Christmas Circus

To say that Rod & I were tired/exhausted from the holidays would be a gross understatement - rolling into Christmas with a new baby & busy pre-schooler tested our patience, limits and sleep tolerance (or lack thereof!). I had vowed to get some Christmas shopping done while on maternity leave, but let's face it - getting a shower, much less Christmas shopping done, was a huge accomplishment during any given day. I quickly said 'the hell with that', and decided to bask in my non-showered bliss while snuggling with my new baby. And letting myself enjoy the nirvana of a no-deadline-day....with my job, it's deadlines all day for various things. They never stop....it's almost hard to feel like you've ever accomplished anything b/c once you've checked one deadline off your list, 3 more appear. Sigh, I digress...

So, with being ill-prepared gift-wise, I was lucky enough to get some ideas sent from my mom. I'm telling you, and I openly confess that while I pride myself on being a super-mom, I failed this Christmas. I literally was shopping until the 11th hour. I felt like the kid in college who races into the classroom for a final in their pj's, stinky t-shirt and busted pencil. So ill-prepared I was embarrassed of myself. Tried to give myself the pass of "you just had a baby a few wks ago", but it didn't settle right in making excuses for something I have had all year to prep for. Shame, shame. I found something for everyone (what they wanted) and everyone was happy. Whew. The bad news is, Christmas may be over, but February is right around the corner which brings Rod's birthday & our anniversary. Two biggies that stress me out - primarily b/c Rod is so hard to buy for! I try to be clever & cute for every birthday & anniversary, but honestly, I'm feeling pretty tapped out. So, if you have any good ideas, help a sistah out!

Charlie, our elf, came to visit again this year. He comes every Thanksgiving night - and Sophia knows it. Last year she was still warming up to the idea of having an elf come and watch her behavior and then reporting it to Santa each night while she slept. This year, she could've cared less what that damn elf reported...she just had fun playing the game of "where is Charlie at this morning"?! Charlie hung out everywhere this year: family Christmas tree, Sophia's tree, Camilla's tree, our mantle (which meant he hitched some rides on the camels & sheep from our nativity), snuggled up in our stockings, perched inside our indoor window wreaths and even took Sophia's Fisher Price airplane & school bus for spins. His last day visiting he got pretty wild and decided he'd string up some TP on our kitchen chandelier. Sophia LOVED it.

Charlie gettin' wild with the TP

Normally, every Christmas Eve is spent going to the Children's Mass, followed by the annual cocktail party at Lopez's. However, this year, Patricia decided to forego the whole party and just do a quiet family dinner (still need to upload photos from our other camera!). I was so relieved. Especially with an 8wk old, I just didn't want to push it and make it a late night. It would've made for a really long day for us - especially since both Rod & I had to work that day. We enjoyed Mass, and then a delicious and low-key dinner at Lopez's. We enjoyed opening gifts and watching Sophia. I was smart enough to know it'd get late no matter what, and I packed Sophia's toothbrush and pj's. When we got home, we put together cookies for Santa and hit the sack. I was SO grateful when both girls slept in until 7:15am! Sophia's big wish for Santa this year was a "big, big, big bike". And Santa delivered! She awoke all excited to see her brand new big-girl bike and helmet parked in front of the tree! Forget the rest of the pink-wrapped gifts under the tree, the bike was all she cared about! She immediately hopped on (helmet & all) and pedaled laps around our house! It was hilarious as we'd have to stop her between laps to come open one of her gifts. Never bothered to remove the helmet either. The weather was blustery and cold (rain, but snow forecasted!) and so riding outside was next to nill. Rod did brave the cold and let her ride a few short minutes outside. Camilla enjoyed the morning snuggled up with me and could've cared less about the stuff Santa brought her (a kick piano for the crib) and a few teething toys/rattles. She's now very alert and loves her mobile and rattles. We play games with new textures touching her skin and we love it when she smiles big followed by the CUTEST coo's!!

Later Christmas morning, we headed over to the Schultz's for lunch and presents. My mom never does anything half-done...frosted cookies, homemade fudge, homemade dip, chex mix and more covered the kitchen countertops upon our arrival and the aroma of honey-baked ham and green bean casserole permeated the air. I could actually feel myself getting fatter. And I was okay with that. We decided to open gifts first, allowing Sophia to tear into them, then eat. Of course followed closely by naps! Sophia had the best time and received some fun new things (namely a new doll that was eerily proportionate to Camilla & even looked like her). She hardly let my brother out of her sight - that is her buddy! We all enjoyed the morning/afternoon together and by the time we left, it was indeed snowing! The majority of my life, I've had white Christmases, and so the handful that I've had without snow makes it always feel un-Christmas-y. I was tickled to watch Sophia light up and to know that Camilla's first Christmas was a white one. Sadly, most of the snow didn't stick, but as anyone who's lived with regular snowfall, the first snowfall is the most beautiful. It's one of the most peaceful acts of nature to watch....it never gets old to me.

Uncle Jim & Sophia

Uncle Jim burping Sophia's new "Camilla look-alike"

Camilla's 1st Christmas!

Sophia & her new baby doll from Uncle Jim

Let the present-opening COMMENCE!

All in all, although some portions of juggling schedules and children stressed me out, our first Christmas as a family of four was wonderful. I was so happy to slow down and watch the delight on Sophia's face and to snuggle Camilla - as I knew next year the girls would be older and bigger. It was amazing to think that a year ago, Camilla was only a wish and a prayer....and now here we had a beautiful new baby girl to be grateful for. Even though she was an October baby, she was still the best Christmas gift. Life just seemed so sweet this year - and it can only get better!

Inside the stocking Nana handmade for her

I love my stocking, thanks Nana!

Christmas Catch-Up

It's been far too long, but I'm going to give our poor blog an update by (gasp!) actually posting! We'll try to do this 'cliffs-notes' style. Short, sweet and to the point. No worries on a quiz either...

Camilla a-snoozin' away!

Camilla is a growing girl having just reached her 2 month birthday (um, excuse me, but where has the time gone already!?) on Dec. 18th. Today she went for her 2month check up and here's her stats: 8lbs 5oz and 21 3/4 inches long.

She is learning to coo so sweetly and smiles at the sounds of our voices or sights of our faces. She loves when we play the little game of tickling her nose/cheek/ear/tummy - she is happiest laying down and 'playing'. She continues to be such an easy & sweet baby...we are so blessed! Camilla loves to snooze and sleeps from about 10:30pm until 6am - Mommy is especially grateful! I have nicknamed her "Birdie" as she has the cutest little baby-bird-down hair on her head, and that she will snuggle right up to me like a baby bird would to its mother. So sweet.

Camilla was also baptized on Dec. 12th - wearing my own baptism gown....and the same one Sophia wore to her baptism. It's a sweet little dress and now it means so much to have worn it myself and had both daughters wear it. However, neither daughter was I able to get a decent photo of them wearing it. Go figure.

Camilla wearing Mommy's baptism dress

Brendan & Monica: Camilla's Godparents

Sophia seems like a teenager in comparison to her baby sister. She is busy with school and her social calendar! School performances, parties, play dates and more keep Sophia a-buzz with activity. She is only 3mos away from turning FOUR - I can't hardly believe it. She is still loving school and is SO darn smart! She can write her name, "mommy", "daddy" and attempts "Camilla" and a few of her friends' names. She recognizes letters and is on the brink of learning the basics of reading (hooray!). She loves books and pretending to be a teacher...most of all, she loves being Camilla's BIG sister - can you believe the novelty hasn't worn off yet? We've never seen signs of jealousy and I don't think we ever will. Pure sweetness pours from her kisses, hugs and love for Camilla. Heaven! Here's some more of what Sophia's been up to...

Boarding The Polar Express!

Reading along in the book as we race to the North Pole aboard The Polar Express!

Sophia singing in her school Christmas program

Sophia's class Christmas party

Sophia 'skyping' with her bff, Ava across town!

In other news, Mommy sadly had to return to work in her position as marketing director & buyer on Dec. 9th. Working as a marketing director & buyer for 3 retail stores meant I had LOTS of work to do before I ever left on maternity leave...and also meant I'd have a heap on my desk when I returned. Not to mention heading back to market (in Atlanta) for nearly a week early January! I had told myself that it wouldn't be hard or bad since I'd been thru this before and I'd at least know what to expect. Wrong! I think it was worse this time b/c of that very reason. I had high anxiety going back. I love my job, but I knew how badly it was going to hurt to have to give up being the full-time mommy gig that I had cherished the past 8wks. I was desperately going to miss the girls. However, I fared ok my first day back - and Rod even had flowers sent to my office to help cheer me up. It was nice to be greeted with such enthusiasm by everyone I worked with - it felt good to be wanted back at work by all of them as they said they had really missed me. It's always nice to know you're needed and wanted by so many sweet people! Luckily, unlike my return to work after Sophia's birth, I at least remembered where my files were stored on my computer at work! It's taking me a bit of time to re-adjust to being a working mom, but I'm hanging in there and hoping I can manage my new family circus!

I was super proud of myself this year for running in my 7th consecutive Jingle Bell Run 5k too....just 6wks after giving birth! Initially I had given up hope of doing it as I thought that was too lofty of a goal. However, I recovered great from the c-section, and was exercising long before the 6wk mark. Because I was in such great shape when I got pregnant, I was able to shed the baby weight in nearly record time. Without any running under my belt in the last 9mos or leading up to the run, I think finishing it in 36mins wasn't too shabby. I told myself I wouldn't be running this for the time this year, but just to say I completed it. I was certainly proud for finishing it, but I sure did miss my time of 28mins from last year's run!

Julie post-run...brr, it was a COLD run!

Shed the jacket to pose with my Birdie!

Lastly, we are looking forward to spending our first Christmas as a family of four...God has blessed us greatly with our sweet Camilla Ann this year and we couldn't be happier or more grateful!

Happy 1 Month Camilla!

Can you believe that sweet baby Camilla is already 1 month old? I'm freaking out at how quickly the second baby seems to grow up - this is not okay with the mommy. Sigh, if I could freeze time, I would. Probably a long time ago, somewhere in college, because that was a pretty rockin' good time, but watching my two girls grow like weeds no doubt scares the hell out of me - I want them to stay the sweet babies they are! However, even I have to remember in the words of Robert Browning (& probably my favorite quote ever):

"The best is yet to be..."

waking up !

look at those blue-gray eyes!

love her little smile...

So, with that said it's time to update on Camilla! Here's how she stacked up from the get-go:

• Birth: 5lbs 7oz / 19.5" long
• Leaving Hospital: 5lbs 1/2oz
• 1 week weight check: 5lbs 90z
• 2 week check up: 5lbs 14oz
• 1 month check up: 6lbs 10z! / 20 3/4" long

I am so proud of Camilla's progress....now, she is still very tiny (like a doll), but she is growing great according to the pediatrician. She is our tall & skinny girl for sure! What's humorous is that at 1 month old, Camilla weighs pretty much as Sophia did at birth (6lbs 90z)! Both were born 19.5" long, but Sophia was 1lb 20z heavier...and even at 6lbs 9oz, she was considered tiny! Sophia no doubt grew up healthy and strong, so we know Camilla will too.

Camilla is such a good little eater...I nursed her for about 3wks (whew!) and now she is strictly on formula. Just like Sophia, she was able to go from breast to bottle with no trouble...and takes pacifiers just fine. I always think of those poor mothers who cannot get their babies to switch to a bottle or formula after nursing them. Thank GOD my girls gave me no trouble. Camilla is happy to eat every 3-4hrs and drinks in a hefty (haha) 2.5oz per feeding. She's hilarious as sometimes she'll go into what I call a "milk coma" afterwards! Her eyes just slam shut and she is out cold...sometimes complete with baby snoring. Priceless!

Proud big sister feeding Camilla

She's busy moving her body around and discovering her hands, fingers, and legs. My favorite is that she is becoming more alert and knows my voice no matter where I am in the room. Just yesterday, my mom had just returned from out of town and was holding Camilla to get in some missed snuggles. She started to fuss and we thought it was because she was tired. Mom (Nana) handed her off to me and I started to just talk to her and immediately, Camilla calmed and was content. Gotta love that as a mommy! My very favorite is that she is learning to find her voice - she has the sweetest coo's and squeaks. We spend time everyday "talking" to each other and it's fun to watch her expressions as we go. She continues to be such a calm and easy baby. For the most part, she's sleeping some great stretches at night (11pm to 5am or 6am). Sometimes she will wake up for a little mid-night snack...can't blame her. So does her Daddy. Except he's messier. And I still have to clean up after the both of them. Ha.

Sophia continues to love & dote on Camilla...always wanting to kiss/hug her first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. She adores reading stories to her before naptime and bedtime, or just sitting with her to keep her company. It has been so fun for me to watch this sweet and pure relationship blossom between the two. What's wonderful as a mom is that you are blessed with a child to love and nurture....and now I have two. I questioned whether or not I was going to be capable of loving Camilla, a second child, as much as I did Sophia, my firstborn. It really is amazing at how much love our hearts are truly capable of holding or projecting. What's even better, is watching your first child overflow with love towards your second. Well, I'll enjoy it until the day they fight over toys, clothes or boys. Until then, it's pure love!

And furthermore, "the best is yet to be"!

Sweet sisters snuggling!

Sophia loves reading to Camilla in the morning

Telling secrets already?

Camilla is growing so fast, she won't fit much longer!

Sigma Kappa Legacies!

The one thing I've ever wanted more than anything else in the world was my own sister. Someone who I could dress up with, giggle & share secrets with and fall asleep talking about boys with. Lo & behold I only ever got an older brother...who never seemed up for those types of things. Especially with his baby sister. Can't quite blame him...I quickly decided that I'd do just about anything to be able to be accepted by him, so I'd try to play cars and boy stuff with him if he let me. Apparently my 'gun' sounds were never quite right. Nor could I drive correctly on the imaginary town roads that were in his mind....to me, it was a wide open floor, so I could drive wherever I wanted! Don't get me wrong, brothers are great and I'm SO glad I've got one. He really is the best. However, I would've been completely fine with being the middle child if my parents had had another baby and it have been a girl. Well, I would've been pretty screwed if it had been another boy. HA!

Once I got to college, I decided to do the sorority rush thing....I was completely uneducated about the whole system and experience. I was a true 'yankee' outsider....all of my fellow southern belle classmates had been groomed by generations of sorority women in their lives and would no doubt go to the most coveted sororities. Me? I didn't even know the greek alphabet, let alone serve as a legacy to any sorority. At one point before rush, after scouring for letters of rec, I almost decided not to go through with it. What if I was rejected by all of them? What if no one liked me? I was extremely used to being the 'new girl' all the time from moving around in the military, so that portion didn't scare me. All I had to do was make a few friends and hope to blend in a bit. Sorority rush was much different....huge groups of girls would be there critiquing my every word and move. I was terrified. However, I went forward with it and I'm so glad I did!

During the week I realized how much fun I was having...and how much in common I had with so many of the other girls! Some were like me in that they moved alot growing up, or came to Auburn from waaayyy out of state (I was hailing from Washington DC at the time since my Dad was stationed at the Pentagon). Some were just searching for a group to belong to. Some were even searching for what I was - sisterhood.

I eventually narrowed it down to my top two choices: Alpha Gam and Sigma Kappa. Luckily, I found out later that both were fighting to get (gasp!) ME! I prayed and prayed over which one did I most feel at home with...and in hindsight, had I chosen the other, I no doubt would've been just as happy as I am now. They were both that great. I ended up pledging Sigma Kappa for many reasons...one big reason was one girl who was truly like a big sister to me that week...Patti McClanahan. Patti is now married and lives elsewhere, but she made me feel so welcome. I adored her from day one. On pledge day, she hugged me tighter than even my mom hugged me...she was so excited I was there. I was elated. I had finally gotten my wish of a sister...and morever, I had gotten a whole lot more than one...I had a whole chapter full of them!

Over my four years at school at Auburn, I have the most wonderful memories of date nights, swaps and formals with Sigma Kappa. Giggling during formal chapter meetings, going to pep rallies and more...it was a dream come true. Since graduation, I've stayed in touch with many of them...sharing in celebrations large and small. Luckily for me, now I have two daughters of my own that not only have each other as blood sisters, but are also Sigma Kappa legacies...something I'm so proud of.

Recently, after having had Camilla, one of my SK sisters, Jessica, stopped by to shower Camilla with gifts (and lots of them!)...and it even included "Future Sigma Kappa" shirts for both Camilla and Sophia! Even if neither of my girls pledges Sigma Kappa, I'll still be proud of their legacies. It was a brief visit, but I loved that Jessica took the time out of her very busy schedule to visit!

Jessica, Camilla & Julie (rocking the au naturel look)

Sophia & Camilla's Sigma Kappa gear!

Next up, one of my best friends (& old roommate) from Sigma Kappa, Nancy, came down to visit and meet Camilla. Nancy and I were nearly inseparable in college and found ourselves in all sorts of pickles: from classwork, to dates, to everything in between. Nancy and her mom brought lunch to my house and we had fun catching up. Sophia loved Nancy and called her "Fancy" instead (which if you know her, that's pretty fitting - ha!)...then Nancy got to meet Camilla too! It was a huge treat to see Nancy & her mom...better yet, it was a huge treat to get to introduce my girls to my own sisters. I can't wait to introduce them to many more in the days, months & years to come!

Julie, Camilla, Nancy & Sophia

Happy Birthday Camilla Ann!

We can't believe that 11 days ago, our sweet Camilla Ann was born! She arrived via emergency c-section due to being breach on Monday October 18th at 1:36pm weighing in at 5lbs 7oz and stretching a tall 19.5" long. We simply adore her!

39 weeks!

Leaving home to have one last family of 3 dinner, then to the hospital!

Mommy was scheduled for induction on that Monday 10/18, but because at my last checkup, I was only 1cm dilated and 50% effaced, Dr. Duggar had me check into the hospital Sunday night to start pre-induction by taking Cytotech. However, upon the nurses examining me after getting to the hospital they discovered I'd progressed to 3cm on my own since my last appt! Dr. Duggar was notified and told them to skip the cytotech pill and just start me on pitocin as scheduled at 5am the next morning. Nurses woke Mommy up bright and early so I could get one last shower in and get freshened up for the day - it was fun to think that by the next shower, I'd have Camilla! Part of me got sad, so I cried in the shower (damn hormones), but then as preggie hormones do, I did a 180 and got happy within 25 seconds of shedding tears. Nurses then started pitocin once I was ready and off I went to the happy land of labor!

Somewhere around 9-10am they broke my water (the MOST uncomfortable part) - it reminds you very quickly what it'd be like to not have bladder control. Trust me people, be glad you have bladder control - having your water broken makes you feel like you just peed yourself. Not glamourous in the least. But motherhood rarely is.

Looking happy (thanks to the drugs!)

Around 11-ish I was having really strong contractions reaching into the 100's +....if you don't know how strong that is....it's like your body is resting at 0, then as your contraction strengthens, the numbers climb higher. I was able to tolerate up into the 40-50's, but after that I wanted to punch someone in the face. That's a serious kind of hurting going on to want to do that! I received my epidural and was much happier. I have forgotten to mention that I had med students following my 'case' all day....no worries, I had agreed to it and so I had some fun with them. They were all fun and helped pass the time. As they were all talking about the differences in my contractions, it was interesting to hear them discuss the 'medical' part of it all - it was like my own little science/school lesson. So there I was in major labor, gettin' my learn on. Now THAT's multi-tasking!

Rod was a champ through the entire morning as he arrived when they started pitocin, so I know he was exhausted. Daddy's have a hard time with waiting. And patience. He did good though - no lion pacing back and forth this time around like he had done when Sophia arrived. Although, he did go and treat himself to a yummy looking lunch in the Dr's lounge (thanks to his dad giving him access!). It only made Mommy hungrier! He got lunch, I got more pitocin.

Soon, they checked me and discovered I was fully dilated and ready to push! Delivering Sophia was an absolute breeze, so I was extremely calm when it came time to deliver Camilla. Enter the drama here. My nurse calmly asked me after a few good pushes, "Did your firstborn have lots of hair?" and I replied enthusiastically, "Yes, she had TONS"....I'm not sure if that is a code line used by nurses to notify the Dr. that something might be up, but Dr. Duggar came over (he was prepping the cord blood collection kit) and examined me and discovered Camilla was BREACH. WHAT?! I freaked out. Only a few days earlier, he had examined me and confirmed she was indeed vertex (head first). Oh my God...I knew what this meant: C-section. I was absolutely, undeniably terrified. I simply told Dr. Duggar to do what he needed to do to get her out quickly and safely - as she was already in the birth canal. I knew we were limited on time. Meanwhile, more than me freaking out, I'm pretty sure the med students were freaking out too...however, this was an added 'excitement' factor to their day. All of the sudden nurses, Dr.'s and med students were rushing everywhere getting things ready to go to surgery. Meanwhile I was completely melting down - I just didn't expect this. I couldn't pull myself together - but could anyone blame me? Had I had a planned C-section, this would've been okay.

Into surgery I went and when the drape was pulled up I was more terrified than ever before - but I had an awesome anesthesist who kept me calm & reassured. Before I knew it, he had me so calm the next thing I heard was Dr. Duggar saying "here she is!" and hearing Camilla cry! Then of course I cried and I think Rod teared up too - but that could've been that I finally let up on my death grip too!? Camilla in her barenaked glory was brought around the drape so I could see her and then whisked off to the other side of the room for the first few tests, etc. They then wiped her down and swaddled her and handed her to Rod...he was SO proud! I got to kiss her and I cried some more...it was all finally over!

Happy Birthday Camilla Ann!



Rod followed Camilla and I was all sewn up - listening to Dr. Duggar quiz the med students on what he was doing and why and the methods, etc. Actually kinda interesting to hear...kind of like a book on tape as you ride in the car...except a quick med quiz as you're sewn up! I had to get my kicks where I could....I was just traumatized and elated within a 15min period. I went into recovery where one of the nurses had a Strawberry frapp (or smoothie something) from Starbucks and all I could think of was, "mmm, could I have a sip of that?". I'm crazy. It was nice and quiet there and I just closed my eyes and dreamt of sweet Camilla and how she was going to be worth every bit of what I just endured. I was so right!

I went up to the post-partum ward where my mom, dad & brother were waiting. Rod was still with Camilla in the nursery but would be there soon. No matter how old you are, it's nice to see your mom, dad & brother after major surgery! My brother had taken the day off work for the big event and brought the most beautiful pink flowers (that are just as beautiful 10days later!) an adorable balloon (that is still floating high) and a little gift for Sophia. He's the best!


Soon Daddy arrived with Camilla and I could snuggle her for the first time! I was in heaven! She was so sweet and tiny...like a little baby doll. There I sat, a new mommy all over again, holding the sweet baby that I had prayed so hard for! She is such a little miracle and I then understood how much my heart was capable of overflowing with love for not one little girl, but TWO. I was overcome with joy and I couldn't believe that I had two beautiful children to call my very own!

Later that afternoon/early evening Lopez's, brought Sophia up to meet her new sister and it was LOVE at first sight! Sophia had been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for her sister to be born...and now she could finally kiss Camilla rather than my tummy. She was elated and probably the proudest new big sister I have ever seen! I was thrilled to see that sweet moment between them as now it would be the beginning of a life-long relationship I had always wanted myself - having a sister. I had quick flashes of all the things they'd share together...and even the little spats they'd have. I smiled.




Our hospital stay was great...Camilla was doing well despite a bit of slight jaundice and a few low bloodsugar levels. With formula supplementation, we brought sugar levels back up to where they should be and all is well. She could barely drink an ounce or more, but now she is our resident piggy! She drinks 2oz and nurses on top of that....oink, oink!! She's growing rapidly - at her weight check this past week, she's up to 5lbs 5oz...almost back to her birthweight. I can't wait to see what they say at her 2wk check up this next Monday. She is also a very calm and easy baby....happy to be held, but sleeps and is generally happy. Barely squeaks when you change her diaper....well, she cries, but it's such a small tiny cry. It's almost cute to hear!


Dressed & ready to go home

Sophia with Camilla in a toy cradle great Grandpa Schultz made!



We are simply elated over our little Camilla and can't wait to do more updates! Check in with us often as I am making it a goal to update the blog weekly (if not more). I've discovered being a mommy to two little girls is a BUSY job! Sophia wears me out more than Camilla these days - pray I can survive these first few weeks! HA!

Ol' Smartypants...

These days, being a big pre-schooler and all, Sophia is our resident smartypants. Not only does she THINK she knows everything, she's positive she knows it BETTER than you. Ah, so now I know how it feels to raise a teenager...and for that let me go ahead and apologize to my own parents. I don't think I was ever a pill to deal with, but I'm pretty sure I had my moments. So, for the record Mom and Dad - "You were right". Now I can move on and be privileged to the same parental hell - twice. Make that quadruple. If every toddler has this 'pre-teen' act, then I'll get to experience that twice. Then when they're actually teenagers (gasp!), that'll be a two-time experience as well. So, by the end of it, maybe they'll call me the "Teen Whisperer". One can only dream....

Smartypants, aka Sophia, seems to act like a 15yr old girl trapped in this little 3.5yr olds body. She gives the huffs, the puffs, the facial expressions and gestures (no middle finger yet, thank goodness!). It's almost like the real-life version of those funny commercials (have gone COMPLETELY blank on the product/company!) where the parent is shown talking to the toddler daughter about ready to drive the car, but then at the end of the commercial the audience realizes the 'toddler' is really a legal driving aged teen....the parent just still sees them as toddlers. It's either an insurance or car commercial....they're cute. That's what Rod and I feel like when we're talking to Sophia...she sounds so much older than what she looks like. Her reasoning skills are pretty accute and I'm not sure if that's good or bad! She often surprises us by using big words in the correct context and giving pretty good explanations of things.

Here are some fun tidbits that she's learning in school (just a random rolling list):

• "criss-cross applesauce" is said when she needs to sit indian style
• loves reading the first book she made in school, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" ("what do you see?")
• the cute rhymes she's learning to help her remember how to make her numbers:

--"Straight then down, and then you're done...that's how you make a number ONE"

--"Around & back on the railroad track, TWO, TWO, TWO"

--"Around the tree, around the tree, that's how you make a number THREE"

--"Make a hat, take a dive, make a big round tummy and that's a number FIVE"

• She loves coming home and playing school and pretending to be Mrs. Thomas, her teacher. We must sit in front of her dry-erase board and practice letters and numbers. Sometimes we'll get sent to time out too.

Some other fun things we've been noticing at this age are:

• she loves eating marshmallows (white, pastel, shapes, etc!)
• enjoys making s'mores with mommy
• she's very into playing 'babies' - feeding them, changing their diapers, tucking them in, rocking them, etc.
• adores helping us in the kitchen with whatever little job she can do....she's a really good little muffin maker!
• loves to play "beautyshop" with both mommy & daddy. Complete with brushing, clips and spraying our hair with the spritzer bottle until soaking wet.
• Favorite movies: The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Little People and random Barbie princess movies that were a hand-me-down from our old neighbor Mackenzie Parker.
• thinks she is "Wendy" from Peter Pan when she wears her blue nightgown
• Favorite Disney shows: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place
• Favorite other shows: Wonder Pets, Dora, and anything music related (if she thinks you aren't watching her, she'll dance and pretend she's performing!)
• Loves singing along to the CD Daddy made for her this summer. Favorite songs include: "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus, "Round & Round" and "You are the Thunder" by Selena Gomez, "Baby" by Justin Bieber and sometimes a Jonas Brothers song or two.
• Favorite Books to read at naps/bedtime: "The Three Little Pigs", "Fancy Nancy" and "Bedtime for Mommy"....all of which she has "memorized" so she can 'read' to us!
• Favorite things to Wear: jean shorts, jeans, jean skirt, pink jeweled flip flops, headbands
• Favorite Foods: boiled peanuts, broccoli, CHEESE, marshmallows, goldfish (we should own stock in Pepperidge Farm), mac & cheese and any food you make into small pieces and put 'party toothpicks' in....it then becomes "party_______". Hilarious. Oh, and LOVES dessert.

Oh, Sophia the Smartypants is a character indeed! She is a crack-up on a daily basis for sure - I'm sure once Camilla is here, she'll be more of a ham to get some attention. That should be interesting!

Sweet Sophia

I'm thankfully nearing the end of my pregnancy with Camilla (37wks this week), but as I look forward to sweet new memories with another very special little girl I get the privilege to call my daughter, I have a renewed sense of just how special my first-born really is....my dear Sweet Sophia.



Sophia is growing so fast and some days I forget to enjoy it - sometimes it's a tad difficult when a 3.5yr old is testing your patience to the max. But then at bedtime when she's reading YOU the bedtime stories in her new big-girl bed, you realize how amazing this little being really has become! She has grown out of her "terrified to go to school" phase that plagued us the beginning of this year, to now LOVING it. So much so that she loves to play 'school' and be her teacher, "Mrs. Thomas". Complete with hand gestures and copied teacher-phrases, Sophia takes on the teacher role pretty darn well. You best mind her, otherwise she WILL put you in time out!



She is busy learning her letters and numbers and is SO proud of herself when she recognizes them among signs, words, names....and everywhere you can imagine. One of her favorite places to give a shout out while in the car is CVS Pharmacy....solely for the fact it has 3 of her favorite letters:



C= Camilla's letter

V= Violet's letter (bff at school)

S= "My letter!"



She associates all of our families with "their" letters (N=Nana, P=Papa, A=Abuelita & Abuelito, etc.) and is very proud to be able to write many of them on her own. I'm not sure if it's preggie hormones or just motherly-pride, but I have cried over how tremendously smart she really is. She has the same voracious appetite for reading, writing and learning in general that I remember having when I was very little too. In kindergarten I used to read lots of books to my class....and I LOVED writing stories (figures that I'd grow up and love to blog too). Both served me well and I hope she continues to love it.



Sophia continues to crack us up with the little gems that seem to fall out of her mouth - whether she intended to be funny or not. Many times we struggle to hide our laughter as it is not the appropriate time nor place....oops. Rod and I are just big kids, so we're not that great at hiding it.



I have to admit that every now and then I have a good little cry over the fact that my sweet 'baby' Sophia is nearing 4 and is acting so grown up. It makes me realize that when Camilla does arrive, I need to relish and cherish every moment with her as she will grow up quickly. I do get sad thinking about in only 12days Sophia will no longer be the center of our universe, but she will be forever changed by this new baby girl. I wonder if she will be able to handle the change and find love in her heart to share with Camilla. Since I'm the youngest, it's an emotion I never dealt with myself. However, I'm desperately hoping she will grow up knowing just how lucky and blessed she is to have a sister - something I wished, prayed and begged my own parents for.



I'm pretty sure that Sophia will make a fantastic big sister, because she made Camilla a bunny just like her own at Build-A-Bear this past Sunday. Sophia even picked out lavender ribbons for Camilla's bunny (since her room is lavender) and Sophia's bunny has pink ribbons (since her room is pink)....Sophia made mommy SO proud:

Picking out Camilla's bunny

Making a special wish for the bunny's heart

Sophia the master stuffer!

Giving Camilla's bunny a 'bath'

Typing up the bunny's birth certificate!

Meet "Molly" - Camilla's new bunny!

I'll blog in another post about all the neat things Sophia is doing/learning at school....she's our resident smarty-pants these days!

I'm a BIG girl now!

Sophia's new BIG girl bed & room

We finally got Sophia her very own BIG girl bed last week and Daddy & Papa picked it up today! We decided that Sophia was indeed ready to graduate from her little toddler bed (that had been filling up with all her stuffed animals and babies, leaving no room for HER) into a big girl twin-sized bed. Luckily, Nana & Papa kept my old white wrought iron headboard that I used as a little girl (& loved!!), so we were able to buy a new mattress set. It sure is comfy! We kept the pink/green colors by choosing a Shabby Chic quilt set for her room - complete with pink sheets. Sophia is sooo jazzed about her new bed and bedding - Mommy & Daddy are too! We even re-arranged her room to accommodate the new addition, which was a nice refreshing change.

We thought that not only was she ready for this new change, but deserved it now more than ever in light of all the big changes that accompany a new baby sibling soon. Sophia is very excited about Camilla's arrival, but we wanted to give her something that was super exciting in her little world - plus I'm convinced that she'll have a deeper more restful sleep. Can't wait to hear from her at breakfast in the morning!

I'm now at 36wks with Camilla and will go in for my next weekly visit this upcoming Monday (37wks). I'm hanging in there, but the weight that I carry is strictly up-front, so makes walking awkward and my back killer by days end. I'm still making daily trips to the gym and doing at least 30mins of cardio on the elliptical + weights (go me!). I feel so much better post-workout, but it's truly the hardest part to get there. Now that I've made it back into a 'routine', it's much easier. Whew.

I'm extremely busy at work doing lots of shell ads and other design work so that when I'm on maternity leave, the details can be plugged in and submitted. It's a LOT of work now, but it will pay off when I can be at home snuggling my new baby girl and not even thinking about work - I'll actually get to enjoy the holidays this year - HOORAY!

Baby Heaven...

Thursday, September 2nd brought the much anticipated arrival of our sweet Godson, Evan Brendan Crimi! Our good friends, Brendan & Monica, were anxiously awaiting his arrival too...and so was big sister Ava. The day before his arrival, both Monica & I got to meet up for one last "quiet" and ''baby-free" lunch - we had fun getting to relax and chat. We couldn't believe the whole time we'd be pregnant & "fluffy" together, we hadn't had any belly pics together, so we got one just in the nick of time!

The next day, Evan arrived via c-section to very proud parents! On Friday, we traveled to the hospital to meet baby Evan (aka Baby Heaven as big sister Ava had once said!). Sophia and Ava were mighty happy to see each other and were so good playing quietly in the hospital room...even whispering and playing "ring around the rosey"! HA!

A very proud Fairy Godmother!

Proud Godfather Rod!

Daddy, Evan & Mommy