Today

Today I woke up early with miss Aleesia, fed her, snuggled her and held her close.

Like I do every day.

We added in some Gianna snuggles once she rolled out of bed with a side of Disney Jr.

Like we usually enjoy doing on the weekends.

Mike made me coffee and breakfast.

He is awesome at taking care of that kind of stuff almost every morning.

Gianna gave me some special preschool crafts she made and explained them each to me.  And she told me which ones were for Aleesia.

She does this every day, weekend or not.  She is so proud of her special crafts!

We went to church.

something I do with the girls almost every sunday, but today mike came too which was wonderful.

There was a lot of laughing and family time as we all prepared dinner, caught up on anything that may have changed since we had dinner together last night, played with kids and enjoyed each other’s company at my sister’s house.

We are blessed that this is our normal interaction, and not saved for special occasions only.

Aleesia cried and didn’t nap much.

Typical!

Gianna was hilarious, occasionally mouthy and overtired by 3pm.

Typical!

The laundry got folded. The dishes got washed. The toys got picked up.

Just another day around here. Although Gianna did take a few minutes to “clean” my room for me while I put her clothes away.

There were kisses, tears, hugs and more kisses.

Can’t get enough kisses around here. Ever.

I attempted to get some pictures of and with the kids.

Which went how it always goes – I bribed Gianna with chocolate and the baby had her hands in her mouth most of the time!

Mike and I sat down together at 8pm. I got some work done. He watched something on ESPN.

Typical!

It was just a "regular” day in our house today.  We actually got to spend the whole day together, which is so rare I can’t remember the last time the 4 of us were all together for 24 hours. 

It was just the day I wanted – one with my little loves & my true love – one with all of the important people in my life.  It really was just another day in {my} paradise.

A Princess for My Twinnie

Jacqui (& Josh):

9 (okay, 10) months is such an agonizingly long time to wait to meet the little person that you created together. The one who has been kicking you from the inside and forcing her pointy little ankles into your ribs. For you, it was probably a little more uncomfortable and agonizing than normal.

I know I told you all the time that the discomfort, the puking, leg cramps and heartburn were all going to be worth it, and  you weren’t so sure I was right some days. But you hung in there.

And when it was finally time for that little person to join the outside world, time sort of stood still.

The days you spent in the hospital trying to coax her out of her warm, inside home were long.

But when that girl decided it was time to meet her mommy, she wasn’t wasting any time.

(right about the time the nurse told you that yes, she was coming, right now!)

(AUNTS!)

You did exactly what you needed to do to help that girl into the world. And you did great.

I will never forget the moment that I officially became a mother. Or the moment that you did. They are pretty close to the same, in my book.

I am so proud of you. You are such a great mommy already.

Luciana is going to teach you more about life than you can ever imagine.

Me (and the rest of her aunts) are going to teach her a lot too. Like about being stylish.

I am also sure her big cousin is going to teach her a lot. I can’t even imagine the adventures these two (three, when little baby sister arrives) are going to have over the years.

If they are anything like the adventures that we have had, they will never know how lucky they are.

We have shared every experience of our lives – no one gets me like you do – and now, we are going to share the experience of motherhood (and, I finally get to experience aunt-hood!).

You have your own princess now. Your own beautiful, precious, amazing little girl to love and to hold, to kiss and hug, to learn from and to learn with. A little girl who you can show the world to, and who you will help you see the world in a way you never thought possible.

You are officially on the most amazing, rewarding, challenging, difficult, ever-changing, spectacular ride you could (n)ever imagine. 

She will love you forever, and you will love her for always in a way that is so powerful it hurts sometimes. Enjoy every single moment, even the ones that are frustrating, because they don’t last long.

You are her mommy now, and she already knows you are amazing.

I love you, Twin B!

a baby animal inspired baby shower

alternate title: Family Expansion Part 2a: Baby Shower Time!

I think I started planning my sister’s baby shower as soon as I found out she was pregnant.  She didn’t have a wedding shower so I wanted to make this day REALLY SUPER EXTRA SPECIAL for her, her husband and their new baby (girl!).

My sister LOVES baby animals, so that was a pretty natural theme to go with. And who doesn’t think baby elephants are cute?!  We went with pink and orange as our main colors – something bright and cheerful for summer.

The day ended up being PERFECT. We have a much hotter than normal summer and the week of the shower, it had rained almost everyday. So I went from worrying about people melting to worrying about people needing their rain boots. Turns out, that day it was in the 70’s, sunny with a nice breeze. perfect outdoor party weather!

cupcake toppers courtesy of the ever talented Nic!

we used baby stuffed animals and bath toys for the centerpieces. and shower curtains for the table cloths.

We went with a brunch because I picked the time of the party and I love when parties start earlier than later. And it was an easy to cater type of menu – breakfast casserole, baked french toast, yogurt bar, cheese and crackers, bagels and some gourmet bread. And fun coffee treats!  The yogurt bar (thank you pinterest) and tasty cupcakes were both a HUGE HIT!)

They got all kinds of awesome gifts – and some really creative ones too!

(the one in the box is from me, I had an awesome time putting it together. see here)

 

We may be biased, but I’m pretty sure Luci (and Gianna) have the coolest aunts around.

The best part about these kind of things, in my opinion, is being able to spend time with loved ones and friends that we don’t get to see often. And we were able to do just that.

Some family pictures too, of course.

We are really really excited for this baby girl to arrive. Gianna is pumped to be a big cousin and Mike and I are both excited to try out our new roles as aunt and uncle.

So, I blogged about the shower – time to come on out little Luci!