Thank you!

Thank you all who donated and supported our team, Tanya's Soldiers! Your generous donation made us all "Champions For the Cure"! Big or small you have given people like my sister a fighting chance against this nasty disease. Your help has given these fighters a chance at a better and longer life. You are greatly appreciated!

For those still interested in donating to our team you can do so until December 31st. Just click on the banner at the top right of this page.


If you wish to follow my sister's progress through this battle, please click TanyaMarie


Thanks again and God Bless!

Only 3 days left...

To become one of Tanya's Soldiers in her battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma!

On Saturday, our team, Tanya's Soldiers, will be participating in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk: finding better treatments and cures for blood cancers so patients can live better, longer lives. I'm asking you to help by making a tax-deductible contribution! Please use the link below or the widget at the top right of the page to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive an email confirmation of your donation as soon as it is made. I thank you in advance for your support which will make a difference in the lives of thousands of patients battling blood cancers.

Just remember, every little bit counts in the fight against cancer. Helping fight one cancer, helps them all. I really appreciate your generosity!!

Light The Night Walk: Click Here To Donate


To follow Tanya with her battle with Lymphoma, please visit her CaringBridge page.

We did it!

We bought our first home! 

Details and more pictures coming soon. 

{Photo by My Dad}

A Fallen Soldier...

 {Photo by PFC Samuel Alicea - 7/31/10}

This morning, a fighter, my father's "twin" brother lost his battle with liver cancer. He was a soldier in the sense that this was his 2nd battle with cancer. Many years ago he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which was removed. End of last year or beginning of this year is when we found out his cancer had returned but this time spread to his liver. At that time, he wasn't given much time to live. His options were an aggressive chemo or let nature take its course. Without hesitating, he said he wanted to fight this and do whatever it took to have more time.

Immediately after his diagnosis, they started the aggressive form of chemo. A short time later, he went into remission, giving him what he wanted which was time. I did not get to see him while he was on chemo but from what I heard from my parents, he didn't look well at all, which obviously was expected. But when he went into remission he looked great. He looked better than he has in a while, as you can see in the above picture. Not too long after the picture was taken, we found out the cancer had returned.

Late last week, he was admitted into the hospital because his potassium levels were dangerously low which could cause all sorts of other unexpected problems but by Monday he was released. I believe at that time, a CT scan was taken of his liver area but the results were not released until the weekend. Saturday, he was starting to have some complications which landed him back in the hospital where they dosed him with morphine for the pain. That is when we learned that his cancer had spread and was now irreversible. When I visited him on Saturday, he was still pretty alert but would fall asleep on and off from the meds. One thing that was hard to see and hear was his breathing. There was fluid in his lungs that sounded kind of like someone sipping from a straw when the cup was nearly empty. Besides his breathing, his eyes were yellow, his feet were swollen and his stomach was extended all signs pointing to a failing liver. Come Sunday is when I was notified that he was going to be released to a local hospice.

Sometime either Sunday night or Monday morning is when he took a turn for the worse. His organs were starting to fail and his kidneys were only working at 20%. At his request, the nurses gave him the stronger meds to let him sleep so he didn't feel any pain. I just knew I had to see him just in case it was his last time. My hubby, my baby and I met up with my family to say what was our final good byes. Because of the medicine he was "asleep" but surprisingly he was able to hear us. He responded by slightly moving his thumb when my aunt was holding his hand and asking him questions. It was comforting to know he was still there.

I watched as he struggled for every breath he took with the sound of the fluid gurgling in his lungs. At times his breathing started to slow down and a few times he either let out a sound or he sounded like he was trying to catch his breath. Because we didn't know what we were seeing, we needed to the nurse to explain. Essentially what we were seeing was his decline. At that point, all I was praying for was for him to stay alive long enough for his 3 eldest children from Puerto Rico to arrive. They weren't going to arrive until about midnight.

We finally left and said our good byes around 9:30pm after being there 3 1/2 hours. Thankfully, his children did get to see him before his passing. According to my Mom, his children had arrived before his passing. After spending some time with him they decided that one of them were going to stay with him while the other two went to get some rest. Luckily, the nurse was there to stop them because at that time he was struggling for his last few breaths. That is when he passed at 1:15am.

Although he is now physically not on earth anymore we know he is looking down on us with my grandmother and my uncle Freddy. As my sister said, he has the best seat in the house. His passing is a huge loss for my family but now we can take comfort in knowing that he is finally no longer suffering.

Tio, because you were a fighter you have inspired us all to be fighters too! Your smile and stories will sorely be missed. An Alicea get together will never be the same. We pray that the Lord blesses your soul during this transition. God Bless and I LOVE YOU very much!

Help Fight The Battle...

And become one of Tanya's Soldiers in her battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma!

On October 16, our team, Tanya's Soldiers, will be participating in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk: finding better treatments and cures for blood cancers so patients can live better, longer lives. I'm asking you to help by making a tax-deductible contribution! Please use the link below or the widget at the top right of the page to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive an email confirmation of your donation as soon as it is made. I thank you in advance for your support which will make a difference in the lives of thousands of patients battling blood cancers.


I really appreciate your generosity!!

Light The Night Walk: Click Here To Donate


To follow Tanya with her battle with Lymphoma, please visit her CaringBridge page.

Wedding DIY Projects... Looking Back

Since our 1 year wedding anniversary has just passed, I thought I would look back to my planning days and organize a list of all the wedding DIY projects and their How To for the future brides-to-be. Maybe some of you will find them useful to you :).

There were quite a few projects that my Mom and I did for this wedding to keep it more personalized. It made the wedding more unique and it fit our "theme" which eventually evolved into "all about us". I made sure this wedding was a full representation of us from the decor to the cake. One of the things the hubs and I have in common is that we love art and all the forms of it. I am more of a crafter while the hubs is more of the artsy type - painter, sketcher, etc., so you better believe that we were going to include this in our wedding. Unfortunately though, I was not able to document some of the projects that my Mom had completed - including the card box, centerpiece "place mats" and the card bag. Maybe one day when we have time (whenever that is), we can write it up for those that are interested.

Below are the How To posts for the Roddy Wedding DIY projects:

How To: Cake Stands

How To: Recycled Star Shaped Crayons

How To: Ribbon Topiary

 How To: Letter Collage

How To: The Coasters

The coasters were such a great project and great idea for a gift. I actually used them for gifts for my little helpers. I had some awesome family members and friends that gave up some of their time to help us pull this wedding together, so I wanted to make something for them. In the gift bags, I included the handmade coasters, a white and red wine glasses as well as a personal sized white wine bottle and red wine bottle.

For this project, I did not include the instructions in completing the project but I did include the link to the actual instructions that I found on Style Me Pretty.

Here are a few projects that I completed that I didn't have a How To for but are relatively easy to create with basic knowledge of software or tools.

The Photo Cards

The Candy Bags

The Candy Station

 The Card Box

As always, if you have any questions please leave a comment or email me at theroddybride{at}gmail{dot}com.

The Battle of Her Life

Today my little sister, Tanya, (OK, maybe not so little) will be undergoing her first chemo treatment. Two weeks ago she was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Back in May, my sister felt a lump on her left side of her lower neck. When she went to the doctor's office, the initial examination had revealed that there were a lot more lumps on her neck and shoulder area than the one that she found. Obviously alarming the doctor, she was sent for an ultrasound for the areas mentioned above. Unfortunately, the doctor was correct. Her left side of her neck and shoulder area was very mountainous looking. She had numerous small lumps all through out that area. Next up was a visit to the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. After his examination, he believed that what she had was cancer so he ordered two biopsies. One was with a needle to take some tissue. This didn't provide conclusive results so he performed another biopsy to remove a section of the lump. Just by looking and feeling the lump, he was pretty sure it was cancer. The results for this biopsy did prove it to be Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After getting those results back she went in for a CT scan to find the location of the cancer. The CT scan results showed that she had the cancer throughout her body. It was found on her left side of her neck, arm pits, diaphragm, and pelvic area. So they gave her the final diagnosis...stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Although saddened by the diagnosis, our family (including my sister) felt a sigh of relief for two things. One being that we now know what she had. Going weeks not knowing what it was that she was fighting was exhausting. Two, this is one of the best cancers to have. Yes, we know no cancer is better than cancer but of the 200 types of Lymphoma, only 1 is untreatable, which she doesn't have, and the mortality rate is approximately 5%. This is great news. Unfortunately, with her getting chemo she is more at risk of an infection that can cause death then the cancer causing death itself. Because of this, things have to change around her.

Last week she went through multiple tests. She had a cardiac and pulmonary test to make sure her heart and lungs were ready for the chemo. She also had a bone marrow extraction done last week as well to verify whether the cancer has reached her bone marrow. If it did, she will then need a bone marrow transplant. Since the doctor believes that this started about 2 years ago and that she is stage 3, my fear is that it has reached her bone marrow. I guess we will see once the test results are returned.

So far her course of treatment involves 1 - 2 hours of chemo every two weeks and radiation. The results from the bone marrow extraction will tell us whether she will need the transplant and when. Today and tomorrow will be the start of her treatment. She will be receiving her first batch of chemo today at 2:00 pm. This is when her battle begins.

Tanya is being very positive about her current situation and she is being fully supported by all those who love her. I ask that you too, keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she fights the biggest war of her life!

Thank you!

ETA: To follow her progress with battling this cancer, you can visit www.caringbridge.com/visit/tanyamarie. You can read her story, view pictures or leave inspiring messages to her on her guestbook.

Here is my sister as she is receiving her first round of chemo.

The Shred - Part Dos

OK, now that I received clearance from my doctor, I can now start working out hard core to get rid of this "baby fat." I am ready to take on the 30 Day Shred for the second time. If you recall, before my pregnancy I tried to take on this challenge in October of '09 but by the end of that week, not only were we moving out of town but I also found out we were pregnant. So because I didn't know any better (and it was an excuse), I decided to stop the challenge and resume once baby Roddy had arrived. Well now it is that time.

No ifs, ands or buts, I am going to get through this. I am in dire need to get my self healthy again and if I shed a few pounds and firm up in the mean time that would be a great bonus too. My ultimate goal is to be healthy but I also wanted to make sure that I get back to a decent starting weight before we decide to have Baby #2. Now, don't worry we aren't jumping on that boat just yet. Our plan is to wait about a year before conceiving again. There is just too much going on financially in our lives right now AND raising an infant is a lot of work (we already knew that of course). The lack of sleep and horrible eating habits have taken a toll on our bodies. We practically need this full year to recoop :).

So while I go through this, I plan on providing updates and if I am brave enough, maybe some before and after shots with my review of the program.

So for all you Shredders out there, do you have any advice for me? Prayers? lol

Wish me luck...I am definitely going to need it!

Saya @ 2 Months

I cannot believe how fast time is flying. My baby girl is already 2 months old. Below are a few updates on what's going on in Saya's life.



Saya Vittoria
Age: 2 Months

Weight: 12 lbs

Height: 22 inches

Milestones:

• She now smiles and laughs or more like squeaks so I now call her squeaker.
• She tends to stare more at things just trying to concentrate on the. The cutest is when she stares at her fist, she ends up crossing her eyes.
• She is still drinking at least 4 oz at a time but now every 2 - 3 hours. We are waiting for her to want to drink more at one time so the hours get extended.
• She is more comfortable sleeping on her back. Soon she will be making the transition back to her crib from her bassinet.
• She doesn't have full control of her hands just yet but she tries to touch or hit the toys in front of her.
• She can lift her head up when during tummy time
• We can lift her to a seating position just by her gripping her little fingers on our fingers.

Challenges:

• Her "witching hour(s)" still exist and will for some time but at least they are becoming fewer and fewer.
• She is still having issues with sleeping on her back but she is getting used to it.
• Being able to go to a store in the time period before her next feeding. If she is ready to feed, naturally she will be extra fussy and cry a lot (and loud) until she is fed. So shopping becomes more of a task especially if there is only one of us with her.

Sleep:

• She still gets up every 2.5 - 3 hours  (or sometimes more) for a feeding or changing then goes right back to sleep.
• Her current wake up times have changed a bit by a half hour or so.
• She is taking fewer naps during the day but they are lasting 2 -3 hours.

Appearance:

• Her eye color is now developing more. They still appear to be a dark shade of blue. She will definitely have lighter color eyes, we just don't know which way they will sway.
• Her hair still looks like the Charlie Brown hairdo but it seems to be getting a little darker and a little longer.
• She is now officially in 3 month clothing. 0-3 months are mostly too short for her but some are a little too tight.
• She is filling out more so now she has more baby fat rolls on her legs and arms. Just too cute though!

Saya on her 2 month birthday

Saya @ 1 Month

I am a little late on providing Saya's 1 month update and since she hits 6 weeks tomorrow, I thought I would get on the ball.

Saya Vittoria
Age: 1 Month

Weight: 10 lbs.

Height: 21 1/4 in

Milestones:

• She can lift her head for short periods of time and tries to do this often. I can sit her on my lap without really supporting her head.
• She is starting to smile for real
• No matter what she is looking at, when Mama or Papi comes near her she turns towards us
• She is drinking at least 4 oz at a time every 2.5 - 3 hours
• We have finally found the bottles (Playtex Ventaire) and formula (Similac Sensitive - Lactose free) that she can handle with less gas problems. She didn't take well to my breastmilk or Enfamil Premium Lipil formula.

Challenges:

• Her "witching hour(s)" are between 7 pm - 10 pm where she is crying off and on nearly every day
• She is a really gassy baby.
• Doesn't like sleeping on her back. She will sleep peacefully in her swing, her chair and her boppy (all being supervised of course) but as soon as you lay her in her bassinet, play pen or crib, it takes a few seconds to wake herself up.

Sleep:

• Usually she gets up every 2.5 - 3 hours for a feeding or changing then goes right back to sleep.
• Her current wake up times are 10:30pm, 12:30am, 3:30am, 5:30am
• On occasion she does surprise us with a 7 hour sleep time... Mommy and Papi love those little surprises :)
• Her nap times are becoming shorter. She will still have an occasional 3 hr nap but mostly during the day they are about 20 - 30 mins

On her 1 month birthday

Light at the end of the tunnel

I can just about see it. It's not too far away. What am I talking about you may be asking? Being debt free! OK, well maybe not totally debt free as we will be buying a house and financing a mini-van very soon. I am talking about my credit card debt. It's something right?

Well when I got out of college, I immediately had an amazingly well paid job. This was huge for an independent young girl. I lived by myself so I turned to shopping out of boredom but I am sure that having to wear a Catholic school uniform for 12 years of my life had something to do with that in addition to being college poor. I was finally able to afford what I wanted. So, I went out and bought, bought, bought. In the beginning, I would use a card then pay it off. Then came a change in my job. My boss had to make me a salary employee and drop my pay in order to stay working with him. I took the pay decrease so that I can get my year experience but that took a toll on my wallet. Now, I couldn't pay off what was on the card and I couldn't and didn't stop the shopping. So you guessed it, my debt grew and grew. In trying to make some changes, I took out a loan to consolidate and pay off the high interest cards but then fell into the credit card trap again when I had to buy a new bed. Believe me when I say that I needed a new bed. For two years I was sleeping on a twin mattress that had a majority of the springs sticking through the mattress. Now, I didn't need the exact bed and mattress that I bought but that is another story.

Anyway, before I got married I knew I had to make some changes in my financial status. Definitely did not want that as a burden to my hubby so we both worked together to kill our debts and not create anything new. We saved up a lot of money for the wedding and was able to not use any credit to pay for items (Yay us!). After the wedding, I worked hard in paying off my personal debt. I didn't get to save much but I have been able to start killing my unnecessary debt. So since then, I paid off that stinkin loan and two credit cards. So today I only have two more credit cards and my student loan. I can't tell you how great it feels to get rid of the crappy cc debt that I had incurred. I just wish I knew then what I know now. I would have been able to save more money for this house we will be buying in the next few months.

I have definitely learned quite a few lessons from this whole experience and am really excited for the future hence why I had to share my story. So the countdown is on to being credit card debt free! Wish me luck!

Have any of you had a smiliar experience? Are you working on being debt free or at least credit card debt free?

The Birth Story

Just wanted to thank everyone for all their best wishes and support! The following "book" is my birth story :)

So it all started at 4:22am on 6/25/10, our DD's due date. I woke up as I normally did to take one of many bathroom breaks. This time it was a little different. I actually had a "bloody show" which for some reason I wasn't expecting. I immediately called the doctor to let him know but since at the time of the call I didn't have any contractions yet, I had to wait it out. Luckily, my 40 week appointment was that morning anyway. After the call, I was too excited to sleep so I just laid in bed and then that's when the contractions started. They were approximately 10 minutes apart but varying between 8 and 12 minutes apart at that time and they were nothing stronger than the average period cramping with the addition of lower back pain. We were getting closer and I knew we were making progress so I was getting SUPER excited! Mind you the Thursday before we were already measured at 3 cm and 70% effaced so I was overly anxious to get this baby out.

9:15 am we headed in for our 40 week appointment where the doc did the usual. He measured my belly, heard the heartbeat then went in for the internal examination. The result? I was 5 cm!! So he told me to head to the hospital, " you are having this baby today". Music to our ears!! What wasn't so nice to hear was that he said the baby seemed a little too big which brought the option of a cesarean into play. What?! Now I was a bit freaked out. I had "plans" on having a natural, vaginal birth. Although I had my plans, I was very flexible as not everything happens the way you would like. Luckily I still had that option and was going to exercise it to the best of my ability as long as Baby Roddy was OK.

So off to the hospital we go. The hubs and I check in and we are sent immediately to a birthing room. Usually, you have to sit in the triage but I got a room immediately. It probably helped that 6/25 was our due date and we had "reservations" for that day. So after getting dressed in the lovely hospital gowns and my Paul Frank booties, they attach a few monitors to check on the baby for about an hour. They then broke my water and did a little more monitoring. Once they were done they cleaned me up and then they gave me the go ahead to walk around for an hour before they have to do more checks. Let's just say I didn't make it past 15 minutes. The real contractions came and came on fast hitting mostly my lower back at that point. I have to say they hurt a lot more than the contractions in my abdomen. About a half hour later the contractions were affecting both my back and abdomen at that point. They really were too intense for me so I decided about an hour in to stop being a martyr and get the epi. I am so thankful that I did get it because the pain disappeared and I was able to "relax" and I had the perfect amount of medicine to where I could still move my lower extremities.

Of course because I still have "pregnancy brain" with a lack of sleep I cannot remember in which order I received the pitocin and the epidural, lol. So I will just mention that I had to receive pitocin because I was not dilating. After I had received the pitocin, I still was only dilating maybe a cm per hour or hour and a half. Roughly around 6 PM is when we started to push. We pushed for a total of 2 hours every two minutes with my contractions so you can imagine how tired we all were. Unfortunately, even with that effort the baby wasn't making it through my pelvic bone. She was stuck and would be without an intervention. Before I made the decision to do the c-section, the hubs, doctor and I discussed our options. So the decision was made. C-section it is.

So here's how it went. They transferred me to another bed by way of a blow-up air mattress thing and we made our way to the OR, waiving to my family as they waited for me by the nursery. They prepped me, gave me anesthesia and made me feel real comfortable before they allowed my hubby in wearing his Simpson looking nuclear power plant suit. With the hubs at my head they started the process. I just laid there with my arms out to each side with my left arm being pumped with antibiotics and my right having my blood pressure taken. They lowered the curtain but my hubs refused to look so he spent the time staring at me and the floor. I obviously couldn't feel or see anything but you could hear them doing their work and talking out the procedure. Before they were ready to take the baby out, they warned me that I will be feeling some pressure. The pressure wasn't strong but as my SIL had mentioned, you are tossed a little bit from side to side as they try to get the baby out…think Exorcist. In addition though, someone was leaning on my left boob which I felt for sure. Not too long after that, the doctor says "Here she is" and then I hear her tiny cry. Every emotion I had stored up in me came out and I started to cry. They took the baby immediately away because she was having some respiratory problems but my hubby was able to see her and cut her umbilical cord. They brought her to me for a few short minutes before they took her away to see the family. After that I didn't get to see her for about an hour as they stitched me up and prepped me to leave the OR.

After that, the next few days in the hospital consisted of the hubby and I getting acquainted with our baby girl and me getting to start the healing process.


Some fun facts:
Saya was born at 8:25 pm - her dad's birthdate is 8/25

Saya, her dad and first Roddy cousin are all born on the 25th of their month

Saya's cousin Elias was born 3/24, she was born 6/25 and her cousin Nelysa was born 2/26 of their respective years.

Saya is the 1st Roddy girl in 55 years.

She's Here!

I proudly introduce...

Saya Vittoria
(Sigh-Ya  Vee-tor-ee-ah)

Born 6/25/2010 at 8:25 PM by way of C-Section
7 lbs 13 oz
19 3/4 inches long

Mommy and Baby are doing well and becoming more acquainted.

Thanks to all for your wonderful wishes and blessings. Birth story coming soon!

Baby Roddy Update

As of 15 minutes ago, we are officially 3 cm and 70% effaced!!!

The doc doesn't think we will make it to our due date next Friday... C'mon baby, we want you to come out and play! :)

Easy Breastmilk Storage Tip

As I did my daily stalking on the baby board of WeddingBee.com, I came across this post discussing an easy and crafty way to store breastmilk in the freezer or fridge.

Simple tools such as a gift bag, scissors, and tape can help you achieve a more efficient way to store the milk. The creator provided both written instructions and a How-To video as well. So give yourself a few minutes and check out the website. This may just work for you!

http://greenlitebites.com/BreastMilk/

Incriminating Evidence...Preggo the Clown :)

Preggo the Clown... Yup that's me! OK, so here is the story. My niece is on a gymnastics team and the gym obviously holds competitions. Well May 15, was the Level 5 states competition and their theme was "The Big Top." I am sure you guessed what that entailed...Clowns, animals, Ring Masters, you name it. So because I decided to volunteer with the registration, I had to dress up. Yeah, imagine me 8 months pregnant trying to find any costume in the middle of May. Well with a little creativity and help from my Mom and Party City, I was able to come up with a decent costume.

So without further ado... I now introduce, Preggo the Clown!

So what do you think?

It's Preggo The Clown!!

And she is coming to a place near you! Ha, I promise I will explain soon enough, so stay tuned!

What's in a Name?

For some people the name of their future children is very important. It can be the name of a close family member (alive or deceased), a name given by someone that is no longer with us or even a name of a location that has special meaning to you or your SO. There are a gazillion (OK, maybe not that much) reasons as to why someone chose the name they did for their child, even if it is as unique as Apple or Moonbeam.

The reason I bring this up is because more often than not this can become a very sensitive issue - like relationships get destroyed when other people "steal" a name.

My hubby and I struggled with revealing the name of our DD because it is something unique to us and our relationship. Do we reveal it or do we not? At times we were overly anxious about it and it made this whole process quite depressing. We kept saying to ourselves, "Would someone really take our name?"... unfortunately the answer could be yes. This unknown factor was killing us. Because of this we were keeping track of those that were pregnant, especially those due before us. Sad, I know but this is what was happening to us. I am very happy to say that 3 of my beautiful cousins are due before me and they too are having girls (Yay to girl power!!). Now having said that, can you imagine what was going through our minds at that time when we found out? The problem I was having internally was that I didn't know these cousins well enough because we weren't really close so I didn't know whether they would take our name or not, but I didn't want to take a chance. Our chosen name is not a common name so if it is used it isn't because of coincidence. Our decision... We kept our mouth shut.

As time went on we have relaxed quite a bit about this whole naming process. No, we haven't revealed the name yet at all but have agreed on a time we felt was "perfect" to reveal the name. The baby shower. This will be our chance to celebrate the coming of our dear daughter and also give her the name that we have chosen for her. It will be a beautiful moment for us and our guests. What a better way to include them.

Using our baby shower for the revealing also satisfies our fear. My family is huge so I am positive there will be quite a bit of people at the shower. So when we reveal our name, essentially it is our time to put "dibs" on the name and advise them that it is taken. If someone chooses to take the name (family or friend) others will know where it originated from. We felt this to be the better option than adding more stress to the labor and delivery process which is coming on fast.

So my question is... Can you really have "dibs" on a name? Does it make it more acceptable to claim a name if you are expecting?

Do you have name(s) for your future children already picked out whether you are expecting or not? How would you feel if someone you told the name to, used it for their child?  Would you be OK with it if they approached you about it before using the name? Also, what if you never revealed the name and out of coincidence, your family member or friend chose it for their child, can you be upset about it?

My take from this whole experience, is to make sure that if you have a special name picked out for your children, do not share it with anyone, especially if you are not expecting. Be sure to have back-up names and try if you can to not stress about it. It takes all the fun out of it.

Only 8 Weeks Left...

And there is just so much to accomplish before our DD arrives. Today hits the 32nd week of my pregnancy, so that means we can have the baby in as little as 5 weeks (37), 8 weeks (40 weeks), or the latest which would be 10 weeks (42). Time really does fly, my Dad really wasn't kidding.

So since there has been so much to do, this blog has been neglected. BUT I wanted to provide some sneak peaks at what we have been doing...

Decor for the nursery:
The baby's name hasn't been revealed to our family or friends yet (I promise it will be soon) but I needed to get started on the letters of her name that will be hung up on the walls of her nursery. Because of my taste (or maybe lack there of), I wanted each letter to be of a different design / pattern. So here is the 'S'.

{personal photo}

I am not sure if I ever mentioned that my hubby loves to paint as well. It is one of his many talents. Anyway, he decided he wanted to be a part of the decor, so he started to paint a picture for the nursery. It is his own interpretation of this painting sold by Pottery Barn Kids. Please note this picture is not the completed painting.

.

{personal photo}

Lastly, one of the many projects my Mom was trying to complete for my surprise shower was a shadow box. It is something that I have created for many Mommies-to-be in the past and this time, it was for me :). Because of time constraints and all the work my Mom has to do, the project got assigned to me. I loved every second of it. Here is the contents inside the shadow box. Again, an unfinished project picture.

{personal photo}

The Countdown Has Officially Begun...

The countdown has officially begun. We are less than 10 weeks away from welcoming you, our DD (dearest daughter), into this world. Mommy and Papi are just too excited for words. We peek into the nursery nearly every day just imagining what it will be like when you are here. They are such great moments and ones that noone can take away! We pray each day for your health and safety during these last few weeks and pray that we don't run into any issues. Our perfect little baby, that's what we dream of and hope we are blessed with. If only you can see your Papi's face everytime he feels you move or when he puts his face or hands on my belly while he speaks to you.


If I had my choice, I would love for you to be born closer to 40 weeks. I know it may seem like forever but this gives you the chance to be fully developed and ready for this world. It would break my heart if you would suffer because of coming out to soon. So let's work together on this little mama. You will be here in our arms before you know it. We love you!!

Gilt Group Partners with The Bump

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For all the parents and parents-to-be, this is one time partnership that you should take advantage of. For a limited time, Gilt Group is partnering with the site, The Bump, to sell products for your child at a steep discounts. Some brands include Maclaren, Baby Bjorn, etc.

Since you need a membership to be a part of the Gilt Group, I am providing you with a link to obtain a free membership through me.

Just click the following link and sign up:

http://www.gilt.com/invite/gnalicea

Don't wait too long, this sale only lasts until April 11, 2010.

Happy Shopping!

Happy 3rd Birthday To My One and Only Nephew!

Just wanted to take a moment to wish my nephew a very

 Happy 3rd Birthday!

Look at how freakin' cute he is!  :)

Photo: Haven Hill Photography

We LOVE you!


Love,

Titi, Tio and Buddy!