The toughest day of my life

Today I (Kathryn) started my new job as a Contract Specialist at Kidspeace. Unfortunately, I was forced to leave my sweet baby Giada in hands of a day care provider. I certainly missed her (a lot) and cried when I dropped her off....and I was back at lunch time to see her (the teachers must have thought I was crazy but said I am welcome to pop in to see her anytime.) I am confident that she will be fine at the day care, and being enrolled there could potentially help stimulate many aspects of her life that I could not offer if we were home all day such as socialization with other babies. I hate myself for letting someone else care for her during the day in fear that I will miss all the wonderful firsts (rolling over, crawling, speaking, walking, laughing, etc.) So I am praying those firsts happen when Tony and I are with her. I do know the time we will be spending with her will be even more cherished.

So despite my separation issues, we both had a good first day.

I didn't capture any pictures at day care, but we had some adventures the past few weeks...





Visiting Grandma Sena on a gorgeous afternoon...

Enjoying some QT with Aunt Janet!

Renee did a fabulous job feeding her cousin and helping babysit.

Nap time with Grampy is always so much better...

Gia attended her first Musikfest...now only 21 years until she can legally use her mug for beer!Until then...it's formula!




















And, always traveling in style!


Ta-ta for now!

Giada loving her swing!

So the first few days home from the hospital, we put Giada in the swing hoping to calm her down and fall asleep. Well, that did not work at all. She did not like being put in her swing. I was so upset; I thought babies loved swings!?!

Over the past week and half I noticed she was more alert to her surroundings. Her eyes like to wonder around the room looking for light and dark objects that catch her attention. She sits and studies all the new and exciting things; she is my little explorer! I decided that I should give the swing another try, thinking she would be more ready for it this time around and I was right! She loves the swing. I think it was too much for her to absorb the first time around. Now she could be in there forever!

Again, thank you Aunt Christine, Uncle Todd, Ruth and Ellen. Your gift not only comes in handy to occupy the little princess while mommy can get a few things done around the house, but it is also aiding her with growth and development. Your swing could very well be the building blocks for a future doctor!

Holy cow! It is the end of July already!

So, time completely flew by. I had every intention of blogging regularly throughout the pregnancy but all of the fore mentioned "urgent" things took front seat making little time for writing my thoughts down....

Many things have happened since the last post. As you can guess, Tony and I got married November 14, 2009 in Montegeo Bay, Jamaica. Tony started work with ADT as a Commercial Sales Executive. We found a home and moved in April. And our sweet little princess Giada was born on June 22, 2010 (which also happens to be my father's birthday!) And yesterday was her one month birthday! With all this great joy, we have had our share of tough times. None of which I am going to discuss tonight. But I am happy to report we are all healthy and happy.

I am vowing to myself (I swear on this delicious margarita I am consuming) to blog more regularly to document the baby's milestones and share with family and friends about what we are doing. I would like to document our wedding and honeymoon too (not sure if I am being too ambitious here or not...what do you think?!)

Oh, baby is crying...gotta run!

Love,
Kathryn

With every season comes changes...

I can't help but be reminded every time I see the beautiful colors of the fall leaves of my changes inside me. With every season, mother nature changes, and now I am too. The gorgeous auburn oranges, fire red, and butter-rich yellows enchant the landscaping across the Lehigh Valley. I would presume that last weekend through this weekend are the most prime weekends for the fall foliage. The weather has dropped in temperature, and we already got a tease of the first snow a week or so ago. As I drive, the leaves are a constant reminder that my body is experiencing changes. These changes are not permanent, as the leaves will grow again in the spring, and change again next fall. The only thing permanent for me, is that we will have a child to love and share these blessed moments from mother nature.

I definitely have the morning sickness, which in fact pretty much comes when it wants. Last week it was mostly evenings and nights that I would feel ill; this week's theme is from when I wake up and lasts all day. I am really hoping this subsides soon! On top of that I have had the constant and embarrassing burping, and the tender breasts. And I thought my chest could not get any bigger then it already is, and I was proven wrong! My generous DD's are definitely growing...holy cow! I am hoping they fit into the wedding dress!! Only 16 days to go!

5 more weeks of this secret

A few weeks ago, on October 15, 2009, Tony and I learned news that would change our lives forever....yup, a positive pregnancy test! Of course we are taken back by a whirlwind of emotions- excited, scared, shocked, etc. While we are excited for a baby, the timing seemed a bit off.

Tony and I are getting married in a month, so we are planning the wedding, we are both looking for employment, looking for a place to live, and I since I lost my job in June, I am uninsured. Never once did the thought of any alternative plans for the pregnancy cross our minds, just the urgency of getting the major details worked out quickly. We keep telling ourselves "everything happens for a reason" and "everything will work out."

We decided to hold off telling anyone about our great news, so that we can confirm our suspicions are in fact true, and that the baby was healthy. Both Tony and I are currently residing with our parents, and both found it hard to keep this secret. I swear Tony was dropping hints left and right with my mother, who never picked up on it! For instance, we went to the food store, and Tony proceeded to purchase pickles, nutty bars, salsa, chips, cheese and some other random items. I think he was hoping she would guess!

Less then a week went by and we decided to get our parents together to tell them. While I was excited to tell my parents, I was also very nervous. I think I may have had a mini panic attack on the way to dinner. We told them after the appetizers and salad, but before dinner. What a relief to tell them! Everyone was happy! Funny thing is, I always imaged telling our parents the news a more creative way, but I guess I will save that for the second child. This task was way too daunting this time around!

Even though we told our parents, we have decided to keep the news to ourselves until around week 12. Given the experiences of both of our mothers, we want to make sure everything is copacetic. So we only have 5 more weeks of this secret! We certainly will have much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving...that is when we are announcing our new addition!