Olive Lucia, 6 & 7 Months

Olive Lucia, 6 & 7 Months

April 27, 2022

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Our Olive-girl turned seven months a few days ago! The seven months hit me a little hard, I'll admit. It seemed like such a big number and wasn't she just my tiny, little quiet bundle of joy that I gave birth to? Tiny no more, though! She's fun and happy and love to eat!

Six months...

Loves everything she has tried so far - avocados, bananas, sweet potatoes, and zucchini.

Tried the baby swing at the park and giggled!

Solid daddy's girl. Unless Nico's around. She loves our boys!

Loves when her big sister gets her out of her crib in the mornings.

Dipped her toes in salt water for the first time.

Still sleeps through the night but is fighting naps like a champ.

Seven months...

Said mama for the first time! Hasn't said it since...

Sleeps through the night and naps pretty decently.

Went on her first airplane ride to NY and met her abuelitos, tios, and primos!

Hates baby food pouches but loves table food - especially avocados, rice, tortillas, and mangos.

Wears 6-12 months and size 3 diapers.

Pulls off all her bows. 

Eats her toes!

No teeth yet but drools all the time.

Took her second trip to Disney and fell in love with Mickey Mouse!

Starting to sit up.

Had her first pool day and loves the water.

She brings light and joy to every one! And, she's so dang fun to watch grow up!

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Olive Lucia, 3-5 Months

Olive Lucia, 3-5 Months

March 22, 2022

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Our sweet chunk is 6 months today! Of course, I am behind and don't have 6 month photos taken yet so I thought it would be a good time to share all the other months' photos that I didn't share yet. Because, you know, I'm forever behind in some form or another!

Three months...

Started sleeping through the night!

Smiles and recgonize all of us.

Learned to giggle!

Killed it at her first trip to Disney!

Decided she doesn't hate baths.

Can hold her own toys.

Wears size 0-3 months mostly and size 1 diapers.

Four months...

Transitioned to a sleep sack.

Learned how to roll over!

Is the smiliest, giggliest babe.

Loves tummy time. 

Starting sleeping on her tummy. 

Had her first ER trip. She's fine! 

Obsessed with Nico. 

Learned to suck her thumb and it's the cutest.

Wears size 0-3/3-6 months and size 2 diapers.

Five months...

Started solids! Loves avocado!

Loves her swaddle blankets and her swing.

Eats her toes.

Loves playing with these books. 

Obsessed with Encanto. Like, obsessed.

Wears a size 3-6 months/6 months and size 2 diapers.

Chews on everything but no teeth so far.

She's seriously the best babe. We are all obsessed with her and I sound like a broken record at this point but she was so perfectly and graciously made for our crew!

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Olive's First Trip To Disney

Olive's First Trip To Disney

February 2, 2022

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We took our annual trip to Disney a few weeks ago and, if you thought Disney was already magical enough, take your babe for her very first trip when she's tiny! 

It was one of our best trips! Pandemic Disney two years in isn't quite the same but it's our happy place and Olive was a fan from the start. 

We stayed at Port Orlean's Riverside. It was our first time and it didn't disappoint! Boat rides to Disney Springs, drinks poolside, s'mores at night, movies at the pool. It was exactly what we needed. 

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Our Olive Girl

Our Olive Girl

November 22, 2021

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This sweet babe is a dream. She is the perfect mix of both of our babes and fits right into the crew. How did we ever live without her? 

She is officially 2 months old today! I'm still a little in awe that I birthed her two months ago. It feels like it was yesterday while also feeling like she's always been with us. Physically-wise, I'm feeling really good postpartum. I'm so thankful that I healed quickly and that all the sciatic and pelvic pain from pregnancy went away. All I'm left with are headaches that come quite often and a need to balance my mental health with daily life again. 

Otherwise, things are really good with our girl. 

Two months...

She's starting smiling and it makes me giddy. Pure happiness! 

Size 1 diapers and wears a 0-3 in clothing. 

Takes great naps in her swing. Does not sleep through the night. 

Eats often and it's showing! 

Loves her brother and sister.

Loves being held!

Coos when we talk to her.

Can't resist the magical sleep dust of our wrap. 

One month...

Wearing between a newborn and 0-3 months in clothes and between a NB and 1 in diapers.

Reacts to us when we talk to her.

Happiest when she's being held or worn.

Spent many nights on the soccer field while I cheered aggressively form the sidelines.

Sleeps most of the time. But not through the night.

Has charmed us all.

Birth...

7 lbs 10 oz and 19 inches long.

Loves to eat.

Sleeps so well. 

Quiet as a church mouse. It honestly freaks us out a bit.

She's bliss and joy and love all wrapped up in a tiny, warm, package.

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The Last Two Months

The Last Two Months

November 16, 2021

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It's been two months since I've shared anything here and so much has happened. It's been a whirlwind - some of the best and worst moments of my life. I've thought about sitting down to write something here so many times and it either feel inconsequential or too overwhelming to get my thoughts together. But, this collection of moments and stories from our lives brings me joy and has been so great for looking back on.

So, here goes a bit of the last few months. 

We welcomed our sweet girl, Olive Lucia, at 8:07 AM on September 22. It was a gorgeous Wednesday, the first day of fall, and the memories of that day are forever ingrained on my soul. She came into this world fierce but quiet. Her birth wasn't exactly how I dreamed it to be - calming and dreamlike; instead, it was full of anxiety and a jangle of nerves but she's here and she's perfect.

She was 7 lbs, 10 oz and 19 inches long. Born with a head full of dark brown hair, big light brown eyes, and the sweetest face. 

Almost two months have passed now and we're all completely obsessed with her. Nico is in awe of finally having a little sister and Lia has fully embraced being a big sister again. Lia brings her into bed with me in the mornings and Nico rushes home from school to kiss her cheeks. She has brought the most joy and light to our crew and I am forever grateful that she made it to us earthside. 

Manny took off a few weeks for paternity leave and we binged Ted Lasso, went on lunch dates, remembered how to be parents to a baby again, learned how to parent while being officially outnumbered, washed bottles and changed diapers. We learned how to be a family of five and soaked in all the cozy moments at home. 

And, just when it felt we were getting our groove back, I received the call that my dad died. My world crashed around me. I just remember screaming. All I could do was scream while rocking Olive and waiting for Manny to come home. It was one of the worst days of my life and I have spent the last month feeling lost and heartbroken and so damn angry. There's just so much going on behind the scenes and it's been really, really hard. Especially for the kids. They are both old enough to understand it, to an extent, and I feel helpless in guiding them through this. Olive never got to meet my dad and that is a heartache all on it's own. 

I don't have the right things to say to my kids or the right way to help myself heal through this. I'm just getting through the days. Some days are good and some days are bad. We're still learning how to be a family of five. We celebrated Halloween. We're planning Thanksgiving and decorating for Christmas. The kids are in school. Weekends are spent doing things around the house and making Target runs. Weeknights are slower since soccer ended so we're focusing on cooking more meals at home and spending time together. I cling to every bit of normalcy I can get. 

I never wanted my introduction to Olive on here to be written along with the words "my dad died". He died on her one month birthday and I feel like the joy of her and the painful loss of him just keep swirling around me and I'm finding it hard to separate them.

So, I find joy in making our favorite meals and giving Olive baths and anywhere else I can. I grieve while in my car alone listening to music that reminds me of my dad. 

I'll be writing content on here again. Sharing more of Olive. Some feel-good holiday content. Our weekly menus again. I'll be grieving in the midst of all of it but I know that I can't let myself stay here in this moment in time. I just keep moving forward the best I can.

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The Third Trimester

The Third Trimester

September 15, 2021

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9 months! We have made it 9 months with our sweet baby girl and I'm honestly still in disbelief. The grief and anxiety post-loss (especially after multiple back-to-back losses) does strange things to your mind and it never leaves. Not a day has gone by that I haven't worried something is going to happen but we're here. Finally.

We've waited so long for our sweet Olive to join our crew. It's bittersweet that this is most likely my last pregnancy but it feels right. She feels like the last piece of the puzzle for us. I can't even put into words how grateful I am that we get to raise these three kids.

In all honestly though, this has been a rough pregnancy. It's been a super healthy pregnancy, despite a very early-on scare where I thought we had lost her, but it's been tough on my body and exhausting. It's been the opposite of my other pregnancies. From constant nausea to experiencing contractions (I never had them with Lia or Nico!), it's been a wild ride. 

There's days that I feel like I'm never going to be 100% ready for her. I think the trauma from past losses had held back a bit of excitement. It was incredibly hard to pull her room together and buy the things we needed because I felt something holding me back.

Her room is ready though! It took longer than I expected but she's got her space when she joins us. A cozy, green room for her to grow in.

The kids are counting down the days! Witnessing it through their eyes brings magic and wonder to our lives. Nico kisses my belly every day and has given her the nickname "Ollie". Lia watches me with care and has been a huge help getting her room ready!

We had two of the sweetest baby sprinkles to celebrate our girl! I think those really settled it in for us that we're bringing another babe into the world. Also, when did all the baby stuff get so stylish & amazing? 

There's tiny baby clothes to wash, a carseat to install, one more OB and ultrasound appointment, and the last of the nesting to do (I'm feeling the urge to organize all the cabinets and closets in our house!) but, we're ready any day now for her. Still keeping our fingers crossed she sticks to the scheduled c-section date, though. Balancing two full schedules for the kids while trying to nail down the logistical plans of what happens when I'm in the hospital has my eye twitching already!

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A Pregnancy Update

A Pregnancy Update

May 28, 2021

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That sweet profile! I'm smitten.

I had grand plans of documenting every moment of this pregnancy since it's most likely our last. And, yet, here we are, over halfway done and having documented almost nothing! 

Fatigue, nausea, back pain... all my constant sidekicks lately and the reason for the lack of documenting.

Baby O is doing well! She's constantly active (according to our multiple ultrasounds) and I can feel little kicks and flops a few times every day. We've had a couple anatomy scans now since she's proving difficult to get shots of everything they need. We're also keeping an eye on a few possible medical things that could pop up for me, but otherwise, things are good! 

The kids are in love! They tell her goodbye every morning when they go to school and goodnight every night when I tuck them in. They are probably even more impatient than I am for her to join us outside of the belly. 

If I'm being honest, between post-loss anxiety, feeling tired all the time, and food aversions/no appetite, it's felt pretty rough for a while. It's also the most amazing feeling to be pregnant though and create this bond with a tiny babe your body is literally growing. 

The miracle of it never fails me. Here's to the last few months! 

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Why It's Been So Quiet Around Here

Why It's Been So Quiet Around Here

April 20, 2021

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We're going to be welcoming a sweet baby girl into our family in September!  I'm 17 weeks pregnant and it's incredibly surreal to say that again. 

After 3 recent miscarriages, so many tears and heartbreaks, and a lot of test results that answered no questions, we found out that I was pregnant in January and we've been taking it day by day since then. Everyday is a mix of gratitude, anxiety (so much anxiety...), longing, hope, and exhaustion. 

I can't say it's been easy, so far. The second trimester feels exactly like the first with only a smidgen of extra energy. The nausea is pretty consistent and the lack of appetite doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. But it's ours. We made it to this point and I can't put into words how thankful we are.

We are all so excited and so, so grateful for the chance to bring this sweet girl into the world. 

Here's to you, Olive Lucia. You are loved beyond words already. 

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