Monday, November 30, 2009

It has been over 9 months...

It has been over 9 months since my last entry and SO much has changed. Nicolas is a blessing and I can not put into words how much I love him. But let me be honest the first few months were really hard. It was a really rough time where I felt like I lost myself. I had no time to take care of myself because he (like any other baby) was so demanding. But with time, he became a little person and more independent and I learned to juggle a full time job, a mom, a wife, and our home. I have started to jog again (very limited but it is a start) and I have started a new hobby. Now 9 months into our new lives and I can not fathom our lives without him.

With this first entry in 9 months, I would like to introduce a new format for my blog. Nicolas cute face has inspired me to take up a new hobby, photography. I hope to portray the sweet and fun little boy he is. Here are the best pictures taken this weekend with my new SLR camera. (To see more click on either of the pics)

From Nicolas 9 months

From Nicolas 9 months

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Seven weeks down...

Hey all,
Just wanted to share how our first 7 weeks with Nicolas has been. The first two weeks were pretty rough. I didn't know what we got ourselves into but the time flew and now Nicolas is 7 weeks and we are doing great!

All the visitors came and went and now it is going to be just me and him for the next 5 weeks. Thanks to all our friends and family that have come to visit us during these 7 weeks. My mom's visit was so helpful during the first two weeks. She helped with the baby and the house. I am truly grateful for the time she spent with us. Carolina came for first weekend and I know she is going to be a great aunt and Godmother! My dad and Carlos came this last week and it was so nice to actually spend time with them. The baby really liked Carlos he would always laugh and coo at him.

Here are some highlights. Nicolas has peed on everyone, including the dog. One day after his bath we were sunbathing and the dog was smelling Nicolas legs. Then Nicolas peed on Pebbles face. Pebbles did not know what hit her and kept rubbing her face with her paw. It was hilarious.

Leo was sick when the baby was about 2.5 weeks and that sucked. This last week he had the flu but he is better now. Aside from being sick he is doing so good with Nicolas. On weekends we alternate who sleeps in and he helps out the nights when Nicolas is having a rough night.

We have been homebodies for the last 7 weeks. It is sort of hard going from carefree to being completely consumed by this new life but we are adjusting. Because Nicolas is such a good baby we have been able to go out to dinner.

Yesterday he had a really rough day where all he did was eat, poop, cry and take 10 minute naps. We figured out that all he wanted to do was sleep. Once he finally fell asleep he only woke up to feed and today he is having a better day.

I'm going to take advantage of the next 5 weeks and cherish the moments I have with him. I've started to think of how hard it is going to be leaving him at daycare. But don't want to think about it too much so I won't get sad.

He has his two month appointment on April 23. He is getting really big, we are estimating his weight to be close to 10 lbs!

Here is a link to all my albums of Nicolas.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Birth Story and the first days with Nicolas

Hey all,
From Nicolas week 1


So most of you all know that Nicolas has arrived on February 23 at 9:41 am. But let me start at the beginning.

On Friday night, 02/20 my due date, Leo and I went out to get dinner. We got home and while watching tv, I feel asleep as normal. We went to sleep at around 12:30am. At about 1:30am, I woke up having a "pain" in my stomach. I thought it was indigestion so I tried to go back to sleep. The "pain" went away and then as I was drifting back off to sleep the "pain" hit again and then again, at 10 minute intervals. I went to the bathroom and came back and the "pain" was still coming and going. I woke up Leo and I told him that I thought I was having contractions. He then says, "so do you feel like pushing." He got a little ahead of himself. We started timing the contractions and they were coming every 10-15 minutes. I could not go back to sleep so I just tried to relax and rest. I got up around 9am and took a shower, washed my hair and picked up around the house. I also finished packing my bag because I thought that the contractions would get closer together and we may be heading to the hospital that day. Leo, Pebbles and I went for a 2 mile walk around the neighborhood and got back and the contractions were getting stronger and were coming for often maybe 8 minutes apart. We decided to go to dinner and got back but the contractions were not getting any closer or stronger. We decided to go to bed at around midnight after we tried watching a movie. The contractions were getting really strong especially when I was lying down. So every time I'd have a contraction I would get up from bed and try to breath through them. Leo tried to sleep but I didn't get any sleep. I decided to call the doc and ask them what I should do. The doc told me to have 2 tylenol and 2 benadryls and try to sleep. This didn't do anything for the pain and it didn't get me drowsy. We got up and decided to go to the mall and walk around to see if the contractions got any worse and then we could finally go to the hospital. I was having to stop every few minutes and breath through the contractions. The people at the mall were looking at us like we were crazy.

We got home and I decided to call the doc again and ask them what else I could do. The doc told me to take an Ambien (a very strong sleeping pill). I took the pill and I was able to sleep for only 20 minutes. This was at about 5 pm. I roughed out the contractions for another 3 hours and then the contractions were coming every six minutes, lasting more than a minute and I really had to concentrate to get through them. I told Leo that we should go to the hospital, I was so tired of being up for 2 days with no rest. I was hoping that these contractions were real and that the baby would soon be here. We got to the hospital at around 8:30pm, they checked me out and I was 2-3 centimeters dilated and contracting every 4 minutes. They decided to admit me. It then hit me that I was in real labor. They took us to the room and then monitored the baby and me for about 20 minutes. The nurse then let us go for a walk around the hospital to try to make the pain more bearable. We walked for about 40 minutes which flew by. We got back to the room at around 11:45 pm and while I really wanted to go natural, I stood up to try to get through the contraction and my legs were so weak they started trembling. I then knew that I could not handle labor if I were to have to go a few more hours with the pain and the lack of sleep. The anesthesiologist came by at around 12:15 am, 02/23, and gave me the epidural. I was 5 cm dilated at this time. I was finally able to sit and lay down and I slept for at most 3 hours and the rest of the time I just rested in bed. Leo slept that whole time in a chair next to me.

At around 6 am I felt a gush, I called the nurse and she confirmed that my water had broken. The 2nd nurse came in at 7am and checked me and said I was fully dilated and was ready to push. That freaked me out a little. I had no urge to push so I wanted to wait for my body to tell me to push. I asked if I could have like 30 minutes to see if I ever felt the urge to push. The nurse came back and I still didn't feel any urge but I figured I couldn't stall anymore. So we started pushing at 8am. I pushed with the nurse and the help of Leo for the next hour. The nurse called the doctor in and the doctor made it at around 9:15am. Those last 26 minutes were the hardest. I thought he was never going to come out. Finally the doc said, ok he is coming and then he was finally out! It was such a wonderful feeling. There were so many emotions in those minutes when they put the baby on my stomach. The one that stands out is of pure and utter love. The tears just started rolling and I felt so relived that labor to finally over and that Nicolas was finally out. He was healthy and beautiful. He was born at 9:41 am, weighed 6 lbs 13 ounces, was 19.5 inches and has a full head of hair.

The hospital stay was great. The nurses were wonderful and we tried to rest while we were there b/c we knew it would only get harder once we got home. We stayed at the hospital until Wednesday.

Nicolas is doing great, he cries when he is hungry, dirty and cold. The first night home was pretty rough. He was feeding almost every 1.5 hours. The pediatrician said that he was doing great and the lactation consultant was awesome and gave us some really great information.

From Nicolas week 1


And while we are sleep deprived, emotions are running high and we are adjusting to our new lives, I would not trade it for anything. I truly love Leo more now then before, I can't describe the love I feel for my son and could not imagine our family (including Pebbles) any other way.

PS: Pebbles is doing great. She is respecting his space and we only let her get close enough to lick his feet. She is very curious about him but not overly excited. Nicolas does not even flinch when Pebbles barks. He is used to her barking since he's been hearing it since he's been in my belly.

Sorry this is so long but I wanted to share what I was feeling with all my friends and family.

Here is a link to pics of us at the hospital and Nicolas.
http://picasaweb.google.com/nataliasanc/NicolasWeek1?feat=directlink

Sunday, February 15, 2009

39 weeks...Nicolas could be here any day!



Happy Valentine's Weekend!! Leo and I had a very low key but great valentine's. We ran some errands yesterday and I cooked a fabulous dinner; ribs, mashed potatoes, onion rings, and creme brulee. Yummy. Today we went for a wonderful buffet brunch at noon, went to the movies and now we are relaxing.

The week has been pretty uneventful. On Monday I went for my 38 week appointment and there was no progress. I thought that maybe with a full moon on Monday, there was a possibility that this baby would make his grand appearance but he is too comfortable to come out yet. Work has been pretty busy since I'm trying to get stuff ready before I go on maternity leave.

I've been feeling pretty good lately, no swelling or much weight gain but long walks are becoming more uncomfortable. Pebbles and I went walking this week three times and it used to take me about 30 minutes to do two miles. Now it is taking me more like 45 minutes to do the same mileage. I can tell she is pretty bored when we walk, she will be so happy once we start running again. This last week I've been really thinking about getting back my body. It feels like I've been pregnant forever, yet I know that when it is over, I will actually miss my belly and feeling Nicolas move.

When I get up in the middle of the night to go use the restroom, all I think is, please don't let it be now. I know it is going to happen but for some reason the middle of the night freaks me out. I don't feel emotionally ready but I'm not sure if I ever will. I hope that when I'm finally in labor, all my worries about not being ready will go away.

Leo had a dream with Nicolas and he had a bunch of dark hair; I can't wait to see if he was right and to finally meet the little boy that has been growing in my belly.

Crazy to think that this may be the last blog about my pregnancy!! I have really enjoyed sharing my pregnancy with all my friends and family. It wasn't terribly exciting but it has been great! I just want to thank God for having such an easy pregnancy. Hopefully the pics that I post next time will be of the new addition and the new and improved Sanchez family.

Love,
Nat

Saturday, January 31, 2009

37 weeks, 3 weeks to go!

Hi all! Things have been busy around the Sanchez house. We are trying to get the house ready for the baby. I've been clearing out the clutter, cleaning, and we have hired people to come and clean the carpet and the house. I told Leo today that we should have a baby more often, we have gotten a bunch of stuff done in the last few weeks. The nursery is finally done! It is very peaceful and it came out better than I expected. Click here to see the pics. For Christmas Leo got me track lighting for the kitchen and we installed it ourselves! Believe it, since I've been pregnant Leo doesn't say no to me too often. I'm going to miss this once the baby is born. It was pretty hard work since I was limited and Leo had to do most of it.

Last weekend was our last childbirth class and overall they were very informative. I hope we can implement what they taught us. I think the hardest part for me is going to be the relaxation part. I hope I can be calm and just work with my body when the time comes.

On Jan 22, my co-workers had a baby shower for me at work. They were so sweet and generous. They gave us the mattress for the crib, diapers, clothes, and blankets. The pictures are below.

I've heard that the last few weeks are hard because you are so uncomfortable but I'm still sleeping pretty good; I'm only a little achy if I stay in one place for too long and some days I'm tired but most days I feel normal. I've stopped jogging now because I come back very achy so instead I'm walking. Pebbles holds me accountable to at least 3 times per week. I'm truly amazed at how well I'm still feeling. I love feeling the baby move, he is getting so big that his movements are very obvious. I don't know what body parts I'm feeling but I know I'm either feeling a leg or a little butt or his back. It truly is an amazing feeling.

I'm up to a little over 20 pounds and I'm just grateful it is mostly in my belly. My belly has gotten pretty big in the last few weeks. I started going to the doctor's once a week and everything is progressing on target. The baby is head down which is good news.
From Baby Pics


From Baby Pics
I think Leo is getting anxious and wants the baby out soon. Me, on the other hand, I'm ready to not be pregnant but I don't feel ready for the responsibility of a baby. But I know it is coming and soon. In the last week I've started to picture the baby in our lives and this is getting me a little more ready. I've also started to wonder what he will look like, how much hair he will have, how big he will be, etc. Leo kisses my belly good night every night and one night this week he says "be nice to your mommy on your way out." I thought this was really sweet and funny. I'm hoping for the same thing.

We'll keep you posted on any new developments.

Work Baby Shower
Nursery & Belly pics

Sunday, January 18, 2009

35 weeks (8 months, 1 more month to go)

I'm currently 35 weeks and 2 days. Just 5 more weeks to the due date and getting closer to meeting Nicolas. It was a little hard to concentrate on work since we got back but I think I'm back to normal. Not many pregnancy complaints, but I do feel a little more achy and I'm slightly more fatigued on some days. Most days I feel good but there are days that I am tired and have no energy to do anything. The weather here is not helping either, it has been cold and dreary for the majority of our time back.

Last weekend my girlfriends from work threw me a beautiful baby shower. The pictures are below. They truly went all out and I got a bunch great gifts.



Tomorrow I have the day off and I have my bi-weekly appointment. The nursery is basically done. All we need is to buy the mattress and get all the clothes and sheets washed. Yesterday, Leo and I went to our 2nd childbirth class. The classes have been really good. I'm hoping I can take what they have told me and really use all the pointers while I'm in labor. It is crazy how fast the time is moving now. Early on I felt that time was dragging now it is just flying by. I'm just praying that Nicolas is healthy and that we are ready to become parents.

Today was somewhat eventful. Leo and I tried to install the track lighting he got me for Christmas. All I will say was that it looks better than before but it was a pain in the butt to install. I think we may need to get a professional to come out to install it better.

Here are the most current belly pictures.
From Baby Pics
From Baby Pics

We'll keep you posted.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

33 weeks and Holiday's In Miami


This is going to be a short blog because we just made it back home after driving up from Miami. We drove down to Miami on Dec 22 and arrived on Dec 23. Spending time with my family and friends was great! On the 27th I had my baby shower. It was great, the decorations were so cute and I got a bunch of gifts. I got a bunch of money so now I can go shopping for the essentials things we are missing for the baby.

Leo and I decided to take some maternity pictures and they came out great! It was a beautiful day and my dad did a great job. The link is below to some pictures.

New Year's was so much fun and it made me reflect on the great things that happened in 2008 and the excitement to come in 2009.

I have my 33 week appointment tomorrow and I don't want to know how much weight I've gained since the last appointment. It was so nice to get croquetas and pastelitos on every street corner. The baby has been moving more consistently and I've been thinking a lot of all the things we still have to do. It feels nice to be home after almost 2 weeks. I have uploaded some pics of the nursery. We bought some really cool lamps and finished building the dresser/changer.

Here are some links to pictures of the last two weeks.

http://picasaweb.google.com/nataliasanc/BabyPics?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/nataliasanc/Christmas2008?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/nataliasanc/NewYearS2008?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/nataliasanc/MaternityPics?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/nataliasanc/MiamiBabyShower?feat=directlink