4th of July Fun

Our Neighborhood has a big 4th of July Luau.  They start the day off with the kids doing a little parade.  Gigi rode with her friends Avery and Kelsey in their wagon.

They also had rides on an old fashion firetruck

Pony Rides

Hula Hoop Contests

Sammy tried to sleep but it was really hot - thankfully this all takes place on our street so he and I  strolled home a couple of times. 

Gigi got a beach ball from the hula hoop contest and our neighbor dave blew it up for her. A fun time was had by all! 

Sammy's Birth Story

Salvatore Edward Feliccia

04-15-11

12:40 A.M.

7 lbs 7oz

20"

Sammy's entry into this world was both what I wanted and prepared for and what I feared most.  On April 12th I told my boss I needed to stop working and start my maternity leave.  I was feeling very crampy, tired and uncomfortable. On April 13th I started to loose my mucus plug and was feeling off and on cramping. That night I was able to sleep which made me unsure of if I was moving towards labor or not. The morning of April 14th Gianna and I met my mom, sister and nephews at the library to do a craft. It took me quite a while to get there because I had moved from feeling crampy to actually having regular surges.  Because of my hypnobirthing classes I knew the best thing I could do was to  remain relaxed. After the library we went to the park and things once again began to intensify.  I finally left to go home and be with Frank while Gianna went to my mom's for a nap.


While at home I continued to have surges but was unsure if I was in labor or if this would go on for a couple of days.  Hubby kept on asking me if he should go to work or not. It was so stressful trying to figure out if this was it or not.  That night G went to bed around 8:00 and I got into the tub shortly after.  The tub was super relaxing and helped me stay calm through each of the surges.  I talked to my sister around 9:45 and she was heading off to bed and told me to call her if anything changed.  I then called my friend Chelsea and while we were talking I suddenly moved to a new level. I couldn't talk any longer and had to go so I could focus. Frank had been gone to his parents and came home about 10 minutes later.  I told him things were progressing and he suggested I get into bed and he would read me a hypnobirthing script. I got into bed and immediately jumped out because the pain was too intense.  The only place I could deal with the surges was sitting on the toilet.  I began to sweat and shake and at that point I told Hubby that I needed to get to the hospital.  He called his parents and his dad rushed over to our house to stay with G while she slept.


Hubby frantically drove me to the hospital and about 3 minutes before we got there my water broke. Did I mention we were driving our brand new van:) I could barely walk into the hospital and at one point fell to my knee's.  Water was dripping down my legs, I was pale, sweating and in a ton of pain.  We were taken to a delivery room where they checked me and to my shock we found out I was dilated 10 cm.  My first thought or actually the first thing I said was, "you mean I can't get an epidural?" I was completely panicked and could not believe I was going to deliver this baby without any pain medication.


Thankfully my Douala Jenna Anderson showed up shortly after and was able to reassure me that I could do this.  Then my OB showed up and the pushing began.  I pushed somewhere from 6-10 times and finally out came my Sammy.  I yelled through each of the pushes.  Sammy was put directly on my tummy and after his umbilical cord stopped pulsating Hubby got to cut it.  I got to hold my Sammy for 2 hours without anyone trying to take him away. It was such a sweet time of bonding with him.


My mom, sister, mother-in-law and sister-in-law all showed up minutes after he came out.  Initially I felt like everything had gone completely opposite of what I had planned on.  I really wanted to have a pain free birth and that was all I could think about.  But in hindsight I can see that everything went according to what I had prepared myself for. I was able to labor at home and was relaxed through all of my surges. I used my birth breathing and did not panic as my labor intensified.  I got to deliver my Sammy with out any medication, and he came out peaceful and alert.  I am thankful for my experience of birthing naturally and being surprised by the gender. 


Sammy is a sweetie and I can't wait to see his own unique personality develop.  Hubby was so very happy we had a boy especially since this is most likely our last. I am sure having more than 2 kids would be great but I cannot imagine going through pregnancy again. This has been the most stressful and trying season for our family and our marriage.  I am so thankful to not be pregnant any longer!


Now my task is to survive the first couple months of sleepless nights and having two kids.  Gigi loves Sammy but has been acting out because of all the change. I can see things slowly improving and I will be so happy when we get into a new routine. 

30 days...but who's counting

Today is April 3rd and my due date is May 3rd! I am so happy to be in the final days of this pregnancy.  I know I am the lamest blogger ever but hey the past couple of months have been rough.  There are some really cool things that have happened though.  About a month ago we took the plunge and got rid of the binkies. Gianna is 2.5 and we knew we needed to get rid of them before the baby arrived.  It was a tough couple of weeks but I am so happy we did it and this week are finally back in our routine. She is napping again, falling asleep quickly and never asks for binkies.  

Then 7 days ago we started potty training. It has gone better than I could have imagined. We have only had about 2 accidents.  I know staying dry at night will take time but I am just excited to be moving on from diapers.  I took the advice of a friend and when she would pee or poop we didn't make it a big deal. I just told her, "Thank you so much for going poop in the potty momma loves that I don't have to change your poopy diapers."

We also got a minivan in February. It is so nice to have a car that can fit both of our kids. 

 Here are some pictures that my sister took over the past couple of months. 

I have not taken pictures or written any notes down about Gigi since January.  This baby has been putting me through the ringer. 

 Gigi and cousin Zachary at the library with their masks

 31 weeks...my sister loves this picture but I think it is pretty silly

 35 weeks, trying to look as happy as possible

I am very excited to deliver this baby and look forward to having a gentle, natural, easy birth. We took 5 weeks of hypnobirthing classes which were amazing.  I thought it was going to be really weird but turns out it is simply training yourself to go into a state of deep relaxation.  If you want to see what I am talking about you can watch the following video on youtube. WARNING: it shows boobs and stuff. 

http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=oYgL0ZlHaUo 

Although this has been a tough 9 months, God has given me an amazing support system. My family has taken care of me in ways I could not have imagined. I will post again after our little baby arrives.  Can't wait to finally meet the little person who has been growing inside of me. 

Pictures

                            These are all a bunch of super random pictures from the past month. 

Our one family Christmas Picture

In December I was able to find a swingset, a slide/climbing structure and sandbox all on Craigs List. Gigi is so enjoying her new toys. 

On Christmas Eve, we sang  Happy Birthday to Jesus and Gigi got to blow out the candles

On Christmas Eve Gigi got to open her gifts from Nana and Nonno.  

Look who got a princess dress

We spent Christmas Day with my side of the family. We met at a park and had some appetizers while the kids got some time to play. Then it was back to the house for a tasty dinner,  Christmas Carols and presents. It was a super fun evening for everyone.  

Sisters, Sally, Sara and Julie

Gigi is really into helping and doing everything we do

20 week ultrasound - here is our babies foot

23 weeks- I think I have begun to turn a bit of a corner.  I have eaten some things recently that usually make me super sick and I was not in immediate pain.  I did pay for it later in the week though. The baby is super active, and is measuring about a week ahead of schedule. I have been super emotional during this pregnancy and am surprised by how my emotions always seem to be right at the surface.

Hey out there

So here is the belly at 19 weeks.  I have been so lame at taking any pregnancy pictures, so before bed I just had Frank snap one real quickly. Since this might be my last pregnancy,  I have to make sure and keep track of it. As much as I think (????) I want to have 3 kids, I really don't know if I can bear to be pregnant again.  I am so thankful that I get to have another baby but it has been really tough. Trying to figure out my food creates so much stress.  Early last week I started to feel a bit better,  but then by the weekend things went downhill. After working with my chiropractor,  we figured out that there we some nightshade vegetables sneaking into my diet.  For example,  paprika is hidden in a lot of foods. Then Frank and I had Thai food and there are some chili's used to spice it up.... Sugar was also a big culprit.  This week I removed all of those foods and things have once again calmed down.  I am so thankful that I have Dr. Shores to help me with all of this craziness.

Gianna has been especially challenging lately.  Hitting is her new thing. She gets really angry and then hits me.  I am working on nipping that in the bud,  but it has been hard. She is also quite whiney and just doing typical two year old testing.  She is trying to assert her authority,  and it's really tough.  

On the happy side,  Frank took off the 24th and 25th,  and we are so excited to be celebrating Christmas as a family.   Frank and G decorated the Christmas tree last week,  and she really enjoyed it.  All of our neighbors do lots of decorating,  so we have been having fun looking at all the lights.  

I am amazed at how deeply I love Gianna and yet how angry she can make me. The love you have for your own children is so unique.   

I have my 20 week appointment on Monday,  but we will not be finding out what we are having. Frank really wants to be surprised,  and I am okay with it. I guess I just kind of figure if this is our last child, so why not have the experience. I don't want to take that experience away from him.  

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!!!! 

Here we go again

Its been quite a while since I have posted anything of value. Most of you probably already know that I am pregnant with baby #2.  I am 12 weeks along and my due date is 5-3-11. Two weeks ago I had my first appointment and ultra sound. It was so fun seeing the baby jump around and to find out that everything is as it should be.  We are really excited to have a new baby and feel so blessed that God has allowed us to do this again.

So far this pregnancy has been extremely tough for me. My food allergies have been at an all time high and I have been really sick.  Today is one of my first good days I have had but I think it might be because I haven'tt eaten very much.   It seems the more I eat the worse off I am.  Thankfully like last time my Chiropractor has been able to help me narrow down what foods I can eat. The list is quite short and I get really tired of eating meat but I know it's worth it.

Gianna is now two and she is giving us a run for our money. The past week we have been experiencing a lot of drama from her. Thankfully we have had some good moments that help us remember why we love her so much. It's amazing how angry your own child can make you. I am really working on redirecting her, being consistent with discipline and choosing my battles.  Motherhood is so good for me. 

Here are some pictures from my nephew Cayden's 2nd Birthday party at Bates Nut Farm.

What do you want to know about me?

My good friend Corrina Castillo  did a fun question and answer blog post and I thought I would play along. I am on hold with Aetna right now so I thought what better time. Plus I am not feeling too teribbly sick so I thought I better get on it and post something on my blog.


1. What is one goal you have in the next 5 years? To get strong enough so I can run without pain




2. If you could purchase an entire outfit--head to toe--what would it be? I have no idea this is a really hard question for me. Okay so it would need to involve some type of jacket because I can never afford the cute one's, some cute shoes, a new purse and jewerly.  Outside of that??? Well, I guess a super cute and hot dress that makes me feel increadible. Okay that wasn't that hard:)


3. What country do you want to visit and why? There are so many places I want to travel. I went to Italy on a quick trip after college but my husband has never been and he is full Italian. I would love to go there together, visit family and enjoy the culture.


4. What is your favorite See's Candy?
Scotch Mallow, California Brittle and Almond squares


5. What music are you listening to most frequently right now? A Kids music CD that takes old songs and puts a new spin on them. Gianna is obsessed with most of the songs.


6. What's the last thing you did for yourself? I went and got a pedi/mani


7. What time do you wake up in the morning? 6:54 - it was so great to sleep in


8. What kind of jammies do you wear? Pregnancy bra, and a tank top. I get hot pretty easily so I don't like to wear much.


9. What is your outlet? Right now I don't have much of an outlet because I cancelled my gym membership to save money. I would say swimming laps is a great way for me to unwind, taking a walk or talking to a good friend.


If you want to do this also just let me know by posting a link to you post in the comments. Thanks for playing and for reading my responses.