Month: January 2012

As I sit here and type this post, my beautiful son is all bundled up, peacefully sleeping right next to me and I just can’t help but glance at him every other second and smile. I always wondered, especially after Bella became part of our family, how it’s possible to love with that same love another child. Since my first glance at my baby boy, I understood that mother’s loves is unchangeable, no matter how many children she has. I am trying to put all this on paper before I forget any of the details of the very special day, January 16, 2012.
The last few weeks have been about anticipation, every Dr.’s appointment was just another reminder that Joshua is coming and he is coming soon. We were excited every single day after finding out that I was 2cm dilated. The Dr. assured us that this baby was very ready to come and therefore we needed to be prepared any moment of the day. Day after day, miles after miles walked, Joshua seemed to be content and did not want to come. Our last Dr.’s appointment was Thursday, January 12, where the Dr. said that we were now at 4cm and he was really coming. The Dr. said if the baby does not come over the weekend, he would call first thing in Monday. We left even more excited , anticipating active labor or water breaking but nothing happened. We walked as a family every single day, at least 3 miles a day thinking that would help to speed things up as I was getting very uncomfortable and Joshua kept jamming his feet under my ribs that felt very bruised. I was ready to be done with my pregnancy every day, but God had another plan. Monday rolled around fast enough and my phone rang at 8A.M. with Dr. on the other line saying: “Girl, I am getting worried, I don’t want you to have this baby at home.” I laughed and told him that it was my exact thought and fear, so he said to come on Wednesday and have my water broken at 5:30A.M. I hung up the phone excited and scared at the same time, because I was terrified of induced labor this time around, even though it was short with Bella, we never read up on Pitocin but our baby girl’s heart dropped as soon as they injected me. This time around we were praying that none of that would be necessary and that my body would do what it should as long as we are patient. That same Monday afternoon, at exactly 3:06 P.M. I had my first of the many most painful contractions. I thought, it’s probably another false alarm, nothing to worry about, until the next one came 3 minutes later and the next in 2 minutes and probably at my 5th one, I had tears running down my face. Barry realized it was no joke this time and called my parents to drive straight to the hospital to pick up Bella as I was going into labor at extremely fast pace. Our sweet daughter was taking her nap at the time, but we had no other choice but to wake her. She woke up very happy to our surprise, which was an absolute blessing, she giggled all the way to the hospital, only asked in between: “Mama, what are you doing?” while I could barely breathe through my contractions…oh good times  Barry did a great job driving that day, he got us there in 13 minutes. We got there at exactly 3:46 P.M. and he ran to get a wheelchair which I thought was unnecessary, while I was fighting contraction after contraction in the car. Of course I declined the chair and decided to walk, which was not a good idea as I got stuck fighting another one on the way to the door. The nurse came out to get me and have me sign some paperwork; I just stood there balling not being able to even sign my name. The next person I saw was the nurse that coached me through Bella’s delivery and I absolutely loved her. This time around, we were blessed once again with her being in charge nurse again and we got the exact same room that we had Bella in, it was definitely a “déjà vu” moment except for things were moving along much faster. They checked me and I was between 7-8cm dilated, which meant this baby boy was coming very soon! They called my Dr. right away and he showed up just within minutes asking me: “Helen, do you feel like pushing?” I looked at him like, “are you serious, I just got here.” So, my response was: “I will feel like pushing when you tell me to, because I want this baby out as soon as possible.” He pulled up a chair and said I will wait a few minutes and it was literally just a few minutes when my contractions got even more painful and indeed I was ready to push. I pushed only four times and there he was, my handsome prince, at 4:36P.M. He stole my heart, just like my precious daughter did the first time I laid my eyes on her. He was absolutely perfect. He came out with his eyes wide open, as beautiful as a baby can be. Things could not have gone better, my mom got to be there, Bella was with my dad in the family waiting room playing. Joshua was born fast enough for everyone to still be at the hospital and meet the little guy right after birth. We were both curious how Bella was going to react to her new baby brother as we have been talking about him for so long and all she could see was my belly. She did say she loves him and wanted to give him kisses on my belly. Since I missed the first meeting and Barry took Joshua to meet Bella, he said he brought her over to her and said: “Bella, this is Joshua, your baby brother”. He said, she was silent and kept looking at him and then got really excited and wanted to touch him and kiss him. Then he brought her over to see me and she pointed at my belly and asked: “Joshua”? and Barry told her, that Joshua was no longer in mommy’s belly but was right in his arms. She started jumping around again with excitement. She has loved having him around ever since. She gives him kisses and hugs every day, wants to hold him any chance she gets and is always overly excited when he is awake, since it doesn’t happen very often in their newborn stages.
I was moved into a postpartum room, which as funny as it sounds was the same exact room, which I was moved to after having Bella. Keep in mind; this birthing center has over 24 rooms, so I would say pretty crazy that we ended up in same rooms. The stay was absolutely great, we loved our nurses and the care we got, it couldn’t have been a better experience. AND we got checked out in less than 24 hours of our stay, which was a dream come true. I am a huge home buddy, so I couldn’t wait to be at home, cuddling with my two babies. That is how Mr. Joshua came into this crazy sinful world, and we are praying that we raise him to be a man of God. We love you our Joshua boy with all of our hearts!

I still can not believe our daughter turned two last Wednesday; it almost seems unfair, as I am still having a hard time grasping of all the growth that took place and yet I feel like I did not take it all in. It has definitely been a busy and exciting year for us, watching her personality develop as well as her vocabulary expend insanely. She now explains everything, even when not asked to explain 🙂 It’s quite humorous to hear this tiny two year old say something along the lines: “I am not going to cry, because I am not scared” or “We are not going to go to the park, because it’s too cold and windy outside.” These sentences get longer and longer daily and many times I look at her and just smile in disbelief that she just said something like that. I certainly find myself falling more and more head over heels for her. One would think you love your child and that’s just that, but no, you fall in love deeper and deeper, with every single stage of their life. I knew I would love my kids but never imagined the type of love it would be, just to think God loves us even more. Our minds do not fathom how much He really loves us, but I certainly feel blessed and loved every minute of the day, just about the fact that he granted me the wish to have children and gifted me the most beautiful and wonderful daughter.
Barry and I are definitely both finding out that parenting also gets more difficult with each year they get older, as their minds expend and they begin to understand things that (let’s just be honest) you wish they did not. For example, let’s see if I can get my way if I cry hard enough, or I wonder if I ignore my parent’s request to do something, will they just drop it? These are just a couple of small examples that I can think of right this minute, but oh there are so many more. Sometimes we feel like we are being challenged to a point of wondering if we can handle all that she has got up her sleeve and with God’s help we can and we will, but we are certainly finding out that it will not be easy. A little summary (at the age of two: Bella weighs 30lbs, has 22 teeth (we are still trying to figure out why the second set of molars), loves to sing, dance, color, work on art projects with mama, play with play dough, play outside, collect leafs, go in the wagon, walk, run, play with her girlfriends, Lissy and Kaitlyn, go out for yogurt, kiss and hug mama and daddy, help mama cook, spend time with grandparents, read books (lots of books), put puzzles together, knows all of her colors, favorite color is blue, counts to 20, can actually count things she sees and more recently it’s been correct counting, loves chocolate and candy, loves to pick out her outfits, especially bows, hats and shoes, loves Buddy, does not enjoy taking pictures, favorite shows/movies: Beauty and the Beast, Thomas the train series, Veggitales and Bambi, she loves Christmas carols (we still sing them every day) This list can go on forever, we have one curious, smart, beautiful baby girl.
Since this year has been a little different with me being pregnant and us expecting this baby boy any day, we were trying to figure out what to do for Bella’s birthday and first thing we decided to do was to take her and her friend Lissy to a fun place, called Wacky-Tacky (picture shown at the bottom) that is pretty much a place full of different slides that are colorful and are perfect for toddlers and older kids. The next outing was McDonalds for Bella’s very first “happy meal” of course she loved it and us parents are still amazed at why kids go crazy for that stuff, where all it is, is tiny fries, apples, burger, chocolate milk and a toy. The next day we took her out for yogurt, where she had sprinkles and candy that were thank God sugar free, or else we would have been in trouble as we went in the evening. She loves the Fountains in Roseville, so we also took her there and daddy and Bella got to dance to a few fun songs while the fountains were going, we loved it! All this time, I was kind of bummed that we will not have a party for her this year, as I was not in shape to organize one. Then I decided that we will have just local family and her friends Lissy and Kaitlyn come over for a little bit, as long as I can make her a cake and have balloons. Our next Dr’s appointment for our baby boy, put it all on cancel list, since the Dr. said you will have this baby very soon. I was excited, yet somewhat disappointed that I couldn’t have the little get together for Bella, but told everyone that it was not happening. A few days prior, I ordered cookies specifically for Bella’s little party with pink and white and the lady had already made them. I didn’t’ have guts to tell her I canceled the party, so Barry went to pick them up and they were absolutely gorgeous. I saw them and got emotional, called my mom and said, I am having this little party no matter what. I don’t know why it meant so much to me, but I just wanted to have it for our princess. With that, I called Bella’s few friends parents and told them that it was a “go” to which they happily agreed. So, we had a little party for Bella and it was wonderful. On her actual birthday we wanted to do something with her, so we decided to go to Folsom Zoo. It’s been so long since I have gone there, that I was very pleased when we got there. All of the animals were out and Bella had the best time seeing them all. We concluded our outing, once again with a trip to the yogurt place where she got to have her own cup of sugar free yogurt. Because of our waiting for Joshua, Bella got a very special birthday this year full of fun and different little outings. We love our baby girl to pieces and wish her many, many years of health and laughter and love! We love you our Bella Boo! Happy 2nd Birthday Princess!
Now, when she is asked, Bella how old are you? Her response is: “I am two” 🙂

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s 2012, I could never imagine to see such numbers when I was little, but sure feel blessed to be able to live them. 2011 was a very blessed year, I am trying to re-cap in my head all that took place and will do my best to put it so called “on paper” when in reality is this post  We met 2011 in the circle of my side of the family and it was absolutely wonderful. I remember Barry bought me a camera on Christmas Eve and I could not wait to take that thing for a “spin” and see all that it had to offer. I am certainly grateful for the wonderful time and pictures we shared that night and lifted our glasses to meet 2011. Again and again we saw God’s hand in everything that took place this year. It definitely seemed much busier than others and the only reason I say that is because of all the events that took place, trips we got to go on and just the sense of belonging. To re-cap some of our blessings this year:
Meeting 2011 with family, Isabella turns 1 (1/11/11), I ran my first half marathon on 2/6/11, 5/14/2011 we found out we were expecting another blessing, Oleg and Lilya became one on 5/22/2011, we celebrated our 6th year of marriage on 5/28/11 (what a blessing it has been), Barry and I turned BIG 30 (one of the best birthdays), we were blessed to go on a trip to Palm Desert (what a fun adventure), in July Barry did his first “Death Ride” with crazy over 8,500’ elevation (I am so proud of him), in August Barry joined network fellowship business group, which has been great, 10/15/2011 Bobby and Sarah tied the knot, we also got to go to Carmel in October. Family time has been absolutely amazing during this year with all that has been taking place. Barry’s business keeps growing, there are always ups and downs, but God has been very gracious to us. I have been watching Lissy on Tuesdays and Thursdays and working for TW Photography on Mondays which has been an absolute blessing! All in all, it has been a year full of adventure, joy, busyness and of course challenges 😉
It still takes my breath away that I can reflect every year and have the ability to do so with God 100% behind me, giving me health and energy to do so. Thank you to our precious Father for taking care of us all, even when we do not understand why certain things happen the way they do. In the midst of all that, we re-gain faith and hope. May God bless all in 2012!

I have always loved Christmas time, I would say the most since we have moved to the United States. Christmas is celebrated differently throughout the world, but to me it can not be better than going to church and celebrating with family. Jesus Christ was born, what a precious baby, so it can not be anything less than a huge celebration of life! When I was younger, presents were definitely on the higher level of excitement, you just can’t fight the curiosity of what you are getting and whatever it is that you get, just always seemed perfect. As I get older, it has become more about giving than receiving and there is no better feeling. Kids definitely change your prospective on gifting and you wish you could gift them the world, but at the end materialistic stuff is what looses value really fast. The memories created, time spent, hugs and just pure love is what stays. Which is why family and time spent together so important to me. Having hot chocolate while bonding is always a plus 😉 I am glad the hot chocolate only happens during the Christmas season, otherwise we would be in trouble 🙂 It’s great that each year will be different than before with building our own traditions, watching kids interact and understand what Christmas is truly about. We read the birth of Jesus to Bella various times during this beautiful season and the more we read it, the more she remembered it and was more excited to read about it. Listening to her sing “Oh Holy Night” is another story and each time I can’t help but get so grateful that I can teach my daughter more than just “Jingle Bells” or “Rudolph” One thing we did this year as our little family was we worked on a ginger bread house (we thank Nonie for gifting it) Even though Bella was coming down with a cold that night, she still enjoyed “gluing” the candy on the house, while licking her tiny fingers from the frosting  I think it might be something we will do each year. We also loved watching her open her stocking on “Christmas morning” (as we celebrated earlier) and all she wanted was Lollipops. Every time we would ask her, Bella what would you like for Christmas, her only response would be: “Lollipops” with a huge grin on her face  I looked at Barry and said, if only she would ask for the same thing for the next 20 years, it would definitely make our lives less complicated 😉 Indeed, out of all the things that were in the stocking, she could not stop smiling when she pulled out the lollipops. Normally she would have one maybe once a month or so and never on an empty stomach or before meal, but we broke rules and let her have one right then 🙂 She could not believe it.
Our schedule went something like this: We went to church on the 23rd this year and the service was amazing as always. Close to 41,000 people attended Bayside Church this year and around 2,500 raised their hands to accept Christ- wow, what a gift! We have invited a couple of our friends, but they unfortunately could not make it. There is always next year 🙂 On 24th in the morning, we celebrated our own Christmas and let Bella open her presents. She loved everything she got. In the evening we went to my parents house and of course had the most amazing and delicious food that one can imagine. It was not only breathtaking looking but oh so delicious! My parents have truly outdone themselves. We loved every minute there. On Christmas morning we gathered at my parent’s house and had one of our favorite breakfasts of the year, which included hot chocolate 🙂 The rest of the day was purely to spend time together with exception of one of us going on a nice bike ride and leaving the rest behind 😉 we will not mention any names. On the 26th we had Barry’s side of the family come and spent a great time visiting, sharing a meal and exchanging gifts. Below are some pictures from the beautiful season. Merry Christmas!

There is not a day that goes by without me praising God for being at home with my precious jewel, Isabella. I would not trade a day at work to be away from her, it simply seems insane. With all that she is learning and sharing every day, I blame myself for not recording it on regular basis. I get so exhausted at the end of the day and as I sit down to update the blog, I almost fall asleep and keep putting it off until the time and tiredness just do not matter anymore and I have to do what is important. I honestly can not even think where to begin this little update, she has been incredible to watch and listen. I can easily say that we can have a conversation where she will reply in full sentences or ask questions with full belief for an answer. As I look back on previous posts, it seemed to have been much easier to record the words she was saying or the motor skills that were born, but now it’s almost as I am writing about an adult that is fully capable of everything with many exceptions of course 😉 One of the biggest highlights have been listening to her pray before bed time, we could not help but grin from one ear to another hearing her say: “Dear Jesus, I pray for daddy and mommy and Lissy and Joshua to grow strong and healthy” I thought to myself, what child at 20 months prays to our dear Father. I can’t express how blessed and grateful I felt to have my daughter pray to the Father that loves her beyond our understanding. Teaching her about sin and disobedience has been fun as she gives you her full attention and looks you in the eye agreeing. Ten minutes later, the lesson comes alive and she disobeys after which she gets punished (time out) and a nice conversation again. Lately “Time Outs” have been somewhat of a regular event in our house and it definitely works for which we are grateful. It pains both Barry and I to put her in the corner as she is sobbing and says “no time out”. Raising children is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do. There is absolutely nothing in this world more difficult than to bring up a child that would live a life to make our heavenly Father proud. One of the things I have been enjoying more and more is reading with Bella. This girl loves books and I mean really loves to read! We read about two hours a day, she just keeps picking them and bringing them over. The most amazing thing is to hear her recite them while she is playing or on our little errand runs. I am still in awe at how much she remembers. If only I could remember as much, I would be golden 😉 She also loves to paint and that gets me really excited because I love to paint. She is also a little singer; not only does she sing by herself, she always wants to make sure that we are singing with her by saying: “Daddy sing with me, or mama sing with me” It is purely precious. We talk about her little brother that is to come and the first thing she always tells me is “be gentle” as she is rubbing my belly and when asked if she loves him, she always says “aha” and “I will kiss him and hug him and share with him” I absolutely love hearing that and I know it will not be easy for her to share her parents with him, but I am certain that she will love him and will give him kisses nonstop as we have been watching her with her little cousin Silas. Every time she sees him, she just wants to be right there, touching his hands or his face while saying “gentle”  Below are some of the things she does or says that have been truly enjoyable and need to be recorded:
Every time she wakes up from her sleep, whether it’s in the morning or after nap time, she calls very loud for daddy or mama and when we come in to get her, she is always standing there with her blankie and sheep, saying good morning or hi.
She loves to pray for her food and always makes sure our eyes are closed during prayer.
Asks many questions and over and over until the question is directed her way and she responds with the answer to the question she just asked a moment ago- we find it pretty funny. It’s almost as if she is checking whether we get it right.
She loves play dough and is getting a very nice play dough set from her little brother upon his arrival 🙂
Her currently favorite books are: Crack in the Track, Christmas Carols books (she has 3), Elmo (about Potty), Good night California, Heads, Thomas the train books, My world, Good night moon, George goes to the zoo and the little toddler tunes books such as wheels on the bus, itsy bitsy spider and etc.
Favorite dessert: lollipop, cake, chocolate chips, pretty much anything that looks sweet 🙂
Favorite sayings: these are more mommy’s and daddy’s favorites but just extremely cute when she grabs on of our faces in her hands and looks you straight in the eye and says: “Mama, you are so pretty” or “Daddy, I love you”. One of the most recent things she has told me was “Mama, you are amazing”, Barry and I looked at each other, asking, did she really just say that? Her vocabulary is absolutely fantastic, I still can’t believe how this tiny person can be such a chatter box. She tells me stories, recites movies and books and it always seems endless. I treasure every second of those moments.
It has also been fun to see her imagination develop as she starts pretending to bring us things or play by herself with her doll house and talk to her dolls and animals. I honestly can not stop but smile each time I hear her having a conversation with them. Some of the things she says: “Come on doggy, come inside and have some water” or “Come on “toy” (her doll) it’s time to go to sleep” and puts her in her sleeping bag. We have absolutely loved every stage of her development, whether it’s a newborn or a toddler running around, screaming “I am going to get you” when she is the one running away 🙂 I love their purity, love, and yet such crazy intelligence. All praise be to God for gifting us this precious girl!