Samuel is 5 weeks old!!

Goodness I cannot believe how the time is FLYING!!! I thought the pregnancy went fast – well at least until the last few weeks – but life after his birth has been a whirlwind! Sometimes I find myself not having time to go to the bathroom (reminds me of when I worked at UM for L’Oreal LOL) and so writing here has been difficult. I really would like to keep up with this though so I’m going to try harder to write at least a couple times a month. With the other writing that I do though, it might not be so easy; at least not until we get a schedule going.

Today Samuel has been sleeping a lot. He also slept great last night! I have stopped keeping track of his feedings and diaper changes. Labor Day weekend just passed and with Michael home, we were busy, especially that Sunday and so I just decided to stop writing every little thing down. I mean I pretty much know what is normal for him at this point so I feel confident in myself to know if it looks like he is eating less or something. 

He has still been having issues with the gassiness and colic though I have found that the swaddling and white noise helps tremendously! I thought in the beginning that he hated the swaddle as he would just continue crying and crying but after our friend Drew swaddled him on Labor Day, I realized that I just wasn’t doing it tight enough and so that is why it didn’t have any affect on him. I guess with Samuel being my first baby, I really have been treating him like glass and so even watching Drew swaddle him had me a little nervous but when I saw how comfortable it actually made Samuel, it made me feel bad I didn’t figure it out sooner. He quiets down almost immediately; it truly is amazing! 

During Samuel’s first month, mom and Lorenzo were here and he also got to meet Aunt Ariana and great grandma and grandpa. Everyone was such a big help to us, really taking care of Charly and all of us by helping to cook and clean. I definitely felt blessed to have them here, especially my mom in those first days when everything is so new and I really felt like I had no idea what to do. It was nice to have her reassurance and have her tell me I was being a great mom as that is all I want to do, be a great mom to Samuel and a great wife and daughter and sister. Family really is everything and I just feel so blessed to have the family that we do. We are incredibly lucky and I’m so grateful to be able to raise Samuel with our family. 

I’m looking forward to making our trip north – probably not until Thanksgiving now – and having the rest of the family meet Samuel. He has already grown so much that I can’t even imagine what he will be like then, but I am excited to continue watching him grow and change in the upcoming days. Being a mom is definitely the greatest blessing I ever could have imagined and though it is tiring with all these middle of the night feedings and diaper changes and melt downs lol and it is hard to imagine ever getting even five hours of sleep in a row again, I just feel so blessed and I truly know that it won’t be like this forever and so I’m really just trying to enjoy the experience and take it for what it is. 

Michael is away for awhile at school, but I’m excited to see what the Marine Corps is going to decide for us in the coming months and where we will end up next. I am definitely over living in the South and sooo looking forward to experiencing something new. Well, Samuel is waking up so I must go. Until next time!

Samuel is one week old!!!

Well, lots has changed since my last post as Samuel was born one week ago today This week has gone so fast despite it being long – and tiring lol. It’s hard to believe that he has been with us for a full week and how much he has already changed.

Our labor and delivery was incredible. We really could not have been more blessed as the entire process lasted less than 6 hours. Can you believe that?! Our first pregnancy and labor was less than 6 hours! We went out last Wednesday night to Buffalo Wild Wings with some friends so that we could eat some spicy food and see if labor would come on. Michael and I shared mango habanero and caribbean jerk wings; neither of which seemed awfully spicy, but we’re thinking they helped! After BWW, we went and got ice cream from Brewster’s and then came home. Lauren sent me a text to get down on all fours and shake my booty as she has this list of 29 things to do to naturally induce labor. Michael had gone to sleep and after I finished putting his lunch together for the next day, I decided to try it just for kicks. I sent her a text saying I did so and she asked me if it worked and then told me to do it again. I wasn’t sure how long to do it and kind of felt like a fool as Charly thought I was trying to play with him lol. But I did it again and literally within 30 minutes (beginning at 10 PM) I was having contractions that lasted from 60-120 seconds  long and coming every two minutes.

After two hours, I actually called the hospital as I thought I might be in labor but since it was my first experience I wasn’t 100% sure and I did not want to wake Michael up for a false alarm. The nurse told me to give it another hour and if everything continued, come in. So I took a shower and just kept breathing through the contractions, but after another 30 minutes I knew we needed to get to the hospital. So I woke Michael up and he threw on some clothes, grabbed our bags and we were on our way. Sitting in the car was difficult as I just felt extremely uncomfortable sitting during contractions. Thank God the hospital was seriously only five minutes from our house and so once we got there, they checked me in and made me change. They checked my blood pressure and Samuel’s heartbeat, as well as how far dialated I was. I got nervous that they’d tell me I was still only one centimeter, but instead we had finally made progress, I was 3-4!! So I stayed attached to the monitor but was able to stand and walk around since my water still hadn’t broken.

At 6 centimeters, they moved us to the labor and delivery room and by 3 AM, we were fully dilated and I was feeling like I needed to push. They had me wait for the doctor and she ended up needing to break my water on her own. But once I was able to begin pushing, Samuel was out within 30 minutes!! It was just so incredible! We couldn’t believe how fast and smooth everything went and seeing our baby boy for the first time was something I cannot really express in words. It just amazed me and even looking at him today, I still cannot fully believe he came out of me and that he is our son. What a miracle.

The hardest part of our delivery was definitely the pushing. And really I think it was more because I was just embarrassed. I mean it is a lot of pressure all these people standing around you, telling you what to do and when lol but breathing through the contractions was pretty easy for me. The nurse was even so surprised how calm I stayed – as I did not get an epidural. She said she had only seen someone do that once before and she asked me what I was concentrating on to stay so calm. I told her I was just praying to God and focusing on the outcome which was Samuel. I wanted to give him as smooth a birth as I could so I tried to do everything in my power to stay calm and relaxed. Plus having Michael with me helped tremendously as he always keeps me calm no matter the situation and helped me to breathe through contractions and remember that they would end.

Overall, pregnancy, labor and delivery was in incredible. I seriously could not have wished for a better experience and at the end of it all, a more precious and beautiful baby. Samuel is healthy and strong. He weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces at birth and was 19 and 3/4 inches long. He lost some weight while we were in the hospital which brought him to 7 pounds 1 ounce but when we went for his checkup on Monday, he weighed 7 pounds, 6 and 1/2 ounces which meant he had gained back all his weight, plus half an ounce and he had grown an inch! The pediatrician was so impressed as we are breastfeeding and so he thought it was so wonderful that Samuel had already gained back his weight. I just feel so blessed and thankful to God for everything. After experiencing this, I really don’t know how someone can’t believe in God. Having a baby truly is a miracle and I just love being a mama.

Samuel has already changed so much in this week. He’s been holding his neck up and turning his head and becoming more and more stubborn everyday lol. I’m just trying to embrace it all and take in every minute of holding him I can because I know he will not be like this for long. Sleeping has been scare as at night he tends to wake up more often but I know one day we’ll get on a schedule and he will sleep more. Until then, I’m just going to stay focused on being thankful that he is healthy and eating and continue to remember that the sleepless nights will pass and eventually, I’ll miss them and his constant want to be held.

Samuel, mama and daddy love you soo much!! And we are just so happy and thankful you are here with us. You are growing so fast already and we are so proud of you! Happy one week baby boy <3

Samuel is here!!!!

After just under six hours of contractions and pushing, our precious baby boy is here. I cannot even express how happy, thankful and excited Michael and I are. Samuel was born at 0343 weighing in at 7lbs 6oz and 19 3’4″ long. We had a completely natural birth, no epidural or anything He is absolutely perfect and I don’t even have words for how thankful we are right now. God is so great and was definitely with us tonight, as always. Thank you Jesus! Mommy and daddy love you Samuel!!!

So close!

Samuel has the hiccups right now and is moving all around I know I am so going to miss this closeness that we now share, knowing where he is and how he is doing at all times. I will forever carry these memories with me and thank God for letting me experience this miracle. I feel so blessed and thankful to have had such a wonderful pregnancy. My little boy is so amazing already and I just cannot wait to meet him! But as much as I long for his arrival, I will continue to wait patiently for him to be ready and enjoy feeling his movements and hiccups continue inside of me for as long as he needs

37 Weeks, my letter to Samuel

This morning I am going for our 37 week check-up! I am so excited to see if Samuel has made any progress or if he is still sitting cozy, high up in his water bed lol. It is hard to believe that we only have three weeks left! Well, I guess it actually could be even longer if he chooses to be stubborn but I’m hoping he doesn’t Lots of changes will be happening in the coming months, but I am so excited and ready to face them all. We found out yesterday that Michael will be having to leave for several weeks at a time and though that saddens both of us as he won’t be here for long after Samuel is born, we know he has a job to do and that this will open up many more opportunities for us. Plus we are just extremely happy he will be here for the birth as I know I could not make it through without him.

Here is my letter to Samuel. I hope that he reads this and keeps it with him always, knowing that his mama and daddy loved him even before we really knew him.

To my dearest Samuel,

Hello son! Your birth day is just a few weeks away and so I thought I would take this time to write you a short letter. I want you to know how happy you have already made our family. Your father and I prayed for you for so long, wondering at times when God would give us the most precious gift imaginable and when we found out that we were pregnant with you this past November we were overcome with such happiness and gratefulness.

Being your parents is the greatest responsibility we have ever been given and I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life trying to be the type of mother you deserve; the type of mother God would have me be. You have already changed my life in more ways than I ever could have imagined. I thought when I met your father that I could know no greater love, but without having even met you yet, I hold this indescribable amount of love for you and I know that it will only continue to grow and blossom with each day after your birth and for the rest of my life.

I cannot wait to hold you for the first time and watch you grow into your own. I pray that you are healthy and strong and that you one day love God as your father and I do. I pray that you have the strength to be yourself, always, in this world that is constantly trying to mold us into who it wants us to be. I could pray that you never experience heartache or let down, but I know that is unrealistic and so what I pray is that no matter what happens in life, you always stay positive, faithful and that you get back up and keep trying. Life is not always fair or kind my son, but I pray that you always know you have a family who loves you and believes in you so you will never be alone.

Your father is an amazing man whom with every passing day I seem to fall in love with all over again. He is strong and sensitive, serious and funny, smarter than he will ever admit and he loves you more than you could ever know right now. It has been such a blessing to me to be able to experience this pregnancy with him and watch his love and admiration for you grow. We both are continuously amazed by how strong you get each day. Watching your kicks and twists and elbows poke out my belly has brought us such happiness and when you react to our voices, I cannot even begin to describe the look of pure joy that I see in your father’s eyes and that I know is emanating from mine.

Well my little boy, I would like to say hurry up and get here so I can hold you and kiss you and see your sweet face, but I want you to come when you are ready. So until then, I will continue to enjoy you from the inside and wait patiently for your arrival. I love you so much my dear, sweet son.

Forever and always,

Mama

36 Week Check-up :)

Yesterday was our 36 week check-up. It’s so hard to believe that we are down to weekly visits and around 25 days until Samuel will be here! I got to listen to his heartbeat and the doctor checked to see if there was any progress, but he still has not dropped so I think he is nice and cozy and content at the moment

A friend of ours thinks he will be here by this weekend, though I definitely do not. I am not even sure why she thinks that lol, but it is funny to hear everyone’s guesses. I am ready for him to be here when he is ready. So whenever that time comes, I will be excited. I just want him to be as strong and healthy as possible so the longer he stays in, the better I know – just as long as he isn’t like two weeks late or something LOL.

It has been extremely hot down here lately! But last night we got a pretty quick rain storm that actually cooled things off a bit. So we took Charly for a walk and didn’t end up breaking a sweat pretty much the whole time which was nice. We got rained on a little – which of course, made Charly quite unhappy – but it was a nice walk and just so nice being able to be outside without melting!

Everything is pretty much ready for Samuel’s arrival at this point. I still haven’t put together the ExerSaucer or any of the tummy-time toys yet, but I figure we still have time for that. I think we’ll put together a hospital bag this week (just in case). I already have the diaper bag packed with two diapers so I’m thinking I’ll just use that for Samuel’s stuff and then put together another bag for Michael and I. We still aren’t sure what his coming home outfit will be though. It’s such a hard decision! And I’m not quite sure how big he will be at the moment so I will probably bring a couple possible outfits and see which fits best LOL. When I go for our appointment next week, I’m going to ask the doctor if he can tell how big Samuel might be

Well I have to head to work. This weekend I think I’m going to write a letter to Samuel and maybe I’ll post it on here. Have a great day!

37 Days…

…give or take until our baby boy is here!!! We are so excited for Samuel’s arrival. I cannot believe it is really just around the corner now! The nursery is coming together and I think I should have everything in order after this weekend is finished which makes me very excited

He has been moving around so much and it is so neat to see how strong he is getting. Yes, his kicks to my ribs hurt sometimes lol, but I still love feeling him move and being able to tell he is growing. The other night he was punching my stomach and his arm was like all the way pushed out. It was so funny because Mike had been laying down but saw it out of the corner of his eye and he was just amazed. It seriously looks like an alien or something lol. I love those precious moments and I know I will miss them once Samuel is here but I so cannot wait to hold him.

And everyone keeps telling me to hold him as much as possible because they grow too fast. So that’s what I plan on doing. Giving him as much love and attention as I possibly can. I’m not a big fan of just letting your baby cry it out, especially in the beginning months so any time he needs me, I’m going to make sure I’m there and he knows it. Sometimes I worry that I won’t wake up to his crying because of sheer exhaustion but he will be in our room for the first few months sleeping in the bassinet so I’m hoping it won’t be a problem.

Today I’m feeling sick, like I’m getting strep throat or something and that makes me nervous but I’m hoping I’m wrong and that it isn’t anything major. I guess we’ll see how the weekend goes and then go from there. Well, I’ve got to finish my thank you cards for the baby shower and then back to work for me

Our trip to New Jersey

Went way too fast!! But we had such a wonderful time:) I cannot believe we are already back in South Carolina and at work again. We never seem to have enough time, but I’m so so happy and thankful for the time we did have.

The trip was wonderful. We hadn’t seen anyone since Thanksgiving so it was so nice to be there and spend time with the family. We got up there around six on Thursday and went to Ariana’s where we had an awesome dinner of meatball subs and salad and eggplant parm; it was delicious. Mom brought dessert from Calandra’s and Mike got to try his first real canoli

On Friday Ariana and I went with mom for her three month check up in the morning and then Michael, Lorenzo, Mom, Ariana and the grandparents went for a 3D ultrasound of Samuel. Our shy boy was covering his face for a lot of it but it was so neat to be able to see him. It’s amazing the clarity of those ultrasounds and I’m even more excited for our handsome little boy to be here come August. He’s got these huge lips! They’re so amazing, I can’t believe it.

Saturday was our shower at Maggie’s Town Tavern. We couldn’t believe all the people that came out to celebrate Samuel. We just feel so blessed. It was so much fun to catch up with family and friends that we haven’t seen in so long. Pete, Lorenzo, Mike and Matt went to do guy things and so I was left to open all the gifts myself lol. I know that’s how it is supposed to be, but it was definitely overwhelming. I just cannot believe all the wonderful things we got. It’s just such a blessing and I know that thank you isn’t enough, but we are just so incredibly thankful for everything and everyone. It means so much to us, being a part of this family and we just cannot wait for Sam to be here because he’s going to be the perfect addition

Sunday was Father’s Day and we went to Aunt Susie’s for a bbq which was a lot of fun.

Then we went to Mom’s and stayed there the rest of our trip. We hung out and relaxed and returned a couple duplicate things we got at the shower and just really had a nice time. Monday night we went to dinner at this sushi/hibachi place which was a lot of fun and very good. And then Tuesday morning we left

Our drive home wasn’t too bad. We hit some traffic in Maryland/DC but then it was pretty much smooth sailing. Charly was so exhausted! He slept the entire time.

Michael cleaned the nursery out when we got home and then we brought in all the gifts we have for Sam. Tonight Grandma and Grandpa are coming with the rest of the stuff and then tomorrow I’ll start doing all his laundry. I cannot wait to prep the diapers Mom and Lorenzo got us. Cloth diapering is going to be so fun! I cannot wait to get started. All that we really need at this point is a rocking chair and the crib mattress and artwork for the walls. I really think he’s going to have a wonderful nursery and I’m so excited to start really getting it ready. It’s amazing that he will be here in less than 7 weeks!! We’re just so excited for his arrival he’s been moving a ton these days and is definitely getting bigger and stronger each day. I love watching my stomach move all over the place and knowing from his movements how strong and healthy he must be. Ahh what an exciting time!! Can’t wait to meet our boy <3

Less than Two months to go!!!

I can’t believe that we only have 59 more days until Samuel’s due date!! Looking back on this pregnancy, it definitely feels as though it has gone fast and I know the next several weeks will just continue to fly by; especially because we have so much to finish before he arrives!! I’m just hoping we can get it all done

We leave for NJ one week from today and could not be more excited!!! It has been way too long since we last saw our friends and family up there and so we are looking forward to getting away, relaxing and spending some good, quality time with everyone. Plus, we’re getting the 3D ultrasound done a week from tomorrow and are beyond pumped for that! It’s just going to be so great getting to see Sam again and how much he’s grown since our last ultrasound. I mean I can feel how much he’s grown just from him moving and (trying) to stretch out inside me lol but it will be so incredible to see him on the screen, see his face and all the details that come with a 3D ultrasound that I know it’s just going to make me even more excited for the day when I can finally hold him in my arms.

Well, back to work I must go. Today is only a half day though so I’m very excited about that

Dreams…

Last night I had my first dream where I actually was holding “Samuel” and saw his face. It was pretty crazy as I was pregnant with him and we were supposed to be going for the 3d ultrasound but then people went without me yet they still gave Michael pictures of him even though I wasn’t there – weird, right? – and then this girl I went to high school with was pretty much acting like he was hers. But then the dream like fast forwarded and he was around a year old and had been taken from us so we looked all over and we finally found the person who took him and we got him back and I was just hugging him and telling him I loved him and looking into his eyes saying how I would always take care of him and his eyes were the exact same color as mine and then I woke up. It was weird. I don’t know what it all means, but it definitely bugged me out. I mean it was neat to dream about him I guess and what he nay look like, but scary to think of someone taking him from us and then having to search for him. I’m not sure if subconsciously I’m worried about losing him? I don’t feel like I am worried about someone taking him from us, but I have been thinking a lot about what if I die and miss his life and am not able to watch him grow and that freaks me out so I guess the two could be related?

Either way, I hope I don’t have any more dreams like that exactly but I am so excited for our 3d ultrasound in 16 days!! And for seeing family and friends. It’s going to be a much needed break despite having to deal with the stupid custody trial on that Friday. I just wish that would end but that’s all I’m going to say about it as this blog is certainly not about that part of Michael’s life. Well I have to get back to work. Just wanted to write about that dream. Sam seems to be doing great! He’s moving so much these days and it just makes me so happy and thankful!