomplishments with a night of fun and excitement at John's Incredible Pizza.

I'm so proud of her!

Thank you tia Jessica for getting one out, there's one more to go!

Her 70th...

Birthday! Happy Birthday to my precious little grandma that I have always adored. She was surprised with the party that we (all her children and grandchildren) pulled together. Lots of guests flew in from New Mexico to celebrate with her, and I know that she was overwhelmed with love!(My little lovies waiting for arrival-out of sequence, I know!) Had to put a candle for each year, she earned it!My brother made a really awesome video, which he is so good at doing, and I made her a special memory quilt. The pictures I took of the quilt aren't that great, but it turned out perfectly for my first attempt. All the pictures dated back to when her kids were kids, and included pictures of them today as well as grandkids and great grandkids.

I love her so much and I am glad that this celebration turned out to be such a surprise and so very special for her, she deserved it!

"Look at me, I 'm a big girl!"

This is all Symph could say as we left her Vovo's house tonight. Dom and I got to have a nice little break from our regular Friday night Bible study (that he is doing just wonderfully at teaching!), to go on a little mama and papa date night. Of course, the night was filled with thoughts of Symph and Bella, so we ended up just spoiling them...we spoiled ourselves too with yummy Kishi's and the company of each other. Sorry for the detour! So we caved in and bought Symph a backless booster seat, in hopes of adding some space to our small backseat to accommodate baby brother's car seat when he arrives. When we got to their Vovo's house to pick them up, Dom went and changed out her old car seat for the new one so that we could surprise her. When she got in the car she was super excited, giggly, giddy, and unable to contain herself. She kept yelling out to her vovo's "look at me, I'm a big girl!"

On our way home she started to not really like being a big girl because there wasn't a place to rest her sleepy head, and that the sea part was itchy, and that it didn't hold her in when we took a turn, and, and, and and so on and so on. We kept telling her that she could use her old seat if she preferred, but she couldn't decide which one she wanted. She wanted to be a "big girl" in the new booster seat, but the luxuries weren't all there, or were they? As we stopped to get a late night shake, Dom made a sharp turn and I told her to hold onto her handles and steer it like a race car...SOLD! Then, as we waited to leave the drive-thru, I showed her the awesome cup holders that were hidden in her seat...SOLD! She is so excited that she has this seat and doesn't even want to use the old seat again....hmm if only life could be that convincing sometimes!

Chonies!

My Bella is learning to be a big girl and go potty like her sister. I bought her two packs of chonies on Wednesday and we have been doing just wonderful. There have been two accidents, which were my fault for not getting her to the potty in time, but other than that I think it is safe to say "goodbye diapers". Praise the Lord I won't have to throw money away on diapers and wipes!

She is so cute with her little warning "potty mama" and her little naked body with white chonies running to the toilet. Although she cries wolf a lot, it is so worth it. Each time she goes, she gets a sticker to put on her little merit chart that she can redeem for a reward...ugh, does she even get the reward thing? I think the stickers are more than enough of a reward. In the past two days, she has gotten around 25 stickers (mind you, she only gets them when she actually goes potty)! This has not been an easy task, but I am determined to have her potty trained by the end of this week so that I can return the new pack of diapers I bought her.

Go Bellie!

A novel, completed, what's wrong with me?

I am not the type of person who can be swallowed up by a novel. I have better things to do with my time.

Well, I purchased this novel a while back and read half of it in two days and then got side tracked. I thought for sure the book would have been completed within 4 days, but hey life gets busy. As I happened to see a commercial clip of Cameron Diaz with her head shaved (not really, it was a cap), I was drawn to see what she was working on filming. I sat and watched the clip on Extra, or one of those trashy shows, and realized they were filming a movie based on the novel I was reading, My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult.

Last week I pulled the novel out and it became my best friend, until I finished it. I was an emotional mess as I finished the last page. I was definitely a pregnant woman with raging hormones because I am not a crier at all, and this had me hysterical.

Just thought I'd update you on what has consumed me these past two weeks, aside from everything else!

Half way there

The 20 week mark, I can't believe how quickly these months have passed by! Soon baby Dominique will be making his debut.

Oh, the heart ache!

So as I stood up late taking care of business, which is what most of us mommies do at night, I somehow got onto a very touchy subject with Symph. I seemed to mention something about mama getting older, and the tears, emotion, and questions became overwhelming. The word "older" is obviously not associated with anything good to her, and in fact means close to dying. She immediately began crying and asking me to please not get older, while I tried to explain that each year everyone gets older. This explanation made it even worse, and I began digging a much deeper hole when all I really wanted to do is calm her little mind of worries.

She wanted to know if I was going to have very soft skin and if it was going to be "squishy" and I told her I would, and oh, the sadness I saw in her little eyes. Immediately she started telling me she didn't want me to die, and asked who would take care of her when mama and papa were dead. Oh my, how in the world did I end up having this conversation with a little one so very late at night? I had to wake Dom up and have him try to explain to her since I was only making it worse. We prayed, and she cuddled with her papa and was fast asleep.

Surprise...

Dom and I have always had this plan to take the girls out for an afternoon and lay on a little blanket together as a family facing the sky as we watched numerous bellies of planes fly over us. Of course, we haven't made the time to do so, but we made a quick detour on the way home from my parents house and told the girls we had a surprise for them to see. These little detours work best when mama's in the driver's seat! I pulled off of Haven and we found an industrial building and parked the car, opened the windows and waited...and waited...and waited. It must have been half an hour, and not a single plane came, and the girls continued to grow curious about what the surprise was. I told Dom we'd give it another 20 minutes, and those 20 minutes came and left without a single plane in sight. We buckled up the girls pretty disappointed, and hit reverse when low and behold a plane decided to land! We quickly go the girls out and let them experience the massiveness of those tiny planes they see in the sky. They were amazed, jumping up an down with joy, waving hello to the planes and just full of excitement and laughter. Oh to be a kid again. Of course we were just filled with the same joy as they were, only because we got to see their little faces and witness all that they were experiencing. I love my family and such simple times as these!

A Cup of Hilariousness...

I happened to log onto myspace yesterday to find one of my customers had started blogging. A name caught my eye in her blogroll and I thought there was no way it wasn't the person I thought it was. I clicked and 3 hours of my time were taken away as I peered into her life with seven kids. Yes, I typed it correctly, SEVEN! Mind you her husband came from a family of 15!

My eyes were glued to the screen as I sat there reading so many of her posts and just imagining what she goes through with 7! I think I have it hard with two sometimes, but 7??? She is witty and sarcastic, and some of her posts just straight out convicted me.

Come spend some time at her A Womb at the Inn(sane) blog, I'm sure you can relate to many of her stories in being a mommy.

Miss Independent

Um, please tell me when my little girl grew up so quickly? As I had my usual morning chat with Marisa, my daughter walked off with a bowl of cereal. That's right, she got the bowl, unraveled the cereal package and poured it in, and took out the milk and poured herself a nice little bowl. No messes!

I turned and looked at her and she said "I did it myself mama" while her little smile was beaming.

I don't get why they have to grow up so quickly.

It happened again...

It's quite a big thing for sellers on Etsy! Woo hoo!

Enough said

it fits her perfectly, she is one tough tamale!

Dear Jesus

Symph: "Thank you for baby brother, please protect him and let him have sweet dreams, Amen".

This little girl just steals my heart with her love and thoughtfulness. Tonight as we were getting ready to put Bella to sleep, Symph came over hugged my belly and said that little prayer. She then asked if she could kiss him goodnight, and did so.

She is in love with her baby brother, and hasn't even seen him yet (aside from the ultrasound screen). Daily she talks to me about him, hugs and kisses my stomach, has little conversations with him, and always prays for him while touching my stomach. Sometimes I pretend along and tell her that baby brother said this or that, and her little face just beams with happiness. She is just going to be so in love with him as she is older and really able to understand what is going on this time around.

My Bella is so sweet too. She always makes sure that when we are cuddling in the bed that I am sure to pray with her. What melts my heart is that she names off each and every person on her little mind at that time, and the list can be very long, and she always includes her baby brother.

Swim Lessons

I have every hope that Symph will learn how to swim this summer. She is so afraid of pools, and she needs to know how to swim! Today was her first lesson, and she did well. She was already tired and asking if she could go to sleep on the way down to the pool, so I knew the experience wouldn't be the greatest. We sat there and cheered her on giving her a thumbs up, and her smiles soon turned into tears. She cried a bit, but overall she did so much better than I expected.

Bella was really upset that she didn't get a turn like Symph, and I told her I needed to call the lady to ask her if there was a lesson for her. All the way home and until she went to sleep, she was reminding me to "call the lady". I think Bella may be swimming before her big sister...

Thanks to Mister Rogers

My Symph has had this fascination with oranges. She happened to watch a Mister Rogers show and they were gining a lesson on oranges and showed an orange juice factory. After the show was over, Symph continued to ask me questions:

How is orange juice made?

Can I have an orange?

Can you buy some oranges?

Will you buy me some orange juice?

Can we make orange juice?

Can I eat an orange?

Can I have another?

I guess it's a good thing, we've had two trips to the store this week for oranges and new containers of orange juice. She needs Vitamin C and calcium, right?

Best of friends

Today was a hectic day as I am totally overwhelmed with orders that all need to be out now! As I sewed away, the girls played and entertained each other. They are just the best of friends, and I loved hearing their little conversations and seeing their imaginations at work.

Symphony is definately the big sister and takes great care of her little sister, and at times acts as the mother hen. Bella is sassy and tough, but loves and adores her Symphony.

ABC's

I have struggled with Symph over learning her ABC's, and having her learn how to write each letter. My patience is little when it comes to her whining and complaining, and so I usually throw in the towel and allow her to walk away and play with her Leapster instead. Symph rather draw than do her letters, and change the subject and so on, so as I have said, my patience has withered in this area.

Today I decided to go through our "Preschool" toy box and take a look at the many books I have accumulated over the years in hopes of this joyous time in teaching Symph. Really, how hard can it be? Obviously much harder than my mind could imagine at the time. I was given some incentive as I thought back about ow my kids would not be put through the public school system with all the propaganda and tolerance they want to push, and so I continued to look through all that had been collected and neglected. I ran across some reward charts and tons of stickers, and a dry erase place mat. How fun is that for a little one? So, before Symph woke up that morning I had already gotten my mind set and I was going to start teaching her how to write her ABC's. (Prior to this I put a reward chart in the bathroom for Bella and she had already earned two stickers prior to Symph's awakening from her sweet dreams). I made a big deal about this cool place mat I found and how fun it was to be able to try and erase as much as she would like, and Symph was buying it. She loved the reward chart idea, and so we are set. She knows that she has to complete three activities a day to earn a sticker, and one of the activities is her ABC's both in uppercase and lowercase. Here are some pictures, not bad for her first attempt at it all at once! Guess what, there was no whining and she was done within minutes! I know there's lots of room for improvement, but hey, after all the attempts I've had at getting her to do this, this looks awesome!

To our Favorite Portuguese Tia!

We love you and hope you had a great day celebrating at the beach!

Hmm...interesting

Both Dom and I found out something quite interesting on Saturday while we out celebrating his sister's birthday. I sat and talked with his parents about how Dom and I can't come to an agreement on a boy name because Dom wants a certain name, and I want to name the baby after his papa. Dom's dad agreed telling me that it was too many Dominique's, and I asked him if he preferred Dominique, or the name that Dom is insistent on naming him. Dom's dad agreed that Dominique was the better choice, and I agreed too! As we talked, I learned that Dom is named after his dad, not that we didn't know that, but we thought it was a name similar to his dad's and thus he was named after him. I got a quick lesson on my hubby's name. Dominique is the English pronunciation of Domingos, his father's name. I quickly went to Dom to let him know that we had to name the baby Dominique, it would be three generations to carry on the name. We'll see if I get to name him Dominique, I will stand my ground, but I do think I have even greater reason to give him the name that I've been suggesting!

I'm glad that both Dom and I were given this interesting fact!

And so it starts!

Saturday we celebrated Tia Susie's birthday at the park. It was quite warm, but the girls had fun cooling down with water guns, water balloons, and Cool Neck Bands. They had hours of fun while playing with their papa, family and friends. I on the other hand had a relaxing time as I got to sit and chat a bit.

As we soon came to notice, there wasn't a single bathroom at this park...what? How do you plan a park that has children's play areas without a bathroom? Once I realized this I started to panic, knowing that Symph has no time to waste when she needs to go. She tells us at the last minute, which meant we would need a place fast. Well, we didn't have to wait for Symph, because I think I drank enough water for our whole family to stay hydrated that day, and the baby doesn't make it much easier. So, we said our quick goodbyes and we were off to Von's. Ahh, relief for the whole family, thank goodness we left at that moment, because there would have been problems! :)

Dom then wanted to show me some homes that he had been eyeing color schemes on, as well as some different styles fascia that he wants to add to our home. I was somewhat reluctant, not because I didn't want to see it, but I felt like I was melting! We drove and saw them, and marveled at the loveliness of those Claremont homes, and then he wanted to go show me a park full of trees. For some reason he loves this park filled with trees,, and I guess he wasn't excited that I was ecstatic about it. It was just a park to me, not really that special, maybe because I was thinking of something much prettier. Who knows, I could have still been melting! Ha!

As we drove off, Dom showed us a small whole in the wall pizza place and I said it was Warehouse Pizza, not knowing where we were of if that was it, since I've never been there or seen it. I've only experienced there awesomeness in pizza at lunch meetings when I was working. He said he thought it was, so I asked the girls if they would like pizza and there response was quick with a "Yes!". We turned around and we were off to have pizza together. As we parked I happened to notice this boutique I have been wanting to stop by, and so we did.

My hubby was in love with everything and of course I was too. I was even more excited to see that there was a very large canvas of my tutu and hair candy taken by and awesome photographer, Rochelle Ax. We chatted with the owner a bit and of course couldn't leave without our first purchase for our little guy! We have always said that if we had a little boy we would buy this for him, and so, here it is...
And so here are his first coveralls to help papa out as they work on cars together. I made a little adjustment that I think suites him better! Papa has a little man of his own on the way...

Come and See!

I have gone back and tried to update from the first of May. BellaSymphony has been crazy busy, which I am totally thankful for, but it's made me lag in blogging with our lives. I hope to remain caught up now, but no promises since business is booming, and I am trying to keep up!

Baby Brother...

We had a fun time as we sat in the ultrasound room trying to determine the gender of our baby. Bella played "peek a boo" with the baby and Symph just giggled as she saw the life that mama had in her tummy up on the screen. Once it was all said and done that the guess of a boy was 90% sure Symph made it known that she had told us from the beginning. She always referred to the baby as "Baby brother" and I had to constantly remind her that God may have blessed us with a little sister and not a baby brother.

Tonight she said "mama, I told you, God blessed us with a baby brother in your tummy".

Off to Costa Mesa

Our next appointment lead us to Costa Mesa where we came to find that we will be having a baby Dominique come December! We will finally be adding a little man to the mix and the score will now be princesses 2 prince 1! Dom is just so excited and I am now thinking what a change it will be to have a boy...boy clothing, boy toys, tons of energy and influence on my girls to be daring! Hmmm....


We are excited, me especially because I don't need to try for a boy again, we're set! Yay!

Our appointments ended there since we were unable to get to our other appointments in time! Time to reschedule for mama and papa's appointments.

Sedated...

So our precious little Symph has already had to have some dental work done on her baby teeth, which makes me pretty upset. I've been visiting the dentist since I was younger than her, and have a "jewelry store" in my mouth, so my brother says (it's funny to him because he just had his first cavity last year and insists that he has the "perfect" saliva).

Back onto my story. So Dom had a day off today, a floating holiday that he had to take, so we made a day packed with appointments for everyone except Bella! We started off with Symph having to be sedated to have her dental work done, and we laughed until tears were streaming down because she was so hilarious. Her speech was completely slurred, and her motor skills were not working with what her brain was telling them to do. She did great while she was having her treatment, although coming out was not what I had imagined. She was so out of it and her speech was impossible to understand, she was groggy and oh so cranky! Thank God she has slowly been coming out of it, but it takes up to six hours! My poor baby girl!

Now onto the next appointment....

A baby in my belly!

Symphony Monet has become quite an artist lately! She loves to draw and of course our family is one of her favorite subjects to get down on paper. Here is what a baby in my belly is to her....so cute and sweet!

Happy 34th Anniversary to my Parents!

Today we celebrated Pancho Villa's style as my parents celebrated another year of their commitment to each other as husband and wife. We love you guys and are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Happy Birthday my Love!

Today is Bella's 2nd Birthday and she had a day filled with candles and much love. She was serenaded by mama and sister when she woke up and joined in singing Happy Birthday to herself :)

We went downstairs and breakfast was brought to her in her high chair with a candle and repeat of Happy Birthday to you. She blew out the candle and needed a new turn. Symph then asked for a turn because she really doesn't understand that pancakes and candles are actually a way of celebrating a birthday. At their Vovu's house candles always come along with pancakes as they celebrate a "birthday." Needless to say, Symph was stoked to have a turn to blow out the candle!

Later that day my Tia came over with Sean, who the girls just adore. They brought Bella a doll that drinks juice and pees, oh wow, number one spot for the gifts with the girls...for the moment that was! She also brought over a little cake for Bellie and we sang Happy Birthday to her, she blew out the candle, and then it was sister's turn again! We can't leave her out, right?
In the evening we had a cake for Bellie and she opened her gifts from us. It was so sweet as she covered her eyes in anticipation of each new gift, since they hadn't been wrapped! We had a blast with her and just love her in all her sassiness and tenderness!

Happy 2nd Birthday my Bellie...

Bella Grace is such a little sassy, spit-fire, tender hearted, loving little girl and I enjoy her down to every last little bit. She is such a blessing with all the character that she possesses in that tiny little body of hers. I can't believe tat two years have flown by, and I am just reminded of her arrival and the doctor telling my family that she really was Bella, she was a beauty.

She is my little chicle (gum in Spanish) and one my little best friends. I love her so very much!

Today she was dedicated to the Lord and we were just reminded about raising her and being godly examples to her. We were reminded about her character and her self worth, and being her world and growing her in the ways of the Lord. As I type about this I am reminded about how sweet she is at night reminding me that we haven't talked to Jesus (prayed), and the sweet little memories of her sitting and saying "Jesus" over and over as she sits in her chair and reads her toddler Bible. What a blessing it is to see His importance in her life at such a a young and tender age.

After her dedication we had a birthday party for her which was choatic. We have had nice and gorgeous weather and of course on this weekend, the Sunday that her birthday is to be at the park, the temperature was at 107 degrees! At the total last minute we asked my parents to use their house (after they had insisted on it being there because of their pool), and had her party there. After endless running around we got it together and had a wonderful time. We were blessed to see that almost everyone showed up for her birthday despite the last minute changes!

I really didn't get any pictures of her that day because of so much chaos in getting stuff together, so I am bummed, but hey we still have a memory of it with all the craziness that day! We are blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family who love us and our girls!

My Mother's Day

Although it didn't start out as happy as I thought a Happy Mother's Day would start out, I did have a nice day. As always, we are jam packed with things to do, being blessed to have both of our mother's around, and of course me!

The morning started off kind of as a heart break for me and I cried out of control in the shower trying to gather myself together, trying to blame it on the pregnancy hormones although it clearly wasn't that! We went to church, and then headed off to Susie's house for a Mother's Day lunch and time to chat which was lovely. The girls enjoyed starting to make a little craft, and although it isn't completed, it's raw form is on my fridge! I love my baby girls!

We then jetted off to meet my family at Pancho Villa's where we were treated to a Mariachi Show and Folklorico dancing. We exchanged gifts and I had a great time with my family.

Afterwards, we went home and Tio Michael and Tia Jessica stopped by with a wonderful gift from the lovely Bath & Body Works....always a great gift idea! The evening was nice and I finally got over my hurt, well kind of!

Women, why are we so difficult at times?