Welcome to the World Isabella Angelina

On October 22, 2009 at 10:15 am our Princess made her entrance into the world!!! She came out squawking like a little bird!! She weighed 7.13 pounds and was 20 inches long! A good size for a baby born at 36 weeks and 4 days!

Unfortunately, she was having respiratory distress and had to be taken to the NICU and put on CPAP (a breathing mask) and IV fluids. I had an amnio the day before I delivered her and my doc said her lungs were mature. But, apparently she swallowed some amniotic fluid so she needed her airway cleared. I thought they would take her to the NICU for a few hours or maybe a day, but she stayed for 6 days and it was incredibly stressful. I had been through the NICU experience with the boys, but this time I was blindsided. I made it an entire month farther and thought she was so close to term that she would be fine. I wasn't prepared for the ups and downs of the 6 days in the NICU, but that is a story for another post.

Our Princess is just beautiful! We have been so blessed, Thank You God!!!

We debated names right up until the last minute. We had a few that were "unique," but in the end we went with my all time favorite name, Isabella. I had been wanting that name all along, but Hubby thought we should go with something different because of the recent popularity of the name. But, when Hubby saw her he felt she was an Isabella and we figured if were going Italian might as well go all the way and add the Angelina. My dad had been calling her Angelina since he found out I was pregnant, so it really fit nicely!!

Taking our baby girl home was such a fantastic moment. Big brothers and Stregga had a surprise welcome home party for us complete with cake and balloons!! It was so much fun!!!

I can't believe she is already going to be 2 weeks old tomorrow. Time is flying by!!

Tomorrow Will Be Bean's BIRTH Day!!!!

My blood pressure has been high again so I have been in the hospital since yesterday. The docs did all kinds of tests including an Amnio and Bean's lungs are mature enough for delivery, so tomorrow is the day!!! I am scheduled for an 8 am c-section!! And I cannot wait to meet my little Princess!! We are still playing the Name Game so it will be exciting to actually see and hold her and I am hoping that will help us decide!

I will post pics and updates as soon as I can!!

Bedrest Baby

It has been an eventful week. I went to an OB appointment last Tuesday and my blood pressure was high. Over the 2 hours I was there it didn't come down so my doctor said he needed to admit me for a 24 hour observation. He said that I would also do a 24 hour urine test, which basically means you pee into a jug over the course of 24 hours and then it gives you a result of how much protein is being spilled into the urine. My doctor said if the BP came down and the protein is low enough I could go home. However, if the BP stayed up and the protein was too high it would be an official pre-eeclamnpsia diagnosis and I would have to stay in the hospital until Bean could be delivered. SO of course, I panicked for a minute. I was remembering my last pregnancy and several weeks of hospital bedrest. I told the doc I needed to go home and get the boys situated and get a bag. He agreed I coudldleave since I didn't have a headache or blurry vision but I need to be back after dinner to be admitted.

My mom was at the house with the boys. When I got home and walked in, Cenzo said. "Mama what's wrong?" I said "Nothing , why?" He insisted soemthing was wrong with me. It was so strange how he picked up a vibe that I didn't mean for him to get. I sat down with the boys and explained that I was going to sleep over at the hospital so that my docotr could check out me and Baby Bean to make sure everything is ok.

Cenzo had a million questions. He wanted to know, could he go with me? What was I going to wear to sleep? Was there a bed there? Was the doctor going to take the baby out of my belly? How was he going to get the baby out? What is the name of the tool the doctor would use to get her out?

After I explained that Stregga was going to sleep overnight with them at our house, Luccio had a few questions too. He wanted to know, could he watch a movie? And could he have chocolate milk? Once I agreed to both of those he said "Ok, bye Mama."

I ended just being in the hospital for the 24 hours. My BP came down a bit, still elevated but better. And there wasn't a very high level of protein in my urine. SO they let me come home on bedrest.

I have been resting since Tuesday and I was a bit bored of it yesterday but Hubby reminded me that in just 8 more days our Bean will be here and I will have 3 little ones to care for and will not rest again until they go to college, so that out it in perspective, LOL!!!

On Friday I had an ultrasound to check on Bean's growth and she weighs an estimated 8 pounds!!! WOW!! I reached the 36 week milestone yesterday too. SO next Tuesday the 27th is the BIG DAY-the scheduled c-section. I cannot wait to see this baby girl!!!!!!!

Can you hear me??

A few months ago I was cleaning out bins of baby clothes and items from the boys to see if there was anything I could reuse for the new baby. I found a "listening device" that lets you listen to the womb noises of your unborn baby. It also has a microphone so you can talk ot the baby! Well, needless to say it was a big hit with the boys!! They really enjoy wearing the headset to listen to their sister. And they love it even more that they can talk to her with the microphone! They are pretty loud to begin with so they really don't need to be amplified for her to hear them, so I have to tunr the volume way down. But, they get so much enjoyment out of it and its a great way to bond. So we put the womb sound device on my belly and they chat away to the baby. Luccio asks her over and over, "Can you hear me?? Baby Bean, can you hear me??" Cenzo sings songs like, "I see the Moon" and "Rock A Bye Baby."

Belly Painting 33.3 Weeks

Well, I am officially more pregnant now than I have ever been before. I made it to 32.5 weeks with the boys and I have now surpassed that milestone, WOO HOO!! And my belly is GI-Normous!!!!!! Last week my ultrasound showed that the Bean is estimated to weight 6.8 pounds already, that is bigger than her brothers were when they came home from the hospital at 4 weeks old!!!

The size of my belly brings children flocking to me, children who do not belong to me, shy children even come up to me and want to touch the belly! It even inspires artistic tendencies in small children!! LOL!!

The other night at dinner, Cenzo says out of the blue, "Mama, I want to paint your belly." What??? He said, "It's so big! I want to paint it." I thought that was hilarious, I mean I have seen pictures of people who paint and decorate their pregnant bellies, but have never considered such a thing for myself. I don't know what made him think of it, but he was pretty insistent. I told him I had to get special paints to do that. So he asked every day this week if I had bought the paints yet. I did end up finding bubble bath paint and thought that would be good.

So last night before their bath I took out the paints and let Cenzo and Luccio get their brushes and go to town decorating the biggest belly they have ever seen!

It was a lot of fun and I think the Bean liked it too because she was moving around like crazy!!
Of course, painting my belly turned into the boys painting their own bellies and each others bellies and their backs, and hair, etc. So a bath was much needed when they were done!!

Pumpkin Picking

Hubby had the day off today so we decided to go pumpkin picking at a local farm. It is the first week that the farm is open for pumpkins, but I wanted to get started early this season because I wasn't sure how long I will be able to move around and do fun activities with the boys. I am so glad we went when we did! It was a nice day for it! And I quickly realized I wouldn't be making it to the pumpkin patch much farther into the fall. We were only there for an hour and I could barely walk. I started having contractions every 3 minutes, ughh! I was able to look at pumpkins and take a hayride with the boys. Then I just sat on a bench while Hubby and the boys picked out their pumpkins. they had a blast, running all around and going from pumpkin to pumpkin!! It was so cute to watch and so much fun being outdoors with them. We finally called it a day and headed home when Cenzo wet his pants! I came home and got right into bed. Resting, drinking water and having a yummy dinner cooked by Hubby has helped the contractions ease up. Now they are less frequent, maybe 20 minutes apart and much more tolerable. I think I will be postponing any further activities that include walking until after Bean is born, LOL!! In the meantime I am glad I spent the day with all my guys and we got some fabulous pictures!!!

A Visit With Kellie

For the first 2 years of the boys' lives, Kellie was their nurse. She began coming to our house the day after the boys came home from the hospital because they were premature and because of Luccio's medical conditions. As the boys grew strong and healthy, Kellie was there for support to our family. She was a nurse, a nutritionalist, an organizer, a confidant and a good friend. Sadly, when the boys turned 2 we had to say goodbye to Kellie because our insurance company no longer felt it was necessary for Luccio to have weekly nursing visits. It was quite a shock to me to be left to my own device making medical decisions and judgement calls regarding Luccio's health. But, I quickly found, that Kellie had been a fantastic teacher as well as nurse. Going into that winter without her assistance I felt confident that I was able to diagnose an earache or allergies versus a flu or something more serious. They boys and I missed our weekly visits with Kellie, but luckily we have kept in touch and get to update her on a regular basis. Today we were fortunate to have a visit with Kellie. The boys haven't seen her in months, but remembered their friend and were so excited to see her!! Some people come into our lives for just a moment not really making an impression, but others stay long enough to have profound impact that lasts. We are fortunate enough as a family to have had Kellie in our lives and continue to benefit from all that she taught us along the way! I will always be grateful to her for helping our boys get the best possible start in life.

Celebrating Baby Bean

Yesterday Stregga hosted a Baby Shower for me! Our family and friends helped us celebrate the upcoming arrival of The Bean!! My Dad spent 2 days cleaning and decorating the yard and it looked incredible!!! Dozens of pink and white roses (24 dozen to be exact!!) decorated the tables. And it was a perfect Fall day to have an outdoor party!!! Stregga really outdid herself making yummy stuffed shells, mmmm!!! And my Aunt Grace brought my favorite berries and cream cake from a local bakery that I love!!

I could not believe how generous everyone was in showering me with baby gifts. I opened presents for an hour!!! At one point I stopped to ask if anyone needed refreshments because I felt guilty having them all sit there watching me dig into gift and after gift!! LOL! I got TONS of outfits for Bean, lots and lots of pink clothes!! Everything from onesies to party dresses in all sizes from 0-3 months all the way up to 24 months! I won't have to buy her clothes or shoes for the first 2 years!! We are also all stocked up on diapers, wipes and bath supplies!

Stregga bought us a beautiful pink and brown carseat and an organic cotton mattress! And Grandma crocheted the most adorable hats, sweaters and blankets!!! Also, each grandmother filled big baskets and boxes with so many clothes, blankets, and burp cloths and headbands!

One of my aunts gave me a gorgeous Moses Basket and my Goddaughter gave the baby a tiny pink cowgirl hat and boots that will be so cute on her!!!

We loaded all of our goodies into my Mom Mobile and pile them into Bean's room. Stregga promised to come over to help me organize it all. It is probably going to take all week!!

It was soooooo much fun!! I had such a perfect day and each and every person there made it so special!!

The Big Brothers made their appearance as the present opening was winding down and they really enjoyed looking through all the special gifts people brought for their sister. I was shocked I must admit that they didn't; once ask if anything was for them. And this morning when they got up and saw all the new stuff again, they commented on all of "Baby Bean's packages" without a hint of jealousy. Cenzo told me he can't wait to dress her in all her new clothes, LOL!!!

I can't wait either!!!!!!! 5 weeks to go!!!

Thank you to everyone who has offered support throughout my pregnancy, it means so much to us. We have been so blessed to be surrounded with such loving family and friends!

First Day of School

My babies started preschool this week!! they are actually attending the same nursery school that I went to as a child. But, they are having a much better experience so far!! I used to cry EVERY day for 2 years when my mom would drop me off!! Poor Stregga!!! Luckily karma has not been cruel to me and the boys run right in without so much as a glance back at me!!

Cenzo started last Thursday all by himself. Luccio was sick and couldn't go, but Cenzo insisted he was going ALONE!! And so off he went. I drove him to the school and told him I would walk him into the building. He said, "No, just drop me off!" I said well, Mommy is going to bring you and walk you in and he said, "No, your belly is too big wait in the car!" Cute kid, isn't he?? When we got there and the door to the school wasn't opened yet, he had a fit and wanted to know if I had the key! I told him we had to wait. Thankfully it was for only 5 minutes, he was so anxious to get in the building!! While we waited, he wanted to know where I was going while he was at school. So I told him I was going to get coffee and then I would be back. He said, "Oh you need your iced coffee?" Then he told me I should go shopping and buy some shirts because my belly is getting big and my shirts are too short!!!! UGHHHH! He is too much sometimes.

Finally the door opened and he ran right in. I lingered a bit where he couldn't see me, but he was so engrossed in playing with the toys he wouldn't have noticed even if I was right in front of him!

This week, Luccio went to school too, since he was feeling better. He didn't seem to mind me walking in the building with them as much as Cenzo did. But, he complained that his backpack was "too heavy." And then he refused to take off his backpack once he got into the classroom, Go figure! He ran right to the classroom too. But, at least he did look back. As I was walking out, he caught my eye and I waved to him. He ran back for "kisses!!" And then took off again.

They were both thrilled to show me their artwork when I picked them up! And they couldn't wait to go back again in a couple days.

Luckily the next drop off went just as smoothly. The first and second day some of the other kids were crying and one was even screaming. I pitied the moms and remembered being that kid.

Some moms were teary eyed too, but I just kept thinking "2 whole hours alone!!!" And I raced home to enjoy my free time.

I got so much accomplished! I cleaned the bathroom, organized the linen closet, did 2 loads f laundry and wrote out thank you notes! It was fantastic!!!! Too bad preschool is only twice a week, LOL!!!