Another Christmas .... Another Christmas WISH!

Dear Livie,

Today Daddy and I made the decision to add a special coverage to our medical insurance for the coming year.  We are looking at having a brother or sister for you sometime in the year 2014!  I can't imagine loving another child as much as I do you but they say a mother's heart doubles in size when each child is born.  So today we start preparing (in a small way) but a tiny step in opening our hearts for a second child.  We pray that God will bless us again greatly w/ another baby so that you will have a sibling to grow up with.

Two of the greatest and strongest relationships I have are w/ your Aunt Tosha and Uncle Scott.  They are my siblings and I love them dearly!  I have some of the best memories with them - growing up together - and it is so fun to see them with their own little families today.  I desperately want you to have that kind of relationship too.

So another Christmas comes around and my heart thinks...maybe by next Christmas our family will soon be complete.  We leave that in God's hands.

Just know...how very special you are and always will be to me.  My heart will always belong to my children, that is a promise I will always keep to you.  You are cherished.  So very much.

xo mommy

10 months (two hands) old now!

Dear Livie,

You are growing up too quickly!  You have a head full of curly-wavy hair, two bottom teeth, chubby cheeks, and the prettiest brown eyes I have EVER seen!  You have the BEST laugh ever and I always love to see your smile.  You're pretty much a mellow and all around happy baby.  We are so blessed!

Today you turned ten months old!  We spent the day in Asheville, NC where they were having their annual Dickens Festival for the Christmas holiday.  We enjoyed some shopping and lunch and just having a fun family day!

I can honestly say the last ten months have been the most rewarding and fulfilling ten months of my life.  I never knew being a parent, a mother, would make me feel so satisfied.  We're just enjoying every day with you....you bring us so much JOY!

xoxo

mommy

Hilton Head Island - September 1st - 8th

Your very first beach trip!  We are here in HHI w/ Mimi & Pappy all week!!  Daddy is here until Tuesday and then will return to home to work a few days but he will be back on Friday - - on mommy's BIRTHDAY!!

You are getting a lot of attention from your grandparents...you're the only one of their grandchildren that was able to make it this year.  You have been eating up all of the extra attention!!  The last couple of weeks  you have started doing a fake cough and then you laugh...it's soooo funny.  I googled it and apparently it is common for babies around 6 months of age to do this as a way of conversing and/or get attention.  Silly girl!  You get so much attention as it is...but I can totally see you developing a mischievious personality already.   You are having fun w/ Pappy & Mimi w/ the fake coughing...it's fun to watch you.

We took you to see the Ocean today....what a sweet moment.  I definitely reflected back on the previous summer when we were in Wilmington,NC....my eyes were drawn to so many babies that day...I imagined what it would be like to have my own baby w/ us on a beach trip...(not knowing that I was already preggers!).  Today that dream came true.

You are our dream come true.  We will always treasure this time w/ you. Our first of hopefully many many many more family trips together.

xoxo mommy

Happy SEVEN months old Livie!

WOW seven months old now...time has a way of going by too quickly.  You are at such a fun age right now...and as much as I have adored getting to know you as a newborn....having you grow into a little infant has so many joys as well!

you are now eating 3 solid meals a day. Your favorite is the macaroni & cheese mixed w/ veggies and you also love anything w/ banana.

we have a good routine down w/ you where you sleep for an hour or two in the morning and then another couple hours usually in the afternoon.   daddy & I bought you a froggy jumperoo and you love it!  Your legs are getting stronger and I know soon you will start to pull yourself up.....but first you are trying very hard to master sitting up all my yourself.  it won't be long now!

you are definitely teething now!  you are trying to chomp on anything you can get your tiny hands on!! which by the way...you grab for everything.  you are my little curious george...i love to watch your facial expressions.  when something catches your eye...and you try to decipher who, what, where, how, and when.  everything is brand new to you and you're just taking it all in.

you also love to laugh!  and it is by far the cutest sound I have ever heard...your little laugh is just so sweet.  and you have given us some really good giant belly laughs...and it just warms my soul.

happy happy birthday Liv....seven months of loving you!!!  we couldn't be happier :)

mommy

Morning Time with Livie :)

Baby girl,

We are so thankful for the 8 to 12 hours of sleep you give us every night!  You are such a good baby.  You hardly ever fuss or cry...you have this cute little whimper you do when you are getting impatient or upset about something.  At night we keep you close to us, you are sleeping in your rock and play by our bed all night now.  Sometimes you will get a little restless in the middle of the night and I see you turning your head back and forth and I know you are looking for your paci.  So I put it back in your mouth and rub the top of your head and you go back to sleep...sometimes I do this 3 or 4 times through out the night :)   I do not mind though...I love taking care of you.   Usually about 6:30/7am you are awake and I pull into bed with me....sometimes you will sleep a little more with mommy and sometimes you are ready for your bottle.  When you go back to sleep next to me it is the cutest thing ever....b/c you put your tiny face up close to mine and put your little tiny hand on my chest...you want to know I am close and you like to snuggle.  It's one of my favorite times of the day with you.  When you are ready for your bottle - daddy goes and makes it and then comes up stairs to get you.  You and daddy have a good routine down in the morning and I know he loves his morning times with you.  When you first see him in the morning you always give him the biggest smiles!  He changes you, feeds you, and then you and daddy watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse together...which you love.  When I come down for the morning you are always looking so happy watching your show and hanging out with daddy.

You are 4 months old today!  Four months of holding you and loving you.

Lucky Lucky us!

xo mommy & daddy

My First Mother's Day

Sweet Liv,

We had a wonderful day with you celebrating my greatest gift - being your mommy!  You are growing & growing every day.  You're now up to 7oz every bottle and you eat every 3 to 4 hours.  :)

We had a lovely afternoon with you up at the lake by where we live and I couldn't have asked for a better day with you.  Plus daddy spoiled me with my favorite flowers - pink roses and green & white hydrangeas.

I thank God every day for you!

"He will tend His flock like a Shepard; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom and gently lead those that are with young." Isaiah 40:11


xo mommy

I'm a little tea pot...

short and stout...here is my handle ...here is my spout.
when I get all steamed up...hear me shout!
tip me over and pour me out :)

Your favorite song to fall asleep too.  It works like a charm every time...you close your eyes almost instantaneously as soon as I start to sing it...it's absolutely precious.

I love to watch you pout your lips when you sleep.  Sometimes you open your mouth when you sleep and your pacifier slowly slides out of your opened mouth....you are in what I call a milk coma.  Its so adorable.

Oh Livie...I could just watch you all day long!

xoxo

Easter Sunday - April 8th 2012

Your Birth Announcement - - LOVE!

God gave me you...my sweetest blessing!

dear livie,

there are so many wonderful things about you! i can not even begin to express how much i have enjoyed spending everyday with you the last 7 weeks and 3 days. they are definitely the best days i have spent on this earth so far.

you have the prettiest brown eyes...i love when you open them and just look up at me. in the middle of the night or early morning when it's still dark out and you are nursing or drinking your bottle...I can still make out your sweet little face & see you stare up at me and it just melts my heart. you make me smile because as you are nursing you raise your tiny legs & feet in the air and curl your toes. you drink so intently and put your whole little body into it. it's the cutest. your eyelashes are growing in and i do believe your are on your way to having your daddy's long thick eyelashes...lucky lucky you!

one of the other things you do that just tickles my heart is when you start drifting off to sleep...what I like to call a milk coma...you smile giant huge gummy smiles and then start chuckling. it's like you are dreaming of something so sweet and funny....makes me wonder who is visiting you in your dreams. it's just so precious to see and i can not wait until you smile and laugh while you are awake and at me and your daddy. we are looking forward to seeing you grow more and more into your own delightful personality. (even as i type this you just chuckled in your sleep sweet girl)

we took you to your pediatrician for a weight check the other day. you are in the 15th percentile for your weight which is 8.95 lbs right now and in the 74th percentile for your height. you are petite and long! we just increased your feedings from 3 oz's to 4 oz's b/c lately when you would finish a bottle you would cry like you were upset it was gone...you have been going to town drinking up the extra oz each feeding. i think we are going to start seeing you pack on some chub soon if you keep going at this rate. you enjoy eating like your mama ;)

every day has been exciting...even though we stay home most days i am just so enjoying taking care of you. i know these moments of me rocking you, feeding you, dressing you, bathing you, these days will fly by...and even though i am looking forward to watching you grow into a toddler I just don't want it to go by too fast. most days it's just me and you and my day is centered around taking care of you. i am relishing in all the ways i get to be your mommy. sweet days for me little livie. i will always look back on this time as one of my most cherished memories.

the weather has started to get a lot warmer. we have been out strolling our little neighborhood pretty much every day this week. you fall asleep almost as soon as we get started but one day in the not so distant future i know you will be so curious to look out and see where we are going. :) we have lots of fun times ahead.

yesterday you had your first audition. lol. daddy was asked to have the 3 of us audition for a PSA for a pertuccis vaccine. they are looking for a family with a small baby just to be in the back ground of a commercial for this PSA. we will see if you get the part. ;) it was fun for us to do with you though. after your audition we took you to visit daddy's work and also my work place...you had a lot of admirers commenting on how pretty you are. you were so good and just snuggled up to everyone who held you. i was so proud of you livie and i know i always will be. daddy too.

we love you more than words can say xoxo

Little Livie

Sweet Livie,

You are only 2 weeks & 5 days old and you are my PRIDE & JOY! You've captured my heart in ways that are indescribable and difficult to find the words that would give justice to everything that you mean to me. I feel as if everyday is exciting and new - I've begun a whole new world with you - and I don't want to miss a second. I look at your tiny light as feather hands, your beautiful trusting and innocent face, your soft puckering lips and I want to capture the image forever in my heart.

I know that one day I will look back on these days and wish with all my heart that you were this tiny again, brand new, and that we would again just be starting on this amazing journey together. I know that there will be moments as we raise you that I will just want to turn back time and have these precious moments w/ you all over again. I know that I will want you to grow and thrive w/ each passing year and I can not wait to see the individual that you will become but I am not going to let a second of your life go by w/o cherishing each and every stage.

Being your Mom is my greatest accomplishment thus far. I think of the 9 months of growing you, the surgery required to deliver you, and I can't believe that I was able to experience all of it and you are my reward. It's just a surreal experience and I feel so very blessed.

These are sweet days for us, little Livie. daddy and I are overjoyed that you are here w/ us. We pray everyday for you and for us that we will make few mistakes when it comes to raising you and caring for you. We are learning so much. You teach us every day! It is our joy to have you with us :)

We love you beyond measure.

xo mommy

YOUR Birth-DAY! February 1st, 2012

You're here! This morning daddy and I awoke at 4:30am (even though I could hardly sleep a wink) and got dressed and headed to the hospital. We arrived at 6:15am and were taken into the prep room for our scheduled c-section. I was very nervous but oddly calm. I was ready to just go through whatever was needed to have you safely arrive and finally in my arms. The first thing they had me do was change into their hospital gown and then hook me up to the monitors to check your heart rate and movements. They then explained to me what to expect as we moved into the operating room, which we did promptly at 8am. I received an epidural in my spine and then was laid down for the procedure on the operating table. You were born at exactly 8:31am...what a precious moment! I couldn't speak I was so overcome w/ emotion! You were crying as soon as they pulled you out and it was sweet music to my ears. Daddy was so excited that he stood and took a picture, which he was not allowed to do! He didn't know though and they were nice about it, so we therefore have one picture of you coming out of my belly - priceless!

You weighed 8lbs and 1 oz and were 20 inches long. Perfectly healthy, even three weeks early. We are so incredibly blessed.

February 1st, 2012 will forever be a day of celebration for us :)

We love you Liv Harper Elisabeth Gonzales....always and forever! Welcome to the world sweet baby girl!!

xo mommy & daddy

Showered with lots of PINK!

Baby girl,

My work threw a sweet lovely shower for you today! daddy came also and it was so nice to celebrate YOU! I opened a lot of gifts with the color pink :) so I really am counting on you being a girly girl. Every day is going to be a fashion show - you have so many lovely clothes. I just can't wait!

So with my elevated blood pressure and very swollen feet I am pushing going on full time bed rest and I am doing my best without jeopardizing you or my health to avoid that. One thing I'm doing is keeping my feet elevated at work with my shoes off LOL...it's quite funny to see me with my big giant belly, propping my bare feet up high as can be while at work. But totally sweet that my work is accommodating me so much.

Another funny, I can not take my wedding rings off at all! I've waited too long to take them off and now they just won't budge over my swollen knuckle. Hopefully, they will not have to be cut off! daddy had asked me to take them off 2 months ago but of course he knows he married a stubborn woman...I do wonder if that is something you will inherit from me. :)

Oh the joys of pregnancy! I know it's all going to be worth it.

xo mommy

Just You & I

Sweet Baby,

We had another scare this weekend with my elevated blood pressure. This time I spent overnight in the hospital so that they could monitor us and make sure you and I were ok. Unfortunately, I had just dropped daddy off at the airport that morning as he had a business trip scheduled. After dropping him off I went directly to my dr appt on my own, I was nervous as this was my first appt I've had without your daddy accompanying me.

I won't lie, I was quite upset about admitting myself in the hospital on my own. I knew I would be in good hands though and the most important thing to me was to make sure you were fine and stayed safe. The nurses at CMC were awesome and took really great care of us. We of course checked your heart beats and movements and you were totally showing off and looked fabulous the entire time. I had to have more blood work done and thankfully my blood pressure stayed down to a safe range during the entire 24 hours we were there.

I spent a lot of time praying and feeling grateful for every little kick and jab from you. We are so close to you coming and I am so ready! I just want you to be ready and come when you are perfectly healthy and developed. If we make it to your due date I will be very surprised - you are still measuring fairly big :).

Soon I will get to hold you in my arms, little one, I'm soooooo excited! You are and will always be so loved.

Until then...mommy loves you so.

A little scare...but no worries!

Hi Livie,

We were sent to Labor & Delivery today as my blood pressure was high and I had some increased swelling. The dr wanted to be sure that you and I were doing ok. So I had to do some blood work and they did a non-stress test on you.

Everything came back fine! You were your usual active self, moving all around on there, but you were showing us just how fantastic you are. Your heart rate and neurological movements are perfect. My blood work showed that I am not in any danger right now either, but they are keeping a watch on me, and I have a couple of days of bed rest. Hopefully, that will do the trick to get my blood pressure down a little bit and decrease my swollen feet.

You're going to be a big size baby apparently. Which my body is trying to cope w/ all the extra weight. If you come early it will be a good thing that you are measuring a few weeks ahead so I am not worried. We are almost considered full term so if you do come early you should be just fine!

I'm going to take it easy the next few weeks, we can hardly believe you are almost here! We can not wait to meet our sweet baby girl!

xo mommy