Hello Everyone. I know that it has been over a month since I have posted and my little guy is growing fast. Being a full time Mommy has limited my access to the computer and so I have not had the chance to really sit for a while and blog. I think that is a really good thing though. I know this time off with my children has truly been a blessing from above. It has allowed both Kevin and I to enjoy time with our precious gifts in ways we usually miss out. So, I am trying a new way of blogging to help (hopefully) minimize how much time it takes me to actually post. I will be inserting links to pictures that you can click on and view. There are way too many pictures since the birth of Dominic that I think I would probably be behind in blogging for more than a year! Anyway.. hope you enjoy and know that no blogging on my end means well spent family time!
Ellia Meets Her Brother!!!
Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom.~ Psalm 103:22, NLT
October 3, 2011 we welcomed Dominic Robert Angelo into the world and Ellia Renee Angelo became a big sister. The day unfolded something like this. I was one day overdue and Ellia and I decided to meet Aunt Jen and Mimi for lunch. I had high anxiety that day and Vader was particularly obsessed with staying close to my side. I grabbed my overnight bag just in case and headed out the door. We ate lunch at South Hills Village Mall, we walked around to try and get things moving, did some shopping at Macy’s and then Ellia went with Aunt Jen and Mimi so that I could go to my doctor’s appointment. Here is the last picture I have of me with my big belly at the mall shopping.
The wait at the doctor's was of course 20 min or longer and then I had to wait in the actual room. The doctor told me that I was 4 centimeters dilated and 80 % a face.. which means my cervix was opening up nicely and thinning out as well. I thought she would admit me but she said since I wasn’t having contractions I was okay to go home. ???? BUT since I was one day over my due date she was sending me up to another floor to have a stress test done. Thank goodness because about a half hour into the stress test I started getting contractions and they were consistent. They monitored me for another hour and at 6pm they admitted me! The surreal part being that the room was the same one I delivered Ellia in. Talk about deja vu. Kevin was on his way home from work and for a while there I didn’t know if he was going to make it. I didn’t even know if I was going to get an epidural. However around 7:30pm I finally got one. Nana and Papa Angelo showed up and kept us company. Kelly, Ron and Baby Hannah came, Mimi and Papa also made it right before I was about to push. I rested for about an hour and around 9pm it was time! Little man came out at 9:09pm weighing 8lbs 3oz and 19 inches long!!! Ellia showed up afterwards with Aunt Jen. I think she was in shock because the last time she saw me was at the mall with a big belly. She took it all in but was super excited. My little Baby was now a big sister. She looked enormous next to Dominic and memories of her birth flooded over me as I realized just how fast time goes by. As I watched my little lady hold her brother for the first time I praised the Lord for his wonderful blessings of love.
Here are pictures to check out from this special day!!! The Birth of Dominic
Ellia stayed with Nana and Papa that night but the next day she was back with her big sister shirt and smile from ear to ear. Mommy and Daddy got Ellia a baby boy of her own!!! (complete with boy parts.. hehe) She soon got right into the role of feeding and changing Baby Boy! You probably saw some of the pictures in the link above. Too cute! Family mostly visited and we also got some wonderful pictures taken by the hospital photographer. They are priceless shots of our little guy not even a complete day old. Dominic's Hospital Pictures
Since we have been home things have been interesting, hard and wonderful all at the same time. Sleeping has been hard for all of us and just figuring out the daily routine is challenging at times. Ellia started to get more defiant, which I figured would happen but when it actually did part of me couldn’t really swallow the reality of it all. That’s when the prayers start to come to mind and tears pourith over. Some hurtful words started and then she would break the rules… however sometimes I had to take a picture of these mischievous acts because they made me out right laugh. Then there are moments that melt my heart. Like when she holds her brother and tells him she loves him or when she wants to help feed him, burp him, change him and sings to him. These are the moments that outweigh the challenging ones.
During the first couple of weeks we were home Dominic had his first bath. We also had to take him within the first couple of days of being home to the doctor’s for a checkup. When he left the hospital he weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and at the doctor’s he weighed 7 lbs 13 oz. Ellia had to wear her big sister shirt too and proudly told the doctor and nurses about her baby brother. The doctor thought that Dominic looked a little jaundice and so we had to take him back to the hospital for blood work. However his levels were low and all was well. That weekend we had GG Wenzel visit with Nana and Papa. Aunt Kelly, Uncle Ron and Baby Hannah also stopped over to visit. Here is a link to more pictures of his bath and GG Wenzel's visit as well as pictures form the first couple of days at home. Bath and GG W's visit!
I have enjoyed taking pictures of my two little babies and Ellia’s interaction with her brother. She still looks like a giant next to him but she is so sweet. She has become a big helper and is just maturing into a little 3 year old. There isn’t a day that goes by that she doesn’t make us laugh. I have to also find things to keep her busy since she is off from preschool. So we do art projects, read books, do learning activities and free play as much as possible.
In the week that followed my friend Jamie came to visit bearing gifts of goodies for us to enjoy. She also gave Ellia Candy Land and now it is her new favorite way to win against Mom and Dad.. hehe. We ended up visiting GG Angelo and cousin Wendy was there with baby Joey. Ellia enjoyed playing row row row your boat with (Aunt) Wendy and Joey. I also got some beautiful flowers from my fellow coworkers. My parents and the Barkers (minus cousin Alex since he was sick) came to visit the following weekend. The girls enjoyed playing with each other and with Uncle Dave who was generous enough to give them horse back rides! We then took a trip to Ellia’s school so she could visit with her friends and show off her new brother. Then we stopped by for a visit at Nana and Papa’s. During that week we took Dominic on his first outing to Giant Eagle, Michael's and Five and Below! We were out because Ellia pooped on the potty and so we let her pick out some treats and we got some craft projects to make together. We enjoyed the fresh air and time together! Ellia has also enjoyed helping Daddy cook dinner recently. I got some fun shots of her helping him and sticking her tongue out. She is just too much at times but you can’t help but smile when you look at her. Here are more pictures from that week and our adventure out.GG Angelo's and more!
Well I think that is enough for now. The next post will be all the fall fun activities we did and Halloween. I will leave you with some pictures of Kevin and My Anniversary dinner. 6 years!!! I think we are doing okay.. haha. We got some wonderful sushi from the strip district, some great beer and a white chocolate raspberry cheese cake for desert.
I have enjoyed taking pictures of my two little babies and Ellia’s interaction with her brother. She still looks like a giant next to him but she is so sweet. She has become a big helper and is just maturing into a little 3 year old. There isn’t a day that goes by that she doesn’t make us laugh. I have to also find things to keep her busy since she is off from preschool. So we do art projects, read books, do learning activities and free play as much as possible.
In the week that followed my friend Jamie came to visit bearing gifts of goodies for us to enjoy. She also gave Ellia Candy Land and now it is her new favorite way to win against Mom and Dad.. hehe. We ended up visiting GG Angelo and cousin Wendy was there with baby Joey. Ellia enjoyed playing row row row your boat with (Aunt) Wendy and Joey. I also got some beautiful flowers from my fellow coworkers. My parents and the Barkers (minus cousin Alex since he was sick) came to visit the following weekend. The girls enjoyed playing with each other and with Uncle Dave who was generous enough to give them horse back rides! We then took a trip to Ellia’s school so she could visit with her friends and show off her new brother. Then we stopped by for a visit at Nana and Papa’s. During that week we took Dominic on his first outing to Giant Eagle, Michael's and Five and Below! We were out because Ellia pooped on the potty and so we let her pick out some treats and we got some craft projects to make together. We enjoyed the fresh air and time together! Ellia has also enjoyed helping Daddy cook dinner recently. I got some fun shots of her helping him and sticking her tongue out. She is just too much at times but you can’t help but smile when you look at her. Here are more pictures from that week and our adventure out.GG Angelo's and more!
Until next time, Love and Blessings to you all!
1 comment:
loved it... great job :)
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