A Year already???

 How has it been a year?! That's right... This Sunday (January 19th) we will be the parents of a ONE YEAR OLD! Holy smokes!

Apparently realizing that your baby is no longer very babyish weighs on the emotions. Last week as I was reading through birthday cards I just lost it and starting crying right in the aisle. I have to say this has been a challenging, exhausting, and the absolute best year of my life. My husband and I continue to grow closer together as we raise our beautiful little Lily as a team. 

So what's new in the world of Lily? Her personality has been growing like a weed just like her little legs. She constantly makes me laugh, cry, and just feel so blessed to be her Mama. She is a cruising machine...She climbs and walks along everything! she loves to play with the Tupperware cabinets more than any toy and she's happy as long as she's in any room I'm in. She LOVES to wave to everyone and everything so people just fall in love with her anywhere we go. She is full of smiles and laughter and I am so smitten through it all. 

We finally got her sleeping in her room! It was probably the hardest obstacle for us this far. I'm such a baby myself when it comes to her crying, but sadly she was no longer sleeping well in bed with us and neither were we. We are headed into week 2 of her sleeping on her own and boy does she sleep! 6:30pm to 6:30am! 12 hours of me and  Matthew enjoying one anothers company and getting well rested to be the best Mama and Wife I can be. 

As for now I'll leave with a few pics and plans to be on here a lot more... :)

I love these pictures that show our journey. <3

 Today at the park. Can't get enough of this girl. 

God is truly amazing. 

20 Weeks Old Already???

Time has been flying by and apparently being a full time Mommy leaves little time for blogging. ;)

 

 

Our baby girl is growing so fast and I swear she learns something new everyday!  Instead of returning to work we decided the best thing for us is for me to stay home and love on our Lily Pad. I love getting to stay home with her and seeing all of these milestones first hand. I'll never regret this choice.

 

 

 

 

The first couple of months have been such a learning experience for us as new parents. I've become a ninja at the swaddling and diapering moments and how not to change a diaper on a loaded gun or pay the consequences. I can't even begin to explain the love I have for our Lily, but it's more than I ever thought possible. There are so many moments where I just stare at her amazed that God blessed us with such a beautiful child. I thank him every single day!

 

We went on our first overnight trip in April to Morro Bay and Lily did so well. She doesn't like to be in the car for long (she's a lot like me that way), but once we were there she was a very happy baby! We walked around, shopped, and of course ate lots of good food. We'll be going for our second overnight trip for the Fourth of July to Shaver, but this will be 3 nights in a cabin so hopefully all goes well!

 

 

I've started doing monthly pictures of Lily's growth with her own little sign and she grows so much every month. It's bittersweet because I love to see her reach milestones (like laughing, rolling, putting her feet in her mouth), but not too quickly since I'm enjoying my little baby.

I had such an amazing first Mother's day! We planned to go out to breakfast, but ended up doing an early lunch at Good Times 50's Diner instead and spent the remainder of the day just enjoying my little family. We jumped in the pool, but Lily and I decided it was too cold for us so it didn't last long.

 

Isn't she the sweetest??!!

 

A few of my absolute favorite things about being Lily's Mama is how she looks up at me and just smiles, how she can be crying and as soon as she's in my arms all her worries go away, and her beautiful laugh! (Not to mention she's a great sleeper!) She is such a happy baby and that in return makes me extremely happy. Also seeing how great Matt is with her is amazing in itself. I couldn't be any luckier.

 

I could ramble on forever about how much Lily totally rocks, but I'll keep it short and sweet since I am more than ready for a little sleep. She started teething at 3 months and nothing has broken through yet. Some days are better than others! Today I got to experience shopping with a cart in one hand and a baby wanting to be held in the other. Needless to say my left arm is getting pretty strong. ;)

A few of Lily's favorite things: Her feet, being in the Moby Wrap with Mama, and her Ducky. She also likes to chew on the straws that are in my drink glasses. I think she's trying to be like me. Monkey see Monkey do.

 

 

 

 

She sure is growing!

 



She's Finally Here!

Meet Lily Noel Bardone

Born 01/19/13 @2:36pm

We went in to be induced and Lily decided she was coming on her own! After 3 hours of active labor our precious little girl was here! Good timing little one. :)

She is now 2 weeks old and is growing so fast. We are slowly figuring out our daily routines or lack there of and just going with the flow. God has blessed us so much with such an amazing baby. She is the sweetest and just loves to be cuddled.

I may be a little sleep deprived and not getting a whole lot done at home, but she is worth every moment and I know these times are going to go by too fast. Lily is already smiling a lot and showing such alertness it amazes me. We absolutely enjoy playing with her and making her smile.

We are looking forward to making so many great memories with our little Lily-Pad. <3

Photo Credit: JZanoPhotography

 



37 Weeks and Getting Antsy!

I've been pretty bad about updating on here often, but I've been exhausted and whenever I have energy it's used to prep for Sweet Pea's arrival!!

I'm now on Maternity leave and so thankful to not be at the office since I could no longer focus on work anyways. The nursery is coming together little by little, but I figure it will be more than ready whenever our little one actually gets to sleep in there... I've got 3 months for that right? But we did get the new rocker set up!;)

My last doctor appointment went great. My blood pressure has been perfect and little one is going strong! I've had a few contractions, but nothing consistent (Just enough to get us even more anxious!). Matt is so excited for Sweet Pea to arrive. Every day he asks me if I feel like I may have a baby today! and I catch him rocking in the nursery every once in a while. He is going to be an amazing dad!

Right now it's just the waiting game. I know she isn't due until the 25th, but because of my history we are thinking she'll come early. I guess we will just have to wait and see!

We also got our room organized and ready for her to sleep in comfortably so at the moment all we are missing is our sweet little baby.

Also we had a great Christmas! I didn't do much because I've been so tired, but we enjoyed some time with our family and one another. This is probably the last Chalkboard photo and I know it is 2 weeks late, but I've actually lost a little weight since and my bump hasn't grown. (My doctor says this is a sign Sweet Pea is on her way). 

Back to waiting... for now. :)

Time is Flying By!

Time is flying by, and so much is happening all at once! Last week I was blessed with an absolutely beautiful baby shower put together by my loved ones. I love spending time with everyone and seeing how loved our little one is even before she arrives. Matt and I are getting so antsy to meet her, (but she better keep cooking)

Yesterday I got a little laundry done, but I've been so tired lately I feel like some things will just have to wait. I'm trying to pace myself so I don't pay for it later. We got so many cute outfits ready for our little Sweet Pea!

On Thursday we went to the Doctor, which actually let us get a glimpse of our little one (She said for an early Christmas gift since she could tell how excited at even the thought of seeing her). Baby girl has chubby cheeks and is very fascinated with her hands. She was sucking her thumb a lot too!! Absolutely made me gush at the thought of getting to meet her. <3

I'm currently 34 weeks, but all these pics are 33 weeks. I've been totally slacking because frankly I'm exhausted. This growing a baby business aint easy! ;)

Today we did our hospital tour and this week I'll be packing my hospital bag. I can't believe we only have 6 weeks to go, but I'm so ansty and a little bit on the nervous side. Hoping to get that little bit of energy I've been hearing about so we can get going on preparing for our little bundle of joy! :)

Until next time...

Nesting, Hormones, and The Usual Pregnancy Greatness!

So all I could think about yesterday while I was at work was going home and cleaning my bedrooms and bathrooms... Sure enough when I got home I did all that, cooked dinner, and did 3 loads of laundry! Nesting a little?? Maybe so. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Sunday is my baby shower!!! Although I had a dream last night that no one, but my best friend showed up and instead we ate a ton of chocolate and watched How I Met Your Mother episodes (which I think we now need to plan a day for), but I'm sure many of my loved ones will come share the day with me and I can't wait! :)

Next week we'll be doing our hospital tour and the week after that I'll be packing my Hospital bag and going on Maternity leave. It's crazy how time is sneaking up on us, but it's so exciting!! and I really need to kick my butt into gear and get things done (THE NURSERY).

I'm to the point where my hips hurt whenever I try to roll over in bed and I weigh how important an object really is by whether I really want to bend down and pick it up after I've dropped it. The other night while I was in bed and the husband wasn't there I was having heartburn and needed a Tums. When I couldn't get the container opened I just started crying. Gotta love the hormones! I know quite well that our little girl will be worth every moment, but I can say that I am more than ready for our due date!

Not sure what this is, but it's the same size as our little girl! ;)

31 Weeks - Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm officially 31 weeks and time seems to be just flying by! Lets hope it keeps it up. :)

Some recent updates:

 We went to our 30 week appointment and Sweet Pea and myself seem to be right on track! She is growing and so am I. I passed the glucose test with flying colors AFTER I had to take the 3 hour test. The only hard part about that (other than taking 4 needles to the arm) was being sick and stuck at the hospital for 4 and not 3 hours!

Baby girl's movements are so strong now that you can see the movement so easily from the outside. She is already a night owl like her Papa so I better prepare myself for the very long nights. ;)

We got our crib! Thanks to my wonderful in laws. They have truly been a blessing for us throughout everything. We are SO lucky!

(Here's the proud Papa putting his baby girl's crib together!)

As for this Mama to be I am feeling great. Of course I have trouble breathing because I'm totally running out of room in there and at the end of the day and I am exhausted, but I'll take it over many other things. <3

Today is Thanksgiving and we are so thankful for one another, our little one who will be here before we know it, our heavenly father who has blessed us beyond measure, and for spending quality time with family! Things are going to change so much in the next few months are we are so ready for it, but for now we are going to take in these moments and enjoy our last 9 weeks just being the two of us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

27 Weeks!

We are officially heading into the third trimester! Pretty soon little Sweet Pea will be here!!!

Highlights of the week:

• Baby loves music (especially worship at church or when Daddy plays the piano!) She starts moving non stop and I absolutely love it!

• I'm feeling great other than being tired and being out of breath while sitting.

• The cooler weather is making me extremely happy!

Not too much has gone on this week, but I'll take that as a good thing!

Halloween is this week so we decided to carve pumpkins last night!

Happy Halloween! :)

Maternity Photos and One Growing Baby!

October 13th marked week 25 for me and although we didn't get a chance to do a chalkboard picture (I'm totally slacking) we did a maternity photo session with our friend Alyssa Hart @ Photography with A. Hart. She did an amazing job and even though I am not a fan of cameras these days I was very happy with her work! Here are a few of my favorites!

This is an absolute favorite. I can see the love he has for our little one already. He is going to make an amazing papa! <3

I'm about 26 weeks right now and Sweet Pea is moving like CRAZY! Now that she has grown so much I'm seeing her movements more and more from the outside and I can even tell when she is leaning to a certain area. I love seeing her little flutters and feeling when she gets really excited in there! This week she got the ability to see and is the size of a head of lettuce. It amazes me how fast she is growing!

On another note we finally put our registry together! Yay for the little things that make this mama to be so happy! :)

24 Weeks and 1 year anniversary!

October 1st marked one year since our wedding! We headed to Santa Barbara to celebrate with a much needed couple days of rest and no work! The weather was perfect so we walked the beach, went to the zoo, and had dinner on the pier at sunset both nights!! Not to mention the Inn we stayed at was gorgeous!

Today I am exactly 6 months along and I feel absolutely great! There are a few times where I have trouble being comfortable, but I figure I'll just give up on that until our baby girl is here. I had my 24 week Dr. Appointment today. It's always great to hear her little heartbeat going strong and putting this mama at ease! I was told that the baby is measuring perfectly on schedule. This week she is the size of a cantaloupe! Yay! :)

Ofcourse the doctor reminded me that the holidays are coming up and I need to be aware of what I eat so that I don't gain too much weight during the festivities (Boohoohoo), but anything for our little girl. SO far I've gained 19 pounds (holy cow) and I still have until January so I better pace myself. Luckily I like to eat healthy!

What's next? Monday we are getting new carpet in the bedrooms and then it's a total green light on decorating and organizing the nursery! I can't wait! We still need to do our baby registry and have totally been procrastinating on it so in the next week it's going to happen as well as making a baby shower guest list. I'm exhausted thinking about it, but excited for it all! So many great things to come!

The Good, The Bad, and The Just Plain Odd!

The Good...

 

I'm not going through this alone. My friend Jessica and I are both expecting soon. She is exactly 10 weeks ahead of me and it's nice to be able to send random questions or frustrations to other mommies who are going through the exact same thing at the moment! Doesn't she look great?!

Also...

As we are getting closer to our little girl's arrival (18 weeks to go!) we are making all our plans! So much decorating, shopping, and preparing to do! We have been completely blessed by such great family and friends who are always wanting to help and be supportive of us! The other day my sister in law Kara's co-worker told her that she had a couple outfits for me since her little girl was a January baby last year! After saying for sure I would take them off her hands this is what I got....

I'd say the hubby and I had a fun time sorting through everything while watching Lady and the Tramp. The hubby of course wanted to keep anything that had "Daddy" on it. It's such a great feeling to see how excited he gets over his little girl already! <3

The Bad....

I don't have much to actually complain about, EXCEPT a little Braxton Hicks and my comfort! I have the worst time getting in a comfortable position and I'm only 23 weeks along. I can only imagine how I'll feel in a month! I suppose this is my body preparing for long nights of no sleep with our little bundle of joy.

Just Plain Odd....

Pregnancy dreams!!! I've always heard you have strange dreams while pregnant, but I thought they would be baby related at least. Not here! All my dreams are creepy and someone is trying to kill me and my loved ones. Everything from Zombies, All the Batman Villians, to Norman Bates. I already don't sleep much due to not being comfortable, but when I do this is what the mind comes up with! (not so fun when you wake to pee and are afraid to walk to the dark bathroom)  Not to mention the hubby told me that since October is approaching we need to get in the scary movie mood! Totally sounds like a great idea. Lets keep the brain creativity going. ;)

How far along? 21 weeks.

Total weight gain? 10 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes...totally!

Stretch marks? Not at the moment!!

Miss anything? Being comfortable!

Food Cravings? Limeaides from Sonic, Salted Carmel anything, and cereal.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Some smells or going too long between meals.

Have you started to show? Yes...I really should delete a few of the obvious questions on here! ;)

Gender? GIRL! <3

Labor signs? Nope, but Braxton Hicks started happening this week. :/

Belly button in or out? In.

Looking forward to? Getting house projects and our registry done.

Best moment this week? Feeling our baby girl move a lot more. I can tell she is growing and getting stronger every day!

Baby is the size of a: pomegranate!!

19 weeks!

How far along?: 19 weeks!

Total weight gain?: 9lbs

Maternity clothes?: Yes! and a ton of dresses because pants aren't as comfy! ;)

Stretch marks?: Nope! (crossing fingers)

Miss anything?: Sleeping on my back!

Food cravings?: Spicy food (I think I would put buffalo sauce on just about anything!!! and cereal. :)

Anything making you queasy or sick?: Not lately. Yay!

Have you started to show yet?: Yep!!

Gender?: GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Labor signs?: Ask me in 4 months!

Belly button in or out?: In!

Happy or moody most the time?: Happy. :)

Looking forward to?: Decorating the nursery and registering for baby gifts!!!

Best moment this week?: Seeing our little one and finding out HER gender so I can stop referring to her as it or he/she.

Baby is the size of a: Mango!

Food, Exercise, and Bladder Control ;)

After sending daily "pregnancy moment" texts to my sister Carrie, she insisted I blog a little more often. So here I go. An update on the random moments this pregnancy likes to fill my days with....

Home:
I'm finally to the point where I actually look pregnant and not just like I've had a few too many Oreos. Although I could blame both these days. I feel as though my belly grows a little every night. FINALLY this week the movement has picked up and Sweet Pea has decided to kick and punch and make sure I know He/She (wont have to use that term much longer!) is still there! I've decided that Sweet Pea's favorite time of day is immediately after dinner (obviously like Mama) because that's when the movement is CRAZY! The other night after eating dinner the Hubs and I were sitting on the couch probably watching The Office and he was actually able to feel the baby for the first time. I'm pretty sure baby was doing some jump 'n jacks on the bladder. It was a pretty awesome moment and now we can't sit and watch tv without his hand on the bump just waiting for Sweet Pea's next move!

Work:
The office I was just relocated to is downtown in the city I live in so I am now walking a lot more (usually to get food). As I was in the crosswalk the other day I sneezed (Ok you may think no big deal right?) WRONG. When you're pregnant or maybe just when I'M pregnant you live in constant fear of peeing your pants. I mean seriously...The slightest sneeze and you minus well call it a day! Well I was crossing the crosswalk and sneezed. I did the whole cross your legs in the middle of the road and let the sneezes just roll on out. I ended up being ok this time, but the looks I got from the people waiting for me to cross were PRICELESS!

Food:
Today as I was getting my lunch (I swear I'm usually eating, thinking about eating, or on my way to get something to eat). I couldn't decide if I wanted a tuna sandwhich or a chef salad. The guy working the counter just stared at me while I continued the debate in my head. I decided on BOTH! The guy actually asked me if I just wanted a bag of chips to go with the sandwhich instead of the salad (Oh heck no!) I wanted the salad AND sandwhich. Obviously when I returned to my office I realized I couldn't eat both, but I did my best!

Monday night spin:
I am continuing to take indoor cycling every Monday night in an attempt to keep the body active and hopefully have an "easier" pregnancy, however the other night during class I realized how much my belly has grown. During sprints I just felt as thought I was bouncing all over the place in the bump area. Being the paranoid person I am, I'm figuring out ways to modify so that I don't give the baby motion sickness from within. Spin is an hour long class and the farther along I get the more times I'm sneaking out for "potty breaks". I will keep going as long as the pregnancy lets me, but I see a lot of waddling and peddling side to side in an attempt to not knee the growing belly in my near future.

Tomorrow:
WE FIND OUT SWEET PEA'S GENDER!!!!! and we couldn't be more excited!!!! And I'll be making cookies to CELEBRATE! (Because once again I LOVE food!) Which will it be???

That's all for now folks! Expect a chalkboard update SOON! ;)

17 weeks and growing!

So we had a slight chalkboard "malfunction", but will it will be back soon! Until then here is a current pic of me in the nursery! ;)

How far along? 17 weeks!

 

Total weight gain/loss: about 5lbs.

 Maternity clothes? Yes...at least in pants!

Stretch marks? Nope!

 Miss anything: Sleeping on my belly!

Movement: Yep, but not very often!

Food cravings: Everything...now that I'm feeling better.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Only when I don't get enough sleep or get too hot.

 Have you started to show yet: Yes!

Gender: We find out in 2 weeks!

Labor Signs: I should hope not. ;)

Belly Button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Getting home projects done for the baby!

Best moment this week: Finished painting the nursery! Total relief!

Baby is the size of a: Onion! (I'm assuming a big onion!) ;)

15 Weeks

How far along? 15 weeks!

 

Total weight gain/loss: about 0lbs (would have been 5, but I lost 5lbs with the flu)

 Maternity clothes? Slowly wearing more and more each day

Stretch marks? Nope!

Miss anything: My energy

Movement: Felt little flutters this week!!.

  Food cravings: Nothing comes to mind this week. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Anything greasy and strong smells...Oh and the flu!

Have you started to show yet: Yep!

 

  Gender: Unknown!

Labor Signs: I should hope not. ;)

  Belly Button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Feeling better and feeling our little one move some more.

Best moment this week: Sitting on the couch with the hubby on wednesday night and feeling little flutters of our baby moving while we were enjoying the olympics!

Form of excersize this week: If sleep counts, because I've been to miserable to move!.

Baby is the size of a: Naval Orange! (But you would think a melon at the rate my belly is growing!)