New Beginnings...

Looking back at where we were this time last year, I never would have imagined where 2014 would take us. As the New Year approached we prayed for God to move in big ways in 2014, and man did He deliver!!! When we initially prayed that prayer, I wasn't sure what it meant or where it would take us. And I didn't know that His plan would include moving us back to Indiana. When we made the decision to move forward and follow His calling back to Indiana, it was extremely scary. It seemed as though it would be an impossible feat, and to be honest I don't know that we were all that convinced that we were ready to leave Arizona. There were many days that I questioned God and that tugging at my heart to move back. There were a lot of emotions tied to our decision, and definitely a lot of fear. But God's calling to trust in Him was greater than any fears, reservations, or anxieties we had. So many details had to fall into place, and it felt like we hit every bump in the road. When He threw in the surprise pregnancy on top of everything else we had going on, I was really starting to wonder what He was thinking! In the end He was faithful, and once again trusting in Him took us where we needed to be to begin the next stage of our lives.
As we look forward to 2015, I am excited to see what God has in store for our family. There is something very exciting and special about beginning a new year with a brand new life. I know that baby Mila will bring so much to our family, and I am looking forward to settling into a new routine as a family of 4. I know it will not be without challenges, but having Luca I know what an incredible blessing every child is, and I am so thankful that God has given us this opportunity to add another child to our family. I feel much more secure and confident in my role as a mother now that it's not new to me, and while I have anxieties about how I will balance life as a working mother of two children, I know that everything in life that has value is hard work.
My prayer for 2015 is not very different than my prayer for 2014. I pray that God would once again do big things for our family this year. I pray that it would be a year for positive changes, new adventures, and new opportunities. I pray that He would lead us with our finances, which I know needs to be a priority this year after a very busy year of moving across the country and having a new baby. I pray for opportunities in our careers, especially for Santi. I pray that He would help us to focus on Him, and also to open our eyes to opportunities to serve Him. I pray that He would guide us as we raise not one, but two tiny humans. I know that this stage, while exhausting at times, is so important. I know that this is the time to invest in our children. I pray that we do not miss opportunities to teach them and lead them to walk with Him. I pray that our children would see us following Him and that we would be examples for them.
Welcome 2015...welcome Mila...new beginnings!

Dear Mila

Dear Mila,
I have always written little letters to your big brother Luca, so I will be doing the same for you. Although I haven't had as much time to blog about my pregnancy with you as I did with Luca, I am happy to say that things have been going pretty smoothly. I guess you will have that second child syndrome. I promise though I will get your baby book done before you move out:)
You haven't even arrived yet, but we already love you! We are just weeks away from meeting you, and I am all kinds of nervous and excited. You will be making Luca a big brother, and I can't wait to see how he reacts to his new baby sister! He is so excited to meet you. I am also very excited to have a little girl. It's been a challenge to not buy every single adorable headband and bow I see. You will most definitely be fashionable. I am looking forward to seeing the new dynamic you bring to our family. Will you look like your brother? What will your personality be? Will you be sweet and sensitive like Luca? Will you have a wild and crazy side like he does? Only time will tell...

Love,
Mommy

Here I am at 37 weeks, Christmas Eve

Sotomayor...Party of 4....Coming Soon

I cannot believe we are going to be a family of 4 NEXT MONTH!!!! Time is flying. Life is crazy. Welcoming baby number two is so very different than baby number three. So different. Add in the Christmas craziness and I feel so unprepared. I still can't wrap my mind around the idea that this is our last Christmas as a family of 3, and I am trying to savor every memory and moment. I remember this point with Luca, and we were just over the moon excited to finally be parents and to meet our little boy. But we were definitely anxious about our new roles and all of the changes. This time it's a very different kind of anxious. We are so excited to meet Mila and add another little personality to our family, but this time our anxieties revolve around how Luca will adjust and how we will handle two kids. I worry a lot about how he will react, and I worry about how I will meet his needs and hers. I remember when Luca was born I had a really difficult time finding myself in my new role as a mommy, and I was trying to figure out how to maintain my identity as a wife and teacher in addition to mommy. This time around I feel confident in who I am as a wife, mother, and teacher. I know what it's like to have a newborn. Most importantly I know how quickly that first year passes by, and I want to slow down this time and really take in every stage. This is mostly likely our last biological baby, and I don't want to miss a moment in these next couple of months. It will be gone in a flash. I look at my three year old Luca now and I can't believe I blinked and I missed it. He is a big boy now. He is about to be a big brother. Where has the time gone?! I feel like life has been on fast forward since he was born. As we approach the next few weeks, my hope and prayer is that God would prepare our hearts for this special new blessing that is about to change our family forever. I pray that God would carry me through this last month of pregnancy and that baby Mila would arrive healthy in his perfect timing. All the details will fall into place. Everything WILL get done. I am trusting in His grace and mercies to provide the strength and energy needed for the weeks ahead.

Happy Halloween...It's Snowing!!!

Well winter showed up early here. After braving a few houses on our street for trick or treat, the cold temps sent Captain America rushing back to the house to warm up by the fire. We roasted hot dogs and watched The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Can I just say how much I love our fireplace already? I was hoping Indiana would go easy on us our first winter back...I guess not so much. As soon as Mr. Luca got to sleep, big snowflakes started falling. Part of me wanted to wake him up to catch his first real snowfall...but then I decided against that. I am certain he will have plenty more snowfalls this year. I don't think disturbing the peace was worth it this evening. I am glad we got to take him to Trunk or Treat at church last weekend when the weather was absolutely gorgeous. He dressed as a fireman (same costume as last year) for Trunk or Treat and his school party/costume parade. He decided to go with his Captain America costume for the "real" trick or treating tonight. This was his first year of going door to door. I wasn't sure if he would go for it or not. When Santi's mom dropped him off this evening there was a line of kiddos at our door waiting for candy. This was the same point at which I actually ran out of candy (it was only 6pm!). When he realized other kids were at his house eating his candy...major meltdown ensued. Luckily, after a quick explanation of how trick or treating works, he was ready to get dressed and head out. He literally ran from door to door with excitement. It was really cute. And really freezing.
This month has been so busy, but I feel like every October is. The fall foliage has been so beautiful. I have missed this season so much. We tried to take advantage of every opportunity to get out and enjoy all of the gorgeous colors. Last weekend's weather was amazing. We got to spend a morning at the pumpkin patch with my brother's family, which was a lot of fun. It's so special having all the cousins together. I knew we would need to soak in every last minute of that weather...and I was right. This weekend's cold temps hit hard. And the wind...oh.my.word. I forgot about the wind chill. I hope these next few months aren't going to be too rough. I know I will really miss my sunny Arizona winters after a few weeks of this.
Since I last posted, we have moved into our new home (what an amazing blessing!!!!) and we are finally getting settled. It feels like home now, and that's all I can ask for. After so many transitions and living with Santi's parents for 3 months, it is such a calming feeling to be at home...our home. Praise God!!!! Luca started preschool at his new preschool. He LOVES it. I love that he can go just a couple days of the week. I think he really gets a lot out of it, and being with Abuelita the rest of the time is a blessing. He has also finished up his first season of soccer at the Y, which ended with a huge celebration and a trophy last week. He was hilarious with his celebration. He started basketball and gymnastics this week. He really enjoys being involved in sports. We will see how much longer I enjoy driving him around to all these activities. We are also trying to get plugged into our new/old church. We have been attending Sherwood Oaks, where Luca also attends preschool. This was the church we attended when we were engaged, and we completed our premarital counseling there. It feels right to be back, and I am looking forward to getting involved and getting to know people.
We are now approximately 10 weeks away from Baby Mila's due date. I cannot believe in just a couple of months we will have TWO kids. I am really excited for her to arrive (I am particularly excited to not be pregnant anymore), but I am not ready at all!!! It's crazy how quickly a second pregnancy goes and how that due date sneaks up on you. I know with November and December being holiday season time is really going to fly. I feel like with all we have had going on since we found out we were expecting, I just haven't had hardly any time to focus on the pregnancy. Which I guess is good and bad. With Luca I had a lot of time to dwell on that "what ifs" and worry about every little twinge. This time not so much. I have to sit in the evenings sometimes and remind myself to check on Mila and do some kick counts because I have been too busy all day to even notice. She is most definitely a lot more active than I remember Luca being! Which I really enjoy. There is a special peace that comes when I feel her movements. I can't wait to see this little girl's personality. And I can't wait to see Luca as a big brother. Now that I think about it, I don't even think I have blogged since we found out that baby #2 is a GIRL. Let me backtrack a little...
Way back on August 29th we had our anatomy scan and everything was great...and we were elated to find out that this little one is a girl! We surprised our families by taking them out to dinner and having the waitress deliver pink cupcakes with pictures from the ultrasound. It was really neat. The name we decided on was Mila Paz. We loved how Mila sounded with Luca. Mila means "people's love". Paz is "peace" in Spanish. My Grandma Thelma's middle name was Irene, who passed away the morning after we found out we were expecting. Irene was the Greek goddess of peace. I wanted to honor her in some way, as it feels that this little girl was one last gift from her. It was a blessing (although a surprise) to have our second pregnancy happen so easily and without having to endure miscarriages again. My hope and prayer is that this precious little girl is filled with peace, and that she brings peace to those around her.
I will try to blog more frequently as D-Day approaches. Let's hope I get in a few more updates before we are a family of 4!!!

Dear Luca

Dear Luca,
Just a month ago we celebrated your THIRD birthday. I can't believe how fast time flies. Yesterday I put on a pair of new jeans that I was certain would be way too long...but they fit just fine. On Tuesday you start preschool at your new school. Last week when you went to orientation with daddy you were so excited about your new classroom, and you were especially excited about your basketball court at school! This summer you stayed busy exploring your new home. I think you are liking Indiana so far. It was hard leaving Arizona, and you asked a lot about your old home, and especially about all of your things that were stuck in storage. It broke my heart and I worried that you wouldn't like it here. I am so happy you are settling in! I am especially thankful that you now have your grandparents and cousins around. This move was so important for you, even if it was hard. I know one day you will be really grateful that we did this. As a now preschooler, you are still the same sports and monster truck loving kid that you have always been. You love being outside and would play soccer all day long if you could. You especially like playing goalie, and you just HAD to have the gloves (which we couldn't find, so Tia Mariana bought you baseball gloves instead). You also love swimming and this summer you actually started swimming under water a little! You have no fear. You can even jump backwards into the pool at the Y. For your birthday you received a real "big boy" bike with Lightning McQueen. You are so fast! You also enjoyed your second visit to Holiday World this summer, and even rode a "roller coaster". I am really looking forward to this fall and winter as you start soccer and gymnastics. I can't wait to watch you play and cheer "Go Luca!" as you always want me to do. I am also excited to see you as a big brother. I think you are going to be such a sweet, kind, and helpful older brother to this baby. I know you are excited as well, even if you are a little cautious. You are still just as talkative and funny as always. Sometimes a little too talkative. The other day you told me I needed to buy Oxiclean for the stains on my clothes. You also told Tio Xavi that he doesn't know how to play baseball. Forever my little firecracker, you keep my on my toes...and tired! My hope for you as you continue to grow into the person God made you to be, is that you are never afraid to dream big, and that you always remember the important things in life: kindness to others, thankfulness, generosity, honesty, integrity, and mercy. And I pray that God will always be stirring in your heart, and that He will call you to love and serve him in big ways. I love you, my sunshine. My big boy.

Love Always,

Mommy