The second time around.

 Little Guy is snoozing and Mia is out on a walk with my mom so here I am blogging.

What a difference the 2nd time around. Little Guy is already 1 week old and so far things have been good, he is a peach and Mia has been great as well.  For some reason I feel like things are a bit easier things time, at least with the baby.

True I have the newborn experience from Mia under my belt, so me being less nervous probably makes it seem easier.  And the baby is so mellow, he snoozes and eats and rarely cries.

Breast feeding has been a world of difference from my experience with Mia. My biggest fear about having a 2nd baby was the breast feeding, not the surgery/birth but the pain and frustration of breast feeding. I'm not sure if I ever blogged about Mia and breast feeding but if I didn't I will give you a quick recap.  She was not great at the "latch" and we struggled to get her to stay on, feed efficiently and I had a lot of trouble with nipples cracking (TMI I know), clogged milk ducts and breast infections throughout. And it was EXTREMELY painful the first 2 weeks.  It was a long haul and it took a while to really find a groove, although she was never a great breast feeder. She would nurse just enough to not feel hungry and then quit, therefore I was feeding her constantly.  I still pat myself on the back for making it through 6 months!  I cried more than she did those first few weeks from pain and frustration.  Hence you can see why I had so much anxiety about doing it again.

Well much to my suprise and delight, Little Guy has been a pro and this last week has been great and I feel like we are on the right path to a successful nursing stint. My goal is 6 months as I did with Mia.  Little Guy latched right away and nurses very well, stays on, drinks until he is full and burps (for the most part).  Therefore, he is sleeping longer stretches at night and I am resting and not feeling like a milk machine!  I did have the initial engorgement when my milk came in and there is still some pain when he latches but nothing like what I had experienced with Mia. I have not shed one tear.  The nurses in the hospital also said that your body remembers so this time it should be easier.  THANK GOODNESS!

So 1 week in and I am so happy and proud to have these 2 sweet, well behaved children.  And I must say although I did have such a tough time with Mia, I am glad I did it and stuck it out and it was a wonderful bonding experiencing for us.  When I weaned her, I was crying that she didn't need me anymore.  After all the ups and downs we had I was so sad that I was stopping.

Well that's where I am as of today, time to go snuggle my sweet boy.  I will try and find some time this week to talk about changing a boy vs. changing a girl! (Oh BOY!)

G4 - 1 week old!

xoxo - Mellycup

Happy...

What an amazing journey this life is and I sit here trying to be as quick as possible typing a little blog post so I can back to my lovies.

We got home from the hospital on Thursday have been settling in nicely. Mia has been amazing and has transitioned nicely so far, loving her baby brother and being the protective big sister. Little Guy is also doing well, eating and sleeping as all newborns do. Very few tears, nursing well and sleeping pretty good at night.  I woke up this morning feeling rested, I am actually getting solid clips of sleep.  I hope it stays this way!

Everyday I look at my little family and I am so thankful for them, Guy, Mia and Little Guy are my world and this life is beautiful.

Back to my kids and hubs for now - Happy Sunday!

xoxo - Mellycup

My beautiful boy...

Guy Raymond the 4th (G4) was born via c-section Monday April 23rd, 8:21am, 8 lbs, 20.5 inches. He is perfect and my heart is so full of love for my 2 precious children. My husband as well. Life is wonderful!

Cannot wait to go home tomorrow and settle into being a family of 4. Been missing Mia like crazy. She has visited a little but and is proving to be a wonderful big sister. I am so proud.

Xoxo Mellycup

T-Minus 1 day and counting.

In less than 24 hours my son will be here and I will be a proud mommy of 2.   This is last day of naps (while Mia is napping) and somewhat solid sleep through the night.  And I am fine with that!  Bring on our Baby Boy!

This weekend has been very relaxed for the most part, everything is done and we are just doing all the last minute minor things.  We were supposed to have rain all weekend but yesterday was sunny and gorgeous so I will settle for rain today.  The beautiful weather was perfect for yesterday, we took Mia to feed the ducks (& geese) with my sister and niece Julie, then we had outdoor lunch at a local beach burger stand.  We also got all the last minute baby things organized and ready for his arrival home later this week. After Mia's nap we spent the remainder of the day outside playing and hanging on our deck. It was nice and relaxing, wonderful family time.

As for today we woke up to no power which was not planned and that meant our breakfast at home became breakfast out, but once we got home the power came back and we were back in business.  Today I am just getting the house laundry done, I made cookies for the nurses in Maternity and am now lounging and planning on a casual dinner at home. I also did squeak in that last nap, although Mia didn't nap as long as I wanted to!

But here we are just hours away from an early bedtime, as we have a 5am wake up since we have to be at the hospital at 6am sharp!  I am beyond happy and excited and super relaxed.  No fear, no worries and no anxiety at all. I am sure as the night wears on and we head to the hospital I will start to get a little nervous but in all honestly I feel great. Super excited and cannot wait to meet my son, to hold him, snuggle him and start our journey as a family of 4.

Until tomorrow or a few days when I have a chance to share my joy!

xoxo - Mellycup

The blessing of a daughter...

When I was younger I never really knew if I wanted kids, but after I got married and got closer to being 30, that biological clock started ticking away and by 30 I was pregnant with Mia and now at 33 pregnant again and having my son in 5 days!

Mia changed my life and I am thankful for her everyday. She makes me laugh and smile and although there are days when she frustrates me my heart still so full of love for her that its almost bursting.  Guy and I are constantly amazed at her and we both agree that giving up a large part of our freedom and social life was well worth having kids.  We still know how to have fun and find small opportunities to "escape" but its funny how we are both counting the minutes until we are home with our baby girl.  I am sure the same will go for baby boy as well, I can't imagine having to leave 2 at home!


Today I took Mia to see Sesame Street Live in Stamford. My mom thought I as crazy to buy tickets so close to the new baby's arrival, but I was confident that it would be fine and I would be able to take her.  And I did, it worked out perfectly.  Mia was in awe of the show, the music and of course seeing her beloved Elmo. She didn't stay in her seat very much, she spent most of the show standing up, dancing, smiling a huge grin and squealing in delight.  For me it was wonderful, I spent most of the time staring at her, watching her expressions of excitement and feeling so proud and happy, and I know it was hormones that brought a stray tear to my eye as I marveled at her happiness.  She was perfect the entire time, she listened, held my hand, stayed where we were sitting and didn't even cry when the show was over and we had to leave.


As we were walking back to the car I was thinking that I am so lucky to have this special time with her just before the baby comes and I hope she will remember it (at least for a little while). I will always remember it and be thankful for it.  It also made me a little sad that in just a few short days I will have to let go of being only Mia's mommy and now I will have 2 children to love and divide my time between. I am not sad about having another baby (I am elated!), I just feel like Mia has had my undivided attention for almost 2 and a half years and I know I will so wrapped being a new born mommy that I am worried about her being lost in the shuffle.  So my heart hurts a little at my baby girl thinking I have forgotten about her.  Which I know is not true and I am sure I will be taking this harder than she will.

So for now I am thankful for this time I have with her and am making an extra effort to really enjoy my wonderful sweet daughter as much as possible.  I am also super excited for Monday to come for Guy and I to meet our son and have him meet his big sister.  I know she will be am amazing big sister!!

Children are truly a gift and I can't imagine my life any different, I would give up everything for them and would be truly happy as long as I have Guy, Mia and the baby.  They are all I need and this sweet life I have is beyond blessed.  Everything else in the great big world is so small compared to the love of your family.

Guy, Mia and sweet baby boy- you 3 are my world.  Love you always.

xoxo - Mellycup

An early arrival perchance?

1 week from now I will be a few short moments away from meeting my son.  I am so excited!!

That is if he decided to stay put for the next 7 days!  After yesterday/last night I wasn't so sure.  Even Guy was a little nervous that he might be arriving sooner then we planned.

So here we are week 38 and yesterday I admitted defeat. The pregnancy has finally got me.  Needless to say I overdid it this weekend and that probably escalated the way I am feeling. Tired, dragging, my feet hurt, I am uncomfortable and braxton hicks have made more appearances.

Guy and I cleaned and organized our basement/garage on Saturday. He did all the dusty work and heavy lifting, but I was still on my feet moving smaller items up and down the stairs. I also went through all of Mia's toys and weeded out some that aren't used as often and I mopped the entire lower level which was a lot on a preggo back.  Sunday morning my feet were killing me, like I danced all night in 4 inch heels! And instead of staying off them I spent the day running around. I also did not drink enough water, and had a medium decaf iced latte (coffee is not good for dehydration). Plus it was almost 80 degrees out so my body was also reacting to the heat. By 3 pm my feet were so sore and very swollen. A first for me and it made me nervous.  So for the rest of the day I consumed a ton of water and tried to stay off my feet as much as possible.

When I went to bed last night my feet were looking better but I was still feeling run down. Then I woke up at midnight with really bad stomach pains and was extremely uncomfortable.  Even Guy woke up and sensed my uneasiness.  I was seriously thinking that this was pre-labor symptoms and this baby was going to be coming this week.  I took a few tums and drank a big glass of water and tried to relax, I eventually fell asleep and woke up a few hours later feeling a lot better.  (SIGH of relief).

Between the heat, lack of water and pizza I ate for dinner something was not right and it freaked me out.  As I still have things to do to get ready. So at this point Guy has cut me off from doing too much and has laid down the law, he said no more gym, rest everyday day and only do a few things a day.  Which is going to be hard for me.  I did skip the gym this morning but I am hoping if I feel better as the week progresses I might try to sneak in few more days! (I know I am nuts, but the gym is my 30 minutes of time to get out of my head and it helps me feel better - honest!)

All in all I can't complain if the baby does decide to come earlier then we planned, he is fully grown!  And if I am hitting the wall in my last week of pregnancy then I feel like I am extremely lucky to have felt so great for almost the whole thing.  I can handle a few days of ughhhhh.

Off the rest and eat breakfast. xoxo - Mellycup

Sweet grown up girl...

One week from now I will be preparing for Baby Boy, making sure we are ready for my extended absence from the house and then the arrival of our newest family member at home.

Whenever I look at Mia I just feel a flood of emotions. I can't believe how grown up she is at almost 2 and a half. No longer my sweet little chubby baby, but a little girl. And I am sure once we bring the new baby home, it will be even more evident just how grown up she is.  And it makes me a little sad that time goes so fast, but at the same time I am beyond proud of how amazing and smart she is.  She is really becoming a polite wonderful little person.  Full of heart and emotion, very expressive and understanding of almost everything.

I am going to be in the hospital from Monday until Thursday and I keep thinking about how much I am going to miss Mia. I know she will come visit, but I will miss being home with her and our everyday interaction.  Being a stay at home mom rewards me with so much quality time with her that I feel like we have a special bond that no one will understand. I am the person who knows her wants and needs inside out and I know all the tricks to getting her to cooperate.  (Most of the time). So of course I am worried about how she is going to be without me.  Although I am sure she will be fine, I will probably missing her more then she is missing me.  For as much time as we spend together and as attached as we are, she still exerts a lot of independence.  I am so thankful for that, but at the same time its nice to be needed!

Just last night when I was saying goodnight to her after reading books and singing a few songs she did the sweetest thing.  I usually lay in bed with her for a few minutes and when I kiss her goodnight and go to climb out she always says, "Mommy wanna snuggle?" in an attempt to get me to stay longer. Most nights I give her quick cuddle and a kiss before I leave and she usually protests for a minute before laying down and going to sleep.  But last night when I kissed her goodnight she sat up puckered her lips and just kissed me goodnight right back.  No fuss, no request for me to stay longer.  It was bittersweet as I realized she is so grown she doesn't need me to stay any longer then our usual time together.

Its hard as mom to let them go, but I realize this is only the beginning and I am going to have to endure so much more "letting go" of both my babies.  That is why I cherish the moments I have with them and feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with my kids.

xoxo - Mellycup

Off and running.

You forget how the end of pregnancy really wears you down and the last few days I have been dragging and my brain has been mush.

I have been trying to get things done at home and I also have some real estate things going on so that has been taking up my time as well.  I always seem to get really busy with real estate right before something big is about to happen. Usually its when I am about to go on vacation but this time its the baby coming. I have seriously done half my deals while away! But thankfully I have it sorted out and I am keeping my fingers crossed it all goes to plan and stays calm for the next few weeks. The same thing happened just before I had Mia!

I am still plugging away and going to the gym Monday thru Friday most mornings at 6:15am. Yesterday was hard on me and Guy caught me coming in from the gym looking completely wiped and struggling to climb the stairs. At which point he told me: "okay you are a week and half from having this baby maybe its time to stop going to the gym and get more rest."  I then argued that I needed my 35 minutes of alone time at the gym and it was a sanity saver.  Tuesday was totally insane and so the exhaustion rolled into yesterday and it was just a bad day for me and after a nap and rest for the afternoon I was much better.

This morning I hit the gym, came back feeling great with a renewed burst of nesting energy.  Therefore I have to cut this blog writing off and get to the bank, Walmart and the grocery store, plus I have plans to clean the outsides of all my cabinets and finally finish packing my hospital bag. Not to mention taking care of Mia!  I am sure this will wear me out and tomorrow might be another dragging day.

xoxo - Mellycup

Another day...

Happy Monday - although for most people I don't think Monday is a favorite day of the week.   For me Monday is a day to grocery shop, straighten up the house from the weekend and plan my week.

Mia and I were productive so far today, I planned my dinners for the week and got the grocery shopping done.  We also got our Mother's Day cards purchased and 2 sets of wedding shower gifts and cards purchased as well.  Now I just have to wrap them and get them out the door.

We were invited to 2 wedding showers which are scheduled just after the baby is born and there is no way I will be able to attend, with adjusting to the nursing schedule and having 2 kids it would be impossible. So I am bummed to miss them but happy to send gifts!!  I am however looking forward to the weddings this Summer - it will be good adult time for Guy and I,  as well as getting to celebrate with my family and friends!

So here we are 2 weeks from baby boy's arrival, and I am now 37 weeks - full term.  I can tell we are getting close as my nesting instinct is starting to kick in and the baby is doing a lot less moving as he is running out of space. Mostly just pivoting back and forth and of course a lot of hiccups!!!

Yesterday was Easter and I gladly gave up the hosting duties this year.  We had brunch with Guy' s mom and dinner at my sisters. It was nice to have very little to do.  Mia is also fighting a cold with a fever that comes and goes so it was good not to have to worry about entertaining with a sick toddler.  She had tons of fun yesterday and was really into the Easter baskets, candy and egg hunts (she had 2 of them!). This was the first year she was really on the move grabbing eggs, and this was also the first holiday she understood the Easter Bunny was coming and leaving presents.  I cannot wait for Christmas this year!

Saturday morning we asked her who was coming tonight and she said, "Baby brother!!"  Guy and I both laughed and said we hope not!  Then reminded her the Easter Bunny was coming.  So this morning when I asked her who was coming in 2 weeks, she said. "The Easter Bunny!!"  Of course this is all so confusing to a 2 year old!

I have officially had my fill of plastic eggs. We have a huge bag of them that we use every year for the hunt, probably 125 eggs and of course Mia decided to play with them. This morning she dumped the bag out all over the kitchen and dining room floor.  And while she sort of helped me clean them up, it was mostly me 9 months pregnant climbing around collecting eggs.  After which I promptly moved them to the basement to sit safely until next Easter.

This picture is one of my favorites as it captures her sweet innocence and inquisitive nature. Having her is a true blessing and I am always in awe of everything she does.  There is no love that compares to the love of a mother and a child. 

Wising you a blessed week.  xoxo - Mellycup

Should we pause, fast forward or rewind?

The baby furniture is coming today!  Picture a 9 month preggo woman doing a little dance over here!  Although it still needs to be built.  Hoping we can get that done over the weekend so the baby laundry and organizing can commence and I can feel a bit more ready for his arrival. I will be full term (37 weeks) on Monday.

No signs of labor yet, thankfully, just the usual braxton hicks and heartburn.  The last 2 nights I have actually slept well too and I am super thankful for that!

I have removed myself from entertaining on Easter this year, I usually host but I said no thank you this this time around.  We are going to my mother-in-laws in the morning for brunch and then my sister's for dinner in the afternoon. Plus an egg hunt for the kids. I am so excited because this will be the first year Mia will really be into it.  She has already been talking about the Easter Bunny coming and bringing her candy!

As for having to do anything, my sister asked me to bring a potato dish and a dessert.  I am going to make a twice baked potato casserole (thanks Pinterest) and I haven't decided on a dessert yet.  My mother-in-law told me I just needed to bring myself, Mia and Guy - bonus!

Things have been hectic and tense around here lately, the lower level is coming along but we've hit a roadblock as we got a  unexpected news from our accountant and now owe more then we were thinking come the 15th. We are trying to finish it within reason and not spend any more money at this point.  So there will be no couch for a while and the pantry shelving will be put on hold for some time.  Guy and I were kind of blindsided and are frustrated especially since there is so much going on with the new baby coming etc.  And if we had more notice we would have probably put the brakes on the whole lower level project until the summer.

We have a plan and will be okay, but it is still unnerving trying to scramble and find extra funds. As nice as it is to own your business it comes with a lot of pitfalls.  The government takes a lot of your money. Not to mention you are also responsible for your own healthcare. Which is not by any means reasonable or affordable at all.

So that's where we are right now, just trying to stay calm and be excited about the baby's arrival.  Looking forward to having everything sorted out in the next few weeks and having some good quality family time when the baby comes.

xoxo - Mellycup

Sleeping fears and being the mother of two

With less than 3 weeks until the baby arrives I am starting to have a little panic about sleep and having 2 kids.  As I have mentioned before in my blog Mia has never been the best sleeper, and we still have nights where she will be up several times crying.  Most nights she sleeps through without a peep and some nights she will cry out then roll over and go back to sleep. Which I can totally handle. Then there are nights like last night where she was coughing and crying, and I ended up in there at 11pm, 12 midnight, 2am and 4am. In all fairness she seems to be coming down with a cold, so that was the reason for her restless sleep. I gave her some children's advil at midnight but it didn't fully help the situation.

So here is my worry how do I deal with this when the baby is here, what if she is up crying and I am nursing the baby and can't get to her room? Or what if she is up then he is up and I never get any sleep? Oh yeah I know what you are thinking - what about your husband Guy?  Well he works 12 hours a day and sleeps very heavily and will occasionally get up with Mia but he's not exactly jumping out of bed to volunteer.  Yes this frustrates the hell out of me, and makes me even more grumpy, but he needs his sleep to function at work and so it gets me no where to be mad about it for days.

Also I function very well in the dark and at night, I can be woken from sleep and have my almost A game on, Guy is not as good, he definitely slower to function and his eyes take forever to adjust to seeing in the dark or a darkened room. So sometimes when both of us are up in the dark dealing with Mia its a process. And when you are both functioning on less sleep it leads to bickering. Most nights I let him sleep and crab under my tired breath.

I know when the baby arrives he will help me and I know we are in for some rough days of very little sleep but then I worry about once we get into our groove and he can get back to sleeping. What if Mia throws that monkey into the works and does her crying thing and then I am up with 2 kids. The lack of sleep is already getting to me.  But here is what I need to remember,  you learn to function and how to handle whats put in front of you.  And you also learn how to function on very little sleep.  I hope the baby is a better sleeper then Mia and will sleep through the night sooner, but I'm not taking any bets.

Just a mini-vent and worry ramble as I haven't slept much and its adding to my anxiety.  I know it will all work out.  I am hoping to get more rest before the baby comes.

Yawn!!! xoxo - Mellycup

Sweet puppy boy...

Wishing my pup a very Happy 10th Birthday in heaven.  9 years was not enough time with you and I thought you'd be with me for so much longer. I cried this morning in bed thinking about my little dog shadow that never left my side.  And got stepped on quite a bit from always being under my feet!  I miss your clicky claws always right behind me, my life and my heart still feel a little empty without you.

I hope you are having french fries in heaven, our drive thru birthday tradition.  I love you sweet boy. Happy 10th Birthday Lucky!

Give your pups an extra snuggle for me - xoxo - Mellycup