Random Pics

Sleeping babies on a Sunday afternoon

 Off to see the Minion movie! 

We found a tiny frog on our patio. 

Cruz Monthly Pics

7 Months Old

 6 Months Old

5 Months Old

4 Months Old

3 Months Old

 2 Months Old

1 Month Old

7 Months Old

Cruz's first year is flying by. Before you know it, I will be planning the final details for his smash cake session. I went back and looked at Paisley's 7 month update, it's funny how similar and how different they are at this age. I remember how eager I was for Paisley to learn new things such as sign language and crawling, with Cruz, I am praying that he holds off on crawling for as long as possible. I have gone through the kids room and started to put away anything and everything that Cruz could choke on. I never had to worry about that with Paisley, but from the minute cruz was born, he has always wanted something in his mouth.

Birth                                                   

4 Months                                           

6 Months

Cruz loves to eat! Some of his favorites are squash, pears, and applesauce.
Just about has his first tooth
He is still nursing, which I am very grateful for.
Wants to crawl so bad but he can't figure out how to do it.
LOVES being outside
Tries to pull himself up in bathtub/wagon
Loves to play with Paisley
Enjoys bike rides
Spits all the time
Size 3 diapers
9-12 month clothes

Old McDonald Had A Farm

Today we took the kids to a farm out in Eden Valley. This farm was so worth the two hour drive! When we arrived, we purchased a basket of food and milk to feed the animals. Paisley was so excited to see all of the animals! Our $8 bucket of food lasted us 2 hours, mainly because paisley would take one kernel of corn each time to feed the animals. She loved it when the animals would snort and sneeze, and each time she would bust up laughing. Along with feeding the animals we took a tractor ride and watched Ryan go down the gigantic slide. The bird house was a lot of fun as well. You would just hold out your hand with the stick of food and birds would land on you left and right. Cruz slept for a majority of the stay but when he was awake, he was taking it all in. We had to hold him because in the barn, he kept pulling himself up in the wagon and I was worried he was going to topple over. I can't wait to go again next year! 

My Favorite Stage

My favorite stage is the sitting stage. One of my goals this year is to practice more outdoor photography. I am so happy that Cruz's sitting stage falls during summer. The only problem with Cruz is that he is so interested in everything around him its hard to get a picture of him not only looking at me but also with nothing in his mouth. Believe it or not Paisley is actually the best person to get him to look in the direction of the camera while smiling. 

I cannot express how much I love living in Minnesota. Living here is a photographers dream! I am constantly finding awesome places to take photos. My goal within the next year is to expand my photography to outdoor sessions. I have been practicing a lot and I am very happy with how much my outdoor photos have improved. 

Paisley's 4 Year Old Interview

Cruz's Birth Story

My pregnancy with Cruz for the most part was great. It wasn't until I was about 7 months pregnant that I was put on bed rest from being diagnosed with placenta previa. Getting that diagnosis was somewhat devastating because I knew I wasn't going to be able to have a VBAC. At the same time, I was somewhat ok because finding out sooner I was able to prepare and accept that I was going to be having another C-section. My biggest concern with having another C-Section was if I was going to have another bad reaction as I did with Paisley's delivery. I can't express how much I love my doctor. He is amazing, the fact that Las Vegas lost my medical records, they had no idea what was used on me and he went to great lengths to try his hardest to prevent me from having another reaction.

On to the birth:
December 19th 2014 at about 3:30 AM I woke up (in Paisleys bed) with what felt like sweaty legs. At first I didn't think anything of it because I was always hot at night. I started to sit up and I felt a little drizzle running down my thigh and thought to myself, "shoot, that's not sweat." So, I ran to the bathroom and sure enough water came gushing out (just like the movies haha TMI, sorry). I was laughing because I was so worried that I wasn't going to "know" if my water had broke. With my experience it couldn't have been more clear.

I then went into our room to wake up Ryan. At this point, I was little sad because I really wasn't wanting Cruz to be born close to Christmas. His due date wasn't till January 10th and my scheduled C-Section was going to be 1.5.15 (I was aiming for that date because I like the numbers, easy to remember). While I was packing my bag that was suppose to be packed a month ago, I started to think of who could watch Paisley while we were at the hospital. We had a few people lined up but the fact that it was 3:30 am, I was so worried to call and wake people up. I eventually got ahold of our neighbor Reese and she was able to watch Paisley for us.

Driving to the hospital, I remember being excited. I couldn't believe this was happening. We were finally going to be able to see our baby boy! I kept wondering who he was going to look like. We arrived at the hospital and we got placed into a room for them to check and see if my water actually broke. After they confirmed that I was in labor they called my doctor and they were getting ready to prep the operation room. We waited about an hour or so before actually being wheeled into surgery. Ryan wasn't allowed to come into the operating room until I was completly numbed. I started to have really bad anxiety because I didn't know what to expect. Yes, this was my second delivery but my experience with Paisley was completly different. I was rushed into an emergency section and I slept through the entire thing, so this was all new to me.  When I got the spinal tap, I started to panic. I could feel my legs but not at the same time and that started to really freak me out I kept asking my annastigologist if he would just knock me out because I was getting so scared. My anistegialogist was awesome. He was so nice, he kept telling me everything was ok and that what I was feeling was normal and that I would feel much more comfortable within a few minutes. And sure enough I did and at this point, Ryan was able to come in. I told Ryan I wanted to know EVERYTHING that was happening. A few minutes went by and I asked Ryan if they were still prepping me and he said, "no they are about to pull him out." What? why aren't you telling me this, I want to know what's happening I replied. I started to feel the nurse really push on my stomach to the point when it was really uncomfortable. She said the baby was in a really weird position and they had to turn him so the doctor could pull him out. Cruz arrived at 7:58 am. He was perfect. I couldn't believe how much hair he had (Paisley was bald). He weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.

We eventually were sent to our room where all the fun began. Once we got my pain under control, things were great. The nurses even thought I would get to go home a night earlier than planned. This made me happy because Paisley was having such a hard time being away from me. Because it was flu season she was only able to come up once to see me. Within a matter of hours things turned for the worse. Not only was I not feeling well but Cruz was losing more weight than expected and his jaundice levels were rising. Instead of staying in the hospital for 2.5 days we ended up staying for 5 days. I was eventually released on Christmas Eve.

Paisley was so excited to pick me up. She kept saying (and still says to this day) in a sad voice, "mommy, I lost you at the hospital." Even though it was incredibly hard to be away from Paisley for that long, it was really good for her because before she would only go to the bathroom with me. Well, since she was with Ryan majority of the time she started to go with him and by the time I got home we had no issues from that point on, which couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

Paisley loves Cruz, She still talks about the dinosaur that he gave her in the hospital. I was so worried how she would not respond to him. But she loves him.

I am so grateful for our friends here in Minnesota that have helped us through this pregnancy and delivery, I don't know what I would have done without you.

Life is good.

New Blog

Today marks one year of living in the beautiful state of Minnesota. I think I can speak for all of us, with saying that we are very happy we made this move. We may have less "family time" but when we are together it is much better spent. Together, we do anything from walks/bike rides, to swimming at one of the many lakes near by, or just sitting out in-front of our house watching Paisley play with her dinos. 

This summer break, Ryan is working as a student attorney in 1st District Public Defender's office. He seems to really like it; he is always coming home with interesting stories to tell me. When his fall semester starts, he is going to try to continue working at the courthouse through a work study program. Along with his internship he is working at the Target up the street. He only has a few more weeks there and then he will be getting ready for his second year of law school. Wow, I seriously cannot believe that he will be starting his second year! 

Paisley just turned 4 last month. I cannot believe how much she has changed in the past year (I say that every year). She looks so much older and she doesn't have her baby voice, (well, not as much) anymore. She has made some great friends here; we have play dates just about every week. In church she is now a sunbeam! I was so nervous for her to be a sunbeam, luckily, it is just her and her friend Kemri. Her teacher, Sister Brown is the best! Paisley loves her. Every Sunday, Paisley is constantly asking if she is going to see Sister Brown today and if she is going to come over and play. I am so happy she loves her and her class because this is good practice for preschool! 

We got Paisley into a great preschool. Ready Set Grow is at a local church called King of Kings (Luthern Church). My friend Moria told me how much she loved having her daughter go there. About 2 weeks after Cruz was born, there was an open house and we wanted to make an appearance, (and drop some names) in hopes that she would get in and she did! I am so excited for her to go to school. She will be going Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12:30-3:00. I can't wait to see her make more friends and have her bring art work home to hang on the fridge, if Ryan will allow it! 

Cruz is 6.5 months old. I cannot believe how fast he is growing. He is already sitting up and in the starting stages of crawling (help!). This little boy is the cutest thing ever! Overall I can't complain, he is a really good baby. From the get go he was pretty much sleeping through the night. He only woke up, maybe twice, to feed and would then go right back down. He is now sleeping in his crib and wakes up once for a feeding (4am) and them wakes up around 8:30-9:00am for the day. He naps best in the carrier (1 hour+) or if I am laying with him (2-3 hours). If he naps in the crib it's anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Next on my list is baby proofing the house because once he is mobile I am IN TROUBLE... 

As for me I am loving life. I have made great friends and I am slowly but surely getting back to my photography. I had a great delivery and recovery for Cruz's birth and because of that I am very grateful.