Sunshine!

I wish my blog title for this week's post would be referring to the weather, but it is not. We are stuck in the same crap - tastic pattern of snow, cold, snow, cold.  Cabin fever is kicking in, and I honestly cannot wait to see the grass at this point. Sad, huh?

It has been a busy couple of weeks. I wanted to throw my best friend Jenny a sprinkling, which is a small shower. It was such a happy day! I did a cupcake trial a few weeks back and the came out beautiful :

The Actual Sprinkling was really nice... My sister came over and helped me make pretzels that I used as favors. They turned out very pretty :

The Finished Product...I added Pink & White bows

Fondant Flower cut - outs

Working with rolled fondant.....You need to be patient!

So much has went on the past couple weeks  -  and I feel like I probably will forget to share a few things on here, but no worries!

Olivia has added a few more words to her vocabulary:

 "Sock"  Not only does she love saying the word, but she also has a habit of taking any clean clothing from the laundry basket (or anywhere she can find an article of clothing) and scatter them around the house! It is funny to find random articles of clothing here and there . . .

"Wow"   Usually a word she says when she looks outside or sees something she really likes .

 " Bubbles"  I recently purchased tiny tubes of bubbles as a favor for a shower, and a few were leftover. Naturally, we play with them in the house! It has been a brutal winter and we are stick inside. Olivia is so astonished and excited when we get the bubbles out. She very quickly caught on to saying "bubba"! Such an awesome feeling to see such joy and giggles :)

"Sunshine" So, she watches her favorite show Blues Clues on Nick Jr©.  In between shows they have music snippets from all different programs from the station. There is a cute catchy little number called " Sunshine Power", and Olivia goes crazy over it! She twirls around and now sings along too . Sometimes I sing it to her and get the same reaction! She just says "suh.shy" over and over again.

Speaking of TV, Every morning while Mama watches the news, there is a cute little animated Avocado commercial that immediately sends Olivia into dance mode.  It chants Avacado-o-o-o-o-o-ooooh! and she repeats the oh-oh's as she is dancing and laughing!

Sick Mama.....Well, without getting into too many details - I have been placed on heavy antibiotics. If I do not get better in a weeks time - I will have to consult with a surgeon. Not the news I wanted to hear while being pregnant, but nonetheless I am staying positive. I have an amazing and supportive husband and family / friends, so I know no matter what the outcome, I am surrounded by lovely people.


I am 25 weeks pregnant.

Our sweet baby girl is approximately 2 pounds , and 13 inches long.
She is kicking like crazy, especially at night! I have to be careful what I eat because the heart burn is out of control! Doctor said baby is where she should be, and based on the ultrasound due date is projected at May 24, But they will keep it at May 25 because it is a day off. I wouldn't mind meeting our little princess a day early <3


I will end on a fun note, My Makeover! I went in with a ton of light brown hair all the way down my back .... I walked out with 10+ inches of hair gone, feeling like a hot mama :) When I texted a pic of my new look to my husband he replied with Hubba Bubba!  He liked it a lot! It was an amazing pick me up and I was so fortunate to be picked for this . . . .

Before

Hair + Makeup After!

3 different colors + ombre effect!

I Love it!

And MOST importantly . . . . Baby Loves it too!

Goodbye

This is one of those things you truly dread. Losing a family pet.

Firstly, I do not want anyone to discredit the importance of this little guy, he held a very important role in our family.  He was our little ray of sunshine. His name was Baby, and he is a Peach Faced Lovebird.

 

He came into my life long before Brian or Olivia. I was about 21 years old Living with my parents. As soon as they told me that their lovebird pair had laid eggs I told my parents that I simply had to have one of the babies! Of course they said yes. The babies hatched , but the mom was a bit over-motherly and was starting to smother them. So I picked my bird, before he was technically "ready" to leave the nest and had to take care of him day and night. This entailed keeping him warm (he barely had any feathers and was pink and so helpless) and feeding him via syringe multiple times a day. I would come home for lunch just to feed him and hold him. He grew beautiful and strong , and had such a sweet and loving personality.

It is not typical to keep a lovebird single. But he was the only baby that survived. He was special, and I loved him. I moved out and of course he came with me! My Vet had commented on 2 occasions how delightful he was , and "if I ever wanted to find someone to take him in, she was happy to do so". His joy was infectious. Everyone lit up when they saw him. When he was 3 he was introduced to my new kitten ! They were best buddies and kitty would literally sleep next to him most of the day. He never once tried swatting at the bird, it was funny - like they had an understanding of some sort......

I went through a very bad depression, and sudden move, and of course my Bird and Cat came with me . I swear they really felt my pain and got me through those first few months when I felt as if the world was closing in on me.

Fast forward to present time, and Brian and Olivia both love this sweet little bird too.
Every morning our Daughter Olivia has to say good morning and night - night to "Bird" . She would stop by his cage several (yes SEVERAL) times a day and point to him and say either "up, up" or "birrrrrrrrd"

Bird was even one of her very first words!

There are so many things I could say.... My heart and my home feel empty. The sweet sound of his chirping and happiness are now replaced with silence. The morning and night ritual of addressing him are now just a memory.  Our little sunshine is gone. I will never forget losing him. I am sure every February 8th I will look at the calendar, and have a heavy heart. But then again every day I can also reflect on how he truly brought joy , love, happiness and comfort to our home. And that, is irreplaceable.....

Goodbye, our sweet friend, for now you sing in heaven with the Angels!

Roller Coaster of a Week!

Well it has been a CRAZY week! Some Ups and downs for sure .... But no need to get into all of the negative garbage, so not worth it! I like to focus on all of the positive things :)  Out with the bad and IN with the good!

After my daughter was sick (it started Sunday the 19th of January) for days with a fever ranging from 101 to 103 degrees. It spiked Wednesday to over 104! I can say this was the scariest moment for me in her tiny 18 month life. She started to break out into a rash, and so I called the nurse line for our doctors office. Although the nurse was a bit snarky, she reassured me that we did not need to go to the ER due to Olivias symptoms. She was eating and drinking. But as a mom, I thought ....Shes SO hot. She's so tired. She 's SO sick. She's so NOT herself. I figured she could co- sleep with me in our Queen bed. That way I would be right there next to her if she needed me. This was literally the 3rd or 4th time I had ever had her in bed with me. She whimpered , tossed and turned. I pretty much stayed up that whole night. I checked her at 4 am and her fever was down considerably. I slept well after that! When she woke up, I noticed her rash was still there.... We had already scheduled an appointment with our pediatrician , so I figured she would tell us what it was! She said it was just a rash from the fever and it would go away in 3-7 days .

Poor Baby's Fever Rash

That night her fever dropped to 99, and she was feeling much better. The next day she woke up her bubbly self! I cannot express how happy I was to have my sweet, funny, beautiful girl back to her normal self!

Holy Snow! We got pounded with a crap ton of snow. Cleveland / Northeastern Ohio always gets slammed in the winter but this past weekend was so bad ( We live in the secondary snow belt - which means more ).
It was so bad that for the first time in 3+ years I had to call my part time job, and told them I could not drive in. They said that they understood.

Daddy took a break from clearing the driveway to throw snowballs at the window!

Sweet little Olivia was belly laughing so hard when Daddy threw snowballs at the window! I was amused too :) Brian is such an Awesome Dad, even when he is working hard ! And trust me that driveway was hard work ,  he was out there for over an hour!

Well, I am 23 weeks pregnant, and by the end of this week baby girl will double in size!
I must say this little one is very active and I definitely feel her random dance parties in my belly. I have been feeling great, and it is nice to enjoy pregnancy .

I got a call today, I was informed that I am one of 20 people selected to receive a makeover at my local hair salon! Needless to say I was excited  and need a fresh new look since pregnancy has me feeling a little self conscious about myself! I will post the before and after next week....I am so excited!!

Olivia picked up on something I do here and there to tease her! I asked her if she was ready for "night night" (which I do every evening before her bedtime stories), and she climbed on the couch next to me, plopped on her back, closed her eyes halfway, and made snoring noises! I immediately giggled. How cute and hilarious. This little girl has quite the personality. So I joined her in the fake sleeping, thinking she would stop , however she just lay there and continued doing it with me! I really wish Brian would have been able to see it.... These are the moments that bring me so much joy. It makes me realize that although it is a sacrifice for me to stay home and not work, these precious moments outweigh everything.

Play Dates and Chiropractor Appointments

Well, It has been a busy week!

I got to finally meet up with a great friend of mine Rachel, for a long overdue play date with her two Adorable kiddos Colton and Savannah. It is always nice to get some info from a super-mommy like her! She had 2 little ones under 2, so I listen to every. single. word  of advice that she throws my way!

It was especially fun watching the dynamic between Olivia and her children. Because Livi is an only child (for now ) she does not get to interact with other kids too often. I am so happy to see how she does socialize when she is able to. She especially loved playing with Colton....I think because he was playing with her and talking to her so much.

Sadly....Olivia came down with some kind of sickness :( Sunday she had a 102 degree temperature. Then Monday it went from 101 down to 100. Today she spiked form 101 to 102.5 ! I was so worried. My poor little princess kept crying for me and I felt so helpless. All that I can do is hold her and take care of her to comfort her as best as I can..... She dropped down to 99.5 at bedtime and I am praying when she wakes she will be her bubbly self in the morning!!! This is the second time she has spiked a fever over 102 in her tiny little life. Words cannot describe how it breaks me to see her so sad and sick......

At 5 and a half months pregnant, I have been experiencing some pretty bad back pain. I believe it started around this time in my first pregnancy.....But this time I decided to do something about it. With the blessing of my OB, I found a Chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy. He is great. My very first appointment was remarkable. The neck pain that I have had for YEARS   ......... Gone! and my back pain is almost gone too. It does pop up on days I work or stand for more than 30 minutes at a time. But it is so nice to get some relief and manage the back problems this time around!

I am really starting to feel this little baby kick ! She especially loves to have a crazy dance party in my belly at night time! I call her my little jumping bean <3

Here is what 22 weeks is like:

Baby is 1 pound, and about 11.5 inches long
Baby is the size of a Papaya!
She now has eyebrows, eyelashes, and maybe even some hair on that little head
Can hear Mama , Daddy and Olivia talking .

I have really not been able to eat a lot of foods this pregnancy. Breakfast has been quite the challenge. I found a recipe for Cracker Barrels Hash brown Casserole and it is Delish!I eat it almost every day for breakfast. Of course miss Olivia comes running, and I tell her it is hot and she begs by repeatedly saying "aaaahck" which means "hot" ! I do not quite know why she says it so weird, but I have a hunch she cannot pronounce it.

My Hash browns! Yummazing!

 I have lost interest in my beloved steak.  I do not crave sweets on a nightly basis, which is really a blessing in disguise. I will say that the other day my amazing Husband brought home some donuts from a local shop by the name of Jack Frost located in Cleveland Ohio. He got me my faves : Lemon, Custard, and German Chocolate. AMAZING!

The missing donut was an Oreo one, My hubby just couldn't resist eating it !

 As for Cravings, I lately Crave .....Crab legs, Potatoes, Coconut and Chocolate Ice Cream from Honey Hut, Pecan Pie, and The Famous Sokolowski's University Inn Pierogi Dinner. Weird huh???

I could eat this every day!!!!

Finally. A Real Blog!

Okay....So as you may have noticed, I had to play "catch up" on my blog. I originally started another blog over 2 years ago when I was pregnant, but certain circumstances, as well as formatting issues made me just give up.

As I sit here and reflect upon how much has happened in my life, I am glad I have started another blog. I look at it as a diary of our present life. As an individual, I have grown so much. While most dream of a career......I always dreamed of getting married to a great man , and having children.

I look forward to welcoming our second daughter into the world this coming May. I cannot wait to see how she looks, and how her big sister Olivia interacts with her. It is amazing to see Olivia already understanding how mama is having another baby! She walks up to me, pats my belly, and says "baby". Sometimes she will pull my shirt up and look at my growing belly with wonder . Every day she picks up her baby doll that Brian and I got for her for Christmas, and cradles and kisses it! She is going to be a lovely big sister....

I have been excited to plan a "sprinkling" for my best friend Jenny! Crazy how life happens, but what are the odds that my best friend since I was 20 years old is expecting a baby girl too!

Jenny's Birthday, She was also pregnant with her youngest daughter at the time :)

Jenny came to visit 1 day old Olivia

We were roomies at 20, and our friendship is still strong 14 years later. Wow, I sure do feel old writing that!
It is truly a beautiful thing to go through a milestone such as this, with your best friend! I wish her, her husband and kids nothing but the best during this process. Who knows, maybe our daughters will have the honor of being close friends too?!

I am officially 5 Months pregnant. It is crazy how quickly the past few months have flown by. I am very excited to meet this little sweetheart, and hope the next 4 months come and go quickly so we can see her, hold her and kiss her tiny little face. C'mon May!!!

Olivia is One and a half years old. I am amazed at how much she has grown, and come out of her shell. From the age of 2 months, this tiny little baby would scream for 2+ hours if she were anywhere else but home! I asked the pediatrician, What is wrong with her? What can I do? In the sweetest, most soothing voice she said,  Keep her comfortable, and don't force her. Let people know to wait 15-20 minutes to hold her . She will start to come around.  And she was right. I am so glad I didn't force my sweet girl to scream and be unhappy. Now, she is little miss sunshine. She smiles and interacts with most people. You have to let her warm up to you, but when she does it is so adorable. I remember when Our Friends Danny and Amanda brought their little guy Arlo over a week ago. Olivia was chasing him around trying to kiss him! Such progress she has made. She sings, she runs, she plays. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful, charming, and silly little lady in our life every day. Brian and I both are just over the moon. We still look at this sweet little angel, and say "She's Ours" . And we could not imagine a second without her.....

Holidays 2013 & the New Year!

Well, another Holiday season came and went. It was really cool learning how to make a Turkey from my dear grandmother..... I had always wanted to learn, and it was nice spending a few days with her to learn how to do it. Thanksgiving was very special. We planned on announcing that we were expecting a little one to the family! It was nice to have the support of my Grandmother, Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins on this very special and meaningful day.

I learned that the Holidays are not always perfect. And as I reflect back on Thanksgiving 2013, I will cherish the ones who were loving and nice. I will try and forget the bad things that occurred, and focus on the beautiful news that we shared.

Christmas was nice, and we saw most of our immediate family! Olivia was a pro at opening her gifts :)

As a Mom, Naturally I wanted to be the one to give Olivia her very first Baby Doll. It had sentimental meaning too, because Olivia would soon be a big sister and have a real baby around. We mentioned to others - and decided to give her her first Christmas gift on December 23rd. It was truly magical! She opened it and started kissing and holding her new "baby" before we could even remove it from the packaging!!! Anyone who has a young toddler knows they lose interest easily, and usually go from toy to toy. Not this time! She held her baby and took it everywhere with her that night. She even wanted to take it into the bath . To this day she picks it up daily and kisses it and says "baby". So heartwarming!

She loved the tree and never once fell into it or pushed it over like I had feared :)

We rang in the New Year with some great friends....Olivia took a sec to warm up to everyone.....