My Little Valentine

The sweetest Valentine's Day gift I have ever gotten

I'm back... and I can't believe how much my life has changed in these last couple of days. 

My mind keeps thinking, 'can you believe it'? 

You are a mommy now. 

The AMAZING feeling that knocks the socks off your feet and makes your head spin while you body is reminding you of the earth-shattering, mind-blowing, most painful experience of your entire life. There are no words to describe the pain, the back ache, the fear of unknown and the unpredictable. But you were made for this. For this role as a mom. 

It's unbelievable how much I love this little guy of mine. Right now, I'm an emotional mess, so every little crooked smile, every raised eyebrow, every dirty diaper and little wink makes my heart sink. 

I can't believe he is mine. Still. It's so surreal. 

Between the all-nightly feedings and burps, diaper changes and swaddling - time flies so fast. It seems like life just took on a pair of wings and determined to take me to his college graduation in one single breath. So I'm enjoying it. Every minute of it. This perfect, little, most adorable Valentine that stole my heart. 

Finding Motherhood Along Abbey Road {Guest Post}

Once the pregnancy is over and you have done all those things to make sure your baby is healthy, and actually gone through all the trials and tribulations of labor, you get to hold your bundle of joy. It's an emotional, confusing, exciting, scary and joyous time.
Here is Abbey from Along Abbey Road blog and her first motherhood experience. 

Hello, there! I am Abbey from Along Abbey Road. I am so happy to be here while Anna is loving on that precious little babe of hers!

Babies are miraculous, complex beings. Babies are also tiring and testing beings. I remember that first moment I sat on the couch with Luke, just the two of us. Both Matt's mom and my own had made their rounds teaching us their best-practiced mothering skills and Matt reluctantly went back to work, tired, worn, and learning to adjust to this new world (bless that ole' chap's heart).

There sat this helpless, wrinkly, perfect human in my arms. I was terrified and thrilled all in the same moment. I already knew him from the kicks, flutters, and rolls we shared those last 10 months, but now he was really there. Tears flooded my eyes that we had been blessed to rear and direct this amazing soul.

I will never forget the feel of Luke's silky almost translucent skin. The smell of his tiny body curled up under my chin. The softly pleading and adorable cry. The way he reached up his tiny, 1-inch hand to mine while he fed, reassuring me that I was his favorite and most-needed person in the world.

Those are the moments that we mothers live for.
Congratulations, Anna! So excited for you to create your own loving memories with your beautiful baby boy!

The Waiting Game

Still not here...
I love that so many people are excited to meet our little guy but I'm also a little annoyed. The preggo hormones are raging over here /if you can't tell/, and I'm anxious to get the show on the road. I have a million /well, maybe not that many/ text messages a day asking me if he is here yet. I understand that people have only the best intentions but all I want to do is yell at the phone, and it didn't do anything, poor thing. Here is what's happening now.

I'm tired all the time but can't sleep more then two hours at a time. Tossing and turning, getting up to tinkle like five hundred times a night, then about 6am I'm starving and getting up to get breakfast. By 8am I'm tired again and sleepy - clime back into bed (while hubby has no problems sleeping through it all) and snoozing for a little bit. Brunch, maybe a shower later and some blogging, so by 1pm I want to take a nap again. So I snooze in the chair in the nursery. Feeling a little better by now, and want to get out of the house. Taking a walk or going to the mall just to get out and do something. 

This waiting period is exhausting, so I while I try to keep myself occupied with baking some pastries and online shopping for the house, have yourself a great weekend.


P.S. The Pink Peonies Blog brought to you another giveaway from Florence Adams. A $50 worth of stuff from the shop, so check it out.

Bump Evolution

The 9 months journey

You gonna get pregnant... 

well too late now...

What just happened? Run to the drug store and get a dozen of pregnancy tests.
Pee on all of them. Try to breathe.  Yep, preggers.

Have first sono - it's becoming real. 

Little poochie is starting to show up. 

Loving cute little belly. Still wearing normal clothes and heels.

Baby kicking and moving a lot, little maniac.

Starting to think about names and fully transitioned into maternity clothes

So you had an easy pregnancy so far? Yeah, now where the party begins.

Come out, NOW, baby boy!
"but why mom?" - because I said so...

It's kind of obvious what I'm trying to say here. Starting in May, freaking out when we found out and getting excited about the news, then gaining way too much weight while picking up all of the third trimester side effects, we have arrived. 

Today is my due date. 

The name is Jonathan Fedor (finally decided)

Everything from now on is going to be 'overdue' but technically you can go two weeks late and still have a normal delivery with a healthy child. Although at this point, waiting even another day seems like forever. I do not want to take any chance and probably only going a week past my due date.

I say he will be here on the 7th, 8lbs 4oz and 21in long.
What's your guess?
Let's vote.
If you guess it right (or very close), I will mention you in a post with a link to your blog.

Ready or Not, Here He Comes

dress:Target, cardigan: Loft, shoes: Aldo

I saw his face. It was kind of surreal and weird at the same time. We had (hopefully) last sono and appointment yesterday. The technician was able to get a  snapshot of his face. It's kind of a freaky adorable picture. Almost alien-like but at the same time, so cute, with some major cheeks.
Seeing a real person who has a face was little shocking. Yes, I know I'm 40 weeks pregnant and this was coming for a while now but it's different. Thinking of the baby as something in the distance or seeing him in person (well almost) was amazing. As much as I'm uncomfortable, heavy and just plain tired of being pregnant, I don't know if I'm ready for all of it.
First it's the painful contractions, the fear of medicated birth or need of c-section, the unknown and the embarrassing and the thought that something can go wrong with our baby.
Then the sore nipples, the swollen breasts, the unbearable pain of breastfeeding, the sleepless nights, the colicky tummy, the leaking (all over), the crying that you can't stop, the postpartum depression and whole bunch of other things I still don't know about.
It's frightening.
I am ready for this pregnancy to be over but the amazing and the awful that comes after?
I don't know.
I've read the books, I've listened to all the (wanted and unwanted) advice and I've watched many YouTube videos. Yet it doesn't not prepare you for the life that's ahead.
Until you've gone through it all yourself, until your name is sealed on the 'Done It All Mothers' hall of fame, you just don't know.
Ready or not, he is coming soon.