One Year Ago Today

Last year on this date, we found out we were expecting for the third time. Luckily for us, the third time proved to be the charm and we are so blessed with our precious little Luca. I remember that morning like it was yesterday. It was a Saturday morning and we were supposed to be volunteering at the food bank helping to paint and do some general clean up work. We were obviously trying to conceive after our two losses, and it was time to take a test. I had really wanted to wait until Halloween for some odd reason, but I just knew I was pregnant and didn't want to take a risk by inhaling paint fumes and doing heavy lifting all morning at the food bank if I was indeed pregnant. I didn't even have to wait for the second line to show up, I knew I was pregnant. Sure enough, there were those pretty two pink lines glaring back at me. And just to be sure...I also took a digital. I just love seeing that little word "pregnant" pop up on the screen. I remember feeling a range of emotions that morning. Of course one of the most prominent being fear. After having gone through two previous miscarriages, there is always the nagging thought that this one might not "stick" either. I didn't want to be too excited, and I was no longer that naive person I was the first time I got pregnant. I knew all the possibilities, and I knew all too well that not all pregnancies end in a baby in 9 months. But part of me deep down felt that this was our "take home baby", and I got a little giddy.
Here we are one year later, and as I write this I am watching our almost 4 month old little boy play on his play mat. Rolling, giggling, batting at the toys. I never imagined this day would actually arrive. It was such a far fetched thought, but it is now our reality. God is good!!!
Last year I wore this same Halloween shirt and took a picture just shortly after finding out we were pregnant. Here we are one year later with a baby on the outside all ready for his very first Halloween!

Dear Luca

Dear Luca,
Right now you are napping peacefully in your swing after almost an entire week of refusing to nap during the day. You are just so interested in what's going on around you, you don't want to miss a thing! We have been spending a lot of time on your favorite play mat, and this past week I even got out a big blanket to put under it since you have been rolling and scooting all around the living room. I have so much fun just watching you explore. I would say we could add letter links to your list of favorite toys now. You could play with those for hours. I hope you enjoyed all of our trips to the park this week. The weather has been gorgeous in the mornings and the heat is finally starting to subside. I love going to the park with you and showing you off to all the other neighborhood mommies. You are so well behaved, and you just love being outside in the fresh air observing all the kids on the playground.
I have one more week at home with you and I am feeling pretty sad. I love being with you every moment of every day. It's so hard to think about being away from you. But I want you to know that even when we can't be together I am thinking of you every second and counting the minutes until I can see you. Even though your daddy and I would love for me to stay home with you, we also know that you will do well at your new daycare. You will learn new things, make new friends, and have lots of different toys to play with. You will become more independent, and the time we are together will be even more special. I know one day you will understand, and you will be proud of me for being a working mom. You will be proud that every day when I have to be away from you, I am making an impact in the lives of lots of other children. You will be proud that your mommy has such an important job.
Every day I hope and pray that God will provide a way for me to be home with you, and I have to have faith that one day he will answer that prayer, but in the meantime please don't ever forget how much your momma loves you.

Love,
Momma

Weight Loss Update...and Confession

So this week I was terrible at getting in my 30 Day Shred workout. The temperature has finally dropped below 100 degrees outside, and I have been spending my mornings at the neighborhood park with some of the neighborhood mommies or walking the dog. Plus, this week Luca has been on a napping strike during the day. He hasn't been fussy, just wide awake and not at all interested in napping. Needless to say my workouts have suffered...as well as the house cleaning. Oh well, it just means more time with my favorite little guy! That being said, I had somehow dropped down to 133.4 at my last weigh in. Now, I am certain that has gone up a bit due to my slacking off this week, but I hope I can get going in the right direction again soon. I go back to work in a week (ahhhhh!) so I am really going to have to push myself to fit it all in. I will finish the 30 Day Shred, I will finish the 30 Day Shred....

Fall Days...Sort Of

October is my favorite month. It brings in the fall, my favorite season. Growing up in Indiana fall was very different than it is here in Arizona. October meant that the leaves were starting to turn colors and cooler weather had arrived. Even though we are rocking flip flops and shorts here in October, I still love it. We may not have the change of seasons, but we still have all the fun fall activities that everyone loves. Last weekend Santi and I took Luca to the pumpkin patch to pick out his very first pumpkin for Halloween. Although he was obviously too little to understand what was going on, or what those big orange things were all about, he enjoyed getting out of the house and going on an adventure. He loves being out and about. New things to look at, fresh air, people to watch. Of course it was more of a photo opportunity for mommy and daddy than anything, but we had a good time.

Babylegs

I pink puffy heart Babylegs! Luca received a pair as a gift and I put them on him for the first time yesterday. We actually had temperatures here that dipped below 60 degrees! That's pretty chilly for Phoenix in October! Now, Santi is not a fan of said Babylegs. He thinks they are "too girly" for his little boy. I on the other hand think they are adorable on boys and girls. Plus, they are practical. Luca is hard to size when it comes to pants. He has a skinny waist and short legs. He can technically fit in newborn pants still, but is busting out of his 3 month onesies and tops. Babylegs fit perfectly in place of pants. Plus, they make diaper changing super easy because you don't have to mess with pants. I am a huge fan. Too bad I left Luca with Santi to make a grocery store run yesterday and when I can home the babylegs were off. He had supposedly pooped on them. Coincidence?

Are you really going to tell me that these aren't the cutest things you have ever seen? And look at those little toes...I just want to kiss them!

I can roll over!!!

Just the other day our little guy turned 3 months old. I posted about how he was attempting to roll over with no success. Well, I guess I spoke too soon. On Thursday morning I went into his room at 6am to get him after hearing his little coos on the monitor. In my foggy early morning state of mind I went to pick him up and was confused as to why he was on his belly. Then I realized  he must have rolled over in his sleep. Now, even though I was excited at this new developmental milestone, I had a slight moment of panic. Of course all the latest research on SIDS says "back to sleep" until age 1. Well, what on earth am I supposed to do if he rolls onto his belly in his sleep?! How will I know if he doesn't make a peep? I am actually surprised he didn't protest his new position with crying, which is what he typically does during our supervised tummy time. He really isn't a fan of being on his tummy. I guess he was just too tired. Maybe he realized it's comfortable after all. I was always a stomach sleeper before pregnancy. Oh boy...back to not getting any sleep at night. I am ashamed to admit that I actually slept with the video monitor in my hand for awhile last night...even though we also have an Angel Care breathing monitor. Yes, I am that mom.

Here is my little man practicing on his playmat. He has rolled over successfully several times since doing it in his crib. He does however get his arm stuck underneath him sometimes, which makes him mad. I was also reading the other day that babies typically learn belly to back first because back to belly is supposedly more difficult. Leave it to our child to tackle the most difficult move first.

Weight Loss Update!

Ok...I guess this is the end of week 4 for my 30 Day Shred. I have been doing the video 4 days a week, except this week I was bad because I got a flu shot and pertussis shot to protect my little guy and my arms are soooooo sore! So, I technically lost count of the days but I am pretty sure I have completed a total of 13 days out of 30. I am currently weighing in at 135.2, which means I am down close to 4lbs I believe. I'll take that. It's coming off slower than I would like, but it's coming off. 15lbs until I reach my goal weight! I can see and feel a difference in my body just from doing the video. I feel a lot less jiggly and overall more fit. I am getting stronger, and that's important. I know eventually I will see my efforts pay off more on the scale. I also purchased a used jogging stroller on Craig's List so I can start running. I miss running, and with my handy new jogging stroller I can drag Luca and Tevez along with me. We took it for a test drive this morning because the weather was absolutely beautiful here! I think I am really going to like being able to jog with Luca and Tevez and it was surprisingly easy to run with the stroller and my wild dog. Hopefully I will still have enough energy when I go back to work. Ideally I would love to be able to sign up for a 5k in January or February...but that may be a little ambitious.

Look who's three months old!

I cannot believe how fast my little man is growing! In just the last couple of weeks he has moved into size 6 month clothes, even though he is still skinny on the bottom and can still fit in newborn pants! He is built like his daddy I guess. He is full of smiles and giggles. We have started calling him "little owl" because he makes a sound just like an owl would make. It's precious. He is starting to be more interested in toys, and he loves his hands. Everything he can get a grip on goes into his mouth now. Just this week he has started trying to roll over (still without success, but he is putting forth a good effort!). He is also getting much better at supporting his head when he is sitting up or we are holding him. He loves to see what's going on around him, and sometimes that even means he refuses to eat because he is too busy exploring and observing. Every day he looks more and more like a little boy and less like the tiny little baby we brought home from the hospital in July. I can't believe how handsome he is. If only he could stay little forever...