She’s Half Mine, but Still All Mine

I feel bad because even though I’m with Isabella all day, sometimes I’m really selfish and I don’t want to hand her over when Ricardo comes home. I’ve turned into a semi baby hoarder…yikes. We often stare at her trying to determine who she looks like more and it’s hard to compare since we both don’t have many baby pictures, but I really think I win on this one. I still think she looks like her papa…just more like me for now.

Miss Isabella hit her 2 months milestone a few days ago and there is so much to love at this stage. My favorite is her sleeping through most of the night…it’s a dream I tell you. I also like that she’s more alert and awake these days. She’s making lots of coo’s and ahh’s so we play a game going back and forth and sometimes it can go on for minutes. Life of a baby is pretty darn good!

I celebrated with Mochi Cream this time around instead of cake…have I ever told you about this sweet obsession? Dare I say it, but I love them more than I love French Macarons! I can only find them at our local Japanese Marketplace, but even that is a 20 minute drive away. They come in an assortment of flavors, but I haven’t met one that I didn’t like. Like all Japanese desserts, they’re beautiful to look at and taste just as good as you imagine (photos courtesy of yelp). Wonder how I’ll celebrate her 3 months?

Diving Into My Diaper Bag

Here’s the thing with diaper bags…they’re a little bulky aren’t they? I’m not really an oversized bag kind of girl…trust you me, I tried, but everything just falls to the bottom and it’s like an endless pit of a dark hole to find what I need. The ever trendy Petunia Pickle Bottom bags are way cute, but I just couldn’t get into them. I looked at a ton of diaper bags and wondered why they were so expensive…maybe it’s all those extra pockets? In the end, I ordered a bag I found at Urban Outfitters online and it’s working out just peachy! I love that is doesn’t scream diaper bag in your face and it’s the perfect size for all her baby belongings.

A baby blanket and swaddle is pretty much always with Isabella inside her car seat. When we’re not out for long…I carry a little pouch with some diapers and wipes. I’m not 100% comfortable with nursing in public yet so I always carry a bottle of breastmilk with me. I also change things out every once in a while including an extra set of clothes for her. With babies, you just seem to need extra’s of everything!

Isabella | Month One

Miss Isabella celebrated her one month this past Saturday…my how time flies! I stared at her yesterday not wanting her to get any bigger…I would LOVE if she just stayed this way forever.

Life on Maternity Leave

Pucker up buttercup! It’s true…I send Ricardo crazy emails at work while Isabella is napping. Staying at home isn’t easy…some days are long and some days go by really fast so I made myself some rules while on leave, but there are two that I try to really stick with every day.

1) Get ready every morning as if it’s a work day. This includes getting out of PJ’s and taking a shower, if possible. Although, one day…I literally didn’t get ready until 3pm and Ricardo walked in the door minutes later. This makes me feel less slobbish and more productive and when the only people I have at home don’t talk, it’s the least I could do.

2) Try to have one scheduled outing. Getting out of the house with a newborn isn’t easy and what use to take 20 minutes to do now takes an hour, but I try to do little outings to get us some sunshine. We try to split up our tasks throughout the week so we don’t do too much in one day, but even going out for a smoothie or frozen yogurt is a nice outing. A walk around the block with Rambo counts too!

Days are easily blurred or forgotten so I keep track of everything we do in a calendar. If only I can just slow down time a bit more because I’m really not looking forward to returning to work.

Two Weeks Gone By

I can’t believe it’s been 2 weeks already! It was just the other day when my Valentine’s due date came and there was absolutely no sign of a baby coming. I was starting to feel a bit stressed because I knew that if she didn’t come in the next 7 days…I would have to be induced. As we laid in bed, I was telling Ricardo all of my worries and he jokingly massaged my hand telling me that he would induce my pregnancy with acupressure. He had no idea what he was doing, but something worked because I was feeling a little “funny” the next morning at 6am.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but my water was slowly leaking. I waited it out for a bit and convinced him to go to work that morning. By 11:30am, I had a few strong contractions so I called him to come home. As we checked into the hospital, I was convinced that she was going to arrive that night on the 15th, but midnight passed and all the nurses confirmed that she was going to be born on her papa’s birthday! We took a nap for a few hours until I started pushing around 3:30am and she arrived a little over an hour later at 4:57am.

I had a fever when Isabella was delivered so I only saw her for a brief moment before she was whisked away to the NICU while I was in the delivery room. It killed me that I wouldn’t be able to see her for a few hours so Ricardo spent some time with her while I took a nap and then by late afternoon, the nurses allowed me to go see her. For precautionary reasons, she was ordered to stay in the NICU for a week to receive antibiotics and to also treat her jaundice. It never occurred to me and Ricardo that she wouldn’t be coming home with us so that was definitely the hardest part.

We’ve had Isabella at home for 8 days now, but on day 3…Ricardo told me he was bored so I told him that we were packing our bags and heading up to San Luis Obispo for our first road trip. He was a bit nervous, but I was excited! We left last Thursday for the Farmers’ Market and stayed until Saturday. She did great on the drive and I imagine this is only the start of many more adventures to come. I made a few calls and had everyone meet us at Ricardo’s favorite pizza joint for a mini surprise party since we never really had a chance to celebrate his birthday.

Now that we’re home and it’s a lazy Sunday, I have one more day with Ricardo until he goes back to work tomorrow. Hmm…time to start making more plans with my little mama!

Let’s Sail Away…

I’ve finally learned how to boil the perfect egg! Thank goodness for the internet…what did we ever do before it was invented?

I’ve probably made deviled eggs twice in my life and it’s one of Ricardo’s favorite dishes, but we never really have them. The first time he ever had them was in elementary school and they were made into little sail boats. Imagine his disappointment when he learned that not all deviled eggs came in the shape of a sail boat! You know how your significant other tells you a story so many times…it just sounds sillier and quirkier every time? Today, we get to sail away…

 

The Secret Surprise

Looking back, I laugh at about how I told the hubby that we were expecting. I waited one week before telling Ricardo on Father’s Day last year. This was probably the longest time I had ever kept something from him, but to be honest…the timing was perfect. So on this semi-normal Sunday, I snuck out that morning to place a little paddington bear and his favorite childhood book that his mom used to read him, along with a Father’s Day card on a bench along the path we walked Rambo. When he came across the bench, he had to do a double take and kept walking thinking what kind of weirdo would leave all that stuff on a lonely bench. That weirdo was me so I had to confess that maybe he should take a closer look – I was laughing so hard I almost pee’d in my pants.

At first, he thought it was so sweet that he was receiving all these gifts because he’s a papa to Rambo. And then he opened the card and realized the surprise…we were going to have a baby!

He was in utter shock and disbelief! It took him a few minutes to finally get it as I cried uncontrollably at the park. Then we hugged and finished walking Rambo holding hands all the way home.

Fun Friday Adventures

Happy Friday and February 1st! Might you wonder why I am so happy? I’ve had this fear of baby making an early arrival in January the past few weeks. Now that we’re here, I wonder when she’ll make her debut. The little one and Ricardo actually share the same due date…but Ricardo was born two days late so he ended up arriving on 16th. He’s hoping that they’ll end up sharing the same birthday which would be so sweet, but what are the chances of that happening?

Ricardo took the day off and we spent the morning going on fun adventures. We started the day off with breakfast in Seal Beach and then made our way to the Farmers’ Market at The Grove in LA. We picked up some treats for Rambo and boy was he spoiled – we couldn’t refuse the Bulldog Bars!

We took a lovely stroll around the market and ended up at Loteria Grill for a snack – mama munches all day long. Holy guacamole, this was the best nachos I’ve ever had with a yummy papaya fresca.

We made our way towards downtown LA for more foodie adventures and then eventually decided to come home because we were pooped out. The weather was beautiful, the traffic was horrid, but all in all – we need more weekday adventures like these!

Freezing Soups

Throughout my pregnancy, I haven’t had much of any crazy cravings, but there were some things I especially loved like Special K Red Berries. I had this for about 2 weeks straight for breakfast and lunch! Peanut butter, soups, and desserts have also topped the list. Since we don’t have much family and friends in the area, I plan on freezing a few meals ahead of time so we don’t end up starving or ordering in takeout too much. Some recipes on my list include:

• Poblano Corn Lasagna Squares
• Chicken Enchilada Casserole Squares
• Baked Ziti Squares
• White Bean & Ham Shank Cups
• Macaroni & Cheese Wedges

Ricardo can then just steam veggies or make a side salad to go with these easy meals. We cook dinner every night, but I imagine that won’t be the case when baby arrives so frozen entrees should offset the nights where I’m unable to cook. I had some extra ham shanks left over from a split pea soup the other week so I decided to try a white bean soup. Someone suggested freezing soups in silicone muffin pans on pinterest and I just think it’s the most genius idea ever! I wrapped them all up individually and placed them inside a large ziploc bag. Reheating should be fairly simple and with a dash of tabasco, we’ve got yummy soup in no time! If you have any delicious freeze ahead recipes, please send them my way. I’d love to try them out!

Officially Counting Down…

It’s my first day of maternity leave so we’re officially starting the countdown for baby’s arrival. Her room is almost done, there’s just a few more things I need to do like organize her closet and pack my hospital bag. BFF Becca was kind enough to come over this weekend to go over two big bags of baby clothes that Jasmin & Joel gave me last week. We had a lot of fun and I’m so thankful for her help because she was a pro at organizing the dresser. I had no clue what I was doing and still don’t…heehee.

Although I have some time off, I also don’t want to be too bored so I made a list of things to do while on leave:

• Get a Pedicure
• Finish Nursery – Clean Closet
• Organize Linen Closet
• Go On Walks
• Read More Books
• Watch Movies
• Cook More Meals & Try New Recipes
• Review Costco Car Insurance Options
• Take Rambo to See Doggie Dermatologist
• Create Bottle System in Kitchen
• Have Dim Sum & Milk Tea
• Drop Off Donations at Goodwill
• Pick Up Lightbulbs for Kitchen
• Blog a Little Bit More

I promise myself that I would get ready every day and try to not stay on the couch for too long. Rambo is kind of a bad influence so if I stay away from him, then I can stay away from his cuddles. Today’s activities include cleaning out the linen closet, taking Mr. Rambo to see his doggie dermatologist, and picking up some dim sum for lunch! I’ll be back soon

Our First Advent Calendar!

Whew…what a day it’s been! We just finished our Super Saturday child birthing class which took place from 9am – 5pm so I am really glad to finally be home. I am pooped! But it’s the first day of December and there’s a project that I’ve wanted to post about for weeks. Yesterday, I brought home an advent calendar that I’ve been working on for Ricardo. We didn’t grow up with one, but I have been meaning to make one for years! I bought Ricardo one of those chocolate advent calendars from Trader Joe’s one year, but I came home one night to find 8 of the windows popped and the chocolates were all gone. Talk about no fun!

For the next 24 days…there will be a little surprise in each box. Some don’t necessarily contain a treat, but it might have a fun task. Stay tune for a month full of little surprises…

Nursery Inspiration

Happy belated Thanksgiving friends! We made our way up to San Luis Obispo this past weekend to spend turkey day with Ricardo’s family. After returning from our trip, I’m starting to feel like we haven’t done much to prepare for the arrival of little bambina and I’m a bit worried to be honest.

A few things have been ordered, but we only have one thing done. After testing 5 paint swatches on the wall and staring at them for a long week, we hated them all. Then the last color Ricardo picked out at the hardware store turned out to be the most perfect minty mint and I was so overjoyed that we finally had a paint color. I didn’t really have a theme or a color scheme in mind at the time, but as soon as Ricardo showed me the room, I knew that mint paired with mustard would be our colors with a touch of coral and blush. As we collect more things for the nursery…I’m hoping it turns out close to what I’m picturing in my mind.