20 WEEKS-- halfway there!

I had my 20 week ultrasound and visit the other day! We were able to see baby #2 again! I can't believe we are already at the halfway point..it definitely has gone by quick!

Ryan and I were able to come a compromise of doing a gender reveal baby shower in January as opposed to finding out when the baby comes! He still says he doesn't want to do it that way, but I told him since he already agreed to it, he isn't allowed to take it back! lol

So the results are in a sealed envelope at this time..two more months and we will know!

Before we found out I was pregnant, we were set on a baby name already..but afterwards, we decided on another name. We really love that Riley's name is suited for both a boy or a girl, so we decided to stick with another unisex name (granted, the original name we had was also unisex lol!)  I have been very reserved this time around about the baby name. I don't know why, but it has just been recently that we started telling people what his or her name is. I am even hesitant to post it on here now! But eventually...

Love,

Baby P #2 <3

Baby P #2!

We're having another baby!

We found out three days before Riley's 2nd birthday that I had a bun in the oven! Although we knew we wanted another baby and we weren't doing anything to prevent it, the news still came to a surprise to us. A very pleasant surprise of course because conceiving Riley wasn't easy, so this time around it is relieving to know that we didn't have to try so hard.

As of today, I am a little over 13 weeks pregnant. I had no morning sickness or nausea. I feel ALMOST like how I did when I was pregnant the first time, but it has been a little easier for me so far *knock on wood* I actually forget sometimes that I am pregnant!

I had my first ultrasound about two weeks ago. Riley was with me so she was able to see her little brother or sister. We have been telling her there is a baby in my stomach and she will kiss and rub my belly, but I still think it will be a rude awakening for her once the baby arrives!

Here is our little chicken nugget at our first ultrasound (10 weeks):

Riley with her little brother or sister at 12 weeks:

love,

baby p #2 <3

QUICK UPDATE

I have definitely been slacking with updating this blog! Being a mother is a full time job so needless to say, I have been a little busy!

The end of the year is upon us and it is so crazy to think back on last year's holiday memories when we had just announced closing escrow on our home and then literally a month later finding out we are expecting a baby! It has been an amazing year...Riley has been such a wonderful blessing to us and our families. I cannot get enough of her and I fall in love with her more every day!

I made a Shutterfly picture book (I got it for free!) and it took me a whole week to complete it! But I finally finished it and ordered it before the 12/31 deadline. So I thought I would share it with you all! ENJOY!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AasWLZy3YtHTQ&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET


love,
baby p <3

BAPTISM, HALLOWEEN, & THREE MONTHS

It has been a few weeks since my last post! Big things have happened since my last post: Riley was baptized at the end of October, she celebrated her first Halloween, and this past Friday she turned three months old!

Baptism:

Riley was baptized on October 27th at St. John Baptist de la Salle Church in Granada Hills. Someone asked why she got baptized at a young age; Ryan and I decided we wanted her to baptized after she received her two month vaccines because of everything she went through (her two week hospital stay) and having her baptized and dedicated to God after all of that means a great deal to us.

Her baptism experience was unforgettable. Lol. It was only a thirty minute baptism and there were probably 8-10 babies total getting baptized too, but Riley cried the WHOLE TIME...that was the longest thirty minutes of my life. I felt so bad for her...Ryan and I were doing everything we could to stop her from crying. She didn't sleep very well that morning before her baptism (for some reason she was fighting her sleep) so I knew she was going to be fussy; in addition, all of the people and the stimulation from everything was really bothering her. I felt like one of those moms that are on the airplane with their crying baby and people are annoyed and think that she is a bad mom because she doesn't know how to console her child. It really made me feel as if I was being harshly judged by the other parents there and I even thought I was a bad mom =/ However, Ryan reassured me that babies cry and it's okay...that I shouldn't listen to what other people think or say. I am so thankful I have him because he definitely brings me back to normal when I am feeling anxious or upset. i love you babe! :)

Here are some pics from Riley's big day: 

So cute in her dress, but dang did he hate being in this thing. we literally took it off right after she got baptized by the priest! poor thing! 

Riley and us with all of her godparents :)

Halloween:

We took Riley to her first pumpkin patch about two weeks before Halloween. Her older cousin Merc and his mom and dad met up w us too. Of course we only went there to take pictures! LOL

Riley having fun at the pumpkin patch..

picture w the Lehmans :)

here are pics of Riley on Halloween dressed up in her costume. Yep, she was an elephant! lol

her shoesies even had elephants on them! so cute! 

mommy elephant, baby elephant and daddy lion!! 

with Ninang Crystal and Evelyn 

with Ninang Jeanelle

3 months:

Gosh! My baby is already three months old. I am still in awe that Riley was growing inside of me and Ryan and I made her. She continues to make me smile every day and she makes me so incredibly happy even on her fussy days. lol. I am enjoying being home w her every day...I wish I could be a stay at home mom because the thought of going back to work makes me sad because I won't able to veg out w her and just be with her. 

Riley is getting better at tummy time...I started putting her in her Bumbo seat to help her practice sitting up, but she is still a little wobbly..it's really cute. She also started turning from tummy to back! Riley smiles a lot now too especially when someone is talking to her...so she coos and babbles. ugh I can't take the cuteness sometimes I love it so much! We have come to learn her cues especially when it's time for a nap. She sleeps great at night and wakes up once for a feed and then one really early morning feed before or when Ryan leaves for work and then sleeps until 730 even 830! Riley is growing so fast and I wish she could stay a baby! wahhh!

here are more pics to share:

I have come to learn that being a parent is definitely rewarding, but at the same time challenging. I am constantly worried that I am not being the attentive mom I think I should be or I am clueless at times as to what Riley's needs are, and I google search everything!!! I criticize myself a lot especially now that I am a mom. I just want to be the best mom to her because I love her so much and would do anything for her. She is such a blessing in our lives. 

love,

Riley <3

2 MONTHS OLD!

Riley is already two months old!

She had her two month doctor's visit last Friday and according to her doctor, she is a healthy and growing baby! She weighs 10 pounds 9 ounces and is 21 3/4 inches long; she is on track with her growth chart, which makes us extremely relieved and happy!

I was so concerned about her weight gain because she does not eat anymore than 2.5 ounces at a time as she is a big snacker/grazer. Riley likes to eat one ounce at a time (usually one to two hours apart) and we are lucky if she gets in two ounces in a feed. But her doctor says that is normal and as long as she is gaining weight, she should be fine!  I have discovered that she is a good night sleeper in which she usually gets up once or twice in the middle of the night to eat and when I feed her she goes right back to sleep..so that's a really good thing since Ryan and I are able to sleep (not as well as before, but with a baby it's a good amount!)

She is pretty moody during the day, LOL. We have come to call them "baby tantrums" because she gets into a stink and after we have tried everything to soothe her (diaper change, feeding, rocking her, etc) it comes down to us having to swaddle her tightly and it is then that she calms down and finally takes her pacifier or feeding! Her doctor says this is normal and "she is allowed to be fussy"! haha. I found that amusing when she told me that. I mean it IS part of being a baby, but sometimes when she has these "tantrums" Ryan and I cannot help to feel that we aren't being good parents to her. I wish she could tell us what she wants, but I know that it is all a learning process and we have to continue to tend to all of her needs as much and best we can.

Riley is pretty playful these days though...she continues to smile, coo, and laugh. She is even able to play by herself for a bit. Her head control is great! She isn't a big fan of tummy time, but her head and neck control is pretty good for her age! She has come to recognize our voices, which is such a great feeling to know that the smile and coos she is making is from us talking to her =)

At her appointment, Riley also received her two month vaccines! It was not a fun day for her! We ended up giving her two doses of Tylenol after her appointment and fortunately she didn't spike a fever either! She was back to her normal self the next day and it didn't seem to have an affect on her feedings too!

Since she now has her vaccines, we are able to take her to get her ears pierced which will be done over the weekend...I already know she is going to hate it, but Ryan and I want it done for her. I most especially wanted them to be pierced before her baptism!

Here are pics of our little lovebug:

love,
Riley

6 & 7 WEEKS

 Our baby girl is 7 WEEKS OLD TODAY! As with my pregnancy, this is going by just as fast! =(

My PICC line has been out since last week and I am feeling much better. Riley is doing well..she is still in her expected baby routine of sleeping, eating, and pooping! We noticed that she is more awake and slightly playful, even showing us smiles, coos, and the occasional giggle in her sleep! (LOL its true!) She will play with us for a bit and then she lets us know when it is time to swaddle and put her to sleep! Her patterns and routines are becoming more familiar to us, which makes us happy as we are able to tend to her needs when she "tells" us! =)

As a NICU nurse and having cared solely for babies for seven years, I had thought that being a mom would come easy to me. The past month has showed me that being a mom isn't just about knowing how to change a diaper, feed her, or how to calm her down. Of course, I know there is so much more to being a mother than that, but when it came to taking care of my own baby, my nursing perception was thrown out of the door! She has tested me in so many ways and at times I felt as if I was not being a good mom because I couldn't read her cues right away or what she was trying to tell me she needed/wanted. However, I have come to learn that Riley is mine to care for and love for; that I have to be there for her to make sure everything she needs is given to her--- and that takes time. There will be a lot of learning and growing for the both of us...and there is no where else I would rather be doing.

After she turned six weeks old, Ryan and I decided we would slowly start taking her out after putting her on house arrest since coming home from the hospital. We have been keeping our visitors to the very minimum because we do not want to risk her getting sick again. I have especially been very strict and paranoid about it; we have put antibacterial bottles in every room of the house and we make sure every person who touches her has washed their hands. We took her out to a restaurant; she was asleep for the majority of the time and so she was a good girl! We have taken her to other places as well and we are looking forward to more outings with her, but we have already learned that taking her out with us is definitely a challenge!

Ryan went back to work yesterday and needless to say, it was difficult and emotional. I was more sad about it because he has been with us every single day for six and a half weeks. I am sure it was just as hard for him to leave as well. =(

My first day alone with her went well...she ate every three hours which allowed me to pump while she was asleep and do a few things around the house. My mom came in the late afternoon so I could shower and cook while she watched over Riley.

I am trying to take in every single day with her because it really is going by so fast. The lack of sleep, the dishevelment, and the roller coaster of emotions have been tough, but WORTH IT. I would not have it any other way right now and it is all because of this little girl of ours <3

During one of her naps, she kicked her legs out! lol

 My oldest and bestest friends Nikki and Monica came to visit. That is my PICC line on my right arm:

This is her face after bath time and crying because she hates baths! poor baby!

Our Riley burrito! She smells as good as she looks too! LOL

Riley in her Baby Bjorn for the first time:

Her first day out w mommy and daddy since her hospital stay (minus her doctor visit):

Tummy time:

Sleeping beauty:

love,
Riley <3

Mama P gets sick too...

As if we had not been through enough already, just less than a week of Riley being home I end up getting admitted as well!

Last Sunday night I was feeling pain on my left breast. I treated myself with warm compresses and also extra pumping to make sure I emptied my breasts well. I even attempted to breast feed Riley. After her feeding I continued having the pain, so I decided to lay down and rest it off. After about three hours it was still hurting and it was time to pump again. While I pumped I started having chills all over my body. I took two Ibuprofens and hopped into bed wearing sweats, a hoodies, and two blankets over me because I was freezing cold. When I woke up three hours later, my chills were gone but I felt super tired and weak. I pumped again and I still had breast pain; I thought I would have felt better after sleeping and pumping, but I just felt worse. Ryan took my temperature and I had a fever; on top of that I felt weak and short of breath. We called my mom and asked her to come over to watch Riley so Ryan could take me to the ER (this was at 4 am).

I was admitted and seen right away. They collected blood from me and I was given fluids through an IV. I was going to be sent home with oral antibiotics as the doctor diagnosed me with mastitis (infection of the breast tissue), but the infectious disease doctor at Kaiser wanted the ER doctor to admit me because I was displaying signs of sepsis/blood infection: fever, chills, increased heart rate, and my blood count was high even though they gave me a dose of antibiotics.

DEJA VU.

However, I only stayed in the hospital for a couple of days--- it was the worse two days. I had flu like symptoms, couldn't get out of bed without help, I went through FOUR IVs, my breast was swollen and red, I was on antibiotics, and I had to be away from Riley! =( I even missed her FIRST doctor's appointment. Needless to say, being a patient sucked! Thankfully, I did not have a blood infection (it was only mastitis). After two days, the doctor discharged me home, but I had to have a PICC line placed (a deep IV, like what Riley had when she was hospitalized) because I needed ten days of antibiotics three times a day on top of a second antibiotic every six hours! BUT I was able to go home and be with my baby.

I am one day away from finishing treatment. I have been to Kaiser seeing doctors and getting dressing changes on my PICC line every other day. Ryan and my mom took another week off from work to care for Riley and I. No one really knew of my hospitalization; it was enough to deal with Riley's and I didn't want to stress about telling everyone about it.

It has been one hell of a month and I am hoping and praying that this is it. No more hospital visits or getting sick. It is time to enjoy Riley and being a family <3