Time...

Hello out there in blogworld.




It's been way too long since I've written. I thought I'd just stop this blog completely, but I got the urge tonight to write so I think I will always keep this blog around just in case.



Life is moving along... Shayna is now 11 weeks old and Maya is 21 months old. They are my greatest gifts and I thank G-d every day for them. They put smiles on my faces every morning. Shayna has an infectious smile. She is happy and glowing and looks me straight in the eye. She is 12 lbs and 23 inches. That's 8 pounds less than Maya. She is definitely bigger in size, but identical to Maya when she was an infant.



These two sister adore each other, really. Maya hugs Shayna and calls her "Shay Shay." Actually, we all started calling her that. Maya is talking and says almost any word I ask her to say. She now knows how to ask for things like milk, or she even says "nap" when it's nap time. She says "lap" when she wants to sit on my lap, and bring a book with her and says "read". It's very bittersweet to watch all of this before my eyes. I want her to stay a baby forever, and yet, it is amazing to watch her grow and become her own person.





My life as a mom of 2 girls who are only 18 months apart is going well. I am much more relaxed with Shayna and for the most part, I can do this. The hard parts of the day for me is when I nurse Shayna and Maya wants my attention. I struggle with that on a daily basis, because it interrupts my milk flow and makes it difficult to feed and then Shayna gets frustrated, etc etc. So I pump as much as I can which makes it easier to feed from the bottle. But aside from this, it's good, really good. I love that these girls will have each other. I can already see a bond and it's nice to know they will protect and lift each other up when necessary.





So, if anyone out there still reads this, here are my girls.

Hopefully more sometime soon.

Nighty night!

Welcome to the World!!!

Our newest miracle has arrived!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

Introducing...

Shayna Rose

Born on Friday, October 30, 2009

at 6:35pm

8.7lbs. & 21 inches

NYC

Shayna is the splitting image of Maya when she was born. They are now getting to know eachother. Maya loves to poke Shayna and name her various body parts. Our hands are definitely full with two babies, but our home is now filled with even more love.

My labor and delivery were much harder this time as the epidural wore off as I was about to push an 8.7 lb baby out. It was truly a raw birthing experience and the pain was mind blowing. But, when she came out, all of that pain went out the window and I stared at my beautiful daughter thinking to myself, I cannot believe I got here. I am now blessed with two daughters and I am so grateful for them.

If anyone out there still reads my blog, thank you and I will continue to share our stories as a family of four...

Amazing!

38 wks and 5 days!

Still pregnant.

It has been very hard chasing after an 18 month old while being this pregnant. I am so tired and having contractions. At night my hands fall asleep and my legs are really achy. These are the same symptoms I had when I was preggars with Maya, except that I could rest when I wanted to. Not anymore!

I have a lot of fears, but I am also so excited to see the face of this baby that has literally taken over my body.

I hope to share some exciting news next post!

32 Weeks and Time is Flying...

Here I am over 32 weeks pregnant with baby number two.

I am terrified.

How am I going to take care of an 18 month old and a newborn? I am interviewing babysitters, but still it is going to be HARD. I am trying to focus on the fact that these two children will have each other for life, will be the best of friends and in the long run, these first few months will be a blur in the scheme of life. I hope.

I am also scared of giving birth. Even though I have been there, done that, I know this pregnancy will be very different. I was so lucky with Maya. The Dr. broke my water, I was induced, had the epidural, took a 4 hour nap, woke up ready to push, and thirty minutes later out popped Maya's little head from my vajayjay (I had a mirror so I could watch everything!). It was truly such a life changing, amazing experience. It was the kind of thing that makes you feel like you can do ANYTHING after that. Man, I was on such a high.

So what will this delivery entail? I do know that right now my little is not so little at 4.8 pounds. And it is still breech. The Dr. told me not to worry, as most babies turn by 36 weeks. But I am a little worried. I don't want a C-section. Mostly because I have never been under, or numbed, and it all freaks me out. Plus, I just loved the experience of the vaginal birth. I actually enjoyed the process. Argh. It's just something I need to let go of and realize I have no control over how this will play out.

In the end, I just want a healthy pregnancy, a healthy delivery, and of course, a healthy baby.

Oh MY G-d. It is getting SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO close.

My life is about to change once more. I cannot wait to meet this baby that has been moving in my belly since week 14! And at the same time, I am not yet ready (mentally) for the big changes to come.

Just as I believed I would get pregnant one day, I have to believe that things will fall into place.

In the meantime, I am going to enjoy watching my volleyball of a belly continue to grow and bond with Maya as much as possible these next few weeks.

Yikes!

28 weeks: Book II

Well I am 28 weeks pregnant with baby number two!

This has been such a different pregnancy for me. I sometimes forget I am pregnant until I look down at my basketball or I jump when I feel that kick or punch. I feel bad because I don't want this baby to think I neglected it in any way. I haven't. I still take my prenatals every night and I haven't eaten any sushi, or anything else I'm not supposed to. It's just that I am so busy chasing after Maya who just turned 16 months that I don't have that time to give this pregnancy as much attention. But maybe that's a good thing because I spent SO much time being obsessively worried about Maya's pregnancy and I haven't had as much time to do that now. So maybe that's been healthier in a way.

I will say that I am sooooo tired all the time. Unlike my last pregnancy I don't have the luxury of spending hours on the couch and vegging and pigging out. The upside to this is that I haven't gained as much. The downside is that I miss my couch time :)

But I have to say that a 16 month old baby, while hard to chase after, is such a blast. Maya is so smart and sharp. I can't believe she knows what she knows. I am in awe of her everyday and I just want to eat her up. She has great vocabulary- saying mommy, hello, cheese, teeth, dog, duck and others... She is funny and goofy and I love getting to know her and watching her grow before my eyes.

I am so grateful.

Anyway, hope to write more soon. Not that anyone reads this anymore... it's okay though :)

nighty night!

Catch Up

Wow. It's been a long time. Thanks Christy for reminding me : )

Things have been good. Maya is almost 14 months old and about to walk. She is hilarious. She knows where her nose, teeth, hair and toes are and she says "mama", "cheese", "hi" and "baby." We are enjoying her so much now because everyday she does something new and it has been so much fun to watch.

I have been doing well too. I am now 19 weeks pregnant! We did the amnio a few weeks ago and thank G-d all is normal and we know the gender but it's a secret for now :) My belly is big and it has been a bit hard chasing after a 14 month old but honestly, it's not bad at all. I am so excited to give Maya a sibling and the fact that they will only be 18 months a part is a great thing. They will hopefully be great friends for life. My nausea is still hanging around, but I am only throwing up about twice a week vs 5 times a day. This time I also started feeling movement around 14 weeks, which I just love love love!

In other news we are leaving Manhattan and moving to a nearby suburb. It is bittersweet for me as I am psyched to have more space, but I will miss having everything at my fingertips in terms of stores, friends, etc. Now I will have to make more effort and plans to do stuff, but it's only a 15 minute drive to the city, so hopefully I will be here at least once a week. We shall see....

Lots of life changes happening right now. I feel like I am living an "adult" life, which is a little scary, but I try not to let it stop me from having fun, and from not feeling "old". There is something about having children that has really made me think a lot about being an adult and sometimes it scares me. Yikes....

Anyway, so tired right now- going to rest while David give Maya a bath...

Hope you're all well out there! I am still following you :)

Here's a recent photo of Maya:

Happy First Birthday Maya!!!!

My baby is one year old today! Happy birthday Maya!!!!

I can't believe a year has gone by and she is one year old. ONE. What a cool age. A clean slate. An entire future ahead of her to do whatever she wants. Amazing.

It's been a year filled with life changes-- from experiencing childbirth which for a while didn't think was ever going to happen, to watching my baby stand and clap her hands and wiggle her tushy. It's been a year filled with getting to REALLY know my husband and having many arguments and fights while we spent many a night not sleeping, to realizing this is my family now. MY family. I am building my family and we have ups and downs and we get through it. It's been a year filled with breastfeeding and stressing out about my milk supply to giving Maya her first piece of cheese and watching her chew with her big beautiful teeth. It's been a year of watching my body go through drastic changes from having a vaginal delivery to recovering from those stitches down there, to watching my boobs get full of milk, to having a baby use my boob for nourishment, to finally having sex again, and now, now... having another baby in my belly and going through the same pregnancy symptoms again. Amazing.

I will always embrace my little Maya for who she is and for who she will become. She is SO loved unconditionally. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY beautiful baby girl!!! We love you.