blissful moments

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

crafting junkie

So I've never been "creative" or "crafty" to say the least but once I found out that I was having a girl that all changed. A couple of my girlfriends showed me how to make bows and flowers for Aviana as I am sure you have seen in her pictures. It seems that whenever I dress her, her outfit is not complete without a cute head piece! Anyway, I recently taught myself how to make some flower rosettes for my hair. You can add them to just about anything and they are interchangeable too! I currently wear them with a headband but you can add them to a shirt, hat, purse, picture frame, throw pillow or anything that needs some updating or uniqueness. I plan to stitch some small, colored rosettes on plain onesies for Aviana to wear this summer since it will be so dang hot she will be living in those things! I'm so excited to start creating more pretties for her! As you can tell it's currently my obsession to "create" but I seem to only be able to do it when Aviana is sleeping or if Jerry is home to keep an eye on her. Here are a few pictures of the ones I have made so far...these pictures are less than great thanks to my cell phone but nonetheless you get the point.

A few of the first ones I made...

One for my friend...

For another friend...

This one is my favorite...

I will be making lots more this weekend and trying out different ways of making them unique! I have a few new ideas brewing....yay!

5 months and counting...

Rice cereal experience...

My baby is well into her 5th month of life and is happy as can be.

Some new things as of this month:

~sitting up with little assistance from Momma
~eating rice cereal twice a day
~sleeping in her crib at night (This is a big one for Mom and Dad!)
~her first cold...she has a respiratory infection and is on breathing treatments. She is doing much better now, thank God!
~loves talking to Nana and her cousin via the computer. She talks up a storm when we are video chatting.
~Just this week she is VERY attached to me. I can't get anything done it seems. Sigh.

Overall, she is getting big and more cute every day. We just love her to pieces.

Oh and she is just shy of 15 lbs as of 3.7.11. We have her 6 month checkup at the end of this month!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Little Mama

One of my old friends is a photographer now and she did some shots of me and Aviana when she turned 4 months. She did a great job capturing Aviana's personality which is serious with a little bit of playful. These were taken at the Mesa Arts Center on 1.28.11. I did these without telling Jerry so I could surprise him with some Valentine's pictures of his girls (a little early)! He loved them!

Here are a few shots so....enjoy!

Chaille Michael Photography

Monday, January 31, 2011

My little challenge...

3.5 months 1/2/11

4 months 1/24/11

So Aviana has been a super easy and laid back baby which has made the transition into parenthood extremely effortless...but the tides are turning and I am not sure how I feel about it. I think she is starting to teethe and as a new Mom I am not sure what I am supposed to do. She has teether rings and toys but those don't seem to do much. I can't tell on her gums if she is getting tooth buds or not. The gums aren't white or aything so I am completely lost. She goes from being super happy to a tantrum within seconds....she is a drooly mess a lot of the time and fights to take naps. Are these signs of teething? If anyone has any advice I will be grateful for some input because I feel like I am not meeting her needs some of the time. I just wish she could talk and tell me what is going on. HA!

In other Aviana news...she is rolling over, trying to sit up, talks all the time, grabs anything she can and is getting better about napping in her crib! Jerry freaks when he gets her from her crib and she is on her belly...she is getting so big and much more entertaining to say the least. She is a little over 4 months and doing well with her growth. At her 4 month check up she was; 13lbs 11oz and 26 inches long (doc didn't believe it at first). She is right at 95% in height; she's gonna be a tall one!

We love watching her grow and change and can't believe we found out we were pregnant a year ago already. Time sure has flown by but we sure are blessed to have a beautiful baby girl to call our own. <3

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Unconditional Love.

What does this mean...?

Very simply it means love without end even in the most scary and heart aching of situations. I was reminded of this last night through none other than a reality show. I was instantly grounded and found myself questioning the power of love. A young woman was newly engaged to her long time love and unexpectedly she was in a car accident that left her with a permanent brain injury and in a wheel chair. Her life was no longer her own and relies solely on caregivers to meet her every need, daily. No wedding had occurred prior to this accident but her fiance remained by her side and still is until this day. No one should be robbed of their life in such a traumatic way but God has a plan for everyone and there isn't one thing anyone can do to change His plan. Her fiance made a comment during this show stating "What kind of man would I be to leave after her accident?" I was taken back by this statement because I'm sure most people wouldn't know what to do after such an awful event. I am not sure what I would do to say the least but I do know that with unconditional love, all things are possible. Love takes on so many forms and is the very foundation that all good things come from. Does the fiance have to be with her romantically going forward? No, but because he "loves" her he is by her side and loving her the best way he knows how. What a beautiful person he is for loving her unconditionally. I am inspired to practice unconditional love as often as possible and not just with my loved ones but with anyone who may need a bit of uplifting in their lives. Love is powerful to say the least.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Sacrifice.

It's been a while since I have blogged and I feel as though life has been a bit crazy and unpredictable lately. I have made some changes to my little world, some for the better and some that have caused more stress than peace. This is life and I am learning how to survive in the role as a new Mom, a good wife and a dedicated co-worker. All of which have caused me some personal heartache in more ways than I can count. This isn't a bad heartache but rather a change in how I perceive this new world I am living in. Being a new Mom can be, well, stressful and enlightening. I know I am good Mom to our little angel but balancing everything that has come my way has been a challenge to say the least. I have been back to work since mid December...this in itself has made me realize what is really important in this short life. Cutting back my hours, changing offices and positions was a difficult but necessary move for me personally. I feel I need to be with Aviana as much as possible these first years and am making every effort to do so. Making sacrifices is inevitable when you are a Mom and this is a lesson my Mother has reminded me of in these past few months. Sacrifice=love. Oh boy does it! I don't think too many of us look at this equation and really think about it. We sacrifice things we may or may not need and we do this so that love will shine through to those who need it. Myself going to part time to be with Aviana more is an example of this. Learning to change the lifestyle I am accustomed to in order to be more present in the moments that truly matter; motherhood and family. These are the moments I live for...watching my baby laugh, smile, cry, sleep and play. I try to remember this simple idea of sacrifice every day but at times it can be tough. Sacrificing is not easy for most of us but it can be so rewarding and simply, uplifting.

I hope you take a look at what you have sacrificed lately simply for love.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Reflections....

These past few weeks have flown by to say the least. My life has changed dramatically but I am feeling as though it has always been this way. It is amazing how Aviana has added so much love and excitement to our very regular and peaceful lives. She brings so much love, laughter and of course the dreaded worry that comes with having a baby to care for. The worry is so worth the reward of seeing her grow, smile and love being in our arms. She is such a blessing and I can't imagine my life without her. The best part of being a Mom is knowing that my everyday actions affect her little life and will determine her happiness. Jerry and I love being her parents and are so thrilled with how she has developed over the last few weeks. She has started to smile at our faces (mostly her daddy's face), she can almost hold her head up all on her own and just in the past few days she found her hands. She loves to have her diaper changed and it even sparks a little giggle from her. It is such a joy to watch her explore her environment and take in every inch of what she sees. I find myself just staring at her while she sleeps and get sad that she is growing so fast and wish that she could stay little forever. I know this is impossible and I do look forward to her upcoming developments. She is a strong little one and I know seeing her grow each day will fill my heart with more joy than I could ever imagine, for this I am extremely grateful!

The Holidays are fast approaching and we are looking forward to celebrating with Aviana! So many "firsts" to look forward to. I will be sure to post more pics as the weeks go on. :)