Luca's Birth Story

Our baby boy finally came into the world on July 23rd at 12:55 pm. He weighed in at 8lbs and was just under 21 inches long. I had no idea I was carrying around such a big baby!

Don't worry there won't be any photos of Miles wiping sweat off my forehead, or any disturbing-ly bad photos of me in hard labor making weird animal faces. If you've seen any of those pamphlets they give you in lamaze classes you'll know what I'm talking about. I think birth stories are so interesting because every one's is different & if you don't write it down chances are you won't remember it all in a few years...or if you didn't have an epidural you'll probably never forget.
God bless epidurals.

Disclosure:

MEN BEWARE: The following will include details you probably don't want to read. I suggest you scroll on down to the last few paragraphs and skip the meat of this post. Trust me, you'll thank me later. So, here we go!

I was two days past my due date and went in for my final check up. The midwife checked me and told me I was still only a 1/2 centimeter dilated. Feeling totally discouraged, I cried my eyes out. I was physically and emotionally through with being pregnant and still showed no signs of going into labor anytime soon. I then cried even harder when she asked if she could strip my membranes (I really wish there was a better term for that. It sounds so vile). I wanted nothing more than to leave my "membranes" in tact & be stripped of nothing but the uncomfortable agony I was in. She assured me that it could help me to go into labor & after hearing that, I agreed. I was still crying as I gave my consent due to all the birthing forums telling me it would be painfully horrible, and just like Dr. Google, those women lie. As unpleasant as the term sounds, the procedure was over before I could even contemplate it happening. My midwife must have thought I was some emotional psycho who had no idea what I had gotten myself into.

Isn't it funny how at the end of your pregnancy you actually begin to believe that you may just be pregnant forever. As if, somehow that baby will just stay in you until the end of time. Despite all the jumping jacks and long walks I had been doing and still feeling no signs of going into labor, I was sure I would end up in the guinness book of world records as the eternally pregnant woman. What makes things worse is the constant calls and texts messages you receive asking "any contractions yet?" "Has the baby dropped yet?" "Have you lost your mucous plug yet?" Yes, people have the nerve to ask about my mucous plug, which thankfully I never lost, because that just sounds like something I never want to see. All the while, I kept responding "no, no, & no," wanting to scream at the top of my lungs "When I have the baby I'll let you know!!!! Until then, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!"
But I set my hormones aside, and cordially responded to everyone.

The midwife then proceeded to check my blood pressure which was reading high. We waited another thirty minutes or so to retest and there was still no change. Within minutes we were informed to head over to the hospital, they had an open bed, and I was going to have to be induced that day. I immediately went from not wanting to remain pregnant any longer to thinking I could stick it out a few more days. Instantaneous panic came over me. I was so overwhelmed with anxiety and emotion surrounding the fact that 'today' would be the day. I never envisioned it being so orderly. I imagined total chaos, waking Miles up in the middle of the night and rushing over to the hospital. Reality was so opposite of everything I had imagined the birth to be like. We calmly gathered our belongings, I took a quick shower, and we drove to the hospital. Things were so mellow, Miles even ate a burrito on our way there. I internally freaked out as I poured salsa over his next bite thinking, "How on earth is he eating a burrito right now?!" When we arrived, we checked in and were showed to our room. It was as if we were checking into a hotel, but this hotel ran us $400 dollars a night, you leave 20lbs lighter & they send you home with a baby.

The shock factor of everything that happened that day leaves events a bit blurry. What I do remember goes like this: Immediately the show began. After a plethora of questions, they administered my IV and hooked me up to the monitors which totally sucked. The woman who put my IV in must have been new. She said with squinted eyes, "I think I've got a good vein here, not too sure though, it's looking kind of thin and deep under the skin." Uncertainty is definitely not what you want to hear when your about to have a thick needle stabbed into you. Still looking unsure, I suggested she use my hand veins, which were prominently visible, so she did (don't you love telling the people with your life in their hands how to do their jobs?). Fortunately I didn't see her the rest of my stay, and the rest of the staff was great. After about five minutes of digging around, the girl finally got me hooked up. I still think this was one of the most painful parts of my entire labor. They then gave me a pill called "miso" which was supposed to ripen my cervix, and possibly even send me into natural labor. Yeah, you heard it right, "miso" just like the soup, except this serving wasn't followed up with sushi. The pill worked all right, a little too well. Within an hour I started having contractions. They were mild at first, but quickly picked up, and before I knew it my contractions were coming 1 minute apart. They couldn't administer a second dose of the pill because my contractions were so close together, so they let me wait it out for a few hours to see if I would just dilate on my own. When they checked me I was only at 2 centimeters! "You've got to be kidding me," I thought. Our nurse was named Cat, she was rad & she was from Philadelphia. I liked her, mostly because she kept bringing me lemon italian ice & she knew what she was doing. She was more confident than the doctor on staff. She told us on the east coast they frequently use something called a "foley bulb" when women aren't dilating, and it almost always works. She said the hospital we were at rarely used them & they weren't super comfortable giving me one. I finally decided I had to have one, hoping to avoid a C-section, and in turn the doctor agreed to perform. The foley bulb is basically a deflated balloon they put inside of you and blow up. The pressure of the balloon on your cervix manually dilates you. Sound painful? It is. This was the worst part of it all. The nurse warned me, but she said within 20 minutes, I'd get used to the pain. Well at this point I had declined all pain medication and still had no epidural. I waited the 20 minutes, in fact, I waited close to an hour and wasn't getting any more comfortable with the pain. I finally gave in and asked begged for an epidural, and I'm not sorry about it. I loved every minute of it.

The anasteciologist came in and I said, "No introductions needed, I'll sign whatever you need me to sign, please don't tell me I could possibly be paralyzed or die. I know you technically have to, but I don't want to hear it, I consent to whatever." After a quick, painless sting, he was done and I said, "You are seriously my favorite person of all time & I've never been happier to see you, I'm sure you get that a lot, but keep on doing what you do, because my back felt like it was about to fall off a few minutes ago and you totally fixed it." I'm sure he thought I was on drugs, but I was just on the high of being pain-free. The rest of my labor played out like a breeze. Miles took a few naps, I kept alternating sides and stared for hours at the glorious full moon outside. Before we knew it I was at 10 centimeters and ready to begin pushing. I started practice pushing with the nurse and she felt like things were moving faster than usual, so she called in the midwife, and in came the most joyous Irish woman who shared the same name as my mom. We loved her. She told me how to push and confirmed that what I was doing was working. I felt no pain. I pushed for about 15 minutes total and then in a single instance, our beautiful, blue-eyed, curly-haired baby boy was born. That moment was indescribable. And life hasn't been better since.

This year has been so bitter-sweetly beautiful. It was one of the toughest, yet most rewarding years of my entire life. With it came a new identity for myself & and most notably the most indescribable journey I could have ever conjured up. 

Motherhood took me by storm. I know many women feel connected to their babies from the moment they find out they're pregnant. For me pregnancy was trying & extremely tough. It was difficult for me to feel that immediate connection to the foreign being that was growing inside of me due to the fact that i felt sick the entire 9 months. That isn't something I am proud to admit, but it is the truth. I loved my baby no doubt, but being so sick made it difficult for me to really form a bond. Most of the time, pregnancy felt like a burden. I could tear up saying that knowing how many women would kill to be able to carry children. I wanted so much to have a joyful and natural experience, but instead I felt like a stranger in my own body & feeling sick left me feeling depressed. 

Things suddenly changed the moment they put Luca in my arms. I've never felt so much of a connection to anyone in my entire life. We needed no introductions, it was as if he'd been a part of us the entire time. I was able to instantly draw a link between the life I carried & nurtured and this beautiful baby boy who was sleeping in my arms. Everything made sense. 

It has been a wonderful year! I've had trials and tribulations, tears were shed, feeling inadequate was inevitable, and at times I didn't think I was sufficient enough for the job. I had my share of hardships, but more often than not, it has been pure bliss. With Luca's first birthday drawing so near, I can't help but feel like I've accomplished something great. In reality, Luca is the great one. He has brought more joy into my life than I ever thought possible, everyday is a new adventure. He teaches me patience, humility, and compassion; He is lively & innocent, loving & affectionate, magnificent & marvelous. He has brought the little girl that lives deep inside of me to the surface, and continuously keeps me young. He brings light to everything & everyone he surrounds and I simply cannot believe he is mine.  Luca translates to "Bringer of light," and this little boy is shining like the sun.

Happy Birthday eve, my wondrous little boy. You changed my life that tuesday afternoon, and brought such meaning to all I was uncertain of. I may have made you, but you made me a mother, and that is the greatest gift I will ever know. 

Happy Almost Birthday LuLu!

As hard as it is for me to grasp & accept, my little boy will be a year old in a few days

& all I can think about is how fast the past year has flown by. Everyone warned me, saying, "the second you have a baby, time flies by faster than ever before." I'm only now beginning to realize & understand what it is they meant. Well, I'll leave all my sappy blubbering for the big day, and today I'll share with you a few things Luca will be unwrapping on his special day!

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}

I hope you all enjoy the last of your weekend! Usually I'd be disappointed, but this week has so many festivities packed into it, I can hardly keep my composure!

Wishing you all a relaxing Sunday & a relatively easy Monday!

How to power through 6 am mornings like a boss

When Miles is out of town, I run things solo. So this is how I get on with my mornings when I'm a lone ranger. 

1. Push yourself to jump out of bed aka don't press the snooze button.

If you're like me and your alarm clock isn't electronic, but rather in the form of a chubby hand (with surprisingly good aim & strength I might add) smacking you in the face, mumbling in a high pitched squeal "maaaa maaaa maamaaaaa!" then this may be a bit easier for you--nothing screams get up already like nearly having your eye ball poked out while 25 pounds of love climbs atop your rib cage... But if your alarm is an actual clock or your cell phone rather, try to get up on the first alarm. We all know 5 more minutes turns into at least another half an hour. 

Waking up early is definitely one of my biggest challenges in life, but once I'm up and running I'm usually good to go. Although, I can't lie, I live for the days when Miles is home. "And the nominee for best. husband. ever. goes to...drumroll please....Miles J. Wood!" (applause sign flashing and an assemblage of clapping is heard in the background) Anytime the hubby is home I am able to sleep in or take naps in the afternoons **Praises be to sweet, sweet baby Jesus** An extra thirty minutes or a short snooze mid day makes a world of difference, so nap your little heart out when and as often as you can. In turn I let Miles go and get hour long full body massages at 8:30 at night. They are cheap as dirt, if you live in the area and are looking for an inexpensive, yet legitimate massage, comment and I'll share the details. He swears by them, and I promise there are no "happy endings" involved.  

2. Make the bed right away

This is something I've started to do and it makes me feel so good when I walk into my room and it looks somewhat orderly. It literally takes two minutes...You don't have to pottery barn it, just pull up the sheets and blankets, give your pillow a quick fluff, and top things off with your throw pillows. If you don't make it right then, chances are it will stay unmade and as my mother taught me, "A cluttered house is a cluttered mind." I'm really working on getting myself organized & this is one step in the right direction.

3. Begin to brew your coffee or tea right away/Prep Breakfast

Make sure once you are up you begin to begin to prep any breakfast that will need to be toasted or cooked, and begin to brew your coffee or tea. I don't drink coffee, only loose leaf tea and so it takes a tad longer to make so prepping everything I need before my shower is important. I also make Luca's bottle. 

4. Shower

While your coffee or tea is brewing, bring the baby into the bathroom, get the shower running, and set the babe up in their seat or rocker. Then, right before you're about to hop in, give them their bottle.  

This will give you give-or-take 5 or 6 minutes to suds up and rinse off, but you'll feel refreshed. I miss the days when I could just stand in the hot water for as long as I wanted, but hey at least my water bill is cheaper and I'm conserving water which aids the California drought, right??

 I have really thick hair, so it's unnecessary and wasteful to wash it daily. I usually will wash it every 2-3 days but if it begins to get oily early, I spray and tuft in some dry shampoo. This also extends the life of my shampoo & conditioner. 

A few pre-shower tips: First, while still dry, before hopping in take a body brush and starting at your feet brush in an upward motion over your entire body--this will remove dead skin cells and cure chapped elbows. Secondly, take your pumice stone and quickly rub your callouses while still dry, your feet will thank you later. Also always end your showers with uncomfortably cold water, this is good for your hair, and will tighten up all of your pores, and as a small plus, the cold will help you to wake up.

6. Dress yourself, dress your kids.

Get yourself dressed and ready, and if you don't have time to put on your make up, throw on some bb cream and mascara. The key to a good day is feeling good about yourself, so whatever helps you to do that, do it. And finally, dress your babies. This has become more fun and at the same time more challenging as Luca gets older, but once this is done, I feel like we are ready to start the day! 

Welp, there you have it. A quick review of our morning routine! Here is Luca practicing his sign language. He is saying more to "Finding Nemo." If you haven't heard of it, google "baby sign language," it's so interesting and amazing how children's small minds can grasp so much. Baby sign also helps hugely with communication. We use "The Baby Signing Bible," by Laura Berg, and so far I've been more than pleased with how helpful it is. Luca's first sign was "more," and it's funny because  refuses to sign "all done," which is so much more simple to sign than more, but this kid is never all done. He's continues to keep me young, on my toes, and ready for anything!

'

P.S. Hats off to all the single parents out there, or those with spouses deployed. You folks are the true heroes. Support is the sanity of parenting and therefore, you have my utmost respect. I admire you so much and am your #1 cheerleader!
Hope your weekend is lovely and hoping ours is cooler (weather-wise)
:)

We're learning to like Mondays

Please don't hate me. I know, the title alone had you spewing coffee all over your screen...But at least hear me out. I've spent a majority of my life disgusted by Mondays, the day that makes you check in with reality and ponder questions such as "What am I doing with my life?" "Did I really just eat a pop tart for breakfast??" or come to some dramatic conclusions such as "This is going to be the worst day ever" or "There is way too much to be done, I'm never going to finish all of this crap..." Sound familiar? Well, at least for myself, I can relate and claim guilty to all of the above. 

Today I did have a pop tart for breakfast, because although they aren't the best, most nutritious breakfast, hardly do I ever splurge and buy them, and to be blatantly honest they are really good, so there. 

I can't always be super human. I can't always wake up at 7 am and start singing zippity-do-da, and be pleasant and cheerful, flipping pancakes on the griddle and scrambling eggs, but, what I can do is make an effort to accept my reality. I don't have to like what's going on, I don't have to embrace it, but if I can learn to accept it, my life will be a heck of a lot easier.

Now, this is no easy feat. That is why the title is Learning to like Mondays. It's a major process. But today I had a pop tart for breakfast and I've made up my mind & I'm not going to feel guilty about it. I'm going to write a tentative list of all that needs to be done throughout the week, put on some good music for Lu and I to have a dance off to while I load the dishwasher & bundle up the dirty laundry, and most importantly I am going to maximize my time & make progress on getting some of my work finished while Luca naps.

 How could Mondays be so bad when I get to wake up to this face?

So think of Monday as a fresh start, the flip of page, another beginning to another day you get to live.

And yes, I did have a pop tart for breakfast, but Lu and I shared a bowl of watermelon for dessert. (Random tip: Do you know how to remember the difference in spellings between dessert and desert? Just remember that dessert is sooo yummy it deserves two s's!) Can you tell I'm in a better mood already!?

Happy Monday Friends!

I hope you find a way to make your monday a little easier, even if that means pop tarts for breakfast ;)

XO

Brought to you courtesy of the red, white, and blue

This 4th of July we learned two things: 1. Luca is the most chill baby ever and 2. Spontaneous camping is extremely difficult even with the most chill baby ever.

We decided somewhat last minute to drive to Newport Dunes where my dad and some of our family were camping for the weekend. We didn't have plans, so we figured we'd escape the heat and head to the beach. Mind you, I brought the same suitcase I used when we went to Hawaii for a week and we were only going for the night. Bringing the Baby=Be prepared for ANYTHING, so I was. Miles brought a duffle bag the size of my purse and asked why Lu and I needed such a huge, oversized suitcase. I told him just to go with it, nothing I was bringing needed to be explained (I mean you never know when you're going to need a tambourine, right?). Yet, even still I forgot a few things. The tambourine made it & Luca had three different outfits just for the 4th, but somehow I forgot pajamas & a jacket for myself. Motherhood goes something like this--

Me: opens the door and says, "No really, after you Luca." 

Luca: Walks right on through, never looking back. 

Me: Gets hit by the door on my way out (Makes note to self to walk faster next time)

It's a forever learning curve. Even with all my notes, sometimes I still get thrown up on, take hits to the shin unfolding the stroller, and my favorite getting poop under my fingernails while wiping Luca's tush.

It's a labor of love & aside from all the mishaps, it's completely joyous, momentous, lighthearted, and ineffable.

We drove up early saturday morning and upon our arrival I was already sweating. The humidity sat heavy on us, even Lu was sweating. We did the only sensible thing and put on our beach attire, wearing as minimal as possible. We met up with the fam & my friend Sara, who has a boat at the harbor and hung out there for most of the day. The beach looked like a club so we steered clear of the rave and only went in the water at the harbor's swimming pool. Maybe I'm just getting old, but crowds bother me so much more than they used to. I like low key events where you can hear yourself think and hold a conversation without a drunken crowd singing Shaggy's "Angel" in the background. Damnit, I still can't get that song out of my head!

We still had a great time & the fireworks show was awesome. I was shocked that it didn't phase Luca one bit, he just sat contently on Miles' lap and held a tight grip on his red and blue glow sticks. He fell asleep right before the grand finale and after that, like a couple of old birds, we decided to call it a night and head back to the RV.

 In the RV was a set of stairs and in the two days we were there, I think Luca managed to climb them 500+ times. He even tumbled down once and scared the living daylight out of me. But he got up like a champ and proceeded to keep on climbing. Let me remind you that nothing in an RV or on a dock is baby proofed, so you can't relax for a second because in that instance Luca could be trying to climb the ladder to your top bunk or wanting to take a dip in the bay. My heart palpitations are just now starting to slow down. All in all it was a good time and Luca's radio flier wagon saved our lives. We could have plopped him in that and wheeled him around all day and he would've been happy as a clam. He was the center of attention as we strolled throughout the aisles of campers. At one point, I kid you not, I was carrying him in my sakura bloom wrap and he gently stroked a woman's hair walking past us. She just laughed and I gave Luca a look like "who are you child?!" Miles gave him a high five. 

Men...

I hope you all had a memorable holiday and aren't feeling to fried today! Miles and I for the first time ever woke up before Luca, so I know he must be feeling the exhaustion. Even after a great time, nothing beats the feeling of being home sweet home. Miles is working on the front garden today, and Lu and I are cold chillin', taking it easy, and finishing up a few things around the house. Well, until next time, "I wanna show the nation my appreciation"...NOT.

But seriously, I do love this country, and life is good isn't it?

Happy Fourth of July Eve!

We are ready over here for some real 4th of July fun! I've been anticipating this holiday weekend since last year when I was ultra pregnant and didn't want to take part in anything. We watched the fireworks from the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Let me make that clear, we weren't actually at the fair but driving past it on the freeway and we just so happened to see the fireworks popping off at that exact moment. This year were heading out to newport beach and I'm wondering how Luca will take all the loud noises. Fingers crossed he is so amused by all the bright lights he doesn't even notice the blaring pops. Below is the outfit Luca will be sporting along with some traditional July 4th must haves such as sparklers and bomb pops. Also, don't forget the sunscreen!!! Babyganics makes a good one for kids and you can bet your bottom dollar Luca will be lathered in it all weekend long and I'll have some sort of bucket hat or fedora on him to protect that precious face!

Here's Luca's collection of pacifiers. Pacifiers are like socks, they go missing constantly and disappear into vast nothingness. I am ecstatic to say "Peace out pacis!" Although it seems to be just another reminder that my little boy is growing up faster than I would like :/ Today I played my last round of hide and go seek--me vs. the binksters, and I think I found them all. I looked through drawers, hampers, under Luca's crib, in the diaper bag, in the car, and countless other places, but I'm sure there are many more out there just waiting to show face once Luca has fully weaned. But today I'll say I won. Today is day 6 and were still going strong binky-free! I think it is safe to say that Luca is moving on, I'm not going to hold my breath though...If I've learned anything about motherhood it's that nothing is impossible--that and never use absolutes such as never or always. Almost always you will be proven wrong. Good ol' Murphy's Law.

Never (ya see! there we go again, the proof is in the pudding people) did I think sleeping in until 8 am would be a luxury. Now if I make it until 8 I hug and kiss Luca over and over saying "thank you, thank you, thank you!" He has no clue why I'm so happy but he laughs and shares kisses anyway. Many things are a luxury these days...showers are baptismal, naps are totally underrated, brushing my hair--are dreads coming back into style soon?, changing out of my pjs before 11 is all that and a bag of chips, peace & quiet is golden, unless Lu is awake, then it's suspicious..I could go on and on and on. 

Our breakfast routine usually consists of anything we can plop in the toaster. Other criteria include anything that can be eaten with your hands or more specifically, one hand. Anything that you can shovel down your throat while also fixing a bottle and heating up baby food gets the green light. And I'm seriously contemplating buying pop tarts the next time I'm at the grocery store only because you can eat them hot or cold, genius. There have been times where I almost sip Luca's bottle instead of my tea. Simply put, our mornings are a hot mess. We go through phases alternating between bagels or toast, cliff bars or strawberry greek yogurt, but either way I love eating breakfast on my toast plate. It makes me feel like I have my life together when I totally do not.

Other shenanigans happening in the Wood household include planning for Luca's first birthday party! As I have mentioned before, we have so much family and so many friends and therefore, there is so. much. to be done. Luca's first birthday will be woodland themed and so I got to work making his invitations completely hedgehog themed, and I am so happy with how cute & whimsical they came out!

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend! 

Enjoy the long weekend, Lord knows this house will need it.

Keep on rockin' in the free world!

XO

Chelsie

Hello July, and June Goodbye.

I am so happy for last week to be over. Never in my life did I think I'd say T.G.I. Monday, but yesterday I did. It all started heading downhill the past week when early on in the week our water heater's pressure release valve exploded and flooded out our garage. I'm talking puddles of water everywhere--hot & steamy water for that matter. I felt like I was in a musky swamp. Floods make for  such glorious alarm clocks. It's amazing how alert you become when you realize your favorite leather bag is submerged in water. Fortunately most of the water soaked things we were already planning on getting rid of, although a few boxes were sopped that we actually liked (R.I.P said handbag). 

Then, later on in the week I badly burnt my knee hemming our curtains. It blistered instantaneously and I had to yell something along the lines of "Mother Pucker," since Luca was present. I'm working on cleaning up my sailor mouth because the last thing I need is for Luca's first word to be something that would need to be bleeped out had it been on TV. I hear it takes 21 days for a person to break a habit, so I suppose now's as good enough time as ever to start. Speaking of breaking habits, Luca has been pacifier free for 5 nights and 4 days now! Hallelujah! I am so so proud of him. I've been replacing the binky with other comforting distractions and I'm not sure he even remembers the paci's gone. It was the perfect time to wean him. I prepared for the worst and it wasn't bad at all. I anticipated temper tantrums and chaos, but really there hasn't been any issues except for when I'm trying to get him down to sleep for the night. The paci's are now packed away out of sight, out of mind. So, I'm marking that one off my checklist; We had one successful crack at something during our week from hell. Praise the Lord.
A few other events from last week that made notable appearances include the time I had scraped the back of my ankle on a metal bin at Ikea taking off a good chunk of my skin and then walking around the never-ending showroom playing it "cool." I cried like a baby inside. I'm known to be pretty clumsy, but last week really topped the charts.The final straw that broke the camel's back was when my car was shat on by what I could only assume to be some sort of  pterodactyl considering the square footage this bird poop covered.  I'm talking a HUGE, GINORMOUS, DISGUSTING shit stain on my number. I know you probably shouldn't use words like "poop" or "shit stain" on your blog, but I'm pushing new boundaries here. There was just no way around it. If you are offended, excuse my french, and just so you know according to Taro Gomi "Everyone Poops."
 Anyhow, I'm assuming I'm paying karmic debt of some kind, but hopefully I've settled my dues, because I need to catch a break off a reese's cup or something.

Unrelated to last weeks scheme of events, today I woke up feeling under the weather and I think it's from spreading myself too thin. I'm mentally, physically, and in all other ways exhausted. Thankfully, today my only obligations entailed paying our bills and catching up on some zzzs. My granny came over to help me with Luca (can I get an Amen? AMEN!) and I tried to sleep off the awful clamminess only to wake up feeling more clammy and nauseous. Don't worry folks, I'm not pregnant. I know what all you nosies are thinking! I'd be thinking the same thing, but fortunately this story doesn't play out like one of those horrid "I didn't know I was pregnant until I pooped out my baby into my toilet." What is with all the poop gestures today??! Sorry Granny. Not that it would be the end of the world, but I'm trying to enjoy my Lu for a bit before I give him a sibling. And even more so, I'm horrified to experience the pregnancy I had with Luca all over again. Maybe one day I will get over it and brave it once more, for now we are content.

Well I'm signing off here, I hope you all have a splendid week and an even better 4 day weekend. I'm so excited for the fourth of July! Be safe, enjoy the fireworks, and keep it classy! Other than not feeling so hot today, July is already proving much better than June.  I'm excited to celebrate my mom, my dad, and my baby's birthdays throughout the month. I cannot believe I'm about to be the mother of a 1 year old!!!! ay ay ay. There are simply not enough hours in the day.
Don't Blink ;)

xx