Breastfeeding definitely isn't for me... formula..here we come!

So... when I was pregnant, I posted this on my "Pregnancy Journal". I was determined to give breastfeeding another try since it really didn't work out with Olivia and I was so miserable the whole time....
I got myself a good pump and it all seemed to be going "well". Gaby was adjusting well to the boob and she was satisfied with the milk I was giving her....
Well, two days after she was born it all changed; my nipples started getting extremely sore and she kept fighting me to eat. I felt like I was reliving those moments I experience when I first had Olivia but I still tried....
Then I got really sick (see previous post) and my milk started drying up. Since I was admitted to the hospital I couldn't breastfeed her so I kept pumping but less and less milk came out and by yesterday night, not even one drop would come out of either side...On top of that, I was given a bunch of meds for my infection, which didn't really help either.
After much thought and consideration, I realized (once again) that breastfeeding just isn't for me and that I am a much happier person with a much happier baby when I formula feed, so that's what I'm going for.
I don't feel guilty at all because I think breastfeeding is a very personal choice and I am confident that by feeling happier I will be able to make my family happier as well....
So... formula.. here we come!

The past (horrible) 24 hours!

So, the past 24 hours or so were HORRIBLE!!!
Going back a little more than 24 hours...it started with a high fever on Friday night, which wouldn't break... it got the chills at night and then my fever would go up to 103... I also had a massive headache, which I attributed to sleepless nights... and felt plain horrible...This lasted all weekend and even until Monday.
Fast forward to yesterday at around 3pm, Iggy took me to the doctor because of how sick I felt...I was seen my my ob/gyn and was sent to the hospital immediately.. Got admitted around 6pm, hooked up to an IV and was given intravenous antibiotics. I immediately started to feel some relief...
I had some blood work done and it turns out, I had a kidney infection, which had originated from the catheter I had in when I had the epidural during my delivery....what a nightmare!
Needless to say I spent a horrible night without my hubby and my babies (my mom stayed with me)... I kept crying just thinking that I couldn't be with Gaby, or breastfeed her.. or pay attention to Olivia or even sleep next to Iggy...so sad!
Today... I woke up feeling a little bit better and started pushing everyone to page my doctor so I could get discharged and come back home. Luckily a friend of mine who works at the hospital moved some strings for us and I was discharged at around 3pm today and was finally home with my babies!
I'm now at home, taking oral antibiotics and definitely feeling better. I was so happy to see my babies and I think they were happy to see me as well! I'm just glad this nightmare is over!

Wordless Monday...

Updates... (sort of)

I thought I should post a few updates since I haven't had that much time to get on the computer since Gaby was born...
First off, here is Gaby's birth story, for anyone who is interested and hasn't checked out "My Pregnancy Journal". As most of you know, I had a wonderful labor and we are now home trying to adjust to our new life. Sleepless night are not fun at all, but it's all part of this journey and thankfully it's just a stage.
Olivia has been amazing with her sister; she is fascinated by her and is so protective of her. She is also adjusting to her new role as a big sister and tries to be helpful and well behaved.
I've been feeling a little blue, I cry at times and other times I'm just feeling sad in general, mostly because I miss being around Iggy, who has to be at work every day and also because I feel overwhelmed at times.
I have spent a few days alone (minus occasional visits from my mom) and have been sleeping A LOT. Today my mother in law arrived from Venezuela and she will be staying with us for a month and a half to help out with Olivia and the new baby...yay for that!
I'm hoping that Gaby starts to get on some type of schedule soon because she has the habit of waking up every two hours or so, or even less....which, needless to say, it's extremely exhausting!!
Breastfeeding is going well and I'm keeping a positive attitude about my new role as a mommy of two!

Wordless Monday...

Happy Birthday Olivia!!!

Our little girls is turning 2 today and needless to say I am extremely emotional! Not only is my little baby turning into a full blown toddler, but she's also debuting herself as a big sister to our new baby Gaby who was born yesterday! what a couple of days!

As most of you know, we held Olivia's birthday party a few weeks ago since we knew we'd be very hectic with the arrival of the new baby, so today, as she was in the hospital, visiting mommy and baby sister, we gave her a cupcake and sang "Happy Birthday" to her...

She was so happy all day long and really enjoyed her day. She got quite a few presents from friends and family and I'm sure she felt extra special with all the attention that was given to her today!

Happy Birthday baby girl! We love you!! Let the fun of the terrible twos begin!

Gabriela Isabel is here!

Baby Gaby made her appearance today...here's a little announcement...more to come later!
For a full birth story, click here!



Birth Announcements by WiddlyTinks.com

HARRY POTTER and the Half Blood Prince

As a last minute pre-labor outing, Iggy and I went to the movies to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince... and may I say.. what a BAD movie!!!

Gosh... I think it is the worst out of all the Harry Potter movies and I also think that they made a big mistake splitting the last book into two movies! Plain horrible!...

The movie was dull, very slow, super dark and it lacked any kind of action. There was no climax in the movie and such a lack of plot.... definitely money and time wasted...

I felt bad for Iggy because he's not really a Harry Potter fan but he still sat through it (and even slept a bit) just to keep me company... that was sweet!

Anyways... although I know most Harry Potter fans will still go out and watch the movie... I feel compelled to say.. "Don't waste your time and money...the movie sucks!"

That's my review!

Wordless Monday...

Olivia's first tennis lesson....

As some of you already know, Iggy loves tennis... Not only is tennis his favorite hobby, which he has loved since he was 9 years old, but he also played for college when he was younger and paid his way through school by being his college's tennis team captain.
Needless to say, one of his biggest dreams is to see his daughters playing this sport, or at least attempting it.... he always jokes about sitting in the stands at one of the grand slams, seeing of his "girls" win a championship...
So... today, we took Olivia to watch Iggy play tennis with a friend and then he gave her a brief lesson about tennis basics... Of course, she's still so little to understand this concept, but Iggy thinks that by exposing her to it at an early age, she could get a feel for it... and boy was he right.. she simply loved it! She kept trying to imitate her daddy, holding the racket and running after the ball... it was too cute for words...she was so proud of herself after she "played" a bit...
Here are some pictures we took today.. Iggy was so happy to see her enjoy the moment....

Night at the Improv Comedy Club

My best friend Martyna called me earlier today to offer me a couple of tickets for the Improv tonight and we decided to go and have a good time. Not only is this our last weekend as parents of 1, but we also needed some time with friends and a nice night out.

My mom was nice enough to babysit for us and we were able to catch the 8:30pm show.

We saw comedian Steve Byrne, who is in town for the weekend. He was so hilarious and we had such a wonderful time with great humor and a nice meal....

Thank God for couple's nights out!

4 years ago....the day I became Mrs. Perez

On July 8th, 2005, Iggy and I exchanged marriage vows at a courthouse in Hollywood, FL. We had only known each other for about 5 months but we were so sure that we wanted to be together for life....and of course, we were so eager to be husband and wife!

The court was ugly and the room was very plain, but now that I look back at our simple civil wedding ceremony, I think I wouldn't have it any other way. We got married on a Friday, at around 8am, before going to work. The only guests (besides the judge), were my parents, who cried tears of joy and confusion, thinking their daughter was making the biggest mistake of her life....

The ceremony was then followed by our church wedding, that was held on November 18th 2005, which is our actual "wedding anniversary"...but still.. July 8th holds a special meaning for Iggy and I because that was the day we signed "the paper", that only means something to whoever signs it...

Today... 4 years and almost 2 kids later, we are as happy as can be and so thankful to God for having put us in each other's way....

Iggy brought me beautiful flowers today and I felt very special and loved... just like every day!

Here are pictures from that day... it's so fun to remember that moment!

Beautiful Olivia

I can't believe our "baby" will soon be 2 years old! These 3 are my favorite pictures of her within the past 3 months... too cute!

Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

My cousin Danny visits us...

June 25th-July 7th

My cousin Daniel was in town for a few days, visiting us and spending some quality time with us. Danny lives in Venezuela and came to Miami to buy some cell phones and computers for his business over there.

It was great to have him around for a couple of weeks and to be able to catch up with him and the stories of his life.

He has plans to move to Indiana to pursue a Master's degree and we're excited to hear all about his wonderful plans...

Thanks Danny for coming over! I hope we see you again very soon! ;)

Wordless Monday...

Iggy's 33rd birthday

Today we celebrated Iggy's 33rd birthday. It was a happy day because we got to be together and spend quality time as a family. Iggy was very happy with all the phone calls and messages he received from family and friends and he also got some neat presents.

We went to have lunch at a nice Italian restaurant, then we went to the mall for a while and finally at night we sang "Happy Birthday" with our family. The cake and all the desserts were very yummy and Iggy was happy to celebrate another birthday! Happy Birthday Iggy! We love you!

Happy 4th of July!

We had a wonderful holiday as we celebrated the 4th of July. Although we didn't do anything special during the day, Olivia was dressed up with the American colors and enjoyed showing off her little dress.

At night, we went to see fireworks at Miramar Regional Park, where they had a 20-minute showcase of wonderful fireworks and music. Olivia was fascinated by the spectacle and when it was over she wanted more!.. it was so cute... My mother in law and her husband, who happen to be visiting from Venezuela, also went with us to see the show.

This 4th is also very special for me, because it is my first one since I became an American citizen. Today, I feel specially proud to be an American! What a great day!

Our new SUV

Today was an eventful day since we purchased a new SUV. Our lease for the Nissan Murano expired this month so we decided to go car shopping. After looking at several SUVs, we decided to go with the Nissan Rogue, which is such a beautiful car.

This time, however, we decided to buy it instead of lease it since our lifestyle is a little more hectic now and we don't want to deal with mileage limitation. We bought it in black and added leather seats to it.

Iggy is so happy with the buy since we got such a good deal.. and of course, I'm thrilled to be driving a brand new SUV! yay!

The "nesting" has begun

Here I am, about 3 weeks away from my due date and in complete "nesting" mode. I have turned on my "baby" switch and have started to get everything ready for the arrival of Gaby. Some people might argue that I have started "too late", but I think keeping busy until the end will help me forget about time and will make me feel more encouraged as D-day approaches. With the help of my mother in law, I have started to organize the drawers and have done tons of newborn laundry. Every time I fold something, I find myself reminiscing about the time Olivia was born and I get very emotional. It's hard to believe that she was ever that small and even harder to think of having another little baby in my arms within the next 3 weeks. I have cleaned out the closet, painted letters for baby Gaby and I have even bought a few things for my girls...although I have tons of clothes, there so much cute stuff around that I can't resist!My hospital bag is ready also; I bought myself some robes and pj's as well as comfortable slippers for my hospital stay. I packed my "granny panties", nursing bras and some other "must have" items. I have an ultrasound tomorrow, where they will check the baby's size. I have a doctor's appointment next Thursday and will discuss the plan with my doctor....Remember that all pregnancy related updates, can be found in my Pregnancy Journal (www.adrianapregnancyjournal.blogspot.com)