Even More Of A Blessing

Aleena Joy
6.9.12
@416AM
6lbs 8oz
20.5in 

Proud parents!

Thankful for my little blessing.

It was a very easy labor! (In comparison to Lucy's)

We don't look too bad for 4AM. 

Proud Tita!

Sisters!!!

She's not too happy about giving up her swing.

Tatay and Lola got to come visit from SD!

Daddy and his girls =] 

Lucy's a little jealous. [You can see our new flooring that we put in! Yay for no more carpet!]

Lucy in her traditional Indian dress. Tommy works with a lot of people from India and they
sent this for her along with some clothes for Aleena. 

I can't remember why she was so upset. I think it's cause we made her stay still for two seconds
to take this picture.

Well the last two weeks have been crazy. I feel like my house has officially turned into a ZOO. I'll just have to elaborate later because I NEED sleep. So here are some pictures & a bit of captions for updates. For now, I am going to bed. Maybe i'll find time to update in a week, or the next month... maybe. Two kids are definitely a handful, but even more of a blessing. I love my babies.

Ready, Set, GO!

My baby is getting so big! She LOVES putting on socks. Sometimes she'll put up to 3 pairs on each foot.

"Where's Lucy?"

My LucyBear is getting HUGE! She just had her 18 month check up today. She is already 21 months, so we are a little behind. Poor girl got two shots, but got stuck three times because the needle came out accidentally when she flinched. I always try and schedule her appointments about an hour before nap time so that when she gets home, she can sleep it off.

I cannot wait for Aleena to get here. I'm am definitely more uncomfortable now than ever. My feet swell, I cannot sleep at night, and getting up from laying down or sitting is only done on an emergency basis. It really does help for me to get up and going though. The other day I played softball. YES, softball! It was so fun. We used a foam bat and ball so it didn't go too far. We played with some of Tommy's family, mostly the little kids and a couple adults. It was mainly for the kids. I had my cousin-in-law and my sister (YES! my sister is here visiting for a whole month!) run the bases for me, and then just sat on a lawn chair as "catcher" haha. Tommy and his cousin's handi-cap was to hold their toddlers while playing. It was sooo funny to see them try and run bases with a kid.

Ok, so I've really been on a DIY spree lately. I really don't even know what to call this one, but I thought it was really awesome. J <3 T. Obviously for Jen <3 Tom, but the cool thing about this is that the J has a map of SD on it (where I'm from), the T has a map of Dearborn (where Tommy is from), and the <3 has the city of Pensacola (where we met, started dating, and got engaged). I LOVE IT! I have not  yet framed it in a shadow box, but I already got the update from my Michael's App that shadow box frames are 40% off this week! I'm so excited! Just in case anyone is interested, here's my tutorial. 

Supplies:

- Wooden Letters (Michael's for $1.99 each)

- Wooden Heart (Michael's 99c)

- Sheet of Wax Paper

- Printed Maps (I used GoogleMaps, but you can use an old Atlas if you have one)

- Mod Podge

- Sponge Brush

- Scissors

- Pencil

Put the wax paper over your wooden letters and heart. Trace around the edge with your finger.

If you don't have wax paper, you can use regular printer paper and a pencil. I just used wax paper because I wanted to see through it in order to know what part of the map I was going to cut out later. 

Place your wax paper over your letter and see if you need to make any corrections.

Lucy is my personal helper =] It's a little hard to see, but I here I have both letters and the heart traced out in wax paper. 

Now get out your maps! Pick which part of the map that you want to trace out and trace it out with your pencil. After you trace it out, use your scissors to cut it out. 

MOD PODGE! Dip your sponge brush in some Mod podge and put a thin layer all over your wood letters and shapes. 

Carefully place your map cut-outs on one at a time. Make sure you let it dry, it shouldn't take too long. I waited about 10 minutes. 

Once dry, put another layer of mod podge on top of the paper and let this dry. It's okay if you see streaks of mod podge, it will dry clear. 

TADA! I thought about painting the letters first before I started, but I decided against it. I think i like that the wood grain shows a little bit. I can't wait to get this project framed!

3-Word Sentences

Pretty soon she's have to share Mama's lap. 

Cupcake tower and cake I made for Christy's bridal shower

Close up of the gum paste orchids 

DIY Polaroid coasters I made for Dave & Christy

Mother's Day gift for Mom

LUCY:

Just in the past 2 weeks, Lucy's vocabulary has exploded! We are on to 3-word sentences. Her first 3-word sentence, you ask? "I want doggy!" LOL! When Tommy and I heard this we stared at each other wide-eyed and mouths opened! It was so funny! Tommy was almost suckered into saying "yes" because of how she said it! It was adorable! I love this early toddler stage!  

ALEENA:

I just had my 36 weeks appt. with my OB and I'm proud to say that Aleena is head-down & settled! She's so active! She's not even here yet and she already wakes me up in the middle of the night with her kicks and jabs. 

Since Tommy got me a Cricut Expression 2 for Mother's Day this year, I have been using it almost every day! I LOVE the stupid machine!

Cupcake Tower - Michael's charges about $4 for an 18pack of cupcake wrappers. For the same price, I got a 50 sheets white cardstock and made 100 cupcake wrappers myself out of my Cricut! I also made the gumpaste flowers. I'm so proud of them! I wanted a new hobby and somehow gumpaste flowers came to mind! I made 3 orchids and a ton of little generic flowers with white sugar pearls in the middle. I have to say gumpaste is really a fun thing to get into! I made the cupcakes & cake out of Angel Food Cake! It's a really good type of cake to make from a box if you have to make A LOT of cupcakes on a budget because one box yields 32-36 cupcakes instead of the average 22-24. Many health-conscious people thanked me for making these cupcakes because you only add WATER! So it's naturally Fat Free. And it tastes DELICIOUS!!
Polaroid Coasters- I know this has been going around Pinterest forever, but I'm so glad I finally tried them myself! Dave (Tom's brother) is getting married in July, and although I split a vacuum with my Mother-in-Law for them, I really wanted to make them something personal. I have to say that this has been one of my favorite DIY's! The tiles are 13 CENTS from Home Depot! It's so inexpensive, yet memorable! I printed out a couple of the engagement pictures I took of them on cardstock and used a couple layers of Mod Podge to put them onto the tile. Then Tommy sprayed them for me with some Polyurethane spray to make it water proof. I have no idea whether or not this spray has a strong odor that's bad for pregnant women to inhale, so better safe than sorry! Tommy wants some credit for having part of it =] lol. And then just let it air dry. Super cute idea for real cheap!
Etched glass vase: I'm sad that I didn't get a picture of the back where I later etched "Love, Lucy & Aleena." I put contact paper (from the dollar store, a whole role of contact paper for $1!) through my cricut to cut out the letters. I put it on a glass vase, you can use any glass vase really, and then put some Armour Etch on it. I let it sit for about 15 minutes, and then washed it off with soap and running warm water.


Well, those are my DIY's so far this month! I'm currently working on a project for Father's Day, which I'm more stoked about than all of the above combined! That post will have to wait until I give it to my hubby cause I know he reads my blog. It's really hard to keep a secret. I'm really bad at keeping secrets, especially from my husband. >>Rabbit trail- When Tommy and I were still dating, I secretly bought plane tickets to come see him during summer break. His whole family knew and helped me plan getting there without him knowing, but I was so excited, I told him the same day! HAHA I can't help it! I just get so excited sometimes! <<

Anyways, this post is WAY long. One more day of work left then maternity leave! Pray for me that I don't get lazy and just call off. haha! No seriously though. =P

Working Mama vs. Stay At Home Mama: Me Working Gives Tommy and I More Time Together

Aleena & I growing together!

I've been a little obsessed with the waterfall braid lately. 

This little big girl will not stand still for a picture anymore!

33 weeks!! I can't believe it! This pregnancy really has gone by so fast! I can't believe that in just a couple weeks now, I'll be able to hold another precious gift from God in my arms! I think that this pregnancy seems to have gone by so fast, in comparison to when I was pregnant with Lucy, because I'm working and on the go a lot more. 

I know many mama's who love to be Stay-At-Home Mama's [SAHM] and others who have to work to help with bills or, those who simply love to work. I think that both have their own pros and cons. Obviously this list is not all inclusive. 

SAHM:

   Pros:

      - Quality & bonding time with baby

      - Don't miss out on changes that happen daily with growing baby

      - Don't have to go to work

      - Don't have to worry about leaving baby in a day care with strangers (& illnesses!)

   Cons:

      - Money may be tight

      - It's the same thing every single day (& every routine gets mundane sometimes)

      - Less date nights with Hubby (if finances are squeezed tightly)

      - Sometimes just staying at home can be boring & stressful (don't deny it)

Working Mama:

   Pros:

      - Less budgeting 

      - Gives you a break from the everyday changing of diapers

      - More income = more date nights with Hubby

      - Allows more adult interaction with two-way conversations

   Cons:

      - Less everyday time with baby

      - Work stress

      - Fatigued when coming home

      - Feelings of guilt due to time spent at work and not with baby.  

I believe that everyone's situation is different. There are mama's out there who have to work because of financial reasons. There's also a lot of mama's I know who believe that it's the man's job to be the "bread winner," while the woman raises the child. To each their own, and with that I just want to say that I really LOVE the way Tommy and I have it worked out. 

I work midnights as an RN 2 days a week. I go into work at 945PM and get home before 7AM. Because I have about 3-4 days off after I work, I always try to get my sleeping back on track that same day. So, although it is really hard, when I get home, I only sleep until 11AM, which is when Lucy wakes up from her morning nap. This is just in time to make lunch and just long enough to get me through the day. I do have to admit, this is really hard, VERY hard. After a long night at work and coming home to only sleep for about 4 hours is rough.

I'm blessed with a great husband who is a hard worker, so that I don't have to be full-time. I am home whenever Lucy is awake, and only miss the 3 hours in the morning before she takes her morning nap. She knows that this is her time with Daddy. She and daddy eat cereal together and watch Little Einsteins & Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. 

God has really blessed Tommy and I with amazing jobs. I work two days and Tommy goes into the office two days. We pay the bills with Tommy's paycheck, and with mine is how we are able to give more to missionaries, the church building fund, and tithes. Also it gives us room for savings, more date nights, family nights, vacations, or remodeling. 

And I say all this to get to: 

Tommy and I have talked about this a couple times during our date-nights. Even though I do work, the extra date-nights that we get a month from me working are definitely worth it. It's really important, especially when you have a child/children that you spend time alone together. I LOVE LOVE LOVE when I can take my time to get all dolled-up for my husband. I LOVE the long talks we have over a nice dinner out. I LOVE when we don't have to worry about what time it is, because we have to put Lucy to bed. I LOVE that when we get home and we can just spend time with each other. I LOVE waking up slow next to my husband the next morning. Me working gives me and Tommy more time together.  

      

April Shenanigans!

 

   My Momma is going to be here next week! I'm so excited! There's a pile of laundry that's waiting for you Nanay! LOL! Seriously though, the past couple weeks, I've been doing "spot laundry." It's kind of like spot cleaning, but with laundry. Basically, I only wash what we NEED to survive! I'M SO EMBARRASSED! I'm so happy that my Momma is coming though because she really does help me around the house so much whenever she is here.
   Tommy and I clean every weekday morning, but because there's so much to do sometimes, laundry just doesn't ever completely get finished. On weekday mornings after breakfast, I tackle the dishes, kitchen, and dining room, while Tommy helps pick-up odds & ends in the living room. He's such a helpful husband. A couple months back, Tommy saw me scooting around the living room on my butt putting things away because it has been SO hard to pick things up with a big belly that he decided he would help me. (aww, so sweet, right?! =]) What would take me 30 minutes to do, he does in just over 10. All Lucy's toys just go in a spot in her toy box in the corner anyways.
   Yeah, yeah. I know someone out there is going to give me heat for this because they'll say something along the lines of, "How is she going to work if she can't keep up with her home and makes her poor husband clean the living room before he goes to work." That's okay, that's your opinion, no biggie.
   Anyways, on another note, Tommy and I ordered a new kitchen countertop yesterday! I'm so excited! It's custom, so we won't get it for another 2-3 weeks, but FINALLY! I will have to post pictures once it gets installed. This month is going by so fast and there's still so much coming up!

April Shenanigans according to my iCal:

 14th-  Evening of Elegance
            Work
 15th-  Church
            Work
 17th-  Close to My Heart/ Afternoon with the Girls
            Softball
 18th-  Church
 20th-  Work
 21st-   Dinner with Lutz's
            Nanay flies in on the Red Eye
 22nd- Church
 23rd-  Lumpia Party with the Girls
 24th-  Softball
 25th-  Nanay Leaves
 28th-  Work
 29th-  Church
            Work

Introducing ALEENA

With my two babies!

I'm so happy so say that we have finally named her, ALEENA! It's the only name that Tommy and I really agreed on. We got it from the end of my Momma's first name. Although we don't spell it "Alina," we found out later that Lucy & Alina both mean "light" in Latin & Greek. 

Lucy loves laptops. It's ridiculous how much my child knows about computers already! Tommy will usually let Lucy sit with him while he works from home, and she learns so much just watching him. It's adorable! Lucy will either sit on Tommy's lap or Tommy will put her in her high chair next to him and give her a wireless keyboard and mouse to play with. She gets upset sometimes because she really knows how to use the mouse and wants to use it for real. Anything electronic, my child LOVES.

I can't emphasize enough how happy Tommy will be when this pregnancy is over. I feel bad for Tommy because my hormones have been going crazy with this pregnancy. I've been getting so upset lately. It's so weird, I don't even know sometimes whether I want to cry or be mad, and Tommy gets the brunt of it.   It's over stupid stuff, but I don't realize it's stupid until I look back at the situation at the end of the day. Like, the other day, Tommy and I were planning on going out and I asked him what time we could go, he said 7. Well by 7:03 I was waiting by the door SUPER mad because he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth still. HAHA. I laugh at it now because I see how ridiculous it was, but at the moment, I was so mad that we didn't end up leaving until about 7:45 because I threw a tantrum. My poor husband. Good thing i'm only like this when I'm pregnant! =P lol! I'm really grateful for him.  

Cravings

With pregnancy, obviously comes cravings, and mine are BAD. I was hoping that I wouldn't balloon like I did when I was pregnant with Lucy. Average weight gain for a pregnancy is 25-30lbs, and with Lucy I gained a whopping 55! I'm slightly embarrassed about it. My BIL's wedding is only a short 6 weeks after my due date, and I do not want to be huge for the pictures, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be.

Lately I have been having cravings that I cannot satisfy. I crave things that I'm not supposed to have while pregnant and it is rough. I'm only allowed to have one fish meal a week, and although I make myself SALMON SINIGANG or SHRIMP PANCIT every week, it just is not enough!

Lucy loves salmon sinigang btw. I work 2 nights a week, so when Tommy has Lucy for the majority of the day while I get some rest, Tommy will request for me to make a sinigang of some sorts in the crock pot. Even though Lucy always eats all of her food, sinigang is one of the dishes where Tommy doesn't have to sit her down at the table to eat. He let's her play and she will diligently come back to get spoonfuls of it, so he can do his work on the computer at the same time. I have a filipino baby for sure =]

I told Tommy that I didn't mind him not being there for the delivery of this baby if it was because he was getting me a spicy tuna roll from our favorite sushi place here. hahah. You think I'm joking! I just can't wait to go to California soon so I can have super fresh sushi, baked pampano, fried tilapia, calamari, and fried bangus all in one meal!!!.... ughhh so good!


Until then, please do not post pictures of your delicious raw sushi rolls!