Good News Mama!

I think it's been hitting me more often that I'm gonna be giving birth soon (I'm currently 32 weeks..5 more weeks left til my scheduled c-section!) The baby inside of us is so much bigger than when Evangeline was delivered, and this babe's been kicking and rolling and making waves across my tummy. It's almost like having an alien inside and to be honest, it kind of weird haha! Before I deliver I just want to make a list of the highlights and lows of this pregnancy, and I think it would be nice to focus on the good before the bad:  Stronger Bond with Kevin: Honestly, this pregnancy tested me so much with how much my body and my heart could handle. But through it all, Kevin was there loving on me, showing compassion and serving me without ever complaining. His kindness and love never cease to surprise me. I know once Baby #2 is here, it will only manifest more ways God has blessed me with such a sweet partner for life. Evangeline bonding with Kevin & pre...

Ever since I got pregnant, I've been extraordinarily sick. Evangeline's whole 6 months inside of me was already tough enough but what I've gone through this past 4 months has traumatized me in a way that makes me want to scream "TIE MY TUBES IN 5 MONTHS PLEASE!!!" I want to post about all the symptoms but I feel like I'll get more sick if I focus on it too much... so I'd rather sit here and write about something that makes me feel a little bit better, and what would that be? My husband. And yeah, maybe writing about the symptoms will go hand in hand in this post. You see, when I say I've been really sick. I mean it. I have thrown up over 34 times (I keep tally while I throw up as a way to distract myself since I need to take "breaks" and breathe a little bit longer each time I force more food out of my body...) And guess who cleans the toilet or the floor after I throw up? Guess who's next to me, makin sure my hair is up and not getti...

And here we go folks... Kevin and I are going to have another baby!!! Hello Baby #2! I'm currently 14 weeks pregnant and am now entering the second trimester zone. First trimester was extraordinarily difficult (triple the symptoms of what I ever went through with Evangeline) and honestly, I am so traumatized that I am willing to tie my tubes after this baby comes out. Thankfully this week there was a change in my symptoms and I'm feeling like I woke up from a bad dream, and it's just nice to feel like I'm myself again. There were a lot of complications the first few weeks, but I'll save that for another post. This post is all about how we found out we were pregnant! If anyone has been following my blog or talks to me on a regular basis, it's been no secret that Kevin and I have been hoping that we would get pregnant before Evangeline turns 3. It's important to us that she is raised with a play mate who is close in age. We've been trying for a...

Ever since Evangeline turned 2, I've tried my best to expose her to classroom settings since she's old enough...I'm trying my best to not be as germaphobic as I was during her first two years of life lol. Last summer, we did a ballet class (which was a major fail, she didn't ever want to follow the teacher's instructions...I just think she wasn't ready yet, esp. since the class was meant for 2-3 year olds, and she wasn't even 2 years old developmentally yet!) But my goodness! There is something SO cute about little girls in tutu's! I'm not even that girly but I loved it! The second class she took was an arts class that is especially good for children with sensory issues. It included a lot of gluing, painting, music time, dancing, and play-dough. Evangeline took a couple of weeks to get used to it, but eventually she enjoyed it and finally touched the play-dough! She refused to touch it the first few weeks unless we put it back in the ziploc bag or ...

I feel like I blinked and 2016 kinda fast-forwarded to November. And it's kinda strange, but I am in a VERY excited state of mind, and I think it has to do with the holidays. Woohoo! Halloween was a blast, and I cannot wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's!!! A couple of exciting things have happened, but one was a pretty big deal for me: I took my GRE!. Today I found out all my scores. Let's just say, based on the (lack of) time I spent studying for 2 weeks, I am genuinely surprised bc my scores were better than I expected! I'm competitive enough to qualify for all the grad programs I want to apply to once I am done with my post-bac (the main four I want to apply for are: CSUN distance program, NYU distance program, Chapman University, and Biola University) The way that the GRE works is that it's a multi-test that lasts for 4+ hours. It's EXHAUSTING. Honestly, I felt like by the end of it all I was losing my mind lol I also felt like I failed! I ...

I cannot believe it is already November! What the HECK! I feel like January was yesterday. This year was a more stable year than last year (too many bad things happened in 2015, it was like one bad thing after another, so I for one am thankful that's over!) 2016 was almost like a transition-year for Kevin and me. Kevin started grad school this year (woohoo! Go Talbot!) and plans to get his Master of Arts in Philosophy within the next two or three years, God willing. Also, it's a pretty big deal for me too, because we decided it would be in the best interest of the family if I also went back to school. As the primary caregiver of Evangeline, I obviously won't finish my grad school as quickly as Kevin. But I don't mind, since I want to stay home with each child for the first five formative years if possible! After many months of going back and forth between occupational therapy (OT) and speech-language pathology (SLP) I made the decision that I would be better suited as...

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection." -Anaiis Nin It's been a few months since I lasted updated this blog. I was talking to a friend a few days ago, and she said "I actually was stalking you through a mutual friend and loved your blog before I met you in person! Your birth story about Evangeline made me cry!" She asked me why I stopped blogging and I honestly didn't know. I think so much has happened these past two years and maybe I just didn't want to record it because I was overwhelmed by it all. Too many things happened. And maybe it was a delayed reaction, but I think the premature birth and long-term consequences of Evangeline's fragile immunity has caused me to shrink back and waddle in doubt and despair. I can be easily overcome by intense emotions such as anger and irritation, and I'll be the first to admit it (thank God for His grace, I am truly a work in progress!) But to be face-to-face with my newf...