You got it....baby.

since ella was born, john and i have been singing to her.  personally, i was inclined to sing show tunes. particularly ones from annie and the sound of music.  songs from the carpenters were part of my repertoire too.  in addition, the filipino song bahay kubo was a go-to favorite.  this was the case until the other day when i watched the movie boys on the side.  the movie reminded me of this song:

i love the message and the simple melody of it.  i mentioned it to john and he knew all the words!  now we sing/hum this song to her all the time.  i hope you enjoy it and maybe sing it to your little one too.

Enucleation.

definition: surgical removal of the eyeball.

trust me, i wish i didn't have to know what it means.  but i do...

alas, it's time to get joey biscuit's eye removed.  my poor dog has severe glaucoma.  his eye pressure is through the roof and he is showing me signs that he's in pain.  he's going to get his eye removed tomorrow =(

i have mixed feelings about this.  of course i'm scared that he has to have surgery, but at the same time i'm excited because his source of pain will be gone.  he's a trooper, so i know he'll do fine.

look at him, hanging out right beside john and ella.  he's such a good dog.

here are a few more photos of the old guy from this morning.  isn't he the sweetest???

Adventures in breastfeeding. Part 1.

i am so behind in all my posts.  i have several posts in the queue, but none are done.  i apologize.

in the mean time, in case inquiring minds care to know, here is a short update on how i'm storing my breast milk.

first, let me show you how i store the pump attachments so i don't have to wash them every time i pump.  as you can see, i don't even rinse them.  i wash and sterilize all the parts first thing in the morning.  after i pump, i just place the whole thing in a ziplock bag and put it in the fridge until next use.  trust me, this is completely kosher.  just google it.

right now i freeze the milk in 2 oz bags.  however, i'm going to start freezing 4 oz bags since ella drinks 3-4 oz at a time.

take note that i freeze the bags flat.  that way it takes up less room in the freezer.

did you know that a fiber one box from costco is the perfect storing vessel for frozen bags of breast milk?

i place the newest bags in the back.  so when john has to make ella's nightly bottle all he has to do is grab the front 2 bags.

there you have it.  the first installment of adventures in breastfeeding.  more to come...i promise!

Taking the dive into cloth diapering.

today is the day.  yes, we actually took the dive and used our cloth diapers.  isn't ella so cute in her pink bumgenius elemental all in one diaper? since this is day one, i don't have much to report about.  once we get into the swing of things, i'll have more to say about the whole cloth diapering experience. until then, here's a few photos i took of the little munch.  gosh, i love her.

p.s.
can you believe it?  she's 7 weeks today =)

Happy belated valentine's day from our family of 3 (plus 2 dogs) to yours.

i know this outfit is too big for our little gabriella, but i couldn't resist.  we got it as a baby shower present and i thought it was perfect for valentine's day.  you truly are our valentine gabriella, each and every day.  we couldn't be more in love.   

Chillaxin at home in the ergobaby.

here we are, doing exactly what we have been doing pretty much every single morning, except we broke out the ergobaby that my sis-in-law gave us.  it looks like baby girl likes it a lot.  oh yea, our little princess is 18 days old today.  how time flies ;-)

and here are some photos i took this morning.

The day our lives changed forever.

Gabriella "Ella"

Born on January 30, 2013 at 5:15 am.

6 pounds, 10 ounces, 19 inches. 

that was a good day.  she is officially 5 days old today.  i have so much to write and share with all of you...from her birth story to her sleep schedule to breast feeding to postpartum surprises.

we are all doing good.  she's a beautiful, healthy, baby girl which is more than i could have ever asked for.  our family of 3 is bunkering down in our home trying to catch our breathes and get to know our tiny blessing from God.  she's a miracle...our little miracle.

i promise to catch you up to speed soon.