Hello Baby.

She’s here! My sweet baby girl is finally here. 

I can’t believe I finally made it to the finish line! Such an exciting moment. Pregnancy is no easy breeze towards the end but I made it. 

I am so grateful and thankful to God. I had a successful delivery! Our baby girl was born in the evening of June 8th 2018 💗 (Which makes her little over two weeks old from the date of this blog 🙂

MY EPIDURAL WORKED which made such a difference from my first pregnancy. I mean it, the biggest difference ever. Giving birth without all that pain is like a smooth ride with a lot of pressure HOWEVER I still dealt with consequences afterwards because my neck was struck out and strained for a good week! I believe I was pushing my girl out with every muscle in my entire neck. It was awful & I couldn’t even enjoy my kids for the first few days which was awful! Thankfully the pain did go away and It’s back to our regular scheduled program  TIMES TWO!!! 

Ahhh! I have two amazing beautiful children, is this real life?! A Boy & A Girl! What a dream come true. 

I’m so thankful to have Papa Bear & my mother by my side once again. Papa bear was holding my hand like a real champion and once he heard his daughter cry / we all starting crying. I think I was crying during my last push… by the way (pat on my shoulder) under 5 min of pushing, that was it! Definitely a record for me because Jaden was about 15 min. 

& Now we’re back in the comfort of our home. Back to square one while on square two : baby and newborn. Two meals (breastmilk & chicken nuggets) Two diaper changes (Newborn & Pull-ups) Two sleep patterns – the list just goes on. It is more work but it’s an amazing thing I’m doing and I just feel so blessed. 

I will certainly blog about New sister/ Big Brother chapters so stay tuned but just so you know Jaden LOVES his sister just like we do & I’m so happy for that because I was so nervous about how he’ll take a new baby in the house. 

All is well 

😉 

Our home is filled with more love ❤️ 

We Couldn’t be happier. 

Preparing for two while there’s one……🌸It’s a girl🌸

Two years into being a mommy to my best buddy in the world my son Jaden. Papa Bear & I are expecting once again. 

🌸IT’S A GIRL🌸 !!! 

Wow! I can’t even believe this is happening. So many emotions. Is this real? Can I handle two kids? I’m still learning with Jaden & now we’re throwing in another whole child… just wow. 

The journey has been tough but magical at the same time. The beginning was very rough. Finding out I was pregnant again happened with my big sister Geraldine via FaceTime. I told her “my period hasn’t shown up yet & I have a test upstairs but it’s old” … “Go and get it and go buy another one so we can double check” She said. “OK” (20/30 min later) CONFIRMED! I am indeed pregnant. My sister was so excited and I kept on saying “oh my gosh, what do I do. Should I tell papa bear now or later.” Eventually I told him with giggles which he didn’t find funny at all but me laughing was the only way I could cope and tell him. His own emotions were all over the place. Initially he wasn’t in the best mood because he said “are we ready again?” And all I could say was “I don’t know”! 

Needless to say the next few weeks were very intense and confusing for both of us. I don’t believe in abortions but it was also so early that the fetus is barely formed. I went to the doctor to know my options and again abortion was brought up but also time had gone by going from when I found out to “you’re six weeks in” after a lot of prayer and faith – WE DEFINITELY MADE THE RIGHT DECISION. We are having the baby because God makes no mistakes. 

(Fast forward) all is well, baby girl is growing, emotions are up and down. My first trimester was a hot mess just like with Jaden. Sick like a dog, a lot of crying – not being able to brush my teeth without gagging and just praying I make to the second trimester where I can finally be happy and eat my life away. FINALLY … I get there. 

Trimester two. Bring out the credit card. Baby shopping, ordering this and that. “Oh this is cute and this and this” such a difference shopping for boys and girls. I love all the shorts and polos for my son but seeing the mini swimwear and dresses after paying attention to them got me looking forward to finally meeting this baby girl. I never paid attention to anything girl ever but now my eyes are literally moving at a 50-50 pace because I’m thinking “what can I get for her and what can I get for Jaden” it’s actually fun but it’s also breaking our wallets more 😅 

Now, since I know there’s an new baby on the way, the biggest task is getting Jaden to understand what is going on. As my bump gets bigger I also try to tell him “baby baby” “kiss baby” “baby sister” some days he’ll kiss the belly and some days he’ll smack the belly. I don’t know if he gets it but he’s been more clingy than ever and he’s noticed little baby toys around the house all of sudden. He knows he’s too big for the toys because he’s advanced. They are still appealing for him but when he tries to throw the “crawling ball” and I say no no! He’s confused in why is mommy telling me to roll this ball and not throw it. Children are very smart. I just know his vibes feel that something is coming. 

As a mom to be of two my goal is to split myself in half! I don’t even know how I’ll deal with it and of course I’ll blog about this experience when baby girl arrives. I just want to be amazing to both of them but Jaden is my best friend, my go to, my play buddy – how am I suppose to do this with two kids. I’ve asked mother’s of two and they said they felt the same way but once the second arrives everything just fell into perfect place and everyone is happy so I pray it’s the same for me. I’ll be so devastated if my little guy feels a certain way about his baby sister or if he feels neglected. I already know when she’s born – he’s taking a full week off school to see her every second and I can spend time with them both. Luckily newborns don’t do much but feed & sleep but even then I need Jaden to see that she’s here to stay. I’ve seen him with other babies and he’s done great so I don’t doubt he’ll love his sister and they’ll be best buddies forever especially as she gets older. Jokingly I’m prepared for his slaps because when he sees her on my breasts which once belonged just to him, he might put up a fight 😂  besides the general talks of what’s on the way, I’ve also tried to get him to understand with pictures and stories. I ordered him a personalized big brother book which hopefully will help also. His name and face are in it and it describes all the responsibility a big brother has! I love online. You can find everything. He’s had personalized books in the past and he learned very fast from them. 

The final countdown has begun. Less than a month to go and my big boy toddler love of my life Jaden will no longer be a single child. He’s had a great time. He’s always going to be my best buddy and I believe this is such a great experience not just for him but for papa bear and I. Our family is expanding. We’ve been married for one year & I see the future being bright.

I thank God for everything & I pray I get continued strength to keep being a better mom to my children. It really takes a village to raise a child and I’m thankful for the advice and help I’ve got along the way but I’m very proud of myself because I went from knowing nothing to mothering two & seeing how well my son is growing and learning before my eyes, I’ve been doing something right. 

Cheers to the next chapter 🥂 

Back like we never left :)

Happy 2018 parents and readers. I know I’ve been away for quite some time but HELLO I’m dealing with TROUBLESOME TWO! save meeeeee.

So much development has happened before my eyes! My little guy (who has a personality out of this world) I’ve come to learn – has grown up faster, stronger, smarter and it’s just incredible.

His second birthday is just two months away but I meant what I said – trouble trouble has approached since last year – I don’t blame him. A whole new world of exploration, a whole new world of “Jaden,
Mommy said NO!” Which in his little ears means “Jaden, Mommy said YES!”

He’s wired like a cat playing with a ball of yarn, he’s so focused on whatever he desires and suddenly he can stop and focus on something else.

He’s learning how to speak which is great! New words every single day which is wonderful – “Mama and Dada” is all fun for a while but then you really want to communicate with your child and it’s so exciting when he points out and says words – whether self taught by listening or hearing it from me or a book or maybe even SCHOOL (Yup, he’s in school – another blog for another day) I just love it.

What’s even more amazing is the ability to remember. I’ve taught him something once and boom he’s doing it or saying it  – he knows so many songs, and he’ll hum them in his own way but I know exactly what he’s singing and I’ll join in most of the time with the words so he knows I’m listening. My favorite is his ability to clean up his water/juice messes. If he happens to pour some on the floor, he’ll look up at me and raise his hand up asking for a paper towel or cloth and once I hand it to him, he starts wiping away!!! You’re never too young to start cleaning early so I’m proud he takes up his responsibilty (now if I can only get him to pack his toys in Chest) lol funny right, kids know what clean up is but choose what they will clean up. I’ll let it slide for a little while longer but then “Clean up, clean up everybody- everywhere” will take proper effect.

Time really does fly… so new parents with newborn babies ENJOY EVERY SECOND. I did but I also feel like so much was so new to me you miss moments like cuddling your newborn.

I hardly remember holding my son but when I see the millions of pictures I took I somehow remember.

The journey of two has almost begun and bravo to me (If I may) as a first time Mommy to reach this milestone and kudos to every other mom out there too. It’s not easy and achhhhh so many countless meltdowns but I’m still here doing the dang thing (like I have a choice) lol !!!!!

Handful & Handsome

I haven’t even reached “Troublesome two’s” and my son is sooooo much work sometimes I can’t even believe how papa bear and I are doing it.

These children really have a mind of their own, of course they do though… it’s development right before our eyes every single day which I do love HOWEVER, my son actually knows how to test us.

When I tell my son “NO” he smiles and after the third “NO” he’ll stop whatever it is he’s doing. When his father says “NO” he does what his father is having a hard time with, he screams at the top of his lungs in his high-pitched toddler voice. I can’t believe it when I hear it! That scream will drive anyone off the wall, my motherly ears have become used to it but it is annoying especially when we are out in public. Our son and this scream go hand in hand even his Aunty Geraldine (my elder sister) has experienced it and she’s in for more improved scream than the last one she heard lol

I can’t believe this small boy knows exactly what he is doing. As a parents we know children love to throw things down especially from their high chair. They keep on doing this because they are so fascinated with the drop and the noise and the parent reaction. They just don’t stop but what can I do, it’s worse when it’s feeding time. My son likes to eat by himself now which is great, he uses his hands and shoves as much food in his mouth as he can but the mess!!!! Golly-gosh it’s a whole lot of work. Of course a toddler can’t eat clean just yet but sometimes he takes his toy throwing technique and uses it with his food. He’ll throw it down and eat and laugh and play and then he’ll throw the whole bowl down when he’s done and will scream or make some loud gesture in order for me to take him out of his high chair.

Another frustrating thing my son does is jump on the couch 😡 Sometimes I wish I could remove our whole couch all together, I blame his father for this. When he was learning how to stand papa bear would put him on the couch for a few second then put him down but now that he’s fully mobile omgoodness – it’s like a nightmare accident waiting to happen. Our son will climb the couch, stand up and bounce on it… I’m always so frantic with this. He seems to know what he’s doing and he seems to know  The wooden floor is but he just won’t stop jumping, even when I say get down! It’s enough!… He just keeps on going and once again smiles and laughs.

Nobody can tell me these kids don’t know what they are doing. They know very dang well with their cheeky smiles.

the list can go on and I’m sure other parents can relate to some of Jaden’s traits and other ones.

With all these different things he does, my son is adorable  and cute and handsome and it makes it so hard to discipline him at times because he’s mastered his puppy eyes and crocodile tears which still get to me. He knows how to pull out the water works in seconds and I feel bad but discipline is more than necessary because all though he’s still developing as a parent you have to let your children know who is the boss. As papa bear says, our son is a “noise maker.” He always wants to be heard one way or the other but I’m sure this is normal.

Having a child, I’ve mastered patients more than I ever have but It’s constant progress, I tell this to papa bear too but men and women (Mom’s and dad’s) are totally different. Women can put up with way more in my own opinion, at least at this young age. What matters is that not only  One parent is bad, but both have “bad and good cop” moments.

All I know is that I’m bracing myself for chapter two aka troublesome two’s and in the words of Game of Thrones, “winter is coming”

Cord blood banking & what you need to know.

While pregnant, us women have to go through many check ups just to make sure our babies are healthy and nothing wrong is going on inside our womb. While I was pregnant all was smooth and well but I did come across some information about Cord blood banking which I thought was fantastic.

I was recommend by my doctors to look into it because papa bear and I had a similar blood group. Was it something I worried about? Yes, but with faith and knowledge our baby came out perfectly healthy & that’s all anyone can ask for and on top of that I decided to do Cord blood banking which I believe was the best decision I made for his future.

 

What is Cord blood + Cord blood banking.

“Cord blood is the blood in your baby’s umbilical cord. It contains stem cells that can grow into blood vessels, organs, and tissues.

Cord blood banking involves collecting blood left in your newborn’s umbilical cord and placenta and storing it for future medical use. Cord blood contains potentially lifesaving cells called stem cells. The stem cells in cord blood are different from embryonic stem cells.” (Via babycenter.com)

How to do it?

Once you feel you’re ready for this step, you contact a company of your choice, I chose CBR. Once you’ve set up your account they will send you a Cord blood package with everything your doctor or nurses need.

It is a process done right after you’ve given birth to your child. As read above they take the blood from the umbilical cord & everything else they need and then the company carrier will pick up the package and take it to the company storage.

What’s great is you’re notified a long the way via email of everything going on with your child’s blood banking until the very end. I even had a great representative who called me and sent a thank you note which was appreciated.

Benefits.

The reason I choose to do Cord blood banking with Jaden is because of the benefits for not only him but also one day for his future sibling.

Here’s a current list of what Cord blood is helping with.

– Cancers
– Immune disorders
– Blood disorders
– Metabolic disorders

Within each of these categorizes our child’s Cord blood can be beneficial.

– It can help by having immediate access to minimize disease progressions early for any types of treatment needed.

– “Ability to use one’s own stem cells for conditions that currently lack medical treatment options, also known as “autologous transplantation” *CBR.com* (This can be great because certain origins of people have a lower percentage of matches and using your own could save or rather give you desired time needed)

– With your Cord blood as an essential supply, if there is a situation where any type of transplant is needed there is less risk of complications.

– “Preserving them”stops the clock” and protects the cells from aging and being exposed to environmental factors and common viruses” *cbr.com*

Cost.

The first fee is quite high which is $1650. Afterwards the storage plan is $160 a year but I believe they have lifetime plans which range from $2k-$3k again quite pricey but they are flexible with payment plans and you can’t put a price on health.

I n conclusion, I am happy with the decision I made as I said above. This is something you must think about before delivering because it’s not possible after the umbilical cord is gone. Do your research parents & maybe for your next little one you can invest cord blood banking.

Bath time reaction.

It’s no surprise that washing our little ones is a daily and nightly routine. I actually enjoy bath time because it’s also a type of bonding time. Lucky for me Jaden loves water ever since he was born and I’ve seen him enjoy his bath water more and more that sometimes he’ll even cry when I put he towel around him.

The products I use for him are usually light perfumed & I use a soft sponge to clean his body down. Always use a sponge, I wasn’t a fan in the beginning but it’s necessary after all they get into so much throughout the day and there’s nothing like a good scrub.

Recently I used Johnson & Johnson product (I’m sure you’ve noticed their rep is changing gradually sadly) anyways, I noticed a slight rash on my baby. Nothing too alarming per his pediatrician but we discussed switching to NO PERFUME anything. As a test I am now trying : Aveeno baby body lotion & Comforts for baby body wash. I’m hoping that’ll help and to top it off I also add Eucerine baby relief for eczema.

TAKE NOTE: just like with milk based formula always be alert on our children’s skin. Reactions can either occur immediately or gradually, never wait & switch.

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on how Jaden’s skin looks within the next few weeks.

Keeping the Love alive.

Once you have a baby most of your attention is on your precious new bundle of joy. Of course it is, as a mother you were carrying this child for 9 months. You’ve been through the waddling and the heartburn, all of that including giving birth so at the end when you see that tiny little face it’s like *Deep breath* (I did it!!) Even for fathers, you’ve also been on your toes for 9 months, making sure your child is doing perfectly fine and is eating well and the excitement of just seeing your daughter or son is uncontainable & then you finally do it’s like *Deep breath* (there is my child) for both man and woman it’s just a love that you can not explain.

Putting precious baby to the side, it’s really important we remember our partners. Having a child is a two way street and both parents should always make an effort to keep the romance and spark alive.

I’ve already explained how it takes women sometime because we won’t feel like ourselves right away but even at that, men… you should always support your woman. Tell her she’s beautiful, tell her thank you, give her flowers or give her some foot massages or even run a bath. It’s all about the little gesture that sparks the love. Do anything that makes your woman happy, even if it’s something you don’t like to do, for her just do it because it’ll me a lot & to my women…As the mothers we do have to deal with a lot and we can get tired so quickly but we must also must not forget that our partners need love too and we can contribute to the spark by cooking his favorite meal, back massages, treating him to something he really enjoys doing and anything else that might contribute to happiness. On top of all that don’t neglect the love making. That connection and bond between two is very strong and important. Yes our children are a big distraction but intimacy is necessary. Don’t get so caught up that it forgets to happen because it will cause unnecessary tension. It’s good to release those feelings because after all, we did make a child together so as a couple it’s something to really enjoy.

Now on a truthful note, I know not everyone might not be in a relationship, and that’s perfectly alright. What’s really important is also self love. Whether you’re a single mother or a single father that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take care of yourself. What makes you happy? What is something you have always wanted to do? Whatever those things are find time to do them. There’s a reason that nannies exist. Even if you feel like I’ve had a child and I feel great but I want to meet somebody new, well alright then spoil yourself and go out on a date… It can be anything, just make sure you don’t loose yourself.

Keeping the love alive can mean different things to all of us but it’s all about taking action and I sincerely believe that if you can keep the flame burning whether big or small everything can be a whole lot more enjoyable. Parenthood won’t be felt as burden but a blessings with amazing perks.

I’d love to read some of your own “spark methods” to keeping the love alive in your home. Feel free to share.