First 2 1/2 Months!

I know it has been a while since Stevie was born. Let's just say I have been a little busy! ;) Life has definitely changed. It is however a wonderful change. Nick and I are so happy to be parents finally. We never thought we would be ready. I guess no one is ever REALLY ready to be parents. It is a HUGE life change and a BIG responsibility. It's sometimes scary to think we are in charge of a little human being. EEEEKKKK!!! We are taking it one day at a time.


The first month we, I especially, were at a total loss for words. The first night we came home from the hospital and we hardly slept a wink, Nick and I just sat there and stared at each other. We were both thinking the same exact thing, "Whaaat the HELL did we get ourselves into!" :) LOL Talking to other parents, we found out we were not the only ones that thought that. It was very hard adjusting to life with a newborn. He was waking up every couple of hours to eat. I was trying to breast feed, but I didn't produce a lot and he was eating so much I couldn't keep up with him. I did however do it for the first 40 days. I gave him whatever I produced. It wasn't much, but it was something at least. By the time I fed him, bottle and breast, pumped, and put him to sleep, it was time to do it all over again. We were definitely sleep deprived. Even though I was the main one with the food source, Nick still was by my side for all of it. He is such an awesome father and husband. I don't know what I would do without him.


We finally got a routine down and things got easier. I'm not even going to lie, it was hard. I did go through a small part of postpartum depression. It just hits you. With all of your hormones out of whack and all the new demands a newborn brings into your life, it was no wonder I was feeling depressed and crazy at times. Poor Nick. He dealt with me very well. Like I said, I don't know what I would have done without him. I do all of the feedings at night. Nick works and this is my job since I don't work. I love being a stay home Mom. I don't miss out on anything. :) Nick does relieve me in the evening so I can get to things I didn't get to do during the day or just to take some time for myself. He is so good with Stevie. It melts my heart to see those two together. He is a spitting image of his Daddy! I do take credit for his features though. He has my eyes, the Martinez nose and definitely my pouty lips. ;) He also inherited his grouchiness from his Mommy. :( He is a high maintenance baby. Thank goodness he wasn't a girl or we would be in trouble. LOL


He keeps us on our toes everyday. We learn something different on a daily basis. He has an awesome personality. Even though he can be grouchy at times, he can also be cuddle bug. He loves to cuddle with us. He always gives us a big smile. If you see it, it will definitely put a smile on your face. His godmother, Diana, made a comment about his smile one day. She is Canadian so she says "Aye" a lot. She said, "He has a big mouth, aye? Where does he get that from?" I laughed and said your looking at her. She loves to call him Julio, short for Julia Roberts. He has the male version of the big Julia Roberts smile. I inherited that smile from my Mother, so Stevie got the best part of his Grandmother. :) They used to say that my mom and I would compete on who could smile the biggest. She would have definitely been totally and completely in love with her grandson. I know she looks down at him from heaven and smiles. At times Stevie just smiles for no reason when he is by himself. I like to think my mom is talking to him or making him laugh. :) It makes me feel good. Overall he is a great baby. He doesn't cry unless he is hungry, tired or has a dirty diaper. It is very rare that he will cry for no reason, but when he does watch out. He will let you know he is not happy. :) His alter ego is Steve-O. That's what we call him when he is a fussy man. My little pumpkin head. Oh, he also inherited another nickname. We call him Monkey, because he climbs and hangs on to you like a little monkey. He is just too cute for words. It is so funny to see him do certain things like kick hard or buck his whole body for no reason. It puts everything in perspective. Now I know what he was doing in my belly when I would feel like he was having a party in my stomach. :) He definitely got his fidgeting from Nick. Aaaauugggg!!! Now I have two fidget monsters. LOL He is definitely going to be a handful. I can't wait until he gets older and starts to communicate and interact more with us. I will be staying home with him for a while. We do want to start on baby #2 soon. Call us crazy, but we want them to grow up together close in age. I definitely only want two kiddos. For some reason when I think of 3 kids, that is one too many. I figured if we have a girl next, then we have our pair, but if it is another boy then Stevie has a playmate and buddy for life. :) Either way we will feel blessed with whatever God decides to bless us with.


Today for the first time he giggled. He is a noisy sleeper so he mumbles and laughs a lot in his sleep, but this is the first time he laughed while he was awake. :) It just melted my heart.

Stevie has made his big debut!

Stevie is finally here! He made his big debut on Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 5:38PM. He was three days early. He weighed 8lbs 11oz and measured 20in long. He was a big boy, let me tell you! ;) I went into labor at 2:00 AM on Sunday. I woke up at 1:30AM having to go on my routinely middle of the night visit to the restroom, when I noticed I was leaking. I just thought, "Oh my gosh I'm so pregnant I can't even hold my urine anymore!" LOL Well it happened again at 2:00AM and this time I didn't even make it out of the bed and it was a little more than the last time. It kept coming little by little and I was almost positive at that time that it was not urine. I woke up Nick and told him that I thought my water was breaking. He mumbled in his sleep and asked why I thought that. He told me to call the nurse and see what she thought. She called the doctor and the on-call doctor told me to go in so they could check for sure. Well let me tell you our hospital was about 30 min. away. It is close to the stadium (far from Sugar Land). When I told Nick they want us to come in, he just groaned and said, "Are you serious?" He thought it was nothing and that they were just going to send us back. You have to understand we were both in sleep mode and wanted to stay there. We actually had just gone to bed at midnight. We stayed up late watching a movie. LOL As I was getting ready, a small gush of liquid came pouring out and we were both like, "Oh yeah it's time!" We hurridly gathered everything we thought we needed and headed straight for the hospital. It wasn't too difficult getting out of the house, because I had our things packed for a month and already in the car. :)



We got to the hospital and they admitted me right away and checked to make sure my water did break. Sure enough it broke. It was coming slowly. Nothing like the big gush we learned about in our classes. They hooked me up to the monitors right away to keep an eye on our heart rate and my contractions. They informed us that our doctor was out of town for the weekend so we had the doctor that was on-call. We were bummed at first, but in the end we were very satisfied. We tried to rest and relax because they told us it could be awhile before real labor started. We were so anxious and excited, it was hard to sleep. We didn't call anybody right away because it was too early. They eventually gave me potossium to get the contractions coming closer together. As soon as the contractions came closer together, they were becoming more painful. I usually have very very bad menstrual cramps, so I was pretty tolerante of the contractions. It was not until they were practically on top of each other that I couldn't take the pain anymore. I dilated to 5cm when I asked for the epidural. As soon as I received the meds, I was feeling so much better. I was in margaritaville! :) The labor progressed soon after. Within an hour I dilated to 6cm. Then within the next hour I dilated to 9cm. I was at a 9 for about 2 hours, then the doctor came in to check me and told me it was time to push. I have say that I had the best nurses I could have ever asked for. I had two and they were my nurses until I delivered or their shift was up. They tended to noone else but me. They were awesome. When I started to push, I thought it was going to be simple and fast. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours! It didn't seem that long, but usually they only let you go for 2 hours before they suggest a c-section. My nurses were so impressed with the fact that I had the correct pushing technique from the very beginning, so they asked the doctor to give me 30 more minutes. The doctor agreed and we were ALL on a mission. I had the best support system with me and Nick was the best out of all of them. He never left my side and never stopped giving me words of encouragement. I have to say that this was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I was TOTALLY exhausted! Nick was concerned about me during the whole pushing part of the labor. He said that my whole face would turn red and I was very luthargic after every pushing session. I had to put on an oxygen mask each time to lower my heart rate and to gain control my breathing. The baby and I both had a high heart rate and were starting to get a fever. The nurses did everything to help me stay motivated because at one point in time I was giving myself a pep talk. I kept telling myself that I could do this and I wasn't going to give up. I prayed and talked to Stevie the whole time. We were working together as a team! I was determined to deliver him and not get a c-section. I had worked too hard to get to that point that there was no turning back. Finally the last minute of the 30 min extension, he crowned! I felt like we just won the world series, because everybody was high fiving each other and cheering words of excitement. I felt like the MVP! :)

The doctor came just in time to catch him as he came out...literally! The nurses were so proud of my pushing skills. They asked me to show the doctor what a good pusher I was, so I did. I gave one great push and that was all it took. Nick said that he really came flying out and the doctor barely caught him. He said if you blinked you would have missed it. That was how fast he came hurling out of the womb. :) LOL He was stubborn at first and I guess he figured he would make a fabulous entrance to the world. Nick and I both cried tears of joy and gave each other a hug and kiss. I didn't get to see him right away, because they had to take him and make sure he was okay. We both had high heart rates and fever so they had to make sure he was okay. Nick saw him right away. They all talked me through everything that was being done to him so I wouldn't be left out. When I did finally get to hold him, it was the best moment I have ever experienced in my life. He was my miracle baby and a blessing from God!

A little over 9 1/2 months! Exactly 39 weeks tomorrow!

Okay I am just about ready to pop! Literally!!! :) LOL! I am finding that just the littlest task is hard to do. I can't even bend over to pick up a piece of paper. By the end of the day I have several articles on the floor waiting for Nick to get home. :) It's funny when someone calls to check on me and I answer the phone completely out of breath. You would think I just ran a marathon. The person on the other line is always concerned wondering if I'm okay and they fall on the floor laughing when I tell them I just finished taking a shower or washing the dishes. :) LOL! It's a lot of work washing this bodacious body and carrying my little 6-7 pounder around wherever I go. I can't help it. I am always winded and out of breath. I am definitely waddling like a duck, sitting with my legs unlady like and my belly hanging over like I had too much beer. LOL! It is true what people say about the last month of pregnancy. It is definitely the most miserable stage of all. Put a fork in me...I'm done! :)

I go to the doctor every Monday now for a checkup. I am almost dilated to 3 cm. The baby has dropped some. He is getting ready for his big debut. I think he is a little too comfortable in there. ;) I can't wait to meet him, but it is on his time. The doctor will not let me go over 41 weeks. If he doesn't come by then, she will definitely induce me. :( I'm hoping he will come on his own. I am trying to do everything I can to help him out. I walk everyday, but most times it is painful. I feel like my uterus is going to fall out at any minute. I have also tried eating spicy foods. I've heard a lot of people tell me that spicy foods help bring on delivery. We will see. Yes I know what else will help, but seriously who is thinking about that at a time like this. I feel as big as a house and not the least bit attractive. That is the last thing on my mind. Even though Nick never fails to tell me how beautiful I am everyday. :) AWWW! He even says he is going to miss my belly. Isn't that cute? Me on the other hand, can't wait to see my toes and everything else below the belt. :) WOW! Pregnancy is an adventure.

The one thing I am going to miss about being pregnant is being tended to hand and foot. It will be another story once Stevie gets here. Felicia who? I am taking full advantage right now. ;) I don't hesitate to tell people what I want or need. Nick is always there for me. Even if he is at his wits end. :)

This month Nick had wrist surgery. He had a torn ligament repaired so he is in a cast. Fine timing, right? You should see us. One can barely get around and the other one is having a hard time coping with one hand. Sometimes we are both sitting down wondering who can get up and do what the other wants. It is hilarious! He likes to joke around and say that the doctor told him he could not do diaper duty for awhile. That's fine with me, because the stinky diapers don't come right away. They will be coming just in time for when Daddy gets his cast removed. LOL! :) Ssshhh! Don't tell him. Let's keep him thinking he won. ;)

My biggest craving has been chocolate. OMG! Anything chocolate, I have to have it. Every night I am asking what's for dessert. Nick, of course, never denies me anything I ask for. He is such a good husband. He still blames me for his weight gain though. If it wasn't for me, he says he would not be eating everything I do. Nobody said to eat when I eat, much less eat what I eat. Poor Nick, I am just twisting his arm. :)

I have been preparing myself lately. I cut my hair short and had it highlighted. My toes have been beautified. Nick and I even went to get massages. It was really nice to get a good rub down. I definitely think every pregnant woman should get a prenatal massage at least once a month throughout her pregnancy. It was my first massage ever and I am hooked. I can't wait for my next one. Now I just need my little munchkin to make his big debut while Mommy still looks somewhat hot. :)

7-8 Months! 8 more weeks to go!!!

Sorry it took me so long to blog. I was waiting so I could post pictures/video of the room and too much time passed by. I can't believe we only have 8 more weeks to go. So much has happened in the past 2 months. Christmas and New Years came and went in the blink of an eye. We spent Christmas at our house with family and friends. It was very relaxing. Nick and I brought in the New Year putting the crib together and at midnight we toasted with grapefruit juice. It was so romantic. :)

We are very excited about how the room is coming along. The room is chocolate brown and olive green. It turned out so beautiful. The colors really make the neutral colors in his bedding really stand out. We only have wall hangings to add to the decor. The walls are painted, the furniture is up and little knick knacks are in place. We are going to put Stefanos name right above his crib in big, white, bubbly letters. One of Nick's many projects left to go. :) Even though his room is safari themed with all different animals, the monkey is front and center. We call Stevie our little monkey, because he loves to monkey around in mama's belly. His restroom is all monkeyed out. It also follows the color scheme of the room along with swinging monkeys everywhere. It's a jungle in there. :)

The beginning of January was very relaxing and I still had a lot of energy left. It was around the middle and the end of the month that I started getting side pains and contractions. I went to the doctor one day for a pulsating feeling that I never felt before in my belly. It just concerned me and when I didn't feel him moving around once it was gone then I really let my imagination get the best of me. It turned out to be a sign from Stevie to get me to go see the doctor. When I went in to get monitored to make sure everything was okay, they found out I was having back to back contractions. I had to get a shot to stop them and I stayed awhile to get monitored. The doctor said it was a lack of fluids. I know, I know I need to drink a lot of yucky water. The next day the contractions kept coming, so my doctor prescribed me medication to slow them down. I still get them but not as often. They are not painful, just uncomfortable. I take the medication only when necessary. I will stay on it until I am 36 weeks and after that if Stevie decides to make his big debut it's up to him. ;) He is so ready to come into the world and we are so ready for him.

Stevie is definitely a mover and a shaker. He is 100% going to be an active little boy. Yes, he is going to keep us on our toes. I will get in shape just chasing him around. I can already see it. He will be an athlete just like his daddy! All of my pregnancy websites say he is running out of room to move around but he has no problem rocking my belly. :) He practices boxing by punching Mommy in the bladder. Then I end up in the restroom every 5 minutes. He dances by high-kicking me when he's sleeping or moving and grooving when I am. He even does yoga while wedging his feet under my ribs. Ouch!!! His favorite side is the right side. At times it is funny to see my belly because it looks lopsided. I can feel his little bum nudging me and I can't help but give his little tushy a love pat or a squeeze. I have to at times nudge him back when he keeps nudging me in the same spot. Stevie is already getting little spankings. ;) He's my little munchkinhead! I can't wait to love on him and shower him with hugs and kisses.

Stevie has a lot of playmates awaiting his arrival. His cousin Jacob, his god brother Thomas and his newest friend Daniel can't wait for him to get here so they can all play together and just be boys. He is also ready for revenge. Jacob and Thomas have farted on him so many times that Stevie is ready for payback. He does not like it when mommy holds other little ones and he is not shy to let me know by continuously kicking me until I put them down. It's funny, but I do think they feel and sense each other. The other day my nephew came over for a visit and I hadn't seen him for three weeks. As soon as I held him, he would cry hysterically with those big alligator tears that my little Jacob produces. Nick would hold him and nothing, but the minute I held him he broke out into tears again. I wonder if Stevie was telling him to get off his mommy or else and Jacob got his feelings hurt. My little pumkinhead is already being a bully. :) LOL

We have been showered with unconditional love from our family and friends. On January 18th we had My Big Fat Greek Shower! :) We had so much fun. It was given by my sister-in-laws, my mother-in-law and our really good friend/neighbor Sigrid. It took place at Sigrid's house and was Dr. Seuss themed. Everything came out so precious. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. The last gift given to me was from my mother-in-law. It was labeled Daddy's treasures. In it was everything that belonged to Nick when he was a baby. There were blankets, outfits, his piggy bank with money still in it, even his silver spoon and cup. Yes, his little silver spoon. It was too cute. He even had a Greek outfit that was worn. I am going to definitely keep it in a treasure chest to share with Stevie when he gets older. On January 31st we had a sophisticated and gorgeous shower given by my close friends Summer and Sara. This was hosted at another good friend's house. Suzanne was kind enough to open her beautiful home to us. It truly set the tone for the delicate blue themed shower. It was so wonderful to see old/new friends. Stevie and I had a great time. Nick felt sorry for Stevie having to hang out with all the girls, but he liked being the center of attention. Just like Daddy! :) Nick's work also showered us with love. There are so many people who love us so much and are just as excited about little Stevie coming into this world as we are. It was very nice of his coworkers to give us such an awesome shower. It was so much fun and it was wonderful sharing this one with Nick, even though he stayed hidden in the background. We received so many wonderful gifts. Stevie is one lucky little boy. He is already getting spoiled and he hasn't even made it here yet. He definitely will be one spoiled little pumpkinhead! ;)

My mother-in-law and great YiaYia have been by taking care of me and doing little things around the house. Ever since I have had contractions Dr. Moshou wants me off my feet. :) She comes and does things for me so I don't stay on my feet too long. The other day she came by and washed all of our little pumpkinhead's clothes for the first month or so, blankets, towels, hats, socks and sheets. We tried to take care of basically all the necessities needed at the beginning. His clothes are just so little. They're all too cute. I can't wait to play dress up with him. We might even have a fashion show. LOL We are finalizing last minute things that need to be done before our little one comes. I'm already getting my hospital bag ready to go just in case.

We took our CPR class already and this weekend we are taking our breastfeeding class and part 1 of our birthing class. Nick is so excited about the breastfeeding class. :) He thinks he will be the only guy there, but he won't. We are also getting a 3D ultrasound done on Friday so that will be posted soon. I promise I will not wait as long.

Everything has been going great so far and hopefully it will be a continuously smooth ride. I am growing at a rapid pace and my belly has even dropped a little. I will keep everyone updated. :)