13 weeks!

I promised myself that I wasn't going to "spam" my blog with pregnancy updates so I won't do that, but the occasional update won't hurt anybody and I want this journey to be a part of the blog that I will print for the girls (and this baby!) in a few years. 

So, here's my update... I am 13 weeks pregnant with baby #3 and even though it still feels surreal at times, we are incredibly excited by the prospect of a new baby come October! :)

I felt very crappy for the first few weeks and I'm really lacking in the "energy" department; my bed is my best friend these days and I'm ok with that even though I've had to cut down significantly on my day to day activities and "on-the-go" lifestyle.  A girl can't have it all, right? 

Now that I'm in the 2nd trimester, I feel MUCH better; the nausea has subsided and even though I do feel heartburn pretty much every day, it isn't nearly as bad as it was in the beginning.  

I did my preliminary blood test and everything came back normal.  I also had blood drawn from the Panorama Test last Wednesday and I am eagerly awaiting the results, which should take about another week to come back.  Not only will I know about genetic abnormalities and other disorders, but I will also find out the gender of this little one, which is about the most exciting thing aside from having the actual baby! 

My belly is growing by the minute and I get unbearable headaches about twice a week, but aside from that this has been a very uneventful pregnancy so far (thank God!).  I have already felt *some* movement and I love that feeling so much!

Next doctor's appointment is on April 15th, I'll update more then!

Here are a few pictures... one of my latest ultrasound at 12 weeks, a belly shot and also the most adorable 13 weeks ultrasound video! :)

Olivia's First Reconciliation

Olivia is SO close to having her First Communion and of course she's over the moon with excitement.  We have already picked out a dress, shoes, hairdo, etc and most importantly she has completed her First Reconciliation.
It was such a special event for us and Olivia was beaming with pride and joy and I was so happy to see her take this big step; this girl really takes her Catholic faith to heart and that makes me so proud!
Here are some pictures of her special day... First Communion is just a month away! :)

One year...

Today marks one year since my beloved Grandma was called to heaven; one year that I have spent missing her every day and reminiscing about what my life was like with her in it. It hasn't been easy; losing a loved one is such a challenge and moving forward without them is an ever bigger challenge.
There isn't a day that I don't think of Grandma, sometimes I even talk to her thinking she is still around, there are even days when I forget she's gone and I want to go over to her house to play Scrabble all afternoon and then it hits me that she's in a better place and probably enjoying her eternal peace.
My Grandma's absence has taught me so many things starting with the fact that people are alive as long as they are remembered and that God always provides that comfort needed beyond our human understanding, that death is permanent but so are the memories in our hearts and that Grandmas are angels no matter where they are.
I miss you so much, Grandma! Thank you for teaching me so much and for loving me without hesitation, even at my worst! You are always on my mind! :)

Forever my baby...

"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be."

There's something about being a mother that changes us forever; we develop this crazy instinct  and instantly become eternal guardians of our children.  I always say that becoming a mother has proven to me that love really has no limit and that there isn't a thing I wouldn't do to protect my children.  I also say that before becoming a mother, I had no idea I had a sleeping bear inside me, which gets really angry if/when anybody dares to mess with my children's well being....

So many things go through my mind when my children are in pain, whether physical or emotional.  I hurt when they hurt, I cry when they cry...that's just the way it goes....and it happened tonight...
After I put the kids to bed I was trying to unwind in my room and in came Olivia crying hysterically...more like sobbing.. she could barely speak through her tears and I became increasingly anxious... As I kept asking her "what's is wrong?, why are you crying?, what happened to you?, did you have a nightmare?, are you feeling sick?" she finally mustered up the courage to tell me "I'M SCARED!" I said "scare of what?" and she proceeded to tell me how one of her "friends" (notice the quotation marks since I'm not sure what kind of "friend" finds scaring someone to be funny) had told her a story about "Bloody Mary" and how she was petrified to sleep alone.  Olivia was literally shaking and she kept telling me how she thought she couldn't fall asleep just thinking about these awful stories her "friend" had told her.  I was so mad! I couldn't find the right words to give her peace, I felt so angry that someone would mess with her confidence and that peace and glow she always carries.  Olivia has no malice; she's such a happy and innocent child and I just hate the idea that some silly child even tries to take that away from her and I also hate that for a minute I froze and instead of finding the right words to calm her down, I dwelled in that anger which shouldn't have been my first reaction.
After I processed my thoughts, I started telling Olivia how she is surrounded by angels and how Jesus and God are much stronger than anything and that all those stories are just crazy things people make up when they lack faith and peace.  We talked about how strong our faith is and how our family is always at peace because God is by our side. We cried, we hugged and she finally calmed down and went back to bed.  I stayed with her for a while and she seemed to be back to her normal self.
Still, this incident left me thinking about she will be my baby forever and how no matter how much she grows, I will always do my best to protect her and allow her to have that glow in her eyes that makes my heart glow.  Olivia, please know that there will never be a time that I won't try my hardest to make you smile and to help you understand that as long as I'm alive, no evil thought or power will get to you because I'm your mama, and that's what mamas do....love and protect until the last breath!
I love you so much...and you're forever my baby! 

Movie Review: "Cinderella"

The long awaited Disney action film finally came out yesterday and we, of course, had a special date to watch the premiere.
Cinderella is such a classic; a beautiful story that always makes my heart pump no matter how many times I watch it, but this live action version was so much better than I imagined!
The casting was absolutely on point and I really appreciated the fact that the actress that played Cinderella wasn't a "perfect" beauty but rather an angelic girl that was so beautiful precisely because she wasn't "perfect" and she embraced that.  Cate Blanchett did an incredibly job as the evil step mother and the rest of the characters were just as great! (especially Lucifer the cat!)
The costumes were incredible and Cinderella's blue dress was simply stunning (I couldn't believe her tiny waist, omg!); it really gave the movie a "magic" touch...and the glass slippers.. wow! those were just plain awesome!
The scenery came straight out of fairy tale heaven, everything was beautiful, the castle was majestic and the royal ball was as royal as they come...
I also really enjoyed the way the movie brought to life that "magic" scene where Cinderella is turned into a princess, mice turned into men and pumpkin into a grand carriage; thanks to modern technology and special effects, the Fairy Godmother scene was just perfect; it all looked so real and magical at the same time; that was, without a doubt, my favorite part of the movie and one where the whole audience was in awe.
I loved that all elements of the story, including the little mice, were included into this version; I will admit that before I saw it I was intrigued to see how things like talking mice would be incorporated...
Even though this version slightly deviates from the original story (a little more background is given about Cinderella's happy life prior to the evil step mother and the shoe that breaks is the one she kept instead!), I think the movie stayed very true to the classic and was incredibly heart warming. I really enjoyed the new angle to this classic and thought the movie was absolutely perfect.
When the movie was over, everyone was clapping so loudly; they definitely did a great job in building up those big moments including the final kiss between Cinderella and her prince.. great writing!
All in all, Disney didn't disappoint this time and Cinderella is the perfect family movie that I'm sure will be a hit for many years to come! This one gets 4 out 4 stars from me! Loved it!
And of course, the MOST important part of the movie is its message to all girls (and all people): "Always have courage and BE KIND!"

Long time no post...

Ever since I posted about our "surprise baby", I haven't been much of a good blogger and I feel completely guilty about that.
While I will not blame the pregnancy for my lack of blogging inspiration, I will say that I've done a lot of sleeping lately and that's probably because of my pregnant state, which has prevented me from writing since I can't really blog with my eyes closed! ;)  I promised I wasn't going to complain about the "perks" of being pregnant, but oh gosh am I exhausted!
The past few weeks have been fun; the nausea seems to have subsided (finally!) and I'm looking more like a fat/chubby/pregnant-ish girl; I've caught a few people looking at my bloat and I'm sure they're probably thinking something like "did she get fat? or does she have a tumor growing in her stomach?"...yeah.. it's funny to see people's faces sometimes!
The girls have about 55 days left of this school year and I still can't believe the summer break is upon us.. this year has really flown by and they are growing by the second.
Olivia will be having her First Holy Communion next month and we are so excited for her; it is such a big deal for all of us and I'm sure many tears of joy and pride will be shed on that day.  We are going to have a small family celebration that day so the planning has been a lot of fun!
This month Gaby also did her first lector job at mass; she read a beautiful passage from the Bible and it was so exciting to see her perform so well; it was such a proud moment for me! :)
I've got a bunch of cute pictures I've taken lately, so I will be doing a "photo dump" this week!
I also have a couple of giveaways to do on the blog soon; I will be raffling a "Sofia the First" DVD and a Tinker Bell movie, which is the most adorable one yet.
Stay tuned.. more coming this week! :)