greenbeanbaby art

isabella arrived!!!

my sweet li'l isabella mae is finally here and gosh, it's wonderful!!!! i will give you isabella's birth story  as briefly as possible:

sunday was my duedate.... she decided to stay in for a couple extra days.... tuesday at around 4:30am i was getting some mean contractions that shot through my leg... not fun.... i remained calm and without much hope that "this was the day" because i was literally tired of hoping for "THE" day... you know, i didn't wanna anticipate and find out it wasn't time... anyhow, i did a bit of walking around our kitchen table because the contractions were hurting more than usual and i was uncomfortable.... after an hour, i called the midwife and she said to wait it out for another hour to 2 hours.... i took a bath and within the hour i was ready to go to the hospital....

after making sure the house was clean and diego was ready (for daycare and a day at my sister's house)... we drove to the hospital by 7am.... i was pretty set on going natural (without pain meds) as long as possible but in the car, i was sooooo ready to have that epidural... by the time we made it to the labor and delivery room, i was 7-8cm dialated... and yep, i got the epidural, although, it didn't kick in as well as when i had diego... those contractions were still pretty rough and shooting through my leg...

with ramel and my mom around (THANKFULLY- they are the greatest to have around!), we waited until about 10am for them to break my water in hopes that the pain medication would numb me better... it didnt so we decided to push.... actually, i didn't want to- haha... did i mention i was in pain?! i mean, i know labor is supposed to hurt but really, i did not feel well enough to finish the task at hand... they kept telling me to push during a  contraction and i just wanted to cry.... i could feel most of everything still, and let me just say, it hurt!!!

my eyes were closed the entire time but by 11:19am, they told me to open them and there, on my belly, was isabella... crying loudly.... i could see her chubby chubby cheeks and all her curly black hair... it was amazing to finally see her (and truthfully, to have her out of me).... my beautiful girl!! ramel cut the cord, my mom took the photos, and i held my girl... isabella was 7lbs 5oz and 21 inches long...

so we are home here and doing wonderfully!!!! resting as much as possible (although, i am itching to work on art- no lie!) and the family is at peace... diego is  handling her with much care and love... he likes to help and he doesn't like to hear her cry... he is being the best big brother around, and that is such a relief and so touching to see...

thank you everyone for the kind comments, support, encouragement, and concern... i owe several emails and thank you notes will be sent out in due time... in the meantime, i am learning about my new girl, my new family, and everything in between...

take a close look....

at the li'l clock by the booties... it says "E E E E E" and it does NOT stand for ellia.... it means, april 15th is  my duedate and the ticker has run out.... however, should i mention that i am still pregnant?!  yes, indeed, isabella is still wiggling in my sore and stretched belly....

she will come when she is ready, and i know that no matter what natural labor inducers i use, she will eventually meet her family... but the waiting is difficult, the contractions hurt, i feel as awkward as a giraffe stuck in an elevator and i am sore... i shouldn't complain but the reality is, i am kinda sad that april 15th has come and there is still a big belly in front of me... i've only waited 9 months...

tuesday, i go to the doctor to set up a date for inducing... so by the end of next week, isabella should be born.... if you are curious and do not see me around much these days, be sure to check my mom's flickr page... she will be the first to announce isabella's birth for me as well as show photos...

in the meantime, i've been working on new items for my etsy shop.... i will be  having a grand re-opening in mid-may and will have a ton of goodies available... so keep a lookout on my blog for more sneak peeks and updates.... so sorry it has been all about baby lately....

now, to go back to waiting for that moment when i can finally head to the hospital...

the waiting game

a very short post but with lotsa pictures..... as you can see i am still pregnant... 40wks, feeling strong contractions that aren't strong enough to send me into full-fledged labor... alot of sleeping and walking seem to keep isabella content with remaining in the belly.... i am aching to get the baby out and anxious to meet her...

 
in the meantime, i'm trying to work on belated gifts and artwork.... here is something i made for my dear friend.... it's an illustration on a bill organizer (similar to my mini folders)... the illustration is of her son and daughter... one day her daughter was crying because she wanted mom... mom was a tad busy so the son decided to console the daughter... mom saw it and was moved at such a moment.... so i thought to make it long-lasting and even more memorable by putting it on paper (and a bill organizer)

here is the front of the organizer... the son is diego's age.... and the daughter is born on diego's birthday but she is not quite a year yet... anyhow, i hope my friend likes it! it was finally shipped out yesterday although her her birthday was april 1st... and it wont get there 'til 2wks... phooey...

 
while i've been working on art, diego got his fill of decorating easter eggs with his favorite cousin, ananda.... we went over to my sister's house and the two decorated spongebob squarepants eggs... diego's first egg was patrick (thus the choice of pink).... and nana's was spongebob... literally, as i type, ramel is breaking the eggs so diego could eat it... sadly, the kid is crying because he no longer has a spongebob egg...

speaking of, i think diego senses the change... he's been acting up at daycare even... he doesn't want to come home or he always wants to be elsewhere... my dad dropped off some bread for me and diego was ready to just leave me and go with him.... and he is so quick to tell me goodbye.... am i no fun to be around with anymore?!  yeah, shouldn't let it bother me but ya know, when your kid is eager to be away from you, it gets ya thinking... still, my sweet diego does love to cuddle and that is something i am very good at lately (lying down and relaxing- haha)...

ah, keep your fingers crossed... i hope isabella comes this week!!!! my belly is ready to pop...

38wks: full belly, filled room

well, i am still pregnant and um, feeling it... no progress and nothing new other than isabella seems to be active and relaxed... however, the weekend was filled with lots of love and surprises from my fellow blog/flickr friends and family... can you tell?!

on friday, my mom and sister set up a shower for isabella at 7pm... however, i went to my mom's earlier that day at 1:30pm and there on the table, were a bunch of boxes!!!! all from different flickr and blogging buddies!!! such a splendid surprise, VERY unexpected and MUCH appreciated!!!! madeline set it up for me and many people participated by sending the items to my mom's house... (a few made it by me too!!) my mom took over 80 photos and there is no way, i can share them all here, but you can see each one of them over at this link...


every person who has sent me something, has blessed my family and i so much!!! i cannot even tell you all how thankful i am with all the love shared and the warm compliments you all give!!! the virtual shower and the baby shower at night were just heartwarming and of course, a fun event! each gift given will be cherished, used, loved, and is appreciated... there were even gifts for diego, who took each one right away with a huge grin!!! it was the best friday i had!!!!!

guys aren't big into looking at every single outfit for the new babe, but ramel got the overall gist of all the items received... from artwork to outfits to bibs to blankets... and toys for diego too!!!!! here is diego sneaking in the photo and HE grabbed the bib that says "i love my big brother"... i asked ramel if he wanted to pick out the outfit for the baby when she comes home, but he said "ANYTHING PINK", which won't be hard!!!! haha

thank you all so very much for the kindness and love you have extended to my family!!! i am overwhelmed and overjoyed at how much you all treat my family nice and with love.... i don't think i ever met a bunch of people who were this giving and sweet, seriously!!! thanks so much!!!!