Naomi's Birth Story

My sweet little angel was born healthy as ever and we're so blessed :) If you've read Olivia's birth story then her little sisters is less eventful but just as memorable for me. Are you ready? 

BOO!

Happy Friday! For those of us in SoCal Im sure we're all excited the rain and some gloom is here!! :D much needed & a great way, for me, to enter this weekend. Dont know what plans are in store yet but I do know that at some point Hotel Transylvania needs to be seen. Like, NEEDS to be. Last weekend we saw Sicarios at the drive in. I fell asleep so I missed the end :( Not that it was a bad movie but my husband should know, and anyone else who knows me, that at 9pm Im done for the night if Im not shaking my groove thang on a dance floor haha OH and Olivia has her first modeling job in two weeks! So excited for my daughter :) She's a natural in front of the camera so I just thought I'd share a couple pics I snapped of her today. Well I hope you all enjoy your weekend! I'll be back with another post later. Im creeping this one in while my steaks cook on the stove for tonight ;) see ya soon!

OUTFIT DETAILS:

Diaper Cover + Black Onesie: The Baby Exchange

Socks: Target

Heaadband: gift from Grandma

I made these earlier in the week and my "Lil Boo" matches them ;)

Beach Babes

Ocean Beach earlier with my cutie while Daddy was at work. Blessed we live so close to the water :) PS: baby powder works great to get sand off!

Livs ear piercing

Over the weekend we took Olivia to get her ears pierced and as you can see, from the above picture, she wasn't too happy with it. haha she cried during the whole thing but afterwords my tough little cookie was all smiles :) We took her to a store in the mall called Icing. They'll do any babies piercings as long as she's had her Hepatitis B vaccine. They dont recommend getting silver earrings to start with just because most babies tend to be allergic to that more than gold. We opted for a pair of white gold studs :) which look great on her skin color by the way! Once the worker made her marks and we confirmed the evenness of the holes, daddy held her while the deed was done. Icing employees give you training on after care and you get a big bottle of cleaning solution. The total for everything including tax was around 59$. After 8 weeks of healing we can change the earrings but I like these and based on Livs smiles she does too :)

Welcome To The Moms Club

Olivia is practically two weeks old and Im obsessed with her! My gaze is constantly fixed on those beautiful eyes. My fingers love to be gripped by her tiny hands. My nose is constantly pressed against her skin so I can soak up all that new baby smell. Crazy- I know! But with all the beauty that surrounds a newborn and all the well wishes you get there's a side of this whole new mom thing people dont tell you.

Everybody says "sleep when the baby sleeps". Nobody tells you that as much as you want to you cant. You constantly stare at your baby making sure they're still breathing or while you stare at them a million thoughts run through your brain 'I cant believe I carried a human...So this is who kicked at my insides....I wonder what babies dream of...who'll she look like when she's older...' So there goes that. I do sleep but its always in the process of ME trying to put HER to sleep! Waking up on the couch with a baby cradled in your arms staring back at you is kinda creepy despite popular belief.

I've been told "Once you have the baby you are gonna be so relieved that you can go out again". The thought of going out is more appealing than the truth of having to find time to do your hair and makeup & taking care of your motherly duties. In my case, yes I have a husband who can help but it's not the same. My way is the right way hunny haha I honestly have over 30 unread messages and close to 15 voicemails and missed calls....I just cant open the messages. You develop a social anxiety and wanna stay in your little apartment of freedom. I dont go anywhere outside of this apartment with the baby unless I have to or someone is with me. Scary world out there! Buuuuut I am relieved that sushi and ceviche is back in my diet. I can see my lady goods again and I can bend over to the front and touch my toes ;)

"Breastfeed Breastfeed Breastfeed!" Was anybody going to mention that it's not that easy?? The first couple days were the worst, little to no milk at all. Im pretty blessed in that area but that means nothing when the girls aren't producing fast enough for a newborn. One day I woke up with massive sore porn star size boobs leaking milk. Its called engorgement when that happens and NOBODY told me! Here I am thinking any sudden movement would cause these puppies to explode. I pumped and eventually got relief but still, woulda been nice to know! And when the baby has a hard time latching you feel like giving up but keep on trying because they'll get the hang of it. Oh and your boobs always leak milk. Try being at the market with a fitted shirt and hearing someones baby cry but have milk leak out of YOUR boobs showing through the shirt. AWKWARD...

Crying. Nobody tells you it's still a thing even after pregnancy. OF course you hear about postpartum depression and to seek help if you experience symptoms but this isn't a depression cry. It's more of a 'OMG I think I over fed my baby/ look at my fat stomach/ she's so beautiful/ I love her so much/damn look at this mess' kinda cry. Coming home from the hospital to a spotless apartment was one less thing I had to worry about but now this place is a disaster. Thinking about the effort required to clean and even cook makes me cry. Crying because someone ate all your frozen taquitos. Crying when you look at your baby sleep and repeating how much she means to you. Crying is still a thing even after pregnancy.

Life is like "CONGRATS ON BRINGING A NEW LIFE INTO THE WORLD!" Family and friends are like "CONGRATS ON YOUR BEAUTIFUL BUNDLE OF JOY!" & being so excited you fail to read the fine print:

for the first few months may cause prolonged tears for obvious or no reason, social awkwardness/isolation, sleepless nights, paranoia...If you are experiencing any of these symptoms

WELCOME TO THE MOMS CLUB

Olivia's Birth Story

I cant believe we made such a beautiful baby :) Actually, I can haha 10 toes, 10 fingers, a full set of hair, all of her body parts exactly where they belong...so blessed. But this is Olivia's Birth Story so lets get into that...

On Thursday the 28th I went into work like any other day. I hadn't been feeling contractions or had any sign my labor would start later that evening. I ate normally and had felt her kicks like usual. Once I got off work I went into my usual routine of lazy haha tv, pinterest, the works ;) My husband sometimes plays in a local men's basketball league so after his workout he left for that in the afternoon. Around 7pm I got off the couch to get a snack and when I did I felt a little leakage. Me thinking I probably just peed on myself a little (hey, it happens often when you're preggo) I went to the bathroom. I did pee but "water" kept coming. I hovered over the toilet some more and was like uhhh..this isn't normal. I didn't wanna believe my water broke because my husband wasn't home. Like, how am I getting to the hospital?? How am I even gonna get a hold of him?? What if I have the baby here?!! I pulled up my sweats and 5 min later they were soaked. Yea...my water definitely broke. I called and left multiple messages on Bryan's phone but still no answer. I didn't even know what gym the game was being played at so my stress level went way up! I made a round of calls and texts to my family letting them know what happened. Then I called a local friend to see if she could take me but she was just getting off work so again, no luck. Not long after Bryan called me back saying he was on his way and would be here in 10min. Relief.

Close to 8pm we got to the hospital, they checked the fluid to confirm my water actually broke, then I was in bed wearing a hospital gown with an iv connected and baby heart rate monitor attached to my stomach. I was around 5cm dilated when we checked in but wasn't having major contractions. We sat and waited for my body to do it's thing and make progress. The next time I was checked I was close to 7cm dilated and my contractions were pretty strong...and PAINFUL. Explaining pain on a scale of 1-10 was unreal! I held out as long as I could because I did try to go natural. By 4am the pain became unbearable and I caved in...I asked for an epidural. Right after I got it, like RIGHT AFTER, the nurse checks me and says "Hey you're 10cm ready to push! You didn't even need the epidural!!" Nice to know lady. So if you're like me and ready to cave in have them check you FIRST.

An hour of numb pushing later our daughter was born crying at 0542am :) I was so happy and relieved that I didn't realize the tears of joy running down my face. They placed her right on my chest for skin to skin contact once she came out. She laid there and I stared at her for an unknown amount of time. One doctor was down there stitching me up, a nurse was imputing information on the computer and two trainees were standing by to help the doctor as needed. Then one trainee asked for the baby to clean her up etc and as soon as he picked her up the nurse on the computer looked over and said "That baby looks limp!" She ran out and called for a team and 2 seconds later 10 people ran in the room surrounding the warmer where our daughter was. More and more people ran into the room and I couldn't help but hysterically cry. I didn't know what happened all I could hear was them counting out chest compressions like they were doing CPR and them talking about 'no pulse! low pulse!'. Still laying in bed I scanned the room for my husband and couldn't make eye contact with him because I saw he had been backed into a corner with all the people in the room. Nurses saw me crying uncontrollably and looking on in confusion at what was happening so a couple came by to calm me down and block my view. What was happening? Why is this happening? Nothing came to mind.

Eventually I heard her cry and the nurses moved away so the team can show me Olivia crying on her own and moving fine. They told us they were taking her to the NICU for observations and tests. Bryan came to my side once they left to reassure me that everything was gonna be ok and that God was watching over us so dont worry. He went to see her after and I was left alone in the room. I cried more but prayed and thanked God for everything. Bryan came back with pictures and updates saying she was doing just fine. I started to feel a lot better. Still numb from the epidural I couldn't see her yet or even try to breast feed her. That bummed me out but then family showed up and wheeled me into the NICU so I can see my baby.

We got word from the team of what happened and basically, nobody cleaned out her throat fully. Assuming since she came out crying that everything was fine they put her on my chest without suctioning her mouth. If you want skin to skin bonding MAKE SURE they clean your baby out FIRST. She stayed in the NICU for tests and observations until 2am but even then every 4hrs a doctor would come check her vitals and temp and they'd do more tests. The plus side was that she was with me in the room so I couldn't complain. Once all her tests came back normal we got discharged Sunday afternoon and I felt so good! Not physically but just to be out of the hospital with our healthy baby girl felt like I won the lotto. Since Bryan and I are first time parents there is tons of learning in store for us! For example, we searched YouTube to find a video on how to firmly install a carseat haha Cant wait for more learning experiences! Now Olivia is at home eating and sleeping fine :) Im still letting my body heal and my husband is as excited as I am that our girl is home. If you've made it this far congrats! I tend to be a chatty cathy sometimes...sorry bout it.

So thankful and blessed with all the love surrounding our daughter. Friends and family you are appreciated!

At the moment...

Current style motivation:

Kendall Jenner

Current song stuck in my head:

Current quote I'm trying to apply to my life:

Current bible verse:

Isaiah 43:18

Current mama envy:

Jessie James Decker

Current craving:

Wonder Artworks

Current guilty pleasure to watch on tv:

The Prancing Elites Project.(airs on Oxygen)

These are just a few of the random addictions I get. Stay tuned for more in future posts ;)

Happy Mothers Day!

Today we honor all the amazing superhero women in our lives who have influenced us somehow. It takes a lot to raise a child and be a good example to not only your children but those who you come across. I thank God for blessing me with amazing women in my life and for prepping me to be a good mother.

my mother & mother in law at our high school graduation

My beautiful mother. There is so much she's taught me without even realizing it. I appreciate her so much! As a teen I wasn't my loveliest but she never gave up on me and always disciplined me to stay on the right track. There is so much I can say about her but she already knows because I call her all the time to remind her. She's become my bestfriend and I go to her with a lot of my questions. One day I called her to ask how to tell if my chicken was done cooking haha With no hesitation she helped me out and always reminds us that her phone is on 24/7 if we need her. LOVE YOU MOMMY!/

Olivia's Baby Shower

Those were a couple details of the shower before guests started to show. Our theme was Sweet Pea but since its spring we incorporated the theme with flowers. "Like a sweet pea tucked safely away a little baby is blooming today" Every detail was perfect, handmade and inexpensive. My cousins Maricela & Priscilla brought the super yummy pastries all the way from LA! Chocolate & horchata flavored mini cupcakes & the strawberry/banana filled tres leches cake was sooo good!! 

A couple pics with our friends and family from the shower. Still getting all the pics from people because I was so busy making my rounds catching up with loved ones who showed up. I had 3 friends who drove up from San Diego to attend our shower and it really meant alot. True friends! 

We got showered with so much love and gifts for our daughter! So appreciative of everything we receieved. Olivia will be the cutest dressed baby on the block thanks to our family and friends! ;) We got alot of the big things on our registry AND more!! We requested books instead of cards to help build Olivia's mini library. Cant wait to start reading them all to her. We also held a "diaper raffle" so everyone who brought a bag of diapers was entered to win. The prize was a 50$ gift certificate to Red Lobster. Our friend Julie was the winner :) Even the dogs were dressed up haha Overall, so blessed with all the love surrounding us yesterday. Thankyou!  

The parents-to-be & Olivias blended grandparents. She's got a Jamaican grandpa, a Mexican grandma, a Black grandma & a White grandpa. Our daughter will just be one big mix of culture and cuteness :) Unfortunatly, my father in law couldn't make the shower because he's been in the hospital awaiting a heart. He was there in spirit and we love him more than anything. If you come from a praying backround please add him in your prayers. There's a fund to help the family with all the unexpected financial burdens that pop up along the way & to donate just click the link in my sidebar

Olivia's daddy & mommy :) Cant wait to meet you baby girl! Thankyou again for all  the help we recieved planning a shower and all the love. We're so blessed!