Living La Vida Lopez

The Beginning of the End: Sophia's 1st Day School

2011-08-19T22:33:00.000-05:00

Time for school and all that comes with it - new teachers, new rules, new desks, a mix of new & old friends and new curriculums. Sophia had a fantastic schoolyear last year, despite a rough start, but learned so many new & exciting things (writing/reading her own name...and even some other words), along with gaining an astounding amount of confidence in performing tasks in general (school-related or not). The summer kept Sophia busy with VBS, Tennis camps/clinics, swimming lessons, vacation and even summer school! Talk about a lady with a full schedule!

Sophia, 4.5yrs old
August 17th, 2011

Because I'm a sucker for doing fun 'little' things, I decided that I wanted to make Sophia's first day of school memorable. It was my way of repeating the memorable tradition my own mom started during my childhood of cooking a 'first-day-of-school-breakfast'. I decided that I'd do something a bit different, by just making the breakfast table a fun/festive place...and Sophia even got a special gift...a new bracelet and tiny clip-on earrings (ooo, how fancy!). The first day was a success and we can't wait to see what all Sophia accomplishes this year under Mrs. Holston's guidance!

Good Morning Sunshine!

Sophia's PINK desk set-up at school :)

Sophia came home very excited and Mrs Holston sent one of the best little 'reminder' notes home that is worth sharing...it could even be duplicated for mommies wanting to remind their own kids how important they really are to the family:

Dear Sophia,

I am so happy to have you in my class! The things in the bag will help you tell others about your new classmates.

The sticker is to remind you that we all stick together and help each other.
The puzzle piece is to remind you that we need you to make our group complete.
The cotton ball is to remind you that our class is full of kind words and warm feelings.
The apple is to remind you that we will learn something new each day.
The eraser is to remind you that we will all make mistakes, and that is okay.
The Hershey kiss is from me!

Love,

Mrs. Holston

Once Upon A Dream...

2011-08-14T15:13:00.000-05:00

I've always been a very musical person, playing both flute and piano by the tender age of 8 and singing since I can remember, putting on performances at home and on very stages in plays, musicals, recitals and concerts. Now as an adult & mother, I treasure the gift of music so much more. I dreamt of becoming a mother one day so I could experience that iconic moment of rocking my baby to sleep in their nursery as they are sung a sweet lullabye.

Music is not only a large part of who I am as an individual, wife and mother - but it's an integral part of my communication with others.

When pregnant with both of the girls, I found that I could show how much I loved them by singing to them. Sometimes they'd respond by moving around, and other times it was just as special when they stayed still - as if I had lulled them to sleep. Now I sing to them during our daily routines - getting dressed, bathtime, playtime and especially bedtime. It's become a sweet tradition between us girls - I just hope they'll cherish it as much as I do and reminisce on it when they're older. Even better, I hope they do the same for their children!

When I was pregnant with Sophia, I was given one of my most cherished CD's as a gift....Miracle by Celine Dion. This album speaks to every mother and even child - there are many sweet, sweet songs that I simply adore. If you are needing a special gift for a mother-to-be, or even for Mother's Day, this is a great choice (buy it here). A perfect example of how I communicate through music is the lyrics (below) from Celine's Miracle album expresses exactly how I feel about both Sophia & Camilla - something I could probably never find the right words for myself.

A Mother's Prayer

I pray you'll be my eyes
And watch her where she goes
And help her to be wise
Help me to let go

Every mother's prayer
Every child knows
Lead her to a place
Guide her with your grace
To a place where she'll be safe

I pray she finds your light
And holds it in her heart
As darkness falls each night
Remind her where you are

Every mother's prayer
Every child knows
Need to find a place
Guide her with your grace
Give her faith so she'll be safe

Lead her to a place
Guide her with your grace
To a place where she'll be safe

Sweet Sisters: Sophia & Camilla
October 2010
photo by Suzanne Williams Photography

I knew my own love of music had been successfully inherited by Sophia when she took lullabyes to a whole new level the night before I went to the hospital to have Camilla...

Sophia:

"Mommy...shhh. Close your eyes. Close them tight and I will sing you a lullabye...like, what do you think of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'?"

Mommy:

"Sure. That sounds perfect!"

Sophia:

"Okay, close your eyes now Mommy, it's time to go night-night...."

And as I turned on my side, my sweet Sophia began singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in her most angelic little lullabye voice while stroking my hair. I cried. It was pitch black in our room, and poor Rod was sacked out, but I cried because it was such a pure love, shown through music. If you know me well, then you know my passion for music runs deep - and now I could plainly see my own first-born shared that passion.

Sophia & Mommy sharing a quiet moment
just days before Camilla arrived
October 2010

These days, Sophia requests a lullabye (or two!) at bedtime after our prayers. Below are some of our favorites for bedtime, naps and "just because":

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (lyrics)
Brahm's Lullabye aka "Lullabye & Goodnight" (lyrics)
Somewhere Over the Rainbow (my all-time favorite song!) (lyrics)
You Are My Sunshine (lyrics)
What A Wonderful World (lyrics)
Ave Maria (lyrics)
Like A Star by Corinne Bailey Rae (lyrics)
Once Upon A Dream (from Disney's Sleeping Beauty - my very favorite Disney movie!) (lyrics)

I'm even guilty of dancing around the kitchen with Camilla singing this song, right after Sophia had watched the movie - it's obvious I can't help myself!

Caught in the act: Mommy serenading Camilla!
August 2011

Once Upon a Time...

2011-08-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

Bedtime stories are a staple in our house and even Camilla joins the nightly ritual! I thought I'd share some of our girls' favorite stories - some were given to Sophia (and in turn, shared with baby Camilla) by Rod and I, and some were given to Sophia as gifts. Either way you cut it, these stories are fabulous (that's fancy for 'super-duper great' according to Fancy Nancy!)

Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique

by Jane O'Connor

This book definitely gets the most mileage! Sophia knows this one by heart and LOVES to 'read' it to us...she says that she is Fancy Nancy & Camilla is the little sister, JoJo. If you love frilly, fancy, girly stories - Fancy Nancy & her stories are the cat's meow!

Big Sister, Little Sister

by LeUyen Pham

This book is quickly becoming the new coveted favorite at storytime...Sophia also knows this story by heart. We picked it up at Pottery Barn Kids over Memorial Day Wkd and absolutely adore this story! The plot/storyline is simple: the Big Sister always gets to do things first, gets to stay up later and always gets the new clothes - the Little Sister is always playing catch up, wearing the hand-me-downs and trying to be big...just like her big sister. The illustrations are priceless and crack me up each time we read it. Want more proof? Even Camilla claps with delight during this gem!

Bedtime for Mommy

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Given to Sophia by my parents, this little story is perfect for little ones to understand just how 'difficult' putting a little one to bed can be. I just noticed that the illustrations are done by the author of Big Sister, Little Sister - which means we'll be looking for more books by her! Ironically enough, Sophia does every single stall tactic in this book. Better yet, she was doing them far before we ever received the book! Sophia giggles as we read this story (again, knows this one by heart) and loves thinking that she is tucking ME in! This didn't solve our bedtime-stalling issues, but only changed them to incessant question-asking (I might as well be sitting under the lone pendant light in an interrogation room - HA!) and requests for lullabyes.

Welcome to Your World Baby!

by Brooke Shields

Nana & Papa gifted this sweet story book to Sophia upon Camilla's arrival. Sophia was completely delighted as she loved the idea of being the new BIG sister and having the job of showing her new baby sister everything in 'her new world'. Very cute and touching...Sophia likes the idea of playing dress up and putting on plays/shows the best :)

Green Eggs and Ham

by Dr. Seuss

If it's by Dr. Seuss, what's NOT to love?! We gave this story to Sophia last Christmas and she digs the silly words, the repetition and goofy rhymes. The exact same things the rest of us have loved about it during our childhood too! Just beware: this book is much lengthier than the others I've highlighted. I learned that the hard way one night...oops!

Sophia reading Green Eggs & Ham to Camilla

I Wish That I Had Duck Feet

by Theo LeSieg

Just realized that this is not written by Dr. Seuss, but apparently carries the coveted Cat-In-the-Hat type seal of approval (or something!). Given to Sophia last summer by some friends of ours, they even paired the book with fuzzy/furry duck feet (aka slippers)! Sophia LOVED the package deal and we giggle over the silliness of the whole plot - very cute!

So happy storytime from our casa to yours!

More Cute Beach Bunnies!

2011-08-07T20:48:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to make good on my late-night promise on adding more beach photos...so here they are! Forgive me as some are grainy/blurry/not-so-great...but they were snapped on the fly via our iPhones. We've come to realize that documenting a fun family vacay is virtually impossible with a crazy-busy 4.5yr old and a 9mo old - oh well, at least we have these!

Sophia watching a movie en route to Destin
(Thanks to Patricia for letting us borrow her ride!)

Miss Thang posing before dinner

Camilla enjoying the sun tent on the beach

Look at that happy beach baby!

Sophia the Pool Ballerina!

La Playa...Lopez Style!

2011-08-07T00:44:00.000-05:00

It's August, which means that the Lopez clan is 'Destin-ed' for their annual beach trip to Destin, FL! Last year (2010), I was very pregnant with Camilla (just shy of 5mos), but showing enough to have quite the baby bump. It was great to wear a bikini (sans baby bump) and run along the beach with Sophia and not tire so easily :) However, because it was deathly hot, we all tired very easily! Our first (and, wait for it...our ONLY) day spent on the beach was on Monday - it was ridiculously hot and as a Mama with an infant, I worried myself sick over keeping Camilla out in the hellacious heat/sun. Both kiddies were slathered with sunscreen, and forced to wear everything but a wool sweater! Luckily, we did remember to bring the fun little sun tent and it worked great for Camilla to sit & play in. Until the heat was too much - so I whisked her away to cool off in the A/C inside the nearby restaurant (Finz) on the beach. Ahhh...not going to lie, the a/c was happily enjoyed by both mommy & Camilla. Rod, Sophia & his parents stayed beachside to swim, dig, snack & play. After that, we vowed that the pool was the way to go for the remainder of the week. When you have little bitty babies, you go to the pool rather than the beach. No matter if the entire point of the vacation was to "go to the beach". Heat index down there all week was basically forecasted for 110 degrees. Beach? No thanks. Pool? We're on the way!

We enjoyed dining at some of our favorite restaurants in the area like Vin-tij Wine Boutique, Bistro Bijoux and a new favorite, Cuvee Bistro. Yum! I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story...fun was had by all...and both Rod and I were SOOOO excited to be able to remove ourselves completely from work and relax! We both adored the fact we could completely unplug and give the girls our undivided attention - it was the absolute best. It made me simultaneously sad to realize that I miss so much of their sweet little lives each and every day while I work...to all of you moms that can stay home with your kids (big or small), know that moms like me envy you and only wish we could have days like yours (good, bad and/or ugly)! Cherish it.

We had so much fun, it should have been a crime!

Camilla our newest beach babe

Sophia + Beach = shady snack time!

Sophia finally got to do the
bungee-jump thing in Baytowne!

Daddy, Sophia & Mommy
(Camilla was busy snoozing!)

Sophia also got to try out the "Hampster Ball" - hilarious!

Abuelito, Sophia, Daddy & Camilla

Camilla had a case of the crazies...
just look at that 'do!

I could just snuggle this chunky monkey ALL day :)

Mommy, Camilla & Sophia basking
in the rays at the pool

Just us girls: aren't we cute?

Mommy's GIANT peanut butter cup from the sinful candy
shop in Baytowne...and it was devoured in under 15mins!

Camilla fell fast asleep after Sophia sang
a sweet lullabye one afternoon

We have more C-U-T-E photos to come since Rod & I both snapped some on our iPhones...so stay tuned...Beach update #2 will post soon!

Ladies Who Lunch, er, Brunch

2011-07-23T22:51:00.000-05:00

Honestly, I cannot even believe that I've been blogging this frequently! I gotta say though, it's much nicer to be able to just share a tidbit tonight, rather than a crazy-long update. Ahh...

I can breathe a bit easier now that a big event I'd been planning at work has been logged in the history books (and was a huge success, might I add!) - so working late afforded me to be able to take Friday off.

{insert huge sigh of relief here}

Friday brought Camilla's 9-month well check up (seriously!?) and here's our growing baby birdie's stats:

16lbs 12oz (15%)
26 3/4 " long (25%)
17 1/4" head circumference (45%)
and a painful stick to the finger for the CBC test (hate watching finger sticks, but it runs a close 2nd to watching your 4 week old get their PKU test)

Camilla's growing perfectly and reaching all of the typical milestones - however, she is also the pampered Princess too. She's most content to be carried, or snuggled up with you - much rather than rolling over, crawling, etc. I'm okay with that (as is the Doc), as this sweet time will only last so long...we are savoring every single bit of it. She's pretty excited to drink water from a sippy and I'm pretty sure she's even said "wa-wa'' in conjunction?!

Today brought us a very tasty and fun ladies brunch with our dear friends Katy & Kristen. We enjoyed an excellent spread and Sophia loved getting to see some of her favorite people and friends (& so did mommy!). I even got some very sweet photos of the girls in their coordinating outfits (from Janie & Jack)!

We're mad about plaid...and each other!

Don't forget to accessorize with bows!

Ooo, Sophia! I like your shoes! Can I have them?

Everyone say "Brrrunnnchhh"!

Camilla, you gotta get your bow straight...

All you need is Love. Love is all you need :)

90 to Nothin'...

2011-07-21T06:00:00.002-05:00

...and no signs of slowing down anytime soon! The whirlwind indeed continues for this workin' mama since my last post. The last week brought my usual July trip to market in Atlanta, where I buy many of store's goodies for the next spring season (yes, Spring 2012!). While at market, I'm trapped inside 3 buildings, each of them about 18-20 floors chalked FULL of product. Luckily, after 6yrs of buying, I've learned how to navigate the whole circus (trust me, it can be a circus!) without too much stress.

That's a whole lotta shopping to do...
and that's just ONE building!
(America'sMart Atlanta, Bldg 1)

However, it still means that Mommy is away and that alone can stab you in the heart. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and how exciting it can be, however, I always miss my babies and the daily routine. Pre-school attitudes, poopy diapers - the whole enchilada. I miss it all when I'm away.

Shout out to Rod for becoming such an excellent Mr. Mom over the years!

While I was away, Rod & the girls had quite a big time. Our church is undergoing the daunting process of building a school campus on the church grounds, which means Sophia's class will the very first graduating class to have started in Kindergarten at the new school and have made their way thru to the 12th grade. There has been years of fundraising and we're finally starting to see the fruits of labor (hooray!). Saturday brought a fun groundbreaking ceremony, which allowed Sophia a fun opportunity to be with the big kahunas (since my dad is one of the parish council leaders) and literally "dig in" breaking ground on her new school:

Sophia gets an A+ for effort on her new school's groundbreaking!
(July '11)

Summer has also kept Sophia busy with MMO every Tues/Thurs, and even has had some weeks devoted to VBS, art camp and now? Tennis camp! She's w-a-y into it and proudly carries her 21" purple Maria Sharapova racquet while strutting around in her Nike hat & tennis skirt...I've yet to capture this on film, so hang in there, I'll snap a photo soon & post. She also loved VBS and art camp (painting several pre-school masterpieces!) - but seems to especially dig tennis. It seems to be her kind of 'racquet'. Haha. Racquet...get it? Oh, too much? Let's move on then...

Here's a few more photos to help make up for the lame pun....enjoy!

Lake Lounger: Camilla giving her new PBKids chair a whirl
(May '11)

Father's Day...I'm feeling how Camilla looks in this photo...huh?
(June '11)

Sophia strutting her newfound pool skills -
watch out Michael Phelps!
(June '11)

Father's Day at Nana & Papa's house
(June '11)

Camilla loving the bongo drum
(insert Matthew McConaughey joke here)
(June '11)

She could ask for a Ferarri & with this face, who could say no?
(July '11)

Art Camp: Sophia's lovely Flamingo facepainting
(July '11)

Sophia's "Royal Tea Party" in honor of Kate & William!
(April '11)

Frosting away at her birthday "bakery" party...lots of fun!
(March '11)

My in-laws have been banned from buying loud gifts
(I kid...sort of)
(March '11)

The girls LOVING their new playhouse that was built in one of the spare
rooms at Nana & Papa's house
(Feb. '11)

Nighty Night everyone!
(Jan. '11)

Oops, It's JULY already?

2011-07-13T06:55:00.000-05:00

1st posed family photo - we survived! (May 2011)

Forgive me, as it's (obviously) been over 6mos since my last post - however, I'd say I've got plenty of good reasons for slacking (working 40+hrs/week, traveling for work & fun, juggling 2 kids, keeping house, etc, etc.). In all of that, somehow or another I know I've manage to lose my sanity and have completely exhausted myself in the process! So enough with all of that who-ha, and onto the past 6mos and why/how we really are

"Living la Vida Lopez"...

Daddy's 29th Birthday

Rod, "The Daddy"

He continues to work very busy hours and portfolios for Regions bank all while

maintaining sanity (or so we think) in a household full of estrogen. Daddy seems to be enjoying life with all of 'his girls', despite our tendencies to be as needy/whiny/moody as we can often be! Kudos to Daddy for keepin' it real and knowing that sometimes it's easier to throw in the 'man-towel' and let us women win. He loves getting to feed Camilla in the mornings during the week and loves snuggling in the rocking chair after her bedtime bottle. Daddy & Sophia have been trying to out-race one another by challenging each other to MarioKart races on the Wii. Not sure what's scarier: the fact 4yr old Sophia can legitimately play the game, or that Rod has to actually put effort into it to avoid losing?!

Can we just pretend I'm glamorous?

Julie, "The Mommy"

I continue to be a full-time marketing director and buyer for Southern Homes & Gardens and Rosemont Gardens - there is no such thing as 'downtime' for me. I hit the ground running upon my return from maternity leave back in early December! Between event/promotion planning, website upkeep, ad design and attending various markets in Atlanta and High Point, NC - I've barely remembered to breathe. I really feel like Will Ferrell in Old School, when he says he blacked out (during the big debate) I feel as if all of the sudden I 'came to' and it was July! Oh dear. I've definitely gone crackers in the meantime (don't most working moms, or moms in general do?), but have adored being a mommy to my two favorite girls! I cannot believe that the girls are as big as they are (did I mention 4yrs & 9mos?) - but it has been a fabulous whirlwind! Somehow or another, I've also managed to not only lose the baby weight, but even drop a size (not as great as it sounds ladies)...it did mean a heap of new clothes, but it also meant trying to find age-appropriate items in size 0. Guess worse things could happen, right?

Sophia 4yrs old & Camilla 6.5months

Sophia, "The BIG Sister"

She has completed yet another year of pre-school and is now closer to turning 5yrs old! Upon the completion of the school year, Sophia can easily write & recognize her own name as well as show the beginning signs of learning to read! As a self-proclaimed book/reading nerd, Mommy is VERY proud & excited for Sophia. Sophia enjoys playing school and being the teacher to all of her invisible students - and sometimes even Mommy, Daddy & Camilla! Sophia continues to adore all things musical (singing, dancing, & oh yes, DRUMS). She's obsessed with Nick Jr's The Fresh Beat Band, Fancy Nancy books, sparkly jewelry & shoes, skirts and being able to SWIM! We were super proud of Sophia this summer after she completed her swimming lessons too...she learned to put her face in the water, swim on her tummy & back, and even jump off the diving board...all supervised of course. She's growing up so fast & becoming SO smart (the child does not miss a thing!), we simply do not know where the time is going!

Camilla's all smiles on her 1st Easter!

Camilla, "The Baby"

Can you believe sweet, baby Camilla is nearing NINE months old (July 18th)!? Neither can we. We're almost a bit in denial to be quite honest. After lots of doctor visits to both the pediatrician and dermatologist, we finally got a grip on the severe eczema that plagued poor Camilla during the winter. It was absolutely brutal and it just broke our hearts to see her so uncomfortable. Thankfully, she really hung in there and was the best little patient! She quickly started to grow and gain weight and is approaching the average growth curve since she was so tiny at birth. Camilla is busy cutting teeth (we have two!), sitting up, pulling up, giggling, smiling, waving bye-bye/hello, and saying 'Da-da'! She, of course, is another one of our genius children...haha...she's just so darn smart. Camilla is truly one of the happiest and most content babies we have ever seen - she is happiest when held or snuggled, and will just go with the flow. Mommy. Loves. THAT!

So there you have it, an update on the Lopez family...I am really going to try to make an effort to update and blog more often. Even if it's just a cute photo, funny story, or phenomenal tidbit. However, don't hold your breath people - I am only human after all!

Just chatting one morning

No thanks Sophia...rice cereal isn't the same as Rice Krispies!

Sophia "reading" Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs & Ham to Camilla

Giddyup Pinto: Looking chic in PB Kids

Camilla's 1st dip at the lake - er, baby pool AT the lake

The Queen of Everything & the Princess of Quite A Lot

Sibling Sweetness

2011-01-03T21:25:00.000-06:00

Because I've been so bad about blogging since Camilla's arrival, here are some cute photos of both girls from this past month in general:

Snuggling one morning together

More snuggling!

Making breakfast at Nana & Papa's

I've also realized that I have TONS of other photos on our "good" camera still to upload (ugh). Lots of cute photos from Nana's Annual Cookie Party and Christmas Eve at Lopez's. Probably others on there that I've forgotten about too. Figures. Hopefully I can get those on the blog sooner than later!

Christmas Circus

2010-12-26T21:38:00.000-06:00

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

2010-12-22T22:48:00.000-06:00

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!

2010-11-22T13:39:00.000-06:00

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!

2010-11-05T15:58:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-10-28T09:19:00.000-05:00

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...

2010-10-10T11:45:00.001-05:00

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

2010-10-05T18:18:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-09-30T21:16:00.000-05:00

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...

2010-09-18T15:04:00.000-05:00

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

Mama's Been A Busy Bee!

2010-09-18T14:17:00.000-05:00

First of all, I got crafty by giving our blog a facelift and I ADORE it, do you? Another friend of mine used the site shabbyblogs.com and so I went to the site and found this background that I love. I even was proud of myself for taking the matching header template and making it "our own"!

Once I've been bitten by the craft/painting bug, I can kiss my spare time goodbye! A few weekends ago, I went with my mom (Nana) to search for some cute lavender fabric to replace the current liners in both the nested set of baskets I bought at CVS ($9.99 for a nested set of 3!) and Camilla's wicker hamper ($14.99 at World Market!). Both nested baskets and hamper were originally a different color, but my dad (Papa) spray painted them both white and Nana offered to take the current liners and use them as patterns to make new ones! I'm SO thankful my parents are the DIY type...I've learned SO much from them! Mom and I went to JoAnn's to check out their fabrics as they had some baby prints on sale for $2.99/yd and luckily, we found an adorable lavender fabric with sweet white polka dots on them - perfect for our project. We had fun spending some mother/daughter time together that morning while Rod held down the fort at home (thanks!). While at JoAnn's, I found some cute wooden peg frames for $1.99 each and then some wooden flower hangers (with sheer pink ribbon attached) for $1.00 each. I decided I was going to get 2 frames and a few of the flower hangers....here's what I did:

With a little lavender & white paint I transformed plain jane wood items into perfect accessories to Camilla's closet (hooray for organization!) and a little frame to one day put countless "sisterly" photos of the girls in. The 2nd frame I bought, I'll do in Sophia's room colors (pink, green,white) and write "Sisters" on also. Sophia loved this idea!

Next, I pulled out one of my blank canvases to paint Camilla's name door hanger, just like big sister Sophia has! I have yet to attach the lavender ribbon and hang on Camilla's door, but at least the painting is done!

Now, we have almost everything in Camilla's room, minus Camilla herself! I'm just enamored with her nursery and am counting down the days until her arrival!

Both Camilla & I are doing great - we're coming up on 35wks (this Monday!) and she's a growing girl. According to our weekly babycenter.com email, at 34wks Camilla is:

nearly 4 3/4 pounds (think an average cantaloupe)
stretches nearly 18" long!
she's gaining fat on her body to help regulate her temp after she's born
skin is beginning to smooth out & not look "wrinkly"
both nervous system and lungs are continuing to mature (if she were to be born now, she'd have a great chance of surviving just fine outside the womb)

Per Dr. Duggar this last week at our appt, he talked to me about induction dates (at this point Camilla appears to no longer be breach and has a healthy heartbeat), so Dr. Duggar told me he doesn't want me carrying her until Oct. 25th - amen to THAT! The heat here has been beyond brutal and I'm pretty 'over' being preggers at this point - just anxious to meet my sweet baby. I'm easily fatigued by days end, feet & hands have slight swelling and I waddle big time! However, to beat the fatigue, I've managed to get back to my gym that I adore and workout almost everyday...30mins on the elliptical, plus lunges, plus freeweights help me feel rejuventated and make me feel like a fit pregnant mama! Everytime I go, I get lots of compliments on how great I look and lots of words of encouragement...they go a LONG ways when you are 4wks from your due date!!

We go in for another visit at 36wks, and they'll do an exam to determine if I'm dilating yet and to see just what Camilla's positioning is....we're on the homestretch now!

Recessionista Strikes Again!

2010-09-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

I got bitten by the creative bug (again), but rarely does my inner - arteest ever take a break, I decided to tackle a relatively large painting project for Camilla's room. Ahem, a 30x40" type large painting project to be exact! I had fallen in love with this painting that Pottery Barn Kids catalog carried (only available via catalog and online) for a whopping $250 + shipping.

Oh, I bartered with myself on whether or not I dare even bring it up to Rod to see if he'd let me get it....I had my reasoning all laid out: "but honey, it's full of colors that can transition with her room for years....or if she gets tired of it, it could go in Sophia's room....or when we move to a bigger house, perhaps it -goes in the girls playroom". I then had a brilliant idea: I'm artistic, why don't I paint it myself?!

So, I did my research on where to get the cheapest canvas, I looked closely at the colors and decided which ones I had on-hand and what ones I still needed. The closer I dissected the piece of art, the more confident I grew that I indeed could DO THIS! I printed off my handy 40% off coupon for Michaels's, and took it to purchase my 30x40" gallery wrapped canvas (reg. $54)...plus I bought other colors that I needed and when I read the grand total, I was uber proud of myself: $44!! Take THAT Pottery Barn!!

I was so excited to get home and get my area laid out and prepped for painting. Well, I was so motivated that 48hrs later, the whole darn thing was DONE! I worked steadily over my lunch hour and after work too - however it was so fun! I am quite proud that I pulled it off and I'll explain the differences and why I did what I did:

I opted to make the birds lavender & white to match Camilla's nursery - rather than using what looked like the scrapbook paper in the original (lots of blues)

I used less yellow in the highlighting to avoid over yellow saturation against Camilla's creamy furniture

I made the cherry blossoms my own colors/designs just because it sure was hard to see detail that small on the original!

I opted to not use scrapbook paper as parts of the cherry blossoms as well

I left off the butterfly at the top....I was liking the painting without it

I used less lime-y green, just so I didn't go 'overboard' without knowing it...

Rather than putting the 'final coat' of clear on top of the painting, I've decided to leave it as it and get it hung on Camilla's wall. This way I can 'live with it' awhile and decide if I want to end up adding more yellows or limes (or anything else). I posted photos of my step-by-step progress on facebook and I was so surprised and how many people were loving it....and how encouraging everyone was! It really made me feel great to know I took on a daunting project and conquered it with flying colors (pun intended)!

So there you have it...you CAN do a painting by yourself that is just as good as any ol' Pottery Barn creation....

Next up, a photo of it hanging in Camilla's room!

Seriously? Another nosebleed?

2010-08-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

Let me just tell you, I've had enough of nosebleeds while preggers. It's been ridiculous! Every morning I wake up with the usual morning mild-congestion/stuffy nose...probably from the fan that goes in our room and the fact my body has been all jacked up for the past 8mos. Every morning, without fail, I blow my nose and a mild bloody nose always follows - motherhood is SO not pretty. So, I sit for a moment, check facebook, the weather, omg.com, etc. as I have a tissue wedged up my nostril and my iPhone held to the ceiling so I can keep my head back. Most moms have a cup of coffee as a morning ritual, but this is mine...don't be jealous.

It got even better today as it was about 3:45pm and I felt a bit of a stuffed up nose again while working at my desk - so I went to the restroom to blow my nose and be back to work. Yeah right, like a runny nose, I could feel the blood start streaming....all I could think of was not letting it drip on my white capri pants - that would mean more laundry. So, I grabbed one of my cute little peace-sign tissues that I carry in my purse and stuffed it up my nostril and held my head back at my desk - I looked like I just stepped out of a MFC - Mother's Fight Club. I'm so over these things!! Yeah, yeah, yeah, pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but I don't need all of it's glory rushing out of my nose twice a day to remind me. I understand that over the course of a pregnancy my body produces 40-50% more blood in volume to accomodate the needs of my baby, but do I really need to ooze a portion of it daily like an old-fashioned Renaissance-era blood-letting? Sigh, I digress...

On a brighter note, Camilla & I went to visit Dr. Duggar today for our 32wk appointment and all is well. She was a busy bee in there today, but had a great & healthy heartbeat. I'm still convinced she is breech, but Dr. Duggar thinks it's possible she's turned. I still feel like her little noggin is in the same spot it was a few wks ago during our 29wk 4D u/s. I still get these swift steps or kicks in the bladder which is a bizaare feeling - it makes you feel like you need to run to the restroom for 2 seconds, but then realize that she just happened to 'step' on your bladder...she probably laughs to herself inside. Funny girl. She's indeed an active little booger and I have fun with her when she is...I play poking games to get her to react and it's funny to watch the wave of movement across my stomach. As I type, she is busy moving and grooving in there....I suppose she liked the chocolate milk I had with dinner?

Here's the latest on how she's growing:

Camilla should be approx 3.75lbs (roughly the weight of a jicama)
She probably stretches out to be 16.7" long (or in that neighborhood)
She should start paying rent for as much space as she's occupying in my uterus!
Mommy will gain about a pound per week from here on out (8 more wks) b/c roughly half of it will go directly to Camilla...she'll gain 1/3 to 1/2 of her birth weight during the next 7wks as she fattens up for life outside Mommy!

Mommy is experiencing certain food aversions again (say no to boiling and shredding chicken - ICK!), some heartburn and sleepless nights...yay. So far, I've only gained 26lbs and am feeling pretty good otherwise. You can't tell I'm preggers from the back until I turn to the side or to the front...Camilla truly looks like a little basketball in my tummy, but I can assure you that I haven't seen my feet in a long while and shaving my legs is nearly impossible. However, I was able to put my Mother's Day gift from Rod & Sophia to use (I'd been saving it up for the bitter end!): an hour long prenatal massage!! I went last Friday and I was giddy as could be. You could've told me to just lay down on the carpet in the spa's lobby and listen to the nature music and I would've thought that was great - but I got to lay on my stomach for the first time in about 7mos - pure BLISS!! The spa had a special pregnancy pillow contraption that allowed your tummy to go into a little cut out area and the other portion surrounded your sides to offer support. It was heaven to the highest degree. The aromatherapy and music were perfection and I was so relaxed. I know I was tense in areas I didn't even know existed and was grateful to the masseuse for finding them. I felt rejuvenated when it was all over. I even joked on facebook that I was so relaxed, I needed someone to come pick me up as I was pretty sure I shouldn't/couldn't operate a vehicle! If you ever need to give a pregnant girl a gift, spend the $80 and send her to the spa for a prenatal massage...she thank you FOREVER!

Saturday brought us a day of relative relaxation and an impromptu invite from my parents to have Sophia over for a slumber party...Sophia usually only sees them on the wkds and was SO jazzed to spend the night with them. It left Rod and I puzzled as to what to do with this sudden spare time?! We sat on the couch befuddled and then decided to be productive and run a few errands and then having a date night out. Before dinner, poor Rod spent 2hrs on the phone with Dell to figure out some sort of printer/laptop issue. Meanwhile I was enthralled watching HGTV (how have I missed this gem?!) in peace. However, it started pushing 7pm and I was ravenously hungry! Finally, we were able to head to dinner and enjoyed a delicious meal over at the Wynlakes club....salad, filet mignon and a HUGE dessert later, I was a fat and happy girl!

We're slowing putting some finishing touches on Camilla's nursery - I finished painting a large 30x40 canvas that will go above her changing table (will post photos later) and picked up a cute white traditional monogram decal to adhere to the wall above her crib. We'll then look for a few frames to go on the wall above her tall dresser. I'm still in love with her room and am looking forward to late night feedings when it's just her and I together....those were actually my favorite when Sophia was a newborn too. I loved being able to just watch her - it was such a sweet and special time.

Now if only the next 7-8wks would speed up, I'd greatly appreciate it so that I can snuggle up to my second little daughter! I'm getting SO ANXIOUS!

The Look for Less!

2010-08-23T19:48:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty proud of myself for being able to come up with less-expensive alternatives to fairly expensive home decor, etc. I subscribed to a bajillion magazines (Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn: Kids, Teen, Outdoor, etc., etc.) - I get them all! I love looking through them and getting ideas and then I go out and see how/where I can get the "look for less". C'mon people, as the commercial says, I'm a "recessionista" and I'm not going to pay an arm and a leg for something someone wouldn't be able to tell the difference on! I find it ridiculous to pay some of these prices just for the name - especially when I can find it cheaper AND treat Sophia or our family to something fun with the money we saved! Anyhow, I compiled a little list of items we recently got that I discovered are pretty darn close to the 'designer' version:

The Look: Farmhouse Table & Chairs

Pottery Barn Kids

Small Table = $169 (large version = $219)

Set of 2 Chairs = $139 (not even 4 chairs!)

Total = $308 + tax/shipping!

*different colors/finishes available / chairs come as a set of 2 & avail. in selected colors

The Look for Less: by Kidkraft

(Wal-Mart.com)

Kid Kraft Nantucket Table & 4 Chairs

Total = $95 Sophia received this as a gift from Nana & Papa, and we have LOVED this table & chairs! It's perfect for little girls and is also available in primary colors for a boys room or more gender neutral area. You can even ship it from site-to-store and save shipping!

The Look: 5x7 Cottage Floral Rug

Pottery Barn Kids

Total = $229 (reg. $299) + shipping

*no longer available (too bad!)

Pottery Barn alternative: 5x8 Daisy Garden Rug
Total = $299 + shipping

Look for Less: Circo Floral Rug

Target (store & online)

Total = $79.99

We adore the Circo brand (Target house brand) rug and it goes PERFECT underneath Sophia's Kidkraft Nantucket table/chairs! It's super cute altogether and just makes the room so sweet. Sophia was so jazzed the day we got the rug too!

Lastly, is Camilla's window drapes hardware. We got hers at Bed Bath & Beyond, but I noticed that Pottery Barn Kids carried something very similar...don't be fooled! BB&B's version is so much cuter and it looks SO awesome in Camilla's room!

The Look: Daisy Finials

Pottery Barn Kids

48-88" rod

Total = $79 + shipping

Look for Less: Cambria Lily Glass Drapery Rod

Bed Bath & Beyond (stores & online)

48-84" rod

$39.99 (use a 20% BB&B coupon & save $8!)

Total = $31.99 + tax

The Lily Glass drapery rod from BB&B shown above is so beautiful and timeless, that it'll go with future decor & themes in Camilla's room...plus, we found some great coordinated glass knobs for Camilla's closet from Home Depot for $3.99 per knob. My next project is painting my own version of a beautiful 30x40" gallery canvas print called "Cherry Blossom" found in Pottery Barn Kids/Baby catalogs and online. It's such a stunning print, but rather than splurging the $250 + shipping, I figure I can tailor the colors more towards Camilla's lavender room and still get the same look by painting it myself. Now I feel confident in my skills as a painter to do it - plus, it's a design that can lend itself to what I call "intentional-artistic-error"...meaning it doesn't have to be exact. By shopping around for the blank canvas and then using some of the paints I have and purchasing a few others to make it complete, I'll come out cheaper than I would having had ordered it from PBKids/Baby! Plus, I'll be able to have a HUGE sense of accomplishment in knowing that I, Camilla's mommy, painted that big ol' thing special - just for her!

So, just know that there are ALWAYS more cost-effective options out there other than the gorgeous glossy magazines. I love to be inspired, but it's so much more gratifying (& easy on the pocketbook!) when you can find the look for LESS!

Cherry Blossom - 30"x40" gallery canvas - $250/Pottery Barn Kids

Camilla's Nursery!

2010-08-22T21:43:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited that we finally were able to 'finish' Camilla's nursery this past weekend! I was a busy nesting mama on Friday night as I washed up her bedding and ironed it in preparation for it going on the bed on Saturday. Saturday afternoon Storkland came and delivered Camilla's furniture - dressers, nightstands, crib & mattress! The delivery guys were super nice and worked so quickly and carefully. I was so excited. Rod and I had luckily gotten the morning to run last minute errands, etc. as Sophia got to spend the day at Nana & Papa's house (thanks!). We even got to enjoy a lunch out together - how nice it was to enjoy an adult conversation and uneventful meal! Once the furniture arrived and was in place, we un-rolled her rug and vacuumed it out, then began putting all Camilla's bedding on the crib - I am so in love with her nursery that it's by far the most calm room in the house. It's so serene and perfect. Just before Camilla arrives, we'll moving the rocking chair from Sophia's room to Camilla's - we'll have to move Sophia's nightly storytime to either the living room or her bed...as I'll need the rocking chair for Camilla's feedings and, well, rocking. We've yet to hang anything on the walls, but I'll be working on that the next few weeks - trying to determine what I'll want to put above the long dresser & changing area (we bought the matching mirror, but will wait to put that on once we're not utilizing the area as a changing area). Not positive what I want to put above the crib, but will be working on a painted name door hanger (like Sophia's) soon.

Today was spent getting groceries in the early a.m. with Sophia, making chocolate chip muffins with Sophia, and doing load after load of baby laundry. Thank goodness I had packed all of Sophia's things away so neatly and organized - it made pulling it all out a fun/pleasant process. It was fun to reminisce on when Sophia wore those little outfits or the funny stories that accompanied some - and even sweeter to think about what was in store for Camilla! I feel like I smell like Dreft detergent and Sophia likes pouring it into the washer from the 'pink cap'....of course. She was a diligent little helper today and I sure hope that little helper-trait sticks with her in the next few months/years!!

As promised, here are some photos of the 'finished' product of Camilla's sweet nursery....my home now feels complete with that 3rd bedroom finished for a child (not just a catch-all guest room)!

It's absolutely perfection (to Mommy!)

Ta-Da! I'm so in love!

Can't wait to see Camilla in here!

Sweet Dreams Camilla!

Aside from the hub-bub of stocking up Camilla's room (& now drawers & closet!), Rod snapped these funnies of Sophia on Friday night being silly with his shoes:

Funny girl

You want a smile? I'll give you one!

Typical toddler, right?

Saturday night did bring us a fun family night out as we helped co-host a baby shower for our friends Brendan & Monica (Sophia's Godparents) and their new baby boy, Evan (our Godson!)! Big sister, Ava, and Sophia had fun giggling, playing, coloring and dancing together - fun was had by all as we showered them with love, diapers, wipes and well wishes! Evan has a CUTE airplane themed nursery and I promised Monica I'd paint something special for his room just as I had for Ava. I decided after seeing his nursery that one thing was missing for a growing boy....a growth chart! So I got busy painting Evan one! Here's how it turned out:

Grow, baby, Grow!

Hooray for Preschool...and Progress!

2010-08-19T21:19:00.000-05:00

This has been a BIG week for our family - it brought several achievements so to speak:

Mommy & Camilla reached the 30wk mark!
Camilla's room officially began to take shape (& color!)
Sophia started preschool
Daddy got a new office at work (with a big ol' window)

So, now that I've hit the precious 30wk mark, that means only 10weeks to go (more like 9 now since I'm blogging so late in the week)! I couldn't be more excited about that milestone - things are really picking up pace now. Camilla is an active little booger and must still be breach. I can still feel her little noggin on my right side (where it was last week during 4D u/s) and I feel her kicking my bladder...giving me sudden urges to have to use the restroom...even if I haven't drank anything. Bizarro. As I relax and lay down, I always giggle when Camilla moves all around - it's this funny sweeping motion if you watch my belly....it's such a fun thing to watch. Sometimes feeling it can be uncomfy at best, but is so miraculous that discomfort goes to the wayside. However, the more discomfort I feel (I am definitely waddling) that just means Camilla is growing just as she should be. This week, Camilla should weigh almost 3lbs and stretch nearly 15.7 inches long! She's likely surrounded by a pint and half of amniotic fluid, but that will decrease in the next few weeks as she grows bigger. Her eyesight continues to develop, but isn't very keen - even after birth she'll keep her eyes closed the majority of the day. When they are open she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision...meaning she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. I will continue to celebrate the dwindling day countdown (now about 66 days left)!!

Next up, we really made headway on Camilla's nursery. Last Saturday was spent working like a flipping dog/horse/mule....if it's a hard-working animal, I mimicked it! Rod and I were able to really concentrate on clearing out the remainder of stuff/junk - my MIL, Patricia, offered to keep Sophia on Saturday so that we could really focus....a HUGE thank you to her! We took several more items to Goodwill, stored the guest bed and sent my old desk and chair back to my parents. My Dad was a big help too in that he helped Rod haul alot of stuff around. Whew! My Mom even helped by taking some of the lavender bedding and picked out several paint samples for me to choose from - by days end I'd settled on Lilac Bisque. She went & got a tiny tryout, painted a posterboard and we taped it to the wall to determine if that was indeed the winner - it was. Woohoo!! By Saturday night, Rod and I were so ridiculously wiped out, I nearly fell asleep at dinner - oops!

My Dad had offered his awesome skills for handiwork and painting this week while we were gone at work - we're SO thankful! Dad came to install Camilla's chandelier on Monday and do some painting prep work. Tuesday he painted and I was thrilled to see the major transformation! Wednesday he touched up trimwork and started work on re-configuring Camilla's closet. Today brought the curtains going up and the closet re-configuration being completed! It looks so great I could sit in there and just stare! Dad is a saint and has taken her closet doors home to sand and re-paint...adding the new glass-knob hardware too. I'm so thankful that I have the best Dad in the entire world to do all that work for his granddaughter!!

Camilla's nursery takes shape & color!

Papa works hard on Camilla's room

Camilla's new chandelier

I'll wash up Camilla's bedding this weekend as her furniture is being delivered on Saturday!! I'm completely beside myself on getting that all set. I'll also be sorting thru Sophia's baby clothes and washing up what's lasted over the past 3yrs and start putting that in Camilla's room. Yay!

Probably the biggest achievement this week was sweet Sophia's first day of big girl preschool! No more Mother's Morning Out in the baby/toddler wing - Sophia moved across the atrium at Frazer to the 3's, 4's and 5's wing! She attends 5 days a week from 8:30-12:30 and will stay until 2pm Tues-Thursday. She also has her own little desk, chair and red cup with her writing 'things'. Her teacher, Mrs. Thomas, is a wonderful lady who we love already. Thankfully, Sophia's friend from last year, Violet, is also in her class. Sophia will be learning how to write the ABC's, her numbers and learn to recognize them in & out of order and even learn to cut with scissors this year (yikes). She was SO excited to go back to school, that I thought it'd be a breeze the first day, despite the dramatic changes in routine/environment. I was in for it yesterady! Poor Sophia didn't want to put on her name badge necklace (policy), and was overwhelmed by all the buzz going on in the atrium upon arrival (parents, kids, photos being taken, etc., etc). She was in meltdown mode - uh, oh. I had to carry her all the way to her classroom and then we got to her little hallway where she told me "Mommy, I'm afraid", so I spent a good 10mins re-assuring her it was lots of fun and everyone is afraid on the first day. She hid behind me as I greeted the teacher and then proceeded to cry as Mrs Thomas took her into the classroom - I almost cried too as I felt so bad for her! My preggie hormones definitely didn't help. They only stayed and hour the first day and upon arrival to pick her up, I found out from Violet's parents that Violet did the same thing - whew. The two of them came bounding out hand in hand beaming about their first day....so luckily we got to snap photos on the first day, just like everyone else!

Candid of Sophia at her desk!

Sophia & Violet = happy preschoolers!

Our big girl preschooler!

Daddy also had a minor move at work this week - he's back over in the division for Regions he was when he started as there is some inter-company shifting going on - the upside to being shuffled around? A nice office with a view - however, Daddy said it gets awfully hot in the afternoon because he gets the afternoon sun in that big 'ol window....if that's the only downside, we just don't feel sorry for him yet!

Camilla the Ham

2010-08-09T21:55:00.000-05:00

Today marks 29 weeks and that also meant that we got to see Camilla in her 4D ultrasound today! I never got a call last week, so I've been cleared of gestational diabetes (whew!), but still bear a not-so-attractive-rather-heinous bruise where they drew my blood, but what a small price to pay for my sweet baby.

Camilla gave us a pretty darn good show today during her u/s, which makes us think that she will indeed be a ham. Hmm, wonder where she gets that from?? Both Rod & I have been known to be hams one way or another and our firstborn, Sophia inherited the gene too. Makes a mama quite proud! To ensure a 'good' u/s session, I ate a lunch I knew Camilla likes: turkey/swiss panini, Granny Smith apple with peanut butter, pink lemonade and a bit of ice cream.

Once we got all situated, we immediately were able to tell a few crucial things:

my placenta had indeed moved up and back - hooray!
Camilla was breech
Despite being breech, was in PERFECT position for photos!

Lisa, the u/s tech, was tickled like us to be able to snap some great shots for us. We were thrilled to get to spend the next hour with Lisa as she showed us our sweet girl! We got to see Camilla smile, stick out her tongue, yawn, hiccup, grimace, open her eyes and even flash the "a-ok" sign! We truly couldn't have asked for a better session! We heard a very healthy heartbeat of 127bpm in addition to seeing her. Camilla measured a tad small (about 27wks), but Lisa said that was no concern since her head, body and legs were measuring proportionate and her weight was 2lbs 7oz....she said since I was little, that she would expect Camilla to be on the petite side too. I'm anticipating her birthweight to be 6lbs and a few ounces (big sis Sophia was 6lbs 9oz).

According to our weekly babycenter.com email, Camilla should weigh around 2.5lbs and measure a tad over 15" (head to toe). Muscles and lungs are continuing to mature - all while her head is getting bigger to accomodate her growing brain. Her brain is busy developing billions of neurons too! Each day, about 200mg of calcium is deposited in her skeleton, which is now hardening. Grow, girl, grow!

Here's a few of our favorite snapshots of our precious baby girl:

So tired!

Sticking out her tongue - silly girl

I'm a-ok in here!

Mommy can't wait to kiss those lips!

Already looking cute & chubby!

Looking like big sister Sophia!

We were having so much fun comparing the girls' 4D u/s photos - we came to the conclusion that Camilla will bear a pretty strong resemblance to her very proud big sister, Sophia! Sophia's 4D u/s was taken at 29w4d, while Camilla's was 29wks even. I had determined from earlier u/s photos that Camilla seemed to have a very similar nose as Sophia, but today solidified it. Now, if only they could tell us if Camilla will have the same olive skin, thick curly locks and hazel eyes as Sophia. We wonder if Camilla will pick up the recessive genes like Sophia or if she'll have the dominant genes of olive skin, dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. Hmm, only 11 more weeks until we'll know!

Work on Camilla's nursery is slow, yet steady. Furniture is already shipping and headed our way, bedding should arrive any day, and her chandelier was ordered last night with it's arrival by weeks end. I worked HARD this past Saturday sifting, sorting and digging thru extra STUFF in our guest room - ended up donating 3 BIG boxes full of stuff we had no business keeping! Felt like an episode of Hoarders or something. Tragic. Looking forward to finishing that all up!!

Ant situation is still that, a situation. They've taken to bait in two areas which is a.) creepy and b.) effective. I'm having a hard time 'relaxing', but thankfully we have not seen droves of them for awhile. PLEASE keep us in your prayers so that this nightmare ends and those things die off from the poisonous bait or LEAVE. I'm so over dealing with this everyday.

Onto happier things...I just felt Camilla move her head and wiggle her arms...since her head is by my belly button, I'm watching her move across my tummy as I type on the laptop...time for me to go and play our usual game of "hide & seek"! Goodnight!

Is it October yet?

2010-08-03T18:41:00.000-05:00

I'm dying in more ways than one this week:

1.) the relentless heat + humidity (triple digits + heat index = kill me now)
2.) starting to waddle
3.) our argentinian ant friends are back (so is my Windex!)
4.) hormonal meltdowns

Right now it seems most of the country is experiencing ridiculously hot weather, but when you live in the deep south, it seems a whole lot worse. We've had high temps forecasted at 100 degrees nearly everyday, add a healthy helping of southern humidity that will choke you and heat index, and you'll have temps of 106 to 115. Pretty much a recipe for disaster. Add a pregnancy and you have a unhappy, waddling, sweating, lady that is hotter than hell. Literally. By tanking water & staying out of the heat when possible, I seem to fare ok. However, I highly dislike getting into my sauna of a car and reading the temp at 111 or higher when I turn it on. I'm just waiting for the car to say, "Screw this, I quit!".

We've also experienced an unannounced visit from our pesky Argentinian ants again (aka 'sugar ants'). We had our first problem last summer with them and hoped it was our last. Luckily, they do not harm - meaning they don't bite or sting - but are simply a nuisance. Just like people, they seek cool shelter in hot weather, dry shelter during rain and seek carbs & sugar. You'd think with that much in common, we'd invite them to dinner, but when they bring hundreds of their friends, the novelty of what we share in common tends to wear off! With all this HOT weather, we noticed a few in our guest bathroom and most recently in our kitchen (cue Julie's meltdowns #34 & #35 here, respectively). I have become BFF's with our pest control company since they've kindly paid us a visit once a week for the past 3 weeks! I have also become the crazy Greek lady with the Windex (if you've seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", you know how Greek women LOVE windex). Per my brother, Jim, who used to be in the pest control biz, he told me that if you have an ant problem, simply spray windex (it has ammonia in it) and it will kill ants on contact & also kill the pheremone (sp?) trail they leave for other ants. Genius! I was spraying everything that moved - in reality, Cook's should've paid ME....oh well. We're hoping that the problem in 'under control'. However, I'm so paranoid that every spec of something I think is an ant!

Lastly, I'm starting to waddle. Yay. Looks like I've made it to the 3rd and final trimester - as of yesterday, I hit the 28week mark. We only have 12 weeks til we meet sweet Camilla! We've ordered her furniture & bedding, so now the pressure is on to clean out the guest room and begin the transformation. It may be a small room, but at this point it takes very little for me to feel overwhelmed! Once bedding arrives, we'll be able to match up some wall paint and begin that task. I'm really wishing my Fairy Godmother would quit joking around and show up with her magic wand to get it all done asap....hmphf!

I'm also starting to tire very easily, but with working full-time, and chasing Sophia (who is VERY busy these days), it's easy to understand how I can be exhausted by dinnertime. I think I have a pretty good reason though as Camilla is quite busy herself these days getting her 'grow' on:

Camilla should weigh roughly 2.25lbs
She is stretching somewhere in the neighborhood of 14.8" from the top of her head to her heels
Camilla can open & close her eyes, which now sport lashes! This movement is more a reflexive 'blink', moreso than a deliberate opening/closing
84 days to go!!

I can feel her quite a bit now - she is most active when I first lay down in bed...it's really fascinating to feel her dance around in there...until she really kicks you in the bladder or gut. I also went in for my standard 28wk glucose test, where they test you for gestational diabetes. Results are due Thursday and no news is good news....so say a prayer! I didn't have gestational diabetes with Sophia, and I'm hoping I don't have it with Camilla. Getting your blood drawn twice in a matter of 1.5hrs is no fun though - nor is getting stuck in the hip with a RhoGam shot b/c you are Rh-negative! Ah, the things I do for my girls! Luckily, according to my other stats, the Dr & nurses could tell I've been eating right (guess that DQ blizzard from Saturday didn't show up!) and my weight gain so far is at 20lbs. I've been concerned about weight gain since I hardly have an appetite and get full on very little - I've been making sure that I've been gaining enough. Check, check!

Sophia has really grown up too - she got her first 'big-girl' haircut this past Saturday. She chickened out at the salon and opted for Mommy to cut it at home instead. I'm not sure in the course of 1 haircut how she went from 3 to 13? She wakes up requesting a hairbrush "Because my hair got all crazy while I was sleeping" and "I need to look in the mirror to see if I'm stylish". Yep, you read that right. She's concerned about her stylish-ness. Yikes. She does love to be Daddy's big kitchen helper too:

Eating her latest fave: hard-boiled eggs!

Helping Daddy marinate the chicken

Giving the asparagus a good shake!

"Just like this Daddy?"

Sophia & her big girl haircut!

Chef Daddy & Sous Chef Sophia

I've also been pining over new lamps for quite some time, but could never settle on the 'right' ones. Or I could never find them in pairs like I needed. I never wanted to order from online as I'm a real freak on being able to see it and touch it before I buy it. Or some people call that picky! I finally found the winners IN-STOCK at Target for $39/lamp and then found the drum shades for $25/shade for a grand total of $64 per lamp! My inspiration came from Restoration Hardware (who doesn't love that catalog!?)...however, theirs would cost me a fortune just for one lamp and then tack on another hefty price for a shade. The economy stinks people, and I'll find the same look for LESS! I was THRILLED with my new lamps and poor Rod wondered if I had hit the sauce b/c I was so giddy over it! Poor, poor Rod....he's such a good sport to listen to me flip out over lamps. They completely rock my world.

Target version = $64 total for lamp & shade

Restoration Hardware Lamp ONLY = $239

I'm super proud of my thrifty-ness and how I finally got the "look for less"! Now onto my next project....

Hallelujah, 91 Days to Go!

2010-07-26T13:45:00.000-05:00

I'm so thankful that I'm on the homestretch of this pregnancy! I won't 'officially' hit the 3rd trimester mark until 28 wks, but at this point, I consider myself there! Being pregnant is a wonderful thing, but not in this Alabama heat/humidity - it's for the birds! Thank goodness I haven't gained any more weight than I have, otherwise I'd just lay out on the beach & hope someone comes to save the beached whale. Sigh. The extra weight has gotten to me though....it definitely makes it hard for me to do all the things I'd love to be doing - like running, jumping and being ridiculously active. Looking forward to the Dr. giving me the 'ok' after Camilla's born to get back to my exercise regimen. Whew! I officially can't see my feet when standing and it's getting harder to shave my legs...nice, right? I think Camilla must be sitting pretty low b/c I sure struggle to get out of bed or out of a nice lounge-y type chair!

Here's the latest on Camilla's development at 27weeks today:

Camilla probably weighs around 2lbs (like the head of a cauliflower) and stretches about 14.5" with her legs extended

She's more than likely sleeping & waking at regular intervals (Mommy can definitely feel when she's dancing about!)

Camilla has the ability to open & close her eyes and perhaps is even sucking her fingers

Camilla's little brain is still developing brain tissue, but is very active now

Her lungs are still immature, but are capable of functioning - with a lot of medical help - if she were born now

Camilla may develop a case of the hiccups now & then, which Mommy would be able to see/feel by the rhythmic movements - only lasting a few moments and they wouldn't bother Camilla.

Mommy & Camilla have now reached the double-digits...we only have 91 days to go!

On a different note, I survived my second trip to the Atlanta market while pregnant - my first trip was January 2007 with Sophia (7mos pregnant) - I was sent home with my boss' wife after only 2 days! Amie was also 7mos pregnant and apparently we were hobbling along too slow - at least I had a partner to park it with and eat ice cream! This time, I was on my own...and stayed for 5.5 days - major accomplishment! I knew it was going to be a tough week, but just drank lots of water and piped up when I needed to have a little sit-down. I simply looked at the week as a great opportunity to get exercise...which it was. A bonus was that I got to meet up on two different occasions to have dinner with some friends - what a treat! Unfortunately, by the time I'd get back to my hotel room, I'd have slightly swollen feet, but enjoyed a quiet hotel room and a big bed all to myself! By Sunday afternoon, my feet had absolutely had enough and Camilla was hanging so low that I was afraid she might fall out! However, I hung in there and got the job done...I was so happy to have conquered that trip while being preggers - it's a really tough week even w/o being pregnant, so I felt pretty good about my big accomplishment.

We're just starting the process of beginning Camilla's room - however, I wish my Fairy Godmother would hurry & show up to wave her wand and *POOF* make all the old furniture disappear and Camilla's room be put together. We did go ahead and order Camilla's furniture this past Saturday - we're getting her the same collection as Sophia has - this way both girls are on an even playing field and won't squabble later! Each girl will have a few different pieces, so will not be super matchy-matchy. We're still working on the color scheme of her room, but it definitely won't be pink & green like big sister Sophia's! Camilla's furniture will arrive in 6-8wks, so we've got our work cut out for us until then! Whew!

Savannah Collection for Camilla

We're pleased to introduce....

2010-07-11T08:28:00.001-05:00

Camilla Ann Lopez

That's right, we've finally settled on a name for a sweet new baby girl and we couldn't be more excited! We've been in limbo long enough - it's been several weeks of tough negotiations between Mommy, Daddy & big sister Sophia, but we all agreed at our last summit that Camilla Ann was indeed the perfect fit for our newest family member. Mommy's been faithfully keeping a running list on her iPhone the last several months of names she liked and would often edit the list when she discovered some were definitely no longer candidates. She and Daddy would often talk about the list and it finally came down to two names. However, we are not sure our family is complete with two kiddies, so we'll keep our second favorite name under wraps just in case we use it in the future!

Big sister Sophia is super excited to call her baby sister by her new name too. Truth be told, she's been stuck on the name Camilla for several weeks and would often tell people that was indeed her name - long before Rod & I made it official. The glory of being 3! Now, I'm looking forward to getting the ball rolling on getting some things monogrammed with Camilla's new moniker...a process I'm fairly sure Rod is dreading. Ha!

Big Sister Sophia with celebratory cupcake

Where do the teeth start & pink frosting end?

We were able to get some great 4D photos (above photo & first one below) along with the traditional u/s photos. Dont' be alarmed at the first photo (above) as they often look 'distorting' - you can see Camilla's right arm raised next to her head, and her head/chin is tucked into her little tummy!). Here are some other u/s photos we got on June 7th at my 20wk appt:

Camilla's face & little fist by her eye on left

I will be 25wks tomorrow (Monday July 12th) and here's the latest on how Camilla is developing:

She is about 1.5lbs (not much more than the average rutabaga!) - still pretty lean, but is beginning to fill out proportionately!

She is roughly 13.5" long and Mommy can feel those legs kicking!
Her brain is busy growing and her taste buds are continuing to develop
Her lungs are developing 'branches' for the respiratory 'tree'
Her skin is still translucent, but that will start to change soon!
Mommy & baby have about 105 days to go!

I'm busy working with my mom (Nana) on putting together Camilla's new nursery bedding. Nana did a spectacular job on sewing all of Sophia's bedding and offered to sew Camilla's too! Nana & I spent all day yesterday scouring Montgomery for fabric - I wasn't too sure what I wanted to get, so an open-mind was the way to go. Unfortunately I didn't see anything that lit my fire, so we are looking elsewhere for inspiration. I feel really confident in the look that I'm going after now...once we have it finalized, we'll be sure & share it!

We thought it would be fun to reveal to the grandparents Camilla's new name with a cupcake puzzle of letters!

Hmm, what does it spell?

Nana, Papa & Sophia starting the puzzle

I think Nana's got it!

Abuelito & Sophia sorting out the letters

Abuelito & Abuelita with the finished puzzle!

Ta-Da!

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice....

2010-06-10T19:36:00.001-05:00

That's what little Lopez GIRLS are made of! That's right, poor Daddy is really outnumbered now - we officially found out we're expecting another sweet bundle of PINK joy come Oct. 25th! We went in on Monday, June 7th for the big 20wk u/s and right away the u/s tech said, "Are you ready for the gender"? We were chomping at the bit...she then said without any hesitation - "It's a girl!". We were all super excited!! Nana came along to the big reveal & held Sophia to keep her occupied (poor thing thought we were going to the pediatrician all morning). Sophia even wore her "I'm a Big Sister" t-shirt...and completed her look by carrying her new green purse filled with lip glosses, sunglasses, notepad & pen - what a hoot. We were all tickled when we finally learned Baby Lopez was a little Princess! All her anatamoy looked great too - we saw her sweet little footprints, hands, profile & even got some great 4D shots b/c her position was so perfect....so we even got a sneak peek of her darling little face (cutest button nose ever!)...I simply can't wait to kiss her little face!! She measured 11oz (roughly the weight of a Coke can) and is a little smaller than what she 'should' be...but by such a miniscule amount that it didn't concern Dr. Duggar. The only concern at this point is that I have a low-lying placenta - but that should move up on the uterus in the next few weeks. Worst case scenario, is if it remains low-lying then I'll have to get a c-section (which does secretly terrify me!). But we got a fun u/s photo of the baby lounging on the placenta itself - according to Dr. Duggar, she probably loves being snuggled up to it as she can hear my heartbeat and that probably comforts her. That made me smile. I love, love, LOOOVE this baby girl already! I can often feel her on my right side and she's already head-first....however, she can still flip & move, but most likely will stay put.

So, according to our weekly babycenter.com email, here's what she might look like inside my tummy & what her latest 'achievements are':

she's roughly 6.5" head to bottom & 10" from head to feet - about the size of a banana!

she's swallowing alot more these days which is good practice for her digestive system

she's starting to produce meconium - a black sticky, bi-product of digestion. These will accumulate in her little bowels & actually be her first poopy diaper post-delivery.
Princess Lopez & Mommy - 20wks

Truth be told though - we actually had pretty solid evidence 6wks ago & my surprise 14wk u/s! That was the appt that was supposed to be 'uneventful', but b/c the Dr. couldn't locate the baby's heartbeat via the handheld doppler, he had me get an u/s to show me that all was indeed well. Lisa, the u/s tech, asked me if she got a good 'shot', would I want to take a peek & see if we could get a glimpse of the gender - so I of course said, 'yes'! We got a great shot of baby & according to Lisa was "textbook girl" if she ever saw it - however, she stated that she had never called a gender as early as 14wks & told me not to bank on pink, as boys could look like girls & vice versa that early. I later met with Rod for lunch to share our latest u/s photos and divulged the news to him - we were super excited! However, I was going to ecstatic either way - if it was a boy or girl. The whole time, my instinct kept telling me I was growing a little boy! So much for that! I will say that I had a very vivid dream in the 1st trimester that I had a little girl & she came out looking just like Sophia when she was a newborn! Now it'll be interesting to see if that comes true too...

We've had a crazy week so far between work & home, so we have yet to scan & upload u/s photos to the computer...of course once we do, we'll be sure to post them to the blog. We also have some sweet photos of Sophia the Big Sister enjoying a pink cupcake in her baby sister's honor - she sure enjoyed all the celebrating! She's quite excited to help Mommy care for the new baby by helping feed, change & bathe her. She even offered to "sleep in her room in her crib with her to keep her safe"....somehow or another I don't think that would quite work out.

We will be headed out on a week vacation to the Dominican Republic beginning Saturday, so we look forward to some fun in the sun & our last quiet vacation with Sophia as the only child until Princess Lopez arrives! Luckily, our sweet friend Katy, will be house & dog sitting for us....it's kind of like a little staycation for her!

One last note - if you're wondering what Princess Lopez's name is...we haven't quite figured that out yet. Luckily I'm 1/2 way thru the pregnancy & we still have 20more weeks to determine her moniker. Whew!

May-hem!

2010-05-25T18:37:00.000-05:00

Where is this month going - better yet, this YEAR?! May has indeed been a busy month at our house: Sophia's 1st School Program, beach trip to Sandestin, a baby shower for my Sigma Kappa sister, a wedding in New Orleans & as of monday, Baby Lopez hit 18wks!

So, here's what's happening with our newest growing member of the family:

Baby Lopez is about 5.5" inches from crown to rump (approx. the size of a bell pepper) and weighs about 7oz (a smidge less than a can of Coke!. Baby Lopez is busy learning how to flex his/her arms & legs - movements that Mommy can feel every now & then! Baby's ears are in their 'final' permanent position, but likely still stick out a bit (ears that only a Mommy could love!). Even a thin covering of myelin is starting to cover his/her nerves - a process that will continue even in the year after Baby is born! If Baby L is a girl (most people are betting on this), then all her little girl parts are there & in place - same goes for a baby boy! Unfortunately, we still have a tortuous week & a half before my 20wk u/s (Mon. June 7th) until we know if Baby L is a Prince or Princess! I'm so excited that I almost wish I was having twins so that I could get a BOGO deal - one girl, one boy! Note my usage in the word "almost"!

Mommy & Baby Lopez - 18 weeks

Baby Lopez is the size of yummy bell pepper!

I'm definitely sporting a cute baby bump these days - thankfully I'm only gaining weight in my tummy - some has gone elsewhere, but I haven't ballooned into a whale, so I'm thankful for that. I continue to workout daily at the gym, but I've noticed my energy is considerably less than pre-baby - which is quite frustrating to me! I don't have a ravenous appetite (yet), and acutally become quite full on just small portioned meals - doing my best to be eating the 'right' things...but every now & then some chocolate sneaks in there!

Sophia's 1st School Program!

The Spring program songs had been taught way back even at the beginning of the school year last September - the 5-day 2yr olds had been practicing all year for this one day (namely their 15mins of fame, quite literally!). Sophia had cracked us up the past several months as she'd sing her little heart out during bathtime or in the morning - we were dying for this day to come!

Luckily, lots of well-wishers attended the performance: Abuelita (Patricia), YaYa (Javier), Nana (Diane), Papa (Mark) and of course Mommy & Daddy! We got great seats, but just far enough back that Sophia wouldn't quite see us -we were afraid if she saw us all, she may not sing at all! Rod went to the back with the rest of the Daddy's to film, & Sophia actually spotted him as her class entered the church - she even waved ecstatically! It was a total hoot to see these 5 classes (10 kids each) climb up to their special places on the risers - some kids were excited, some picked their noses, some pushed their classmates, some even turned around to face the back of the room! Sophia got to sit next to one of her bff's, Violet, so all was well. Photos were hard to snap as Sophia sat directly behind one of the microphones.

Sophia behind the microphone - see her?

The program was literally 15mins long & a priceless 15mins no less! Sophia was SO happy to soak up the attention & bask in the limelight (she must have her Mommy's acting/singing genes!). The kids sang all the classics: "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "If You're Happy & You Know It", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", The Lord's Prayer among others. They even all recited the Pledge of Allegiance! Afterwards, there was a reception chalked full of goodies for the kids & families to enjoy...we were SO proud of our little star!

Sophia the Starlet!

Next came our family trip to Destin with Rod's family. We were all looking forward to a little R&R down at the beach before Patricia rented out their beach house for the next year! We had a great time - yummy food, sunny skies, warm weather & lots of sand time:

Daddy & Daughter Fishing Date

Feeding the fishies

Mommy & Sophia building sandcastles

Beach Babe

Daddy gets buried - Devon shares a cerveza!

Sophia & Gabby at Bistro Bijoux in Baytowne Wharf

Lucy, Sophia & Ella: Beach Buddies!

Sophia used chopsticks all on her own - NO HELP!

The family at a beach favorite: Vin'tij Wine Boutique

We all had a great time in Destin playing in the sun & sand - and I was quite happy with the loot I got at the outlet mall too...now if only we could move to the beach!

More on the Sigma Kappa baby shower & the New Orleans wedding next time...

Swagger Wagon

2010-05-07T20:17:00.000-05:00

So if you haven't seen the Toyota Sienna commercials with the hilarious couple bragging about their "swagger wagon"...you're in luck because it TOTALLY just got better. They made a music video & it's pure awesomeness.

I've made no secret that I want a Honda Odyssey mini van BAD (white, tan leather interior, with the touring wheels)& I would put "SWGRWGN" on my license plate. I'm totally secure in being 27 & driving a minivan - if it keeps the peace among children & protects my sanity...count me in. I'd rather have functionality over being the mom pulling out her hair all in an effort to look cute driving an SUV. I've test driven an Odyssey & they are awesome & I'm not embarrassed to say it! HA! However, I've yet to be handed any keys to my very own...

Anyhow, watch this video & you can thank me later. Enjoy!

Hello 2nd Trimester!

2010-04-26T18:32:00.000-05:00

Hooray! I've made it to the 2nd trimester - today I'm officially 14wks on the dot! I'll gladly wave nausea & fatigue goodbye in the next few weeks, thank goodness. Both of those are for the birds! Baby Lopez is now the size of a lemon (approx 3.5inches) and is quite busy these days...here's what's new in his/her world:

Baby can squint, frown, grimace & make all kinds of other 'faces' - thanks to brain impulses, his/her facial muscles are getting a workout moving from one expression to the next
Baby's kidneys are producing urine which is released into the amniotic fluid around him/her - a process they'll keep up until birth
Baby can grasp now & has the ability to even suck his/her thumb!

I ventured into the Dr's office for my scheduled 14wk appt - one that I knew was to be uneventful...well, it turned out to be quite the opposite! Once I met with Dr. Duggar, and we went thru the usual list of questions on how I was feeling, he pulled out the doppler to check for the baby's heartbeat. We were able to locate mine no problem...slow & steady. However, we had a hard time locating the baby's - this made me nervous. I listened closely to the static and the hum of my own heartbeat - watching Dr. Duggar's face the whole time to get a 'read' on his reaction to the missing heartbeat. We did get a glimpse of it, but couldn't sustain it. He in his usual jolly manner, simply sat me up & said, 'Well, you must've been praying for this - let's get you an ultrasound to check on that baby!" I wouldn't say I was praying for that - but it was a bonus as it was a no-charge ultrasound! He sent me to the tech & explained we couldn't quite locate a strong enough heartbeat on the doppler & for her (the tech) to check things out & make sure all was well - Dr. Duggar said not to be worried as it's common to not be able to locate the heartbeat sometimes...it's almost as if the baby was playing a game of "hide & go seek" when he moved the doppler. When I realized Dr. D wasn't alarmed, I settled & decided to get excited about the impromptu visit with my sweet baby! Baby Lopez didn't disappoint either - he/she was having fun in there waving & moving their cute little feet! Baby L was laying directly across my tummy so we got some fantastic photos - I was so tickled that I cried! I was just hating that poor Rod was missing it! Since it wasn't a 'major' appt, I told him to not even worry about attending...who would've known!? Baby L even placed his/her hand up by their face (just like Big Sister Sophia did in her u/s sessions) and even began to suck their thumb!! We tried to peek for the sex of the baby to get any sort of inkling, but it was just too soon - as girls can look like boys and boys can look like girls at this stage. Bummer is I'll have to wait another SIX weeks before our big 20wk appt to check all vital organs & determine gender. Major 'sigh'....

What's fun is that I'm really showing now - now I don't just look fat - it's obvious I'm pregnant. If there is ever a 'bad' part in pregnancy, it's the period where you just feel bloated and look like a fat cow. Moo. However, I'm still waiting on the 'glow' to kick in too....any day now would be nice!

Here's our latest photos of Baby Lopez:

Baby L is approx the size of a lemon!

Sucking his/her thumb!

Another side view of baby

Baby L sort of 'waving' - Hello World!

So, today was a fun day for our little family - it was completed by Sophia getting a special trip after school up to Lake Martin with Rod's parents too! They had a wee of a time...and upon returning home to our house, Sophia joined the neighborhood kids playing t-ball in the cul-de-sac! Now off to the kitchen to eat dinner...we're ALL hungry!

Auburn's A-Day 2010

2010-04-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

Auburn University A-Day Game 2010

I was able to talk Rod right into taking his two favorite girls to Auburn last Saturday for Auburn's A-Day game...can you believe it? Poor Rod, the 'Bama grad, married a die-hard Auburn fan & grad (not to forget that I also appeared in their national tv spot during my senior year!) who just can't stay away from Auburn football and the town for very long! The weather was supposed to be perfect, but hot. We made plans to meet up with my brother, Jim, and his girlfriend Amber Saturday morning. Can you believe us Lopez's were ready for departure from Montgomery 45mins EARLY? Believe it, because it happened! We all suited up in the orange & blue (minus Rod who opted for blue...it's progress & I'll take it...slow & steady wins the race ;-) ). Sophia & I happily chatted & chanted "War Eagle" while shaking our shakers in the car & Rod navigated to Jim's house. Upon arrival, Sophia wanted to visit with Hemi, Jim's large & in-charge lab/boxer mix (?). He's huge. Jim then showed us his 'man-cave'....I should've taken a photo...it's awesome. Sophia loved all of his cars in there - to my surprise he let her mess with them & drive them everywhere (he's usually very OCD about placement of his 'things')! We all decided on lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings in Tiger Town to avoid the big crowds of downtown Auburn - the service was so-so & took way too long so we missed out on some of the pre-game festivities. Oh well. We were all full & happy & ready to go to the game. Bummer is when we finally got to the game the stadium was packed to the gills & not a seat was available in the shade - the temp was 90+ with humidity & it was 1pm...brutal. Luckily, we were able to go to the east end of the stadium (across from the student section, but facing west) & we huddled up underneath the smaller scoreboard for a smidgeon of shade. Whew. Poor Jim & Amber stuck it out in the sun for awhile. None of us lasted much past half-time. We were all sweating, tired & ready to get in the a/c! We left the game & mosied to the campus bookstore...it was swamped. But cool. Sophia began a meltdown here, but couldn't be blamed as she was at least 2hrs past her naptime. We bribed her with a tiger print binoculars and a new Auburn cheerleading outfit for Fall (40% off!). After that, we decided it was time to head home. We had such a fun day up on the plains & can't believe that the next time we attend A-Day, Baby Lopez will be 5.5mos old!

Uncle Jim & Sophia after lunch

Waaarrrr Eeeeaaagle!

Sophia snacking on stadium popcorn

It's SO hot out here!

Uncle Jim & Amber

Happy Auburn Girls!

1st & 10!

War Eagle from The Lopez's!

Heading home...

One tired Tiger!

Come Hell or High Point...

2010-04-24T07:53:00.000-05:00

Actually, I took both this past week - I made my seasonal spring trip for work to the High Point furniture market in High Point NC. I love being a buyer for the store I work at, but sometimes it can take it's toll when you're missing your family. The benefit this time was that it offered this preggo some great walking exercise & fresh air (vs. Atlanta's market that is indoors in a few big bldgs). Leaving last Sunday & coming back on Wednesday made me miss my sweet family. However, I think they had quite a bit of fun without Mommy around this past week! Sunday was spent over at Lopez's where Rod, Sophia & Uncle YaYa (Rod's brother, Javier) washed Abuelito's (Rafa, Rod's Dad) cars - Sophia had SO much fun getting soapy & wet! Later that evening Rod, Sophia & Javier were the cook's in Patricia's kitchen...they sent me photos of their delicious creation (flounder in parchment paper) - meanwhile, I settled for a mediocre quesadilla in High Point - ha!

Chef Sophia preparing the flounder

It's all in the details!

Sophia & Javier cleaning Rafa's baby

The week progressed & I came home on Wednesday evening - whew! I was really looking forward to unpacking, & crawling into my own bed. Everything was great until 12:45am...my body just 'woke up' and was wide awake until 3:30am! I tried desperately that whole time to go back to sleep, but if I didn't have a sleeping husband & child, I would've been up vacuuming or cleaning. That's just sad. However, I did try to 'exhaust' my eyes by facebooking it, going on twitter, omg.com, foxnews.com, etc. I even went onto YouTube & watched funny music videos of some of my fave tunes. Finally I was tired enough to get some zzz's...until my alarm rattled me at 5:45am. This wasn't going to be a pretty day to say the least.

I arrived at work to a barrage of voicemails & emails to catch up on (sigh). Then I had to crank up the creative juices to design two ads for the newspaper, update our website & put together our store e-blast. I was doomed. It wasn't helping my cause that I was SO hormonal & emotional either...I was teary-eyed over everything! Finally I took a break to go home for some lunch - while home, I couldn't even get into my fave soap...so channel surfed as I put my feet up. I came across Pride & Prejudice on VH1...some sad music was playing & that is all she wrote...I was bawling. Over that?! Yep. I simply went with it - after, I did feel better. Ugh. These hormones can SHOVE IT. I deemed Thursday the "Hormonal Day from Hell" - it was that bad. The afternoon came & went relatively quickly - then we spent the evening having dinner at Lopez's (thank goodness we didn't have to cook - what HUGE treat!). As usual, Patricia had a delicious meal ready & waiting - thanks!

Friday arrived (TGIF) & the day was a complete 180 from Thursday - Rod even surprised me by sending me flowers at work! He said he felt bad that I had had such a horrible day on Thursday & that he hoped the flowers would help make up for it - boy, did they ever! Truth be told that when Rosemont delivered them, the guy asked me what the occasion was & I said, "No occasion, but now I'm wondering what my husband did that I don't know about yet"! HA!

Thanks Rod for the beautiful surprise!

I was even able to spend the afternoon with my sweet Sophia running errands after my mom treated me to lunch at Panera (I totally had a happy plate! Thanks Mom!). Rod then met up with us girls & we all went to Kabuki for dinner. Sophia was definitely not a fan of the big fire fanfare, but got over it when the hostess supplied her majesty with a sucker! We had a dud for a cook (no flare), but had a good meal, so whatever. We were stuffed after leaving, and headed home to settle into bed. I was wondering how in the world I was going to be able to get up & meet my mom for a class at the gym in the morning after all I ate...we shall see how that goes (as I am meeting her shortly!). Today will be an indoors sort of day as we're supposed to get lots of bad weather...looks like I'll be ironing today. Bummer.

Sophia's 1st Haircut!

2010-04-13T13:46:00.000-05:00

Can you believe we have NEVER cut a hair on this child's head until now? She just turned 3 on March 28th....not one little hair has ever been snipped...until Sunday April 11th! Sophia has had the most gorgeous tendril curls ever since her 1st birthday - the kind you can't help but twist your finger around & gently pull - just to see it bounce back up! However, we knew it was getting to be that time to give it a healthy trim. It was getting so long that it was becoming unruly to comb in the mornings & a pain at bathtime (when wet, it would cascade clear past her lower back onto her two little hams!). So, as I updated the blog on Sunday, I asked her if she wanted Mommy to give her a haircut - she agreed! We'd hesitated on taking her to a salon, for fear that she wouldn't cooperate...and really not like all the attention that a first haircut garners in a roomfull of ladies. So, I told her that if she could sit in the kitchen chair very still & watch tv, Mommy would give her a haircut. She was totally jazzed! She helped me set up the chair & the towels to sit on, getting the spray bottle, combs & scissors. She happily watched Garfield as I snipped away. Only after I was finished did I get a little sad - those long beautiful curls were gone. But that quickly vanished as Sophia was oh-SO proud of her new 'big-girl' haircut! We scooped all of the hair into a baggie & then taped one of the best curls onto a piece of paper to document the occasion. I measured the cut hair & discovered I had cut 4 3/4 inches off!! I was stunned! Her hair still looks long, but is considerably shorter. She adores it. Thankfully, after a bath, the wave & curls popped back (which made me happy) and she was swishing her hair around all day! What a hoot!

Sophia with locks on the floor!

Showing off her newly cut hair

Mommy reads this & weeps!

12 weeks & it's now a Lime!

2010-04-13T12:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I thankfully made to the 12week mark...I don't care to count how many weeks that leaves me to go! However, I'm feeling good & as usual I received my babycenter.com weekly email update on what the baby's growth & development look like this week. Each week they equate the size of your growing baby to something familiar....this week Baby Lopez is the size of a large lime - hooray!

12 weeks & Baby Lopez is the size of a Lime!

Some important things with Baby L's development this week is that he/she will be able to open & close their hands, wiggle their fingers, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench & their mouth will even begin to make sucking movements! Every week is so fun to read about - it's always such a miracle to think what is going on inside my body - this week they say that if I prod my abdomen area, the baby will like respond with their newfound reflexes...although I'm most unlikely to feel anything. With that said, I have felt a few flutters that I'm convinced are the baby (& not gas), and since it's my second baby, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Hooray! Here's what Baby L looks like inside mommy this week:

12 weeks - What Mommy & Baby L look like

If only I could have ultrasounds done each week to see what Baby L looks like development-wise, it'd be so much fun. However, I'll have to settle for gazing at our last u/s photos from my 10wk appt (which I need to get scanned & uploaded here). I'm so anxious for the day when we find out the baby's sex - right now it's all so 'generic'...and sometimes hard to 'bond' with the baby. Knowing if it's a girl or boy & then being able to call it by name will make a huge difference. Don't get me wrong, it's all very special right now, but I don't find it endearing to call my child an 'it'. Sigh. Thank goodness for modern science!!

My appetite is quickly growing -but am trying to keep that beast under control. I did splurge the other day at the grocery store & bought a bag of Granny Smith apples. I think in the past 48hrs I've devoured at least 8. Oops. Just can't get enough of them! They make great snacks, & they are some 'effort' to eat, so I feel satisfied post-snack. I also was dying for a big fat turkey sandwich like I had had at Subway last week. I'm talking I made that sucker on 12-grain bread dressed with mayo, fresh romaine lettuce, roma tomato slices, banana peppers, pickles & of course, turkey. It was so ridiculously good yesterday at lunch, it was all I could think about the remainder of the day!

8th Wonder of the World - my turkey sandwich!

Last night we ate at Lopez's house and had Patricia's delicious home-made meatloaf (SO not the typical gag-reflex meatloaf that has given this tasty dish a bad rap...hers is EXCELLENT!), eggplant with tomatoes, squash or zucchini (can't remember), cauliflower with oil/vinegar and I added a salad to mine. I was craving the ginger dressing that is served at the Japanese steakhouses & Lopez's found a yummy bottled version at Publix in the refrigerated salad section - hello divinity!!

Makoto Ginger Dressing at Publix = YUM!

I'm thinking we will be investing in some like...now!

BIG is such a little word!

2010-04-11T09:34:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd share some cute photos of Sophia & what it's been like becoming a big-sister-in-training lately! This past week, we've graduated to a toddler bed:

Sophia's Big-Girl Bedroom!

Becoming a big girl also means looking so grown up when we go to school (when it was a tad chillier):

Ready for school!

Being a big girl also means trying new things at mealtime...and discovering that you LOVE it! For example, her experience with Daddy's famously delicious hamburgers - she built her own burger complete with condiments & cheese...and then ate the ENTIRE thing!!

Bon Appetit Y'all!

Being a big-sister-in-training also means getting fun things in the mail from Mommy & Daddy's friends - thanks to Heather & Gregg Ryan for sending this sweet Dr. Suess book, duck feet slippers for Sophia & duckie socks for the new baby. The card read that Sophia will learn how to have duck feet just like the books says, so that she can teach her baby brother or sister when they arrive too!

Thanks Heather & Gregg!

Being a big sister in training sure is going to be fun in the next few months!

Caffeine, Please!

2010-04-11T08:04:00.000-05:00

Good Morning - or I'm hoping it will be. Pregnancy insomnia has kicked in these days & misery usually ensues. This morning I was up at 3:30am & couldn't fall back asleep until 6:30. Ugh. Thankfully, iPhone came to the rescue & I read up on the gossip news via omg.com, Fox News, Facebook & Twitter. I woke up to Rod & Sophia back our bed (as Rod spent the night on Sophia's floor to keep her company)...TV on, and Sophia playing with my hair. I really could've used my own personal Starbucks barista whipping up a fabulous peppermint mocha in my kitchen, but had to settle for my own handiwork instead. Really wanted my usual reduced fat turkey bacon-swiss-egg white breakfast sandwich too, but laziness won out & I ate Frosted Flakes. Nice, I know.

We've had a pretty fun weekend so far...Friday evening Sophia was treated to dinner at Chappy's with Mommy & Daddy (usually it's Papa & Nana), followed by playing at the park & a trip to DQ's drive-thru. Yum. Saturday morning brought at visit from our neighbor, Lee. Lee & Daddy went together to tackle some pressure-washing at Lopez's house & were gone all day (but earned some great moolah!). Mommy & Sophia made a shopping date with Nana to get out of the house - we ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A, followed by a trip to Motherhood Maternity & Old Navy. Found some cute cropped pants, shorts & shirt at Motherhood, but I'm not quite ready for the rest of it - I love being petite, but sometimes it can work against you! We then mosied over to the zoo, oh um, excuse me...I mean Old Navy. I found some GREAT buys over there! Some cute, cute, CUTE tanks (longer in the body to cover my baby bump), but still fit me perfectly elsewhere...only for $12.50 each! Cute embellishments on the collar/neckline area - love 'em! It was now late in the afternoon & all 3 of us were fading...so Nana dropped us off at home for naps - whew, we needed those!

Old Navy embellished tanks - $12.50 ea!

Once Daddy got home, we all went to the Eastdale mall to eat in the food court & ride the carousel - if I didn't have a child, you'd NEVER catch me in that mall - it's so trashy! My anxiety levels go sky high as soon as I walk in - the people in there completely creep me out....is it just me?? I simply couldn't get out of there fast enough! We then headed back to Motherhood, with pre-pregnancy jeans in hand...I wanted to try the tummy sleeve to see if it'd be worth the $17 investment. Hello 8th wonder of the world!! Why didn't I invent that thing!? Pure genius. I've got a big enough bump to be out of my pre-pregnancy clothes, but still too small to be in maternity gear. This tummy sleeve is meant to wear over your jeans around the button area to prolong the life of wearing your pre-preggie clothes....hooray! Can't wait to try it out this week at work with some of my pants!! Mommy 1, fatty maternity clothes 0!!

Tummy Sleeve (no this isn't me!)

Thankfully, I'm still sticking to my daily workout regimen of spinning approx 30mins & doing weights...I feel SO much better afterwords. It completely beats my fatigue & gives me a jumpstart to make it thru the long afternoons. Although I do fall victim to cravings, at least I'm willing to put in the sweat to burn it off.

Sophia's latest is that her crib was finally transformed into a toddler bed! The front crib rail was removed & the toddler rail was put up - she LOVES this new 'big girl' bed. Luckily, the past few nights she has stayed in it all night. She loves waking up in the a.m. & opening up our bedroom door to say 'good morning'! I'm relishing every minute of it - it's a slight feeling of freedom....that is until we start all over again with the baby in October! Sophia's growing like a weed & is just so darn smart these days - being witty in her own way, saying big words like 'telescope' & more. I'm floored by something every single day.

I suppose I should upload a few cute photos of the Easter Egg hunt last Saturday at Wynlakes too... Sophia was joined by her bff, Ava for the fun afternoon. The girls pulled in major loot.

Sophia prepped & ready!

Sophia & Ava race to the eggs!

Ava! Get THIS one!

Contemplating the finer things in life...

Conquering the inflatable obstacle course

Well, I should wrap this up & get to the grocery store...and I'm totally NOT showering before I go -it's a strictly ballcap & sweats sort of trip. Hooray!

Easter 2010 - Sugar Overload!

2010-04-05T17:30:00.000-05:00

Sophia's 4th Easter has now come & gone...hard to believe her first one was spent sleeping in a little baby carrier...she was only 10days old!

Easter 2007

We continued tradition this year of attending 8am Mass with my family - but got lucky, as Lopez's attended the same Mass...our clan took up an entire row. That's just how we roll. After Mass, our little family of 3.5 headed to Nana & Papa's house to start "round 1" of eating. My mom always puts such fun touches on holidays...this year was a 3 tiered tray filled with pink Easter grass & LOTS of candy. As usual, my brother & I scrapped it out over the Cadbury's. Just so you know: Jim is a mature 32, & I am nearly 28. Some things just never change. We didn't really 'scrap it out' - however we did deliver some cutting glances towards each other as to say "don't EVEN think about getting that last Cadbury egg"!! Brunch #1 was totally delish & we all overate (as usual). Sophia happily hunted for eggs & gushed over all the goodies the Easter Bunny brought for her - despite the fact she's absolutely terrified of it!!

Easter 2008 - The terror begins!

Easter 2010 - Our Family of 3.5!

Sophia discovers candy treasures!

Just about to root thru her basket!

Last year, we tried to see if she'd sit for the bunny again - forget it. Meltdown city! This year, she completely flipped out at the Wynlakes Easter Egg hunt the day before Easter - we knew we had NO chance on Easter morning. Oh well. During brunch #2 at Wynlakes with Rod's family, she kept begging to go see the Easter bunny - she only wanted to view that bunny from INSIDE & through the GLASS DOOR!! She's her own woman for sure. We didn't push her to sit on his lap - as he is pretty freaky. Again, we all overate at brunch #2, but had great company doing it. Sophia happily bossed her poor Aunt Gabby around into getting her cupcakes, cookies & the like. I love my SIL as she's such a great sport & it affords Rod & I a bit of a break to eat meals in peace. Well, semi-peace. Eh, we'll take it! After brunch #2, we mosied on outside to the gorgeous courtyard of Wynlakes to snap some photos of Sophia - she somewhat complied. Cute enough for me!

Easter 2010 - Wynlakes

Zzzz - The End

En route home - delirium hits!

Sophia has had enough!

Our precious baby girl!

We had LOTS of fun this Easter & can't believe that it's our last one as a family of 3! Next year our lives will have forever changed with the addition of Baby Lopez's arrival...Easter 2011, Baby Lopez will already be nearly 5mos old! Yikes....

Wee! I'm THREE!

2010-03-30T08:45:00.000-05:00

We're all in a little bit of shock that Sophia has now turned 3! All day Sunday, Rod & I reminisced on our life 3yrs ago that fateful day...

getting up to go to Jackson Hospital at the crack of dawn
watching Saved By the Bell in the waiting room before getting officially checked in
mommy weighing in at her heftiest ever: 144!
getting all hooked up to IV's, etc to start the induction
feeling nervous & scared!
realizing there weren't enough magazines to keep me occupied during that long day
getting mad at Rod for wanting to keep watching the Food Network - when I clearly was NOT allowed to eat!!
Rod pacing like a lion in the room - and driving me thoroughly CRAZY
Begging his dad to dig into his "Doc stash" to give Rod some meds to shut him up & put him to sleep - thus giving me a break! (which Rafa kindly removed Rod from the room to take him to lunch & drug him!)
Having the Dr. tell us that it was 6pm & nothing was happening & we could either "go home & try again next week" or "break the bag & get things moving". We opted for the latter!
Finally getting the epidural & getting about an hour rest before I was ready to push!
Watching The Tonight Show while pushing (no kidding!) & joking with Dr. Duggar during commercials!
Hearing Sophia cry for the first time at 11:10 March 28th, 2007!
Eating a 100 calorie pack of oreo crisps from my moms purse in my hospital bed - it was the first food I saw & I was starving!
Holding Sophia for the first time

There were many other "firsts" to follow in the coming days, weeks, months & years - and it truly only gets better each day! Sophia is such a tremendous joy in our lives & we simply cannot imagine life without her - she is our first giggle of the day, often our first tantrum, but always our last kiss goodnight. She's growing up so fast & we're doing everything we can to hold onto the simple sweetness of toddlerhood right now - cherishing all the small things as we go.

We had a fun celebration in honor of the birthday girl - we invited her little friends & their parents, along with our family to help her blow out the 3 big candles this year! We all had a wonderful time as the girls played house, colored, shopped & became hopped up on sugar...we were ALL pooped by the days end!

March Madness...

2010-03-29T11:18:00.000-05:00

No, not the basketball kind - but more of the family kind! It's been a busy month for our family - work, home & Sophia's 3rd birthday (yesterday, March 28th) proved to nearly wipe us out. One other little tidbit we experienced this months was that Rod & I found out we're expanding our little family of three to FOUR this past month! We're SO excited & Sophia is really liking the idea of being a big sister too. She of course got to sport the 'I'm the BIG Sister' t-shirt to spill the beans to our family...she thought that was fun, well, in addition to the 'big sister' bracelet that Daddy bought for her too. The first positive test came on Thurs. Feb. 17th, followed by 4 more (just to be sure I was reading those two lines right!) & was then confirmed by our Doc on Tues. March 2nd! We opted to tell just the grandparents before it was confirmed by the Dr., because we were just too darn excited! We then got the baby's first u/s (ultrasound)photos on March 2nd - putting me at 6w1d (6 weeks 1 day)! We were so thrilled! We'd been planning this second baby since last Fall & were so delighted when God finally blessed us with another one! So, I'm officially due Oct. 25th & am exactly 10wks today. I went for another appt this morning just to confirm the baby's growth & due date & Baby Lopez was right on track - we even got to see Baby L waving his/her arms & legs & bouncing around. Since Baby L is only the size of a kumquat right now, I can't feel any movement (although I'm much more in tune with a 2nd pregnancy, I think I may have felt a very slight movement last night in bed!).

At this point, Baby L can bend his/her arms & legs....and tiny fingernails are starting to form. A growing baby is nothing short of a miracle & the process never ceases to amaze me. In another 10wks, we'll return for our 20wk u/s visit & we'll find out if we need to invest in pink or blue! Of course we'll have a few more regular visits in between, but those 10wks will fly by!

I've been feeling pretty good so far - with some bouts of nausea, that has really been about the worst. Nausea kept me from having much of an appetite, especially around dinnertime. I did find that getting back to my daily gym routine & goldfish crackers seemed to do the trick! By that alone, I'm thinking that this baby may just be a boy - I never felt nauseous like that with Sophia! The gym (thankfully I love to go!) has also helped me in beating mid-day fatigue & keeping my raging preggie hormones in check - which Rod gladly appreciates! Only now am I really feeling better as I near the 2nd trimester - although I'm a bit more fatigued these days. Since it's the 2nd time around, I'm beginning to show a little - but despise this 'in-between' phase! Meaning I feel terribly bloated & uncomfortable in some regular clothes - but I'm not yet ready for the full-blown maternity gear. Sigh. Good news is, I've got my good girlfriend Monica (Ava's mommy) who is also expecting & due about 6wks ahead of me - so we can be fluffy together this summer. Hooray!

We'll keep you posted on our Babywatch 2010....only 30 weeks to go! I'll also do my best to upload photos of Sophia's 3rd birthday party asap too - it was a great little party & she is SUPER proud to be THREE!!

Oh, Good Grief!

2010-02-21T10:51:00.000-06:00

Now that I'm officially feeling guilty for just now posting about Christmas & everything since...it's safe to say I'm a professional procrastinator. Oh well. Better late than never, right?
This past year just tickled us with Sophia pushing 3 at Christmastime. She totally 'got' the whole Santa thing. We used this opportunity as a good ol' behavior catapult too - meaning she better snap to, otherwise Santa may just skip her house & drop off all her toys to our next door neighbors house! For the most part, & with our elf Charlie's help, Sophia maintained good behavior throughout the season...so much so, that she really racked up when Christmas morning arrived! Christmas Day was packed with opening gifts/breakfast at our house, followed by brunch at the Schultz's, followed by dinner at the Lopez's. We were sure we didn't want to eat until mid January after that. Check out how much fun we all had:

My mom (Nana) & I started a new tradition about decorating Christmas cookies at her house with 'just us girls'! We had a BLAST decorating together & Sophia did a great job - she stuck with it much longer than we both expected!

More blogging later - it's now going on 12noon & mama MUST shower!

Meet Charlie...

2009-11-25T21:36:00.000-06:00

We're very happy to welcome little Charlie, our happy little magical scout elf all the way from the North Pole!

Today I decided to pick up "Elf on the Shelf" from the store (SH&G)...Rod & I decided that this was the year to start Sophia on the tradition! I learned of EOTS last year at market (2008) when I made my semi-annual voyage in January. It's the most clever little idea that is making someone very, very rich. It's one of those products that you slap your forehead thinking, "that's so smart - why didn't I think of that!?". We bought them for all 3 stores last year & sold out FAST! I almost got one last year, but figured Sophia was still just too young to really 'get it'. I knew that her little imagination was just right to handle it now. For example, she'll have pretend phone conversations on her little phones, or cook something for an imaginary customer at her little kitchen. Timing was perfect this year. So, I trotted home with EOTS in hand & couldn't wait til the bedtime routine kicked in! The great thing about EOTS is that not only do you get the little elf in the box, but it comes with a CUTE story book that you read to your kids that explains the whole thing. It's precious. Felt bad as Rod missed out b/c he's sick. Sophia got decked out in her little 'Santa's Helper' pj's (c'mon people, it's time to festive!) & she crawled into my lap to read the story. Her little eyes lit up with every page. After much deliberation, we settled on the name "Charlie" for our little elf. After tucking Sophia in, Rod & I went to work on finding Charlie a little place to hang out...can't wait to watch Sophia find him in the morning! Tee hee...

Here's the general jist of EOTS: the special scout elf was sent by Santa to keep watch on your kids' behavior. Each night after they go to sleep, the elf flies back to the North Pole to report the behavior to Santa. By the time the kids awake, the elf is back 'home' in your house. The idea is that the parents or grandparents move the elf to a different spot in the house each night, so the children can get up to find the elf...the elf can be dangling from the chandelier, sitting on the mantle, clinging to a picture frame, etc. Maybe he's even sitting in one of the kids toy cars/trucks...the possibilities are endless. However, the trick is that the kids cannot touch the elf, otherwise, he'll lose his magic. In order for the elf to come to 'life' with magic, the kids must choose a name for the elf & whisper it to the elf (not too close though!). EOTS has a whole website that you can register the elf's name, get a certificate, etc. You can even play games, tour the N. Pole, make cookies for Santa - the site is FABULOUS! Sophia particularly likes the Elf Registry area as we pretend to ride down the slide (it's an animated little site). Each ride was complete with our arms up in the air saying, "WEEEEE!"!

I highly recommend going to Southern Homes & Gardens to pick up your own little elf!

C is for Cookie!

2009-11-25T21:10:00.000-06:00

And cookies are for ME! During our little Publix shopping trip (see older post below), I asked Sophia if she'd like to help me make some cookies, & she was right on board with that idea! I went simple (Mom, cover your eyes...) it was the Pillsbury Ready-to-bake 24pk of cookies. Gasp! My mother has the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe that she knows by heart (I was a chubby girl growing up, wonder why?) and she passed the delish recipe down to me. However, involving a 2.5yr old in measuring flour, sugar, etc. is a disaster I just wasn't prepared to handle that day. HA! Sophia loved putting on her little apron, & standing up on her little chair to help me place the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet - this was a perfect little project for her age! I'd break them apart & let her place them however she wanted to on the cookie sheet...they all ended up in a wandering mamba-style line! So then we counted off 3 cookies to go in the top row, then 3 more for the next row & so on. I couldn't believe that I was teaching her basic math...I may have broken out in hives as I've declared with pride before - I'm just too cute for math! It was my worst subject growing up. Let's hope she has better luck...sigh, I digress. We finished up the first cookie sheet & I placed them in the oven. We watch them in the oven window "grow" & then she wanted them out to taste one. After they cooled, she got to sink her little teeny tiny teeth into the gooey cookie (& so did I)...they were delish! We had so much fun doing our little project together!

Santa's Little Helper

2009-11-25T20:37:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how big Sophia has gotten! She's close to 3 - where does the time go? As we pulled out the Christmas decorations last weekend, she was completely into wanting to help. I just wasn't as jazzed about doing it all this year for some reason? Retail tends to ruin the magic of the holidays a bit, as our store put up Christmas by Oct. 1! I've been listening to Christmas music all day long at work (against my will...usually I make myself wait until Nov.1, sigh!). I'm a bit jaded this year I think. Plus, last year I probably jacked myself up on caffeine & decorated everything while Sophia took a 3hr nap! Oh well, the show must go on! Rod was great as he put on some of our fave Christmas cd's while we unpacked it all. Luckily, the weather put me in the decorating mood too - cold, dreary & drizzly. As I always tell Rod, weather like that reminds me what it looks like right before the first snowfall up north. When I think of it that way, then I get more Christmas-sy. Weird, I know. This will be our 3rd Christmas in this house (UGH, I'm SOOOO over this house!!) & so I know just where everything goes. I whipped up the tree with the ribbon, stems, picks & ornaments in no time. Then it was getting all the other table-top stuff in it's proper place. One of my favorite pieces is our hand-painted ceramic nativity figurines that my mom painted & we displayed each Christmas during my childhood. She gave that to Rod & I our first Christmas, & it was just so special to me. I still unwrap it in the old discolored moving paper that is tattered & torn - the same paper that my mom always wrapped each piece in when Christmas was over. Now, I unwrap it & place it on our mantle - in a few more years, Sophia can help me. This year, she was super happy to get to sift thru the boxes of goodies asking 'Mommy, what's this?' or 'I don't like that' (infamous phrase as of lately!). We gave her a few special ornaments to hang (her Baby's First Christmas, Santa's Sleighbell from The Polar Express, etc.) She LOVED her new little job! We'd tell her to pick out the very best branch & then hang it carefully. She was quite pleased with each selection!

Personal Shopper

2009-11-25T18:55:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday, Rod & I took Sophia to Storkland to find her Christmas dress & some dress shoes. We found a beautiful dress, matching dress shoes & a real-live shopping cart. Yes, you read that correctly. A flipping shopping cart. Rod couldn't resist when Sophia ran over to it & immediately started 'shopping' - she proceeding to find a baby doll & put her in the seat, then go around putting 'groceries' in it. I admit, it was pretty funny. However, I was trying to be the 'responsible' parent in trying to get the task of finding dress shoes that fit done. Rod was convinced we'd have to get the cart & I fought him on it as I thought it was silly to pay ____ (it's more than I care to share/admit!) well, let's just say it cost more than $20. So I continued to put up a fight claiming that we only needed to purchase what we actually went there for. I lost. Luckily, we still had to go to Publix to get some groceries...so, we were able to put Sophia to work in the grocery store - HA! We gave her a fake grocery list (as she's all about mimicking Mommy these days)...& voila! We had our personal shopper....everyone in Publix was killing themselves laughing - including us. Sophia felt like such a big girl!

The Uncommon Finch

2009-11-08T18:09:00.000-06:00

One of my dear Sigma Kappa sisters in my pledge class from Auburn emailed several of us girls last week & shared the link to her newest baby, The Uncommon Finch - it's her line of gorgeous handmade jewelry. After perusing the site, I was blown away! I had no idea that she had this sort of talent, but her pieces are amazing! This newest venture was born out of the poor economy where she was an accomplished architect & was laid off - she struggled & prayed for the right door to open (meanwhile downsizing & working several other jobs to make ends meet). She even began taking metalsmithing classes to learn to work metal into fine pieces...jewelry was always a big part of who Catherine was (& is!), but we're all so proud of her for making something so beautiful out of a very dark period of her life! She has several lines that she's started (with very clever titles) & there is truly something there for everyone ranging from simplistic to exotic in earrings, necklaces, bracelets & more. She's just launched her site, so please take the time to check it out...you may just find something fabulous for your friend or even for yourself. She'll even make custom pieces...& that's a good thing, because I've got a few ideas up my sleeve for her!

http://www.theuncommonfinch.com/index2.html

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-08T10:30:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe this was Sophia's 3rd Halloween! We've gone from being a Pea in the Pod (not even crawling)to a Ballerina (the chubbiest & cutest!) to our little Minnie Mouse who was capable of shouting "Trick or Treat"! Ah, we're just so proud. HA! We'd been trying to prep Sophia this year on 'what to do' - wearing a costume, carrying a bucket, ringing a doorbell, saying "Trick or Treat" & then "thank you". We accomplished most of that list...not too shabby! We had made plans to take Sophia by the grandparents houses that afternoon to let her do some practice runs & to let them have some photo opps. We arrived at Lopez's first where she totally didn't want to wear the ears, carry the bag or ring the doorbell. Fantastic. We even completed the mission by not wanting candy. Fail. However, we were able to get some sweet photos of Sophia with Patricia, Rafa & Gabby...the bonus was Devon showed up! This made Minnie's day! Next up we headed to the Schultz's where we had a repeat...at least she rang the doorbell here & was interested in receiving the goods from Nana's basket! This time she understood what was going into her bag & she wanted to taste it....like, NOW. A few photos & giggles later, we were off to Ava's house!

We had planned to get together with Crimi's at their house to do trick or treating & to have dinner. Upon arrival, the girls squealed at each others costumes & decided to play. We quickly gathered the goods for the trailer ride around the neighborhood with some other friends & off we went. It was much colder than we expected, so in total we gathered treats for about an hour I'm guessing. The girls had fun riding on the trailer & seeing all the other kids' costumes. They did very well & were the most polite children out there...of course! Afterwards we headed back to Crimi's where we changed the girls into their PJ's & warmed up eating some yummy homemade ziti, breadsticks & more. It was delish & we were all able to thaw out - BRR! The girls had a blast & Rod even assembled a fun fort out of blankets & chairs - they LOVED this...they were giggling going in & out & it was fun to watch.

I even opted to bring a Halloween favorite from my childhood that my mom would make, Ghosts in the Graveyard dessert. It was always fun to eat...however, I was too late in buying the supplies & couldn't find the pumpkins or candycorns. My cool whip ghosts were only one & he melted into the dirt....the disaster provided a great laugh & good lesson that I need to buy the supplies early next year. However, it tasted the same as I always remembered - deeeelish!! Here's the link to view it & to make it next year:

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/ghosts-in-the-graveyard-54472.aspx

Meeska, Mouska, Mickey Mouse!

2009-11-08T10:16:00.000-06:00

Our whole family couldn't wait for October 18th, when we'd all go down to the MPAC to see Playhouse Disney Live! on tour...we'd been pumping up the big day for awhile to Sophia. It was her chance to see all the characters of her favorite morning Disney programs - Little Einsteins, My Friends Tigger & Pooh, Handy Manny & of COURSE Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with all the main characters! It was so funny that here we were taking our 2.5yr old to see these characters & thinking she was really excited, but the level of excitement in the theater completely changed when Mickey Mouse came onstage - young or old, it was like we were all 5 again - it was pure magic...and the faces of our kids were truly priceless! We attended the event with our partner family in crime, the Crimi's. Ava & Sophia had fun giggling & 'talking' about the characters sitting on their daddies laps - meanwhile Monica & I served as the family historians snapping the family memories. The girls had a blast (& so did we!)...Sophia even wore her upcoming Halloween costume, Minnie Mouse - sans ears...that just wasn't gonna happen. We had to even bribe her with M&M's to wear it - if you think you're above bribes, just become a parent & you'll quickly understand why we do it! Sophia was jazzed at the whole experience & even walked away with a new Mickey Mouse plush animal!

It was well-worth the investment & I believe the next time the show comes to the 'area' is next spring to Birmingham...we highly recommend it! The show was great as the adult people dressed in character, but they lip-synched to the chilren's voice from the show...this kept it as close to the show as possible as the kids recognized the characters by sight & voice. It was an interactive show where the kids helped the character by shouting answers to questions, etc. Lots of fun! We even got to do the Hot Dog dance with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse gang - yay!

After our trip, Rod was set on whisking Sophia off to Disney World next spring, but I said 'not so fast'...I think we still have another year before it's worth THAT sort of investment - HA!

Yada, Yada, Yada

2009-11-05T12:19:00.000-06:00

Here I sit dreading having to update this 'thing'...I think I might be in a mood today, not sure. However, lots has happened since our last post - sigh. It's been very eventful for little Miss Sophia for sure! The remainder of September brought some fun birthday parties for two of Sophia's friends, Ava Crimi as well as Sophia Minor. The parties were back-to-back on one weekend & so our little Sophia was completely partied out when all was said and done! It also brought a very fun trip courtesty of Nana & Papa to the Georgia Aquarium and of course, the pumpkin patch too!

Sophia at her BFF, Ava's party:

Sophia at Sophia M's birthday party in the inflatable jump-jump:

Next came our 2nd annual trip to the Grand Ole Pumpkin Patch in Clanton, AL. It's a fabulous little place that offers tractor-train rides, an inflatable jump-jump area, shopping, music, eats,facepainting, etc. all in addition to the pumpkin patch itself. Like last year, Sophia had a great time (aside from some tantrums, but hey, she's two - it's to be expected!) & so did we. We managed to snap some fun photos of Sophia trapesing (sp?) thru the patch to find the perfect pumpkin...just in time as it started to mist on us!

Next came a much anticipated trip to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta! Rod & I first visited the aquarium back on our first anniversary in 2008. We decided we'd go 'check it out' & take notes on the do's & don't's before we took Sophia. We both had such a great time that we knew in another year it'd be about time. So a year & a half later we went back - this time with Sophia & my parents. We arrived at lunchtime & proceeded to have all sorts of fun inside! Sophia loved running from window to window looking at all the fishies & watching them move, swim, eat, etc. It was sensory overload, but she loved it. She even ventured to the 'touch pools' where she experienced what different marine life felt like. We were proud of this accomplishment for sure. We watched the 3D/4D? show....however, Sophia didn't want to wear the shades they provide, but she was completely content watching a blurry movie without it. Go figure. Meanwhile, the rest of us had a great time grabbing at things in front of our faces like we were 5! When all was said & done, all of us were completely pooped & ready to drive home...what a FUN day!

Whew! I made it....now I'll be working on getting photos together of our trip to Playhouse Disney Live! that came to Montgomery and our Halloween photos...they are priceless!!

War Eagle!

2009-09-13T15:33:00.000-05:00

Rod never spoke truer words than his marriage mantra: "A happy wife is a happy life"...he scored free Auburn tickets from a sweet girl in his office & we were able to go to the loveliest village on the Plains to watch Auburn vs. Mississippi State! Rod was to fulfill the only requirement of the ticket giver (Blair), by wearing orange & blue to the game - as many of you know Rod is a grad of that 'other' school...Auburn's rival, Alabama. The silver lining is that Rod got his degree from Alabama, but only ever attended the Tide's football games for the hotdogs. I swear. You give him free tickets to a football game & tell him what kind of 'goods' the concession stands will have, he'll be there with bells on, guaranteed. No questions asked. He fulfilled his promise to Blair & sported the colors - much to my delight. I practically bleed orange & blue & am a die-hard Auburn fan thru & thru! I better especially after being in the Auburn commercial my senior year & having my face plastered to every Tiger Transit on campus as part of the marketing campaign with the commercial!

Rod & I were able to drive up yesterday morning & walk up & down College Street to see all the new shops & peruse the campus bookstores...I love that town during gamedays! It's my favorite spot it the whole world! We also were able to meet up with two of my sweet Sigma Kappa sorority sisters too...we giggled & reminisced & drooled over the STILL cute Auburn firemen as they cruised thru campus on their orange & blue firetrucks...ha! Rod was able to visit with Jenni's husband Tyler & they were able to talk banking & finance...we joke they have a "financial bromance". How fitting!

Once inside the game we had a fantastic time sitting a section or two away from the roar of the student section & we had fun scarfing down stadium hot dogs, popcorn & more. We cheered Auburn on to their 2nd win of the season against Mississippi State...War Eagle! We hope to get back to Auburn before the season is over for another game or to tailgate with friends at the very least!

Student Driver

2009-09-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

As most families do, we spent the Labor Day weekend at my in-laws lakehouse up on Lake Martin this past weekend. It was lots of fun & filled with some pretty funny memories. Sophia got to catch some rays at the neighborhood pool, see her Aunt Gabby & boyfriend, Devon too. She also got to visit with Devon's friend Graham (or as she refers to him: Graham Cracker). It's true. We arrived Saturday just prior to lunch & had fun hanging out downstairs with the college kids. Sophia was happy to show everyone her bike skills & even sweet talked them into playing "bumps" (aka "cars") with them. Meanwhile, Devon & I, who are often referred to as the "geeks" in the family, were busy updating our iPhones & iTouches with the latest Facebook & Twitter apps. Luckily, Devon is more up-to-date on that sort of thing & was able to get this chick up to speed. However, as we all visited downstairs, Rafa was in charge of the grill - let's just say he was paying more attention to the US Open on TV upstairs than the grill downstairs outside. Patricia noticed the heavy amount of smoke drifting upwards & we thought it seemed a tad heavy outside too. As we stood up to look outside, the pinestraw next to the grill was already ablaze. Seriously. The boys rushed outside & quickly extinguished the flames (only a few inches high, but dry pinestraw...whew!). The flames had already scorched a few rose bushes & had already traveled around & up past the stone wall towards the driveway. We were fortunate that only a flew plants & pinestraw bit the dust & the house nor anyone was hurt. Needless to say Patricia scolded Rafa in some very fast-talking Spanish, none of which I could even make out! Then if that wasn't bad enough, Rafa proceeded to then burn the veggies. Oops! Lunch was still edible & the day went on....only at the Lopez house! HA! Sunday brought us the glorious last day at the neighborhood pool where Sophia was more happy to sit (snacking of course!) & people-watch than to get her little body wet. Oh well...people watching was actually pretty fun that day. Afterwards, we hopped in the car to drive the 2.5 blocks to get to the lakehouse - yes, we pulled a "Britney". However, it was definitely not on a L.A. Freeway...we didn't even pass any cars...Sophia had the BEST time:

Sophia's First Day of School!

2009-08-24T19:15:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe Sophia has already started her 2nd year of 'school'! Last year, she started at Frazer's MMO program with just one day per week. Soon, 2 more days opened up & so we added those on...it was the best decision we ever made. Sophia absolutely adored getting to 'go' to school & see her 'friends' & two sweet teachers. Granted last year was a lot of freeplay, some music time with the music teacher, etc. But this year, we moved UPstairs to the 2yr olds & 3yr olds wing...woo hoo! Last week Rod, Patricia & I attended orientation at Frazer to meet the new teachers & get acquainted with her classroom, etc. After we met her two new teachers & got to go into her 'classroom', we knew it was going to be PERFECT for her. She was going to L-O-V-E it this year! It was decorated like a 'real' classroom, laminated crayons on the wall to teach colors, laminated numbers to teach, well, duh! numbers, etc. There were two round tables with 7 chairs each....6 for the kiddies & 1 for the teacher...there was a book nook, play kitchen, cradle with babies & a truck center. Sophia was in for a super treat! What completed the night was that we found out one of her favorite friends (Lily) from last year, was also in her class this year! We trotted home that night all jazzed to fill her in the next morning. We really talked up going to 'school' again & how she was in a 'big girl' class with new teacher & lots of new friends, but not to worry b/c sweet Lily would be there too. (Insert hand claps, toothy grin & squeal of approval from Sophia here).

This morning was the big day. I went to greet her Highness in her room since she beckoned me in there...I asked her "Sophia, do you know where you get to go today?" and without hesitation, she squealed, "School!". It was the best Monday wake-up on record. Ever. She happily got changed, dressed & even gobbled up some breakfast (she's not really keen on that meal). We got dressed in our watermelon outfit & were set to go. Of course like any crazy mom, I had to continue the tradition of snapping some photos (voluntary or not) of the first day of school. Here's the one from my iPhone in the kitchen....

This spells out "I'm tired, & totally have a case of the Mondays"...so with a few bribes, we made it out the door for these cute photos:

Sophia upon arriving to school, trotted along the sidewalk, holding my hand & was delighted to get to push THE button at the door. We've all totally pushed THE button before...y'know, the handicapped button to automatically open the door? I'm totally guilty...& have pushed it even when my arms aren't full & I have no real reason to push it, but to just 'push' it. You know you've done it. Anyways, every single kid that attends Frazer has to push THE button...it's like it's a pre-req or something! Sophia pushed it & then proceeded to bolt on thru the lobby area as if she remembered where her old classroom was. Except this year we had to take a sharp right to go up the stairs to the promised land....a floor filled with more play forts, playhouses than you could imagine. I think her school wing has Toys R Us beat to be honest...it's a pretty sweet setup! She frolicked right on up to the door I pointed her to. However, it was like all hell broke loose in her classroom though...it was meltdown city in there. I silently freaked inside worried that Sophia would think that melting down was the 'in' thing to do...but she looked only slightly worried about all this crying business going on inside. I told her teacher that she knew Lily from last year & 'was she here yet?'....But of course Lily was there! Mrs Heather escorted Sophia straight over to her school buddy & from there I turned away & left...they like for you to leave without lots of fanfare which really truly is the best thing to do. However, as I signed Sophia in & exchanged pleasantries with her teachers, I couldn't help but to totally crack up inside because there was one poor poor little boy that was completely traumatized by being in this 'place'! As I signed Sophia in on the ledge of the half door, I could peer over & see this poor little boy completely WEDGED up to the hinges of the door & the wall!! He was wailing like I'd never seen. He was hunkered down like this was a Fallout Shelter or something...I'm pretty sure if the place was going up in flames, he could've put the fire out with his tears. Poor little guy! Of course it was only funny b/c it wasn't my child! Actually, it was HILARIOUS!! I was thinking that Sophia had it made!

I went to go pick Sophia up at 11:30, & guess everyone else picked up their kiddies early...oops. I could see Sophia's little bookbag hanging by it's lonesome outside the door, but she was happily chatting with her two teachers & music teacher! Ha! I peeked my head in & she came running to the door & gave me a great big hug & proceeded to chat all about her first day & what she did. They played alot & met everyone in the class. Then they went on their first of many Monday "field trips" down to the Frazer kitchen where they visit "MeMaw"...the elderly mother of one of Sophia's teachers. There, MeMaw makes & gives each of the students a little cookie. Of course Sophia was all about MeMaw! Sophia + Cookies = happy child! We said our goodbyes after receiving a GLOWING report from her teachers, gave them each hugs & trotted off with our red balloon & new bottle of bubbles. We chatted all the way home to Patricia's. Hilarious. Sophia was so jacked up on the school-high I semi-worried about her sitting down to eat lunch at Patricia's...let alone a nap! However, all went well at Patricia's whew! Now, we have to tackle the rest of the week with the same success!

Now, if only she can maintain this sort of unbridled enthusiasm throughout elementary, middle, high school & college...

Bikes, Big Girl Panties & Espanol!

2009-08-21T10:26:00.000-05:00

We're now treading in uncertain water...we've now learned to push bike pedals with our feet (yay!), wear 'big girl panties' (with Elmo on them!) & we can even count to ten in Spanish all by ourselves! It's been a big week for Sophia! First brought us the revelation that after practicing a bit with Abuelita (Patricia), Sophia began to recite & count all her numbers to Patricia in Spanish! It's so exciting! The very same day we learned that Sophia could push her feet on the pedals to make them go around in circles & with a little push from Patricia, Sophia was off & riding on her little Radio Flyer trike/bike! Now, she is able to get on the bike all by herself & get herself going...she's so confident!

We also were able to get interested again in our potty chair...Sophia went THREE times at Patricia's house on Wednesday! With a few more prompts that evening the success continued. Thursday morning she woke up bone-dry (as she has been for about 2-3 months) & was excited when I asked her if she'd like to go & sit on her potty...she delighted in sitting there & then squealed when she heard the 'music' that plays when the child 'goes'. We clapped & gave hugs & then went to get the 'prize'...gummy bears! Afterwards, we let her put on her big girl panties & walk around...she was super pleased with herself. Since I knew the 'well' was empty at that point, I felt confident in letting her get dressed on top of her newfound big girl panties & ride in the car to Patricia's house....we arrived accident free! We have had pretty consistent success with potty training & only hope it continues.

Sophia starts back to school this Monday & will attend Frazer Kindergarten (it's what the whole 'school' is called) 5 days a week from 8:30-11:30 am. She attended 3 days a week last year & loved it. We felt good in letting her go everyday this year. We attended orientation this past Tuesday night & we are thrilled with her two sweet teachers & the FUN classroom they will have! Complete with little round tables & 'real' school chairs, Sophia will have a ball learning how to be the best little 2yr old she can be. She will be in a class with 11 other 2yr olds & we just cannot wait to hear how the first day goes. We are already looking forward to the little Spring Program next May that she'll get to participate in...we were told they begin working with the music teacher the first week of school & prepare all year for the little 15min program...how hilarious. That program will definitely be filmed!

2 Little Monkey's Jumpin' on the Bed

2009-08-15T08:25:00.000-05:00

Last night was one of the best Friday nights on record as of lately - we had a very yummy pot roast dinner with all the fixin's with our friends Brendan, Monica & Ava. Thursday night Chef Rod went to work on putting the meal altogether so we could 'set it & forget it' when we both left for work yesterday....Mom, Rod's pot roast is going to give you a run for your money...it's delish! As usual, we did the impromptu invite to Crimi's for the evening & luckily, it was accepted. I picked up Sophia from Patricia's (aka, "Mom" & "Abuelita"....Sophia still call's her grandmother these names...it's confusing, I know)& asked her if she knew who was coming to see her 'tonight'. She shook her head 'no' & I whispered "Ava" - she SQUEALED with such delight & ran out of the kitchen to go find Patricia all while screaming "Ahhh! Moooooommmmm!!! Ava coming to Sophia's hooooouuuusssseee!!" By her excitement, you would have thought Santa was standing in front of her with Dora & Elmo! It was the cutest reaction I'd ever in my life seen. Crimi's arrived later & the girls were so tickled to see one another...they play so sweet together - sharing, helping, choosing, etc. They truely are best friends! They even eat together at Sophia's little white table that we bring into the kitchen during meals when Crimi's come over. Sophia even tried to set a 'good example' for Ava - showing her how to finish her dinner to make a "happy plate" so we could eat dessert! However, Ava was having none of it & opted out of some brownies. They then played some more, & then the daddies plunked them both in the tub for a mini 'splash bash'. Two clean little girls later, pj's & hair combed, they wanted to jump in Sophia's crib together, & here's the result:
Sophia cracked us up as she kept trying to sweep the hair out of her face (& fix Ava's at one point!), they were just beyond delighted to play together!

Sweet & Sour Sophia

2009-07-29T20:40:00.000-05:00

Tonight we experienced what every single parent across the universe experiences: tantrums. Awesome to say the least. Sophia spent a day of pure bliss at my mother's (Nana) house. Luckily giving my poor mother in law, Patricia (aka "mom"/"abuelita") a break! Of course, since it was a change in Sophia's usual routine, it was like a vacation for her. She was having so much fun at Nana's (ahem, even sitting on the potty chair watching Noggin for 45mins...not moving a muscle - nor going potty as she claimed she had to!) to want to come home. She happily noshed on grapes en route home & then it was like a switch was flipped. So convenient. We battled over everything - juice or no juice, sit or stand, giggle or cry, etc, etc. Both Rod & I are tired from working all day & only ever want peace in our house for just one evening after work...did we do something so terribly wrong during our childhoods to deserve this behavior day after day? Well, maybe neither of us should really dwell on that very hypothetical question! Nonetheless, Rod tackled Sour Sophia into the tub & subsequently into the kitchen to search for the infamous green 'bus' t-shirt to wear for bed. Oh, & the twice-a-day headliner fight to get her hair brushed in which it's Sour Sophia vs. Mommy...that one is my fave fight. Not really. After more tears & cries of "no ponytail mommy", I waved my white flag & begged Rod for a glass of wine. To go with my already heaping helping of "whine". We were able to get her into her seat at the dinner table to "enjoy" dinner as a family - HA! She opted for Cheerios (as she's not been feeling very good lately, lots of congestion, etc. Yay for summer colds) & Rod & I dined on a chicken/rice/teryaki dish of sorts (sorry Brendan & Monica, it wasn't he famous Crimi Teryaki!). Anyone who knows Sophia knows she will not get fooled into drinking a drop of milk, but will gobble up cereal & cheese like it's going out of style - so Cheerios in milk seemed like a healthy winner if she was hungry for a meal at all. Everyone seemed to be 'happily' - & I used this term loosely - eating their respected 'dinners' until disaster struck in the form of a 2 1/2 yr olds hand coming down onto the table to make her point (about what, we've forgotten) in a passionately-told story. The cereal bowl flipped onto it's side, spilling a luxurious silken river of milk (it's a disaster, let's make the re-telling of it at least pleasant!) on to poor unsuspecting Sophia, & then cascading onto the chair & floor. I drank more wine. Then we sprang up into serious disaster relief. Sophia burst into tears wailing, "Sophia okay! Sophia okay!" It's quite funny how she refers to herself in the 3rd person & is so dramatic about these situations. Finally all cleaned, changed & a new PASTA course in front of her, she was quite delighted with herself. So, after a refill of wine, Rod handwashing some dishes (b/c our dishwasher is a real piece...of what I will not say, but a piece nonetheless) Sophia happily shoveled in forkfuls of pasta. Praise God! Then, she blurted out a pure gem: "Sophia not make a mess - Lucy (our sleeping beagle) make the mess. Not Sophia. Sophia a good girl"....WHAAAA??? That might be the most hilarious thing that's ever come out of my daughter's mouth!! So, with a happier child, & dutiful husband, I was able to snap some great photos. In addition to them, I've selected some other cute photos from way back & put them into a little slideshow for your viewing pleasure. Tonight's disaster is the ones with her in the bib (some are black & white)...some are clear back as last fall (2008). Going through all those photos made me realize that she truly is a Sweet & Sour Sophia that we just couldn't love any more than we already do!

Wedding Crashers

2009-07-23T11:59:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that Rod & I go waaayyy back....like as in junior high. We met & became fast friends when we were just 12yrs old - luckily for us, the group of friends we ran with back in those days has since grown up & have kept in close touch through the years. Two of our friends, Heather & Gregg, who we knew back then, since fell in love & recently got married. Below is a slideshow of the fun weekend we all had celebrating the wedding...makes me so thankful that through thick & thin, your best friends will always be there right by your side to celebrate the fun stuff!

Summertime Slideshow

2009-07-23T11:46:00.000-05:00

It's been far too long since I've posted - but summer has been crazy at our house! The easiest way to get you 'caught up' is by the slideshow. It's a compilation of a few events: lazy summer fun at the Lopez lakehouse (The Ridge, Lake Martin), my FUN birthday trip to Nashville to visit my best friend from HS, Sophia swimming, etc. ENJOY! More to come....

For the Love of Krispy Kreme

2009-05-22T19:48:00.001-05:00

The above photo we have lovingly entitled "Delighted Customer"...this was taken around her 2nd birthday in late March...look at that SWEET face!

I know that most kids love the idea of getting 'treated' to donuts on a Saturday morning, but Sophia has taken that to a whole new level! She now asks for it by saying "Doh-duts peease. Sophia, eat. Yummy. Bye-Bye?" How could you possibly turn down a sweet & POLITE (she did say 'please'!)2 year old on a Saturday/Sunday morning? Ruin the chance of starting the day off with an adventure? No thanks. Dash the sugary dreams of an excited toddler? Yeah, right! Over the past few months it's grown from Rod & I's simple cravings for a delectable dozen on a Friday night - to have Saturday morning of course (but secretly we eat one for a Friday nite dessert!) to her actually asking to go 'bye-bye' to eat them at our special table inside Krispy Kreme. We love watching the donuts go on their special ride as they are cooked/baked, dunked/glazed & boxed up. Every now & then, the workers behind the glass would send a friendly wave our way...& boy does Sophia love that! Sophia digs the sprinkles on her donuts & is meticulous about picking the 'chosen one' off to eat it...one at a time! It's become something fun our little family does a few times throughout the month & we look forward to many more Krispy Kreme weekends to come! So, without further hot, fresh, & glazed adieu, we bring to you the photo montage that is Miss Krispy Kreme 2009:

And one of my favorites is this priceless photo I captured on my iPhone one Friday night after we had had dinner at Brendan & Monica's house...yes, the red glare that you see reflected on Sophia is none other than the "Hot Now" sign flashing in the window of Krispy Kreme...I'd like to think this was the moment my child was called to the light of the glazed & sprinkled side...a mother should be so proud:

Little Bunny Foo Foo - Easter 2009

2009-05-21T12:56:00.000-05:00

So, as usual, I'm terribly tardy in posting the latest events in our lives. Better late than never! Easter was even more fun for Sophia this year as she started to understand the Easter bunny & egg hunting 'concept'. She loved finding the eggs 'hidden' in plain sight at Nana & Papa's house, but was NOT impressed or wooed in ANY way by the Easter bunny at Wynlakes this year (who, by the way, must be a 'country' bunny b/c he had on Carhaardt boots!?) Thanks to Nana who filled the eggs with Goldfish rather than sugar & chocolate (although, she IS Nana afterall & everyone knows that Nana is a self-proclaimed "Chocolaholic"). We had also met my parents at church that morning...Sophia I must say was perfection during the entire Mass....can't say the same thing for the SIX year old girl who sat behind us! After a brief brunch at Nana's house (with a visit from a good family friend, Brian Griffith, aka "Griff") we were off to the annual Wynlakes Easter brunch. Sophia was a little more animated at this affair than earlier in the day, but it was to be expected. She was totally pleased to sit next to Gabby & feed her (poor Gabby!)& indulge in pink frosted cupcakes...yum!