Best-Friends since inside the womb

Elora & Autumn

First Thanksgiving 2009

One whole year today...

I married my best-friend...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABE!

I can't believe it's already been one year since we got married! Well I've been pregnant for pretty much the entire 2009, so that's probably where all my time went!

I remember walking down this aisle with my Dad, nervous as heck! Not nervous to marry Brandon, but nervous because everyone was watching me.. I had to keep a smile on my face the entire time! That was hard haha. Plus, the Bridezillas camera crew were all there at every angle getting me on camera. My main focus was NOT to trip! 

Ah, we had such a good time though. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! (Of course WITH Brandon, not do it all over again with someone else ha!)

Here are some more photos from our special day..

Still rubbing my eyes in disbelief....is this a sham?

This morning when Brandon left for work I texted him to see if Elora woke up in the middle of the night. For some reason I just couldn't remember. Every night seems the same nowadays, she wakes up at 2:30am on the dot! To my surprise he texted me back and said "No, slept all night". WHAT?! I just couldn't believe it! She woke up around 7:15am this morning. She slept for 7 hours straight! YAY! Now.. can we please have a repeat of this EVERY night? I know I know, probably too much to ask right? haha.. I think we're on to something here! =)

I can't believe how fast she's growing! I can say that a million times, but really I CAN'T believe it! I'm so excited to have Grandmama & Grampa come visit us next Friday! Wee! My parents are coming on Friday & staying for the weekend. I know they miss Elora very much! Unfortunately, Brandon has to work on "Black Friday". Was hoping we could all go shopping together! Oh well, maybe we shouldn't go shopping since we don't really need anything. I'd rather not spend unnecessary money right now with Christmas right around the corner. We still need to go Christmas shopping! I'm thinking gift certificates all the way! I don't like shopping during this time of the year, the stores are jam packed. Too many germs to go around! Blah!

I'm sitting here, watching Elora sleep soundly in her swing and smiling =) warms my heart. This weekend on Sunday will be ONE YEAR that Brandon and I have been married! I can't believe it's already here! It must have went by fast since I was pregnant this whole year haha. I think we're keeping it low key this time around. We don't have anything planned, but it will still be special anyways. 

Elora gets her first shots on Monday! AH! I'm nervous for her! She's getting the Rotavirus & Dtap vaccines. We're doing our own vaccine schedule. We don't want all these chemicals pumped into her little body=( It's always good to do your research for everything! Especially something so critical like vaccines. 

It's funny when you become a parent. I never knew I could be so paranoid! The main thing I've learned so far from being a new Mommy is to trust your instincts. In the beginning I would always second guess myself (I still do at times) but I'm working on it! 

Happy Friday ya'll! Time to start the day with my baby girl! =)

*Hugs*

Mommy A

Awesome stuffs in the making....

Whoa! Sorry folks for the lag on updates! It's been a very busy week! Well not physically, just mentally haha! It's amazing when you have a child of your own, how your outlook on life and your thoughts completely change (of course for the better). It's been almost two months since I've had Elora! WOW! Where has the time gone?! It's so sad that time flies by like that. 

Last night Brandon and I were laying in bed watching Elora laying on her belly lifting up her head looking around. When did this happen? When did our baby girl start becoming so mobile? Ay yai yai! Almost time for another one! haha I'm totally kidding. It's going to be a LONG while before that happens. But it's amazing how much they change and you don't even notice it until one day you are really paying attention. It makes you happy, yet sad at the same time. 

I've always had a strong passion for photography. Growing up I always wanted to be in front of the camera. I was never shy about it! My Mom and I would have mini photo sessions. I would put on my best little dress, put a bit of my mom's lipstick on and strike a pose. I love those memories! But now, it's time to finally pursue what I've always been passionate about! Photography!

Luckily I have an amazing Husband who supports me in any decision that I make. When I told him I wanted to be a photographer he said "Let's do it!". With my strong ambition and his motivation, we will be successful. It's nice to know you always have someone on your side. We're a team, ap & bp. Now we have an addition to our team! EP! YAY! =)

On the 17th we bought the domain name of our website. www.apimagery.com. We are in the progress of getting it nice & pretty! Working on the logo with my friend, hoping to get it done soon! I have some photo shoots in mind with good friends of mine. It's a work in progress, just have to be patient! (I lack in that category!)

Lots of things on my mind...

Um hello? What happened to the week? It's already THURSDAY! Holy smokes! I forgot to blog the past couple of days! Boo on me!

Anyways check out the sneak peaks to our family photos we took with Laura on Sunday!

http://laurawinslowphotography.com/blog/2009/11/11/third-time-is-a-charm-gilbert-baby-photographer/

Leave us a comment! If we receive 10 comments, we'll receive free wallets! Yippee! I love photography! Just capturing different moments and looking back at them years from now makes me happy=) We've taken TONS of pictures of Elora so far! More to come! TONS more actually! haha

Oh yeah! Elora had her first modeling gig! We bought a super cute outfit from Dolce Vita Mia called the Rockabilly outfit. Mia is using Elora's photos for her website hehe =) That's my little girl!

Check it out! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32160198

I'm SO excited that my parents are coming to visit the day after Thanksgiving! YAY! It seems like it's been forever since we've seen them! I wish they could move out here with us. Maybe one day!

I'm a little scattered brained right now. I've just had a lot on my mind. I can't really put it into words yet until I get everything together in my brain haha. So this will be continued soon!

Mommy A

Weekends go by WAY too fast =(

What a wonderful, eventful weekend! But why oh why do they have to go by SO darn fast?! I think weekends should be 3 days and 4 working days. Who can I write to so we can get that going? haha..I wish!

SaTuRdAy
On Saturday Brandon and I did some Fall cleaning. We went through more clothes in our closet to see what we wanted to donate and keep. We now have 5 big trash bags FULL of clothes to donate! YAY! They are picking up on the 13th. What a chore! No more clothes shopping for awhile! (except for Elora of course!) We decided to stay home instead of going out. The day went by fast! We decided to make a trip to Target to buy some necessities. Elora was alert and looking around while we were shopping. She loves the bright lights! Then we tried this new Mexican restaurant called "Some Burros" In Chandler. It was really good! I had a vegetarian burro (burrito). It had rice, beans, cheese, avocado and tomatoes in it. YUM! =p

SuNdAy 
Sunday we woke up bright and early for our mini photo session with Laura. We met at Liberty Market in Downtown Gilbert. The weather was gorgeous! We took some family photos and had a great time! Elora did great! She's going to be a little model hehe=) We can't wait to see the photos in a couple weeks. After that we went to Hissyfits in Phoenix for the Hullabaloo. They had over 50 vendors, all hand made creations! It was great to see all the talent out there! Makes me want to take on a hobby! I do love scrapbooking! I need to start that up again. I bought Elora an outfit and headbands from Dolce Vita Mia. I saw Mia's Etsy store online and saw that she had SO many cute things for Elora. I even went online today and bought some MORE headbands for her! I know I know, I gotta stop! 

ToDaY

I am SO looking forward to getting our camera tomorrow!!! I can't wait to take beautiful photos of Elora girl! We're going to have mini sessions everyday! hahaha! I'll have to start my own little gallery online of all the photos I take. 

Today we had our 6 week appointment with Stephanie, our Mid-wife. Elora is growing! She weighed in at 12 lbs, 1 oz. but that's with her onesie and diaper on. I would take off half a pound, so 11 lbs, 8 oz. Somewhere around there. YAY! She's a little hungry monster! LOVE it! We are going to miss seeing Stephanie since today was our last appointment with her. But we will definitely keep in touch with her. She has touched our lives forever! 

Now we need to find a good pediatrician for Elora. We're still on that mission! To be continued...

Mommy A

Family Weekend!

Man I LOVE weekends! Who doesn't right? I love them more so now then ever because it's all family time! On the weekdays Brandon is gone 12 hours a day! Now that's a LONG time to be away from your family everyday! I don't know how military families do it. I would go absolutely CRAZY without Brandon! I think Elora would too! =)


We have our Holiday Family Mini Photo Session with Laura Winslow this Sunday at 9am. I already have our outfits put together! I'm really excited about it! I just LOVE getting photos taken. It's all wonderful memories! I also love to take photos as well! I can't wait until we get our new camera! It shipped today! It should be arriving on Tuesday next week! Wee! 


Brandon and I also decided to go green with Elora's diapers! We ordered "g diapers". Here's a little description about them: 

"gDiapers, which stands for green diapers, consist of a washable, cotton outer little gPant and a plastic-free biodegradable diaper gRefill. They are made of breathable material just like sports clothing.  So, babies stay dry and happy and are far less likely to get diaper rash."

We got a great deal on them from www.babysteals.com. I LOVE that website! Everyday at 9am you get an e-mail letting you know what the baby steal item of the day is! Then you gotta act fast because they sell out so quick! Everything is 50% off or more! It's awesome! If you aren't already registered for that site, I would highly recommend it!

Ay yai yai! Shopping has always been my weakness! I no longer want to shop for myself though! I LOVE shopping for Elora girl! But I know she doesn't actually NEED everything I want for her, but I just think so much of it is CUTE! This Sunday after our photos we are going to Hissifits Kids Consignment Boutique in Phoenix for a Hullabaloo! They are going to have over 50 local handmade vendors there! Ah I love handmade stuff! One vendor I am excited to see is Dolce Vita Mia! Mia makes the cutest headbands, onesie sets, socks, bows and other goodies! I love her style! You can check out her store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dolcevitamia

Happy weekend all! =)


Mommy A

 

Laundry, dishes & MORE laundry!!

Holy moly! How does two people & one little one have so much laundry!? I feel like I'm always doing laundry! The only downfall to that is having to wait until after "peak hours" to do it so it's cheaper (Yes, I am very very thrifty!) So I have to wait until after 8pm to do laundry. By that time I'm tired and not in the mood! But it needs to get done. 

I don't think Brandon has ever initiated doing laundry since we've been together (That's almost 4 years!) He literally waits until he has NOTHING else to wear to think "oh I better do laundry". So I've pretty much taken over in that department. Now with Elora, I have to do her laundry separately. And this little one goes through onesies, sleepers, and little outfits daily! Sometimes I'll have really bad timing and she will pee as I'm changing her and it gets ALL over the place! People think boys are worse, but I think it's equally the same! Boys just shoot everywhere haha! I'm working on my timing though. I figured out that if I change her right before she eats, I'm good! No worries! Mommy has it down now! =)


I still need to finish cleaning out our closet. Just one more HUGE box of clothes to go through, then we'll be set! I love cleaning & organizing! Speaking of which, I better get going! It's almost noon and I have yet to get started!


Until tomorrow!


Mommy A

Oh baby!

So today I decided to be productive and clean out our closet! Wow what a chore! I didn't realize while I was pregnant how much clothes and junk we had sitting in our closet. Lucky Brandon is at work and doesn't have to embark on this adventure with me! So far I have two black trash bags full of clothes to donate to goodwill. I still have a HUGE box to go through. I've been cleaning as much as I can while Elora sleeps. The day is going by fast! 

I can't believe Elora is going to be 6 weeks old on Sunday! Where has the time gone? It's already going by fast, I can only imagine how much faster it's going to go. I'm trying to embrace every moment with her, even when she's a little grump butt=) We've had some good nights where she will sleep through the night. But lately, this week she's been waking up once throughout the night. It hasn't been too bad. She's sleeping in between Brandon & I right now, but we are going to start putting her in the bassinet next to our bed.

I am SO excited about our Christmas gift my Mom got us! We ordered a Canon Rebel XSi camera online yesterday! I know it's way early to be getting Christmas gifts, but we found an awesome deal online at Amazon.com. We couldn't pass it up! We can't wait to play with it and take tons of photos of Elora babe=) We also got some lenses too that we get to play with! YAY! We should be getting it next week sometime. 


It pretty much took me all day to write this blog haha. In between Elora's feedings, changings and play time! Until tomorrow...


Mommy A

{My Perfect Hypnobabies Home Birth}

                         {3D Ultrasound at 19 weeks}
I'm pregnant!

Brandon and I found out I was pregnant with our first child just shortly after we got married. We were SO thrilled! We did our research on everything because we wanted the best for myself and for our baby. I wanted an all natural, medication-free birth. I wanted to experience it all. I started seeing an OB-GYN that was in my network of health care providers from my insurance. Boy, was that a NIGHTMARE. I always felt like a number to them. I never got to see a doctor, it was always a nurse practitioner. And the front desk lady's were always different when we went in. Very unprofessional. The morning that I took a pregnancy test and got a big fat "positive", I immediately called my doctor's office to schedule a same day appointment. We went in and they confirmed I was indeed pregnant. They handed me a bag full of goodies. It had a booklet about the hospitals they used, policies, what to expect while pregnant etc. It also had formula information and a whole bottle of it as a sample. They assumed that I wasn't going to do my research. I refused to be another statistic. Something just didn't feel right.

We began doing our research. I searched everything possible to get the birth that *I* wanted. Then I found a website about home births and mid-wives. I mentioned it to Brandon and he found a few reputable mid-wives that were near us. We scheduled an interview with Stephanie Soderblum. She was our first and last interview. We immediately knew she would be perfect for us. She believed in me and she trusted my body to do what it needed to do. My family and friends on the other hand thought I was completely crazy. But I didn't let that bother me at all. I never once doubted myself. As I got closer to full term, our family began to seriously question my decision on having a home birth. All the negativity was driving me crazy, but I wasn't going to change my mind. My mind was made up and I was going to have my perfect birth that I wanted.

During the rest of my pregnancy we really enjoyed our monthly appointments with Stephanie. We were never rushed and all of our concerns and questions were always answered. I felt like we were going to hang out with a friend whenever I had a prenatal appointment. We got to listen to our baby's heartbeat for as long as we wanted. If we couldn't find the heart beat right away, there wasn't a "well, at your next appointment you'll be able to hear it". She was very patient with us, especially being new parents.

                          Our Hypnobabies class

Hypnobabies

I was looking up ways online to alleviate some of the discomfort during childbirth and I came across Hypnobabies. I was completely intrigued by this method and wanted to know more about it. I read birth stories that inspired me, then I looked up a Hypnobabies class closest to where we live. The closest one was about an hour away, but that didn't matter to me because I knew this is something I wanted. We took a 6 week course and we didn't want it to end! It just so happened that our Hypnobabies Instructor, Noelia was also my Mid-wife's Apprentice and she would be at my birth. I was so excited to have her there!

It's time!

I was 41 weeks pregnant and I thought I was going to be pregnant forever at that point. On Saturday, September 26th at 1:00am I woke up from a pressure wave (aka contraction). It was bearable and I was still able to get some sleep. My waves were 10 - 15 minutes apart throughout the night. I went to the bathroom at 8:30am when I woke up and I noticed some bloody show. I called my Mid-wife, Stephanie and Doula, Sandra to let them know about my progress. Throughout the day I continued to have more bloody show. My water did not break yet so I figured I had more time. My pressure waves started picking up in the afternoon. They were 5 minutes apart by 2pm. Sandra & Noelia came over around 5pm. Noelia listened to the baby's heartbeat and checked my blood pressure. Everything was looking great! I called my parents and told them to pack up the car and get on the road, the show was about to begin! =) (They arrived around 10pm)

                      {Eating a banana during labor}
Pressure Waves

My pressure waves were two minutes apart by midnight. I tried to get some sleep, but I kept waking up during every wave. At 2am, I went into my birthing tub. I labored in the tub for 3 hours while listening to my Hypnobabies. It helped me relax and stay calm. At 5am I wanted to get out of the tub so I went into my bedroom and dried off. Stephanie asked me if I wanted to check for dilation. Keep in mind, I never checked for dilation at any of our appointments so we had no idea. I figured, why not? So Stephanie checked and I was 8 centimeters dilated!! We were both shocked! I was right on track! YAY! My water still didn't break yet so I had her break my water for me. Wow, did that feel weird! Haha!

 Push it baby!

I went back into the tub and right away I felt the urge to push. I pushed for an hour and a half in the tub. Sandra, my Doula massaged me through each pressure wave, which helped alleviate a lot of the discomfort. Noelia checked the tub temperature and it wasn't warm enough for Elora to be born in. I got out of the water and tried the birthing stool. At this point, I could really feel Elora's head in my birth canal. I was a bit uncomfortable on the stool so they asked if I wanted to go into our bedroom. I went in and tried pushing on all fours on our bed. Each time I would push she would come out a little bit, but then go back in. I got on my back and at this point I needed to push with everything I had. Elora's head was stuck underneath my pelvic bone and I needed a BIG long push to get her through. I had Stephanie, Noelia, Sandra, My Mom & Brandon cheering me on. I heard Brandon say "I can see her head!" Stephanie asked if I wanted to feel her head and at first I said "no it's okay" and she insisted that I feel her so that I knew how close I was to meeting my baby girl. It was amazing! I could feel her full head of hair! Then they told me to give one big push and hold it for as long as I could. I heard Brandon say "C'mon babe! You are almost there!" And that's when all of my strength and power kicked in! I pushed with everything I had and Stephanie caught her and put her on my chest. I was crying yet panting trying to catch my breath. Elora looked around while she was on my chest and didn't cry at first. It took her a couple minutes and she had the strongest voice! After thirty hours of labor and two hours of pushing...  Elora Renee Padilla was born on Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 7:48am. She actually pooped on the way out! Stephanie called her an "over acheiver" hehe=) After about 15 minutes, I then delivered my placenta. What a relief! After that I felt great! Noelia took my placenta to get encapsulated into pills. We waited until the cord stopped pulsating then Brandon did the honor of cutting it.

                         {She's here! Elora Renee}
Check baby 123...

Noelia measured Elora and she was 23 inches long. She was really 22 inches after her cone head went down =) But WOW she is a tall baby! Then Stephanie weighed her on the scale. We all guessed what we thought she would be before putting her on. TEN POUNDS & ONE OUNCE! I did it! I am a warrior. No one guessed 10 pounds! She was healthy and thriving, that's all that mattered to me. Stephanie did the newborn check and she was perfect! So when I hear people say "the doctor said the baby is too big and I'll have to have a c-section" I say, "I gave birth to my Daughter at home, all natural and she was 10 lbs, 1 oz. you can do it!!"

Now what?!

The craziest part was when Stephanie, Noelia and Sandra were getting ready to leave, now we had a baby! Now what do we do?? haha! They don't come with instruction manuals, but we were ready for any challenges we were about to face. You can only read so many books to prepare yourself for parenthood. We are doing our best and enjoying every moment with our beautiful daughter =)

Circle of Life

It started one morning waking up from a fast slumber to Angela holding the pregnancy stick in her hand.  From that instance our life was for ever changed.  A new exciting feeling overcame me, one that I never felt before, something called fatherhood was now a reality and part of my life. 

We were already planning on getting pregnant so it wasn’t a huge shock… Heck we even came up with the names we liked and had already had the stroller purchased sitting boxed up in the computer room. 

At first we were thinking about which hospital would best suit us, we took a tour of Chandler regional and were in shock as the rooms were tiny, the equipment looked old and nasty and it was just a bad experience.  We interviewed some doula's and decided on Sandra, as we wanted to help her gain experience and she seemed to be the nicest and most down to earth of the other doula's.  Ultimately after several discussions we decided on having a home birth, but the thought of living far from any hospitals in Maricopa was the main concern for us.  We chose to go with Nurturing hearts in Mesa and met with Stephanie who made us feel comfortable in choosing to have Elora at home.

The actual home birth was an experience I’m sure neither Angela nor I will ever forget.  It wasn’t a typical hospital birth with sterile tools, re usable sheets and pads, and other such uncomfortable things.  It was more serene, being at home in our own environment was a relief.  Knowing we had Stephanie and Noelia there from nurturing hearts was very re assuring, and with Sandra our doula we had that extra level of security and comfort.  Angela started labor and we decided to wait to make any calls, but eventually a call had to be made.  We called Stephanie who sent out Noelia to check on Angela.  Sandra showed up also prior to Noelia arriving.  Stephanie showed up later when it was getting closer to the big moment and Angela started off in the birthing tub we had rented.  It turned out the thing wasn’t pumping hot water fast enough and the temp was dropping to an uncomfortable and unsafe level.  We all started boiling pots of water to pour in and recycle with the water in the tub to keep the temp up to a decent level but eventually it got to to be too much and Angela had to get out and try the birthing stool.  I remember the look on Angela’s face during her “birthing waves” It was a look of pain but not in a crazy way, I remember thinking “wow she’s really handling this well”…

Angela stayed on the birthing stool for awhile and Elora’s head started to emerge but then she would just slip right back in there after the contraction (birthing wave) subdued.  We were told to try and move to the bed, so after doing so Angela tried on her hands and knees on the bed but Elora just kept going back after each contraction.  Flipping Angela on her back was the best decision, although not the most ideal as we learned in birthing class that being on your back is the hardest to push the baby out due to your pelvic bone acting as a restriction.  After hours of waiting Angela with the help of us all was able to give birth to our beautiful daughter Elora.  She was big too! 10lbs 1oz!!

I remember the amazing feeling once Elora was born that feeling you get when you get that new toy as a child, the toy you’ve wanted forever it seemed and now you have it! It was the same way with me and Elora, she was here and now we were a complete family.  Angela, Elora and I…

The three musketeers.

Now as Elora is growing older (almost 7 months) I’m amazed how much she’s grown and how she interacts with us now.  Every time I look at her I think to myself “we made this, she’s a part of us and she will be a part of us forever”

Now we just have the fun parts to look forward to, toddler years, pre-teen and teenage years, her wedding, her having kids and Angela and I being grandparents… Wow what a thought

As the circle of life goes on…