Wednesday, July 11, 2018

MILEStones Month 1

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I am a little late to the party, but to be honest, that first month after bringing little man home was a liiiiitle crazy, (that may be the understatement of the year), and I didn't have a chance to blog. But that first month was so life changing, I decided I have to blog about it so we can always remember it.

 It is true what they say, those first few weeks are Survival Mode, and I couldn't agree more. Those first couple weeks I was averaging about 3 hours of sleep a night. For some reason that first week Miles did not want to sleep AT ALL during the night. We were so tired that we were able to take naps during the day with him, but there really is no tired like "new parent" tired. I would send my mom pictures and she waited to tell me weeks later that I had 'triple bags under my eyes,' (her words, not mine). But looking back on that first month, and despite how tired I was, it still is amazing to me how tiny he was, how snuggly he was, and how my heart was changed forever. I never knew that I was capable of loving someone as much as I love Miles. I've heard it all my life, that you never really know unconditional love until you have kids, and I now understand what they were talking about. I count my blessings every day that God was so good to us, blessing us with a pregnancy, and a healthy baby. It is something I will be grateful for every day of my life. 

Month One MILEStones

I weigh 10 Pounds 2 Ounces (Exactly 2 pounds heavier than I was when I born!)
I stand 22.5 inches tall (my cone-head is all gone!)
I have zero teeth
I love hanging out on my changing table and I love baths!
I don't like being swaddled too tight
I can grab fingers really tight!

Here are some pictures of my first month home with Mommy and Daddy

Daddy took this at 3 in the afternoon-Mommy and I were tired!

Before and After :)

Daddy loves snuggling with me too :)

These were some of the triple bags Mimi was talking about

Swaddled for a nap 

Mom says my lips are her favorite, can you blame her?

One of the first small smiles Mommy caught on camera

Sleeping on Mommy is one of my favorite things to do

Ready for one of my first outings! 
The yellow jaundice in my eye still hadn't gone away :(


I promise Daddy is happy, he is just really tired

I'm perfecting the art of sleeping

Meeting my best friend Jacob and Auntie Meagan for the first time!

Mommy says soon I'll be too big for this :(

One of my favorite memories from my first month was watching Uncle Nick graduate!

Styling

I think I like this lady

 Happy One Month Miles!!
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Monday, July 9, 2018

My Brother is a GRADUATE!!

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A few weeks ago we celebrated my amazing brother and his huge accomplishment of graduating! Graduating is no easy task-everyone has their own journey, and my brother had a pretty cool one! Not only did he graduate with a degree in Communications from Cal State East Bay, but he is graduating with a whole lot of amazing memories. Over the course of his college career, he has participated in some pretty spectacular things: He was part of the Las Positas Forensics team the Talk Hawks, where he got to travel the world and spent some time in BELGIUM for a competition, he was cast in a number of musical theatre shows, such as Phantom of the Country Opera, and even STARRED in She Loves Me at Cal State East Bay, and he made some pretty amazing friends along the way. He accomplished all this while working almost full time, participated in a multitude of other theatre shows, and still managed to see his lame older sister once in awhile ;) I honestly couldn't be prouder of him for always working hard, pushing through when he didn't want to, and to finish what he started. Yes, I am the older sister, but I look up to him in so many ways. 
On Graduation Day

So in order to celebrate this huge achievement, Mike and I decided to throw him a Graduation Party to celebrate him! We had lots of food, some corn hole, good friends, and just a down right good time!
Nick and his Crew

Miles is so proud of his Uncle Nick!

Friends from elementary and high school!

The Fam Bam

They haven't missed a milestone yet!

Two of my favorite people 

Nick and Kai go back to elementary school!

The most important men in my life

We love Mimi!

Some of his wonderful college friends!

Nick and his gal

Just because he's the graduate doesn't mean I let him win at Corn Hole

Thanks so much to everyone for making the trek out to celebrate Nick!

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Monday, July 2, 2018

Birth Story Part 2

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Welcome Back! We left off as I began to learn what everyone was talking about in regards to contractions. You can read Part 1 of our birth story here. It's funny, looking back on it now, I don't really remember laboring all night or being in any kind of pain at all, it's all kind of a blur. But when I really think about it, I can put myself back in those moments. The contractions were honestly the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life, and because I was on pitocin, they came pretty frequently. I was also having intense back pain, and I chalked it up to me just lying on my back all night, but I would find out later why I felt it there so intensely. Sometimes I wouldn't have a full let down before the next one started. But I did my best to breathe through them, and Mike was wonderful, he stood by my side and squeezed my hand the whole night. He massaged my legs, my feet, anything to try and help give me relief. By 5 am, I couldn't take it anymore, and I asked the nurse for an epidural. She called the anesthesiologist, and she told me there were 4 people ahead of me and it could be another hour or two before they got to me! I honestly couldn't imagine another 2 hours of contractions, and I think she could see that on my face, so she offered to check my cervix, and depending on how far along I was dilated, that could push me to the front of the line. I said yes please, and turns out I was 4cm, and before I knew it, the anesthesiologist was walking in to the room-yay! I had to fight through a lot of contractions while she put it in, so Mike and the nurse had to hold me still. I honestly didn't feel anything and before I knew it, I was feeling relief. It was honestly so amazing, to go from so much pain, to barely anything. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep! 

 When I woke up, the nurse and midwife who was on call walked in, and I couldn't believe it! The midwife that Mike and I had been seeing throughout our pregnancy walked in and said she was on shift until 7, and there was a good chance she would be delivering our baby. I can't tell you how comforting it was to see a familiar face in such a whirlwind of a storm. About about an hour later, the nurse checked me again around 11 am and I was at a 10-I had made it! This was it! The time was here! 

 I started to push, and thanks to the epidural, I didn't feel any pain, and I was starting to get the hang of it. About 30 minutes in, the nurse said she could see his head! So to me, I didn't think it would be that much longer...boy was I wrong. Flash forward FOUR hours, and we still weren't making any progress. As I would push, he would come down a bit, but then he would regress back. Our midwife called a doctor to come in and check our progress, and because I had been pushing for so long, they started to suggest other options. The three options on the table were: 

 1. C-Section. It would be considered non-emergency, so Mike would get to be in the room, but because I had pushed for so long, I would essentially be recovering from both a vaginal delivery and a C-Section. Not ideal friends...
2. The Vacuum. I would avoid a C-Section, but there was a chance it could break his shoulder as he came out, or it wouldn't work and we would need to do an emergency C-Section anyway, and Mike wouldn't get to be in the room.
3. Continue pushing on the small chance he could still come vaginally, with the possibility of 1 or 2 still happening.

 At this point, I looked to Mike and I told him I was so incredibly exhausted I didn't think I could make a decision. The midwife told me to try pushing a couple more times to see if we could make any progress before making a final decision, and I agreed. Lord have mercy, I must have went to a different planet, because the next few minutes I felt like I was having an outer body experience. God was definitely sending me strength, because before I knew it, our midwife was suiting up and she said it was happening! My mom and Mike were by my side the entire time, encouraging me and cheering me on. I pushed a couple more times and I heard my mom scream "he's here!" Next thing I knew, they were placing my son on my chest, and I swear I think I died and went to heaven. It was the single most magical moment of my entire life. 


Miles Grey Petrellese
Born Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 3:26 PM
Weighing 8 Pounds 2 Ounces
22.5 Inches Long

Daddy and Miles doing their first skin to skin

Absolutely exhausted, but this was the happiest moment of my entire life

Miles' first selfie

Officially a Family of Three

The next few hours were kind of a blur. Once things had settled, we learned that he was born sunny side up- that's why I was having such intense back pain during labor. They also told us that the cord had been wrapped around his neck TWICE. That was why he had such a hard time getting out-that and he kept hitting my pelvic bone trying to make his way out. Poor guy had a gnarly gash on his head. *Funny Fact* He had such a huge cone head that the nurses actually warned Mike and my mom and said, "Don't worry, it won't stay that way." And boy did he have a cone head you guys. 

 A couple hours after he was born, we were moved to the Mom and Baby Unit where our immediate families came and visited us for a bit. That night was so weird, sleeping in a room with my husband and our son. It was so surreal. After all our ups and downs during the pregnancy, I honestly couldn't believe Miles was finally here. 

 Right after Miles was born, I lost a lot of blood and started to hemorrhage. Thankfully, the doctors were able to get it under control. But because of the blood loss, we were told to stay in the hospital until Monday. So even though Mike couldn't wait to sleep in his own bed (poor guy got less sleep than I did that weekend), it was nice to have extra helping hands as I was recovering.  
Pure Bliss
We waited for you for so long, Little Man


I've never felt a feeling more magical than holding my son on my chest

What a blessing, Miles was born the day before Mother's Day!
This was my first Mother's Day, and my Mom's 30th :)
All in all, I had a wonderful experience. Everyone, from the triage nurses, to our delivery room staff, and especially our nurses in the Mom and Baby Unit, were absolutely fantastic. I have nothing but amazing things to say about them, and it was a weekend I will look back on and never forget. We couldn't be any more grateful to have been blessed with a healthy son. 
The ride home. Off to start our new adventure of a family of three!
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Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Birth Story Part 1

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Well. I did it. I survived labor. As excited as I was for Miles to get here safe and sound after the gnarly pregnancy we had, I was still nervous about labor, as I think most women are before having their first child. But we kicked some butt, got through it, and now we have the greatest gift we could ever have hoped for. 

We were scheduled to be induced Saturday night, May 12, at 39 weeks, so Mike and I were anxiously awaiting. We had it all planned out, what we were going to do on Saturday, our last day just the two of us. But like with most things, God laughed at our plans and had other things in mind. On Friday, May 11, I went to my last OB appointment, she checked my cervix and I was soft, only about 1 cm dilated. She said obviously that could change, but it was a good sign that my body had started something on its own, that it may make my induction go a bit smoother. She wished me luck and sent me on my merry way. When I got home, I decided to take a nap, knowing the next few days I probably wouldn't get a ton of sleep. When I woke up a couple hours later, I got up, moseyed downstairs, and stood in front of the pantry in search for some Cheetos (guilty as charged, don't judge me), when all of a sudden I felt a small gush. I thought, was that really my water breaking? As soon as I asked that, I felt it again, so I headed upstairs and checked my underwear, where there was definitely a good amount of fluid. I called my friend Sam and asked her what her experience was like when her water broke and she said it sounded liked mine had broken! I decided to jump in the shower to wash my hair because it had been a few days since I washed my hair and I knew I could be in the hospital for the few days, and when I got out, dried off, was getting ready to get dressed, I felt another gush, and decided, yes, my water had probably broken. I called Mike and he couldn't believe it since I was a week early and we were scheduled to go in the next day, but he came right home. We called the hospital, told them what happened, and they told me to come right in. 


*Fun Fact: less than 48 hours prior, Mike and I went to Skipolinis Pizza and ordered the famous Preggo Pizza which has been said to cause women to go in to labor. We thought there was no way since I was over a week early, but I don't think it's a coincidence that my water broke so soon after, so I'd say it was a success!*
It worked!!
It was such a weird walk from the car to the hospital, knowing that we were walking in as a family of 2, and we'd be leaving as a family of 3. When we checked in to labor and delivery, they put me on the monitors, did a check, and confirmed that my water did break and we were going to be admitted! With all the labor and delivery trips we had made throughout our pregnancy, it was a huge sigh of relief to know that the time had finally come and it was finally here. 

They moved us in to our room, which was so nice, and they ordered me dinner before they started me on pitocin to get the party started. Once I got started on the pitocin, my mom stopped by to stay with me while Mike ran home to grab a few more things since it was official that we would be staying. Contractions weren't too bad at first, but then they kept turning it up to have the contractions come more frequently. My mom left the hospital around 11, Mike settled in to his not-so-cozy-couch, and we waited. Throughout the night, the contractions became more intense, and I started to understand what everyone had been talking about....

Stay tuned to see if I got an epidural and for the final part of our birth story tomorrow...
Mike put this Out of Office on his door before he left work to take me to the hospital, I thought it was cute :)


My gourmet meal of hospital of meatloaf, yuuuummy
Our last photo of a family of TWO!


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Monday, May 7, 2018

Maternity Mondays - Week 38

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Holy cow friends. This is it. This is my last week being pregnant!! It really hasn't sunk in yet to be honest. I am so incredibly excited, but also really nervous! Due to a concern with the umbilical cord, they are wanting to induce us a week early. So when we walk into the hospital next Saturday night, we know we will be walking out as a family of THREE! Which is so incredibly overwhelming to think about. 
Awkward
-Everything about my physically is awkward at this stage
-The number of times I get up to pee in the middle of the night - my poor husband

Awesome
-Getting my last mani/pedi for awhile. I had to choose a baby blue color in honor of our little man
-Knowing we made it as far as we can go. That is such a blessing and a relief to us


How far along? 38 Weeks
Maternity Clothes? Yep. I'll be honest. I'm pretty much living in my comfy pj pants and a baggy shirt. Nothing else makes me feel as comfortable at this point. 
Stretch Marks? Just the couple small dots on my hips, but those are the only ones so far!
Best Moment this Week: Having one last Me Date, treating myself to a mani-pedi
Miss Anything: I think being able to sleep comfortably. I know sleep will be few and far between in a week or so, but being able to physically get comfortable will be a small blessing
Movement: This little man is one stubborn dude. On Friday, I didn't feel him at all, so we had to make the trip to Labor and Delivery. Even though his heartbeat came up strong on the NST, the doctor was concerned for lack of movement when she did the ultrasound. She told us that if the movement was still not what it should be, to call back the next day. Low and behold, the next day, no kicks. Went back in to L and D, heartbeat was incredibly solid, and we had little movement on the ultra sound machine. They scheduled me for another NST for Monday for an extra day of monitoring just to be safe. Flash forward to Sunday, he's moving up a storm. This little guy likes to keep us on our toes!
Food Cravings: Not really, just looking forward to eating a deli sandwich :)
Labor Signs: Just the Braxton Hicks at this point, and is becoming more and more exhausted a sign of labor? ;)
Looking Forward to: This time next week, I might be a Mom. And the blessing of that is not lost on me. I just cannot wait. 
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Thursday, May 3, 2018

Hubby's Hockey Tourny

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Oh CAHA. Each year my hubby plays in the California Amateur's Hockey Association tournament, and it is one of our favorite weekends of the year! This was our 4th year, 4th year! Every year, the same group of guys get together and kick butt at the tourny down in San Jose. The past few years, Mike and I have gotten a hotel and stayed in San Jose with the team, and treat it as a mini getaway. We spend most of the days at the rink, then go up to the awesome bar/restaurant they have that overlooks the rinks and pig out on bar food and beer. Then we usually all go out for a team dinner and hit the town for some drinks after. This year, obviously, looked a bit different for us. Me being 9 months pregnant, it was just going to be too much for me. So this year we stayed at my parents house in Castro Valley and drove down for each game. It worked out well, but we definitely missed spending the whole weekend with the team! The guys on the team, and their wives/girlfriends have become like our second family, and we feel so grateful to have this awesome group in our lives! 

Here's a look down memory lane of past tournaments! 
2014


This was our first year back in 2014! It was 11 am and we had already celebrated with 3 mimosas each, oh what a fun day we had
This was 2 weeks before he proposed! He had told the team, so they all knew, but I had NO IDEA!! We look like babies!
2015
In between games we went to Dave and Busters! Played some games, had some shots, and had an awesome time.

Our group out for drinks after a day of hockey!
2016

One of the only times you will see my hubby drink alcohol is on this weekend :)
2 of my favorite girls - out with our men!

2017
Last year I attended a John Pardi concert with work friends the day before the tourny, and the concert was right across the street from the hotel Mike and I were staying at! Definitely a fun way to start the weekend early!
Hubby snapped this pic of me before the first game :)

As a thank you for freezing my butt off at the rink all weekend, hubby treated me to some Cream :)

Last year my poor husband's back went out in Game 3, so he had to sit out the last game of the tourny.

2018

9 Months preggers but still cheering my man on!



All the wives/gfs! 
Silly hubby photobombing. Love this girl so much

Some of the best men I know! 
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Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Tasty Tuesday

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Hey all, happy Tuesday! I am sharing a recipe that has become a staple in our house lately. It is from my favorite, The Pioneer Woman, who always has guilty pleasure recipes that Mike and I really enjoy. This dish is great for a family weeknight meal, but it is also easy to make for a party or group get together because it makes a lot of portions. 



Red and Green Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
-1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
-1/2 Whole Onion, Diced
-1 Clove Garlic, Minced
-10 ounces, weight Fresh Baby Spinach
-4 Tablespoons Butter
-1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
-2-1/2 cups Whole Milk, More If Needed
-2 Tablespoons Chopped Basil
-2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley
-Salt And Pepper, to taste
-30 ounces, weight Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
-1 Jar of Marinara Sauce
-1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, Plus More For Sprinkling
-1 whole Large Egg
-12 ounces, weight Jumbo Pasta Shells (25 To 30 Shells) Cooked Until Slightly Firmer Than Al Dente

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until the onion starts to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring continuously, until it's slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove the spinach from the pan and let it cool slightly, then place it inside a few paper towels and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Give it a rough chop and set it aside.

Turn the heat to medium-low, then, in the same skillet, melt the butter and sprinkle the flour over the top. Whisk it together to make a roux, then cook it for a minute or two. Slowly add the milk, whisking out lumps as you go, and cook it until the white sauce is thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in half the basil, half the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Add another 1/4 cup milk if the white sauce is too thick. Taste and adjust the seasonings. 

In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, the rest of the basil, the rest of the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste until combined. Stir in the chopped spinach mixture.

To assemble the shells, use a spoon to fill the pasta shells with the cheese mixture. Place the shells seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish or disposable foil baking pan. Pour the marinara evenly over the shells, then ladle the white sauce over the marinara in a zig-zag/line design. Finally, sprinkle with more Parmesan. 

Bake it in a preheated 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

***To freeze, cover the unbaked shells tightly with heavy foil and freeze for up to 6 months. To bake the frozen casserole, place it in a 375 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, then uncover and continue baking for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how frozen it was. 
OR
***Thaw the pan in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, then bake as directed.
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