Countdown to Champagne 30

It's exactly 11:11 p.m. -- less than an hour till midnight, till my 30th Birthday. A truly prodigious occasion!

It's not every day that one turns 30 on the 30th!

I'm thrilled and excitedly anticipating turning 30 and as much as the 20's has been a fun ride, I know in my heart -- I can just feel it -- that my 30's is going to offer me many more sweet and cherished memories that will shape not only my future but those around me, my loved ones, my family.

The past 29 years has definitely been a roller-coaster of fascinating and joyous and also melancholy memories. 

But I don't regret one. single. thing.

As cliché as it sounds, it's just so true. Every thing, every person, every experience I have encountered in my life - good and bad - has made me the woman that I am today.

Some may think you're only turning 30; the fun has yet to begin! But I have to say I'm pretty darn proud of where I am today and how much I have already accomplished at this tender age.

When I was a teenager, I always said to myself that I would have had a successful career, be married, have children, own a home, seen the Eiffel Tower before my 30's -- check, check, check, check, check.

The things I really wanted the most, I've already been blessed with and for that I am so grateful.

10 years ago I would never have known I would be where I am today -- be as happy and content as I am. 

So I may not have the traveled all over the world yet, or become fluent in more than 3 languages or learned to master some form of ballroom dance but hey, I've got many more years to come and I know that my 30's will offer me the opportunities I desire, even some that will come unexpectedly. Because isn't that always the case?

So bring it 30's! I'm so totally ready for you. Champagne in hand! Cheers!

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Little Girls in Tutus

I don't care if you find it cheesy, but every time I hear Lionel Richie's Ballerina Girl, my throat closes in and tears well up in my eyes.

I think because of the fact that my dad use to listen to this song a lot (he loves his Lionel Richie) when my sister and I were younger and I always dreamed that some day I would have a daughter that was a Ballerina Girl.

Well, last Saturday my dream came true when I saw my little princess prancing around in her tutu in her first ballet class in front of the floor to ceiling mirrored studio wall.

Before I continue, let me tell you how doubtful I was that she would enjoy. Don't get me wrong, my daughter is very social and full of vibrant energy that she can do well in any type of activity but she's definitely not a girly-girl.  She'd rather build forts, splash paint all over an empty canvas or kick around a soccer ball (on our next to-do!) than wear a tutu and dance in a delicate manner.  She does love to dance (a lot) but her idea of dance is to Gangnam style or to Just Dance 4 to Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe. 

After our experience watching The Nutcracker and seeing her face light up with the performance and how much she would hum the tunes of Tchaikovsky while doing her own version of a pirouette, we decided we'd give it a shot.

Parents were encouraged not to stand at the door/windows and watch as it was a distraction for the little ones (all in the same age group 3-5 years old). 

Of course, I was "that" mom, standing at the corner of the door peeking in and snapping whatever photo I can.

Peeking in from the sidelines.

Hey, in my defense it was her first class so I wanted to make sure it was well worth it.

It was a trial class just to see how she would take to it and watching her beaming reaction after coming out of  class solidified it for me.

She came in with her cousin aka BFF and they both enjoyed it very much!

We were very impressed with the teachers, the school and just the reception we received from everyone, even the other parents, that we enrolled her the same day.

Whether she decides to pursue ballet or not, perhaps even branch out into another form of dance, this is a great start!  They say ballet is a good starting point for other forms of dance.

We support our daughter 100% in whatever she chooses to get into as long as she's keeping fit, happy and healthy!

Did you enroll or are you planning on enrolling your child in a class/sport? Which one and why?

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Post-Holiday Wrap Up & A Big Welcome to 2013

December is always such a chaotic month for my family.

On top of the Christmas prep, we also have tons of birthdays to celebrate as well which makes for extra chaos.  

BUT, it's always worth it.

Nothing beats spending quality time with those that you truly love and care for -- nothing but good vibes, good food, lots of laughter and of course the magic of the season.

Every year we celebrate with my entire immediate family. This year was super special because it was my son's first Christmas. Although we were pretty adamant that we did not want to host this year having a new baby and all and since we hosted last year, we knew it would mean a lot more if it was held in our home.

This is also the year we realized we need to make a bigger effort at disguising who "Santa" is moving forward because our incredibly smart four year old's cannot be fooled. "That's not Santa, it's Lolo Ed (Grandpa)!"

Ha! 

To save the night, I piped in by saying, "Oh well, Santa said you are not allowed to see him so he let Grandpa borrow his magic Santa Suit and gave him all the gifts to give you all!" 

It worked!

It was perfect and I couldn't ask for a better way to celebrate Christmas.

For New Years Eve, it was an unusual turn of events this year.  Every single person in our family came down with a mysterious yet potent and ugly virus which meant ringing in the new year on medications, surrounded by kleenex and reeking of Vicks Vaporub.

Again, because it was my son's first NYE and I was feeling a tad better, I went ahead and prepped for a great final 2012 dinner. I popped open the wine and bubbly and mustered up enough energy to stay up till midnight with a smile on my face for the sake of my family (and very energetic kids that managed to stay up till 2 AM!)

It was a good night and the best part of it all was that once the clock struck midnight and the beautiful sounds of Auld Lang Syne played in the background (always gets the tears going), I welcomed this new year in the arms of my beautiful family.

I raise my glass to you all; to a new year filled with good health, happiness, prosperity and wonderful new memories! Cheers!

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Welcome to the World, Son.

There are moments in life where the world seems to stand still.  Where every single thing around you just pauses.
That moment came at 8:13pm on Friday, September 7th 2012, when the only thing I heard and the only thing that really mattered at that very moment was the first sound, the cry coming from my son.

Let me tell you something, you can read and prepare yourself for the birth of your child and as much as you feel prepared (whether it's your first or not), when that time comes that your little one is ready to make his special appearance into the world, everything you prepared yourself for just turns into mush.
Sorry, I don't mean to scare all my anxious and expecting first-timers but this is true.

I was waiting for the water to break (like what happened with my daughter) or the noticeable contractions coming close together every few minutes to identify that I am, in fact, in labour but that's not what happened here.
I was 37 weeks, 6 days (just one day short of  38 weeks) and was going about my regular day when I started noticing very subtle and mild contractions.  I thought they were just Braxton Hicks because they were not consistent and spread apart -- sometimes they'd be 10 minutes apart, sometimes an hour, sometimes 20 minutes... it was very confusing.
I called my sister who works 15 minutes away from my home in a doctor's office to let her know what I was feeling and she was insisting on picking me up and taking me to the hospital to get checked. Of course being the stubborn person that I can be, I thought I would be able to truly know when it was the right time and also because I didn't want to have her get off work early, "waste time" driving to the hospital with my daughter in tow and pay for the ridiculous hospital parking only to be sent home due to false labour.

After about an hour of me, my sister, my husband and my mom exchanging quick BBM messages to one another regarding my stubbornness and my confusion as to whether or not this was true labour contractions, I decided that after one slightly sharp contraction it was time for me to head over to the hospital to get checked out.

After waiting to be seen by the resident doctor for what seemed like hours (my contractions got stronger about 15 minutes of being checked into a waiting room and hooked up to a monitor), I was glad to see my husband pop in.
Felt so sorry for his hands that felt the wrath of my sudden strong and painful contractions.
What's funny though is that I was breathing through each contraction and still thinking in my head I'm definitely in labour but still early to be able to breathe through these and not want to scream in agony remembering the pain I felt when I was admitted with my daughter at 6cm.

I was one of the first ones that were admitted but the last one seen (which was rather annoying).  I guess it was because I was the only one not screaming my head off, literally.  The two ladies on both sides of my curtains were very much in pain and after overhearing the doctor after they were checked found that one was only 1.5cm dilated and the other 4cm.
Hmmm, I must only be about 3-4 then. So I thought.

Of course, being the cam-crazy person that I am, there I was clicking away while waiting to see the doc amidst the chaos of the L&D waiting room and my contractions.

Finally the doctor came in to check me and the first thing he said was, "Are you sure you don't want to have a vaginal delivery?" (I was scheduled for a c-section since my daughter was born via c-section).
He then advised us that I was already 7-8cm dilated! Wow!
It was quick scrambling from that point on as the doctor ordered the nurses to get me prepped asap for my delivery since I was already so far dilated.  It's happening. And it's happening now!

I was glad that I chose to stick to my gut and go with the c-section because after my son was born, the doctor told me I made the right choice because my uterus was already 1% ruptured prior to the surgery which means had I gone VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-Section), there was a BIG chance I would've had a bad uterine rupture.

The best sound came 30 minutes after the beginning of the surgery and my eyes (and my husband's) eyes welled up in tears as our son cried and cried and the doctor announced, "Congratulations! It's a boy!"

Suddenly all the quick visions of the past year and a half sprung through my brain: the infertility visits, copious amount of fertility meds and needles, the tears and frustrations, the positive pregnancy test, the late-night pregnancy cravings, the first time we saw him via ultrasound and heard his heartbeat.

After my husband cut the cord, the nurses checked, cleaned and bundled up our son, she came right over to me and held my son's face to mine. Looking through my tears, I smiled and soaked in all the amazement as my son stopped crying and opened his eyes towards his mother.
I will never forget that moment. Ever.

Welcome to the world Talan Alexander Gomez!
He weighed 6lbs, 4oz (as he was a bit early) but very, very healthy and strong!

My husband excitedly headed over to the waiting room where our elated family members were patiently waiting and broke the happy news to them.
The special little girl clinging to one of her favourite bears that she wanted to give to her little brother was the first to jump and hug her daddy.
We couldn't wait for her to meet him.

Since it was after visiting hours, unfortunately our little girl and family had to wait until the next morning to say hello to our newest addition.

Another moment that took my breath away, that my husband and I were waiting for was when our first-born precious little girl was able to finally meet her little brother for the first time.

That was it. The moment we were waiting for!
My husband and I were so thrilled to see their connection already and the overwhelming feeling of pride and joy took over us as we smiled at one another knowing that this was definitely it.  Our family was complete.

I wanted to thank all our wonderful family and friends that have supported us throughout my journey from infertility, throughout my pregnancy and to the birth of our son.
You have all been amazing and are so special to us.

And now a new chapter begins.

My two greatest gifts, Ava Isabella & Talan Alexander.

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The End is Near! {36 Week Pregnancy Update}

The last couple of weeks has been a tumultuous one.
At my 34+5 week prenatal appointment with my OBGYN, I advised her of what I thought was some dislodging of my mucous plug the days before and after a quick internal check, she did advise me that I was already 1 cm dilated.
Clearly this was something that threw me off a bit because of the risk of preterm labor given my history (PCOS) and also family history.  I was mentally and physically exhausted but my unborn son's overall health was of utmost importance and concern to me.  I wanted him to keep bakin' a little longer before his grand entrance.

How long till I can potentially go into labor? Was my first question to her.
50/50 she replied. It's only natural for women, especially after having had a baby already to be slightly dilated/effaced at this point in the pregnancy.
Some can be dilated for hours, days, weeks before they go into active labor.

So of course, being the natural worry-wart that I am, I was walking on egg shells that whole day and the days after making sure to stay off my feet as much as possible. Ha! Easier said than done when you have a 3 and a half year old.

Well, days passed and no signs of labor. *phew*
Then just last week, I came down with probably one of the nastiest cold viruses I've had in years which lasted for about a week.  I am just finally getting over it 100% now.
So bad in fact, that we had to call upon the help of SUPERMOM (yes, I believe that my mom is a Super Mom), to take a day off her work to stay and care for me (or at least keep an eye on the little one) as I wrestled my way back to health.

36 weeks! 

I'm now into my 36th week and hoping I can reach my 38th-39th week when I have my scheduled C-section (due to previous C-section). I'd be just as happy to hit my 37th.
That way I can rest assured that at least my son is officially full-term.

Evenings, especially bed time have been execrable to say the least.
Not so much the heart burn (thankfully I didn't suffer from it as badly as I did with Ava), but more so that fact that I very little space left to catch a full breath.  I have to literally channel my inner yogi for about 15-20 minutes each night before bed + lots of water to help ease this arduous breathing issue in order to settle for the night.

My meals have been dissected into about 6 very small meals throughout the day so that my pea-size of stomach space I have left in there can actually digest well.  This I find the ironic part of pregnancy -- you tend to be more hungry nearing the end of your pregnancy and ready to eat almost everything in sight, yet you have little space left to play with so you have to portion and down-size the amount you can actually indulge in.

*Hold on, Braxton Hicks*

That's another thing that I've noticed has started, good ol' Braxton Hicks.
Not so bad though to the point where it's way uncomfortable.  Just feel my stomach get super tight for a few seconds, like a rock.

Baby boy has also proved to me that he is either practicing to be a Line-Backer or an Irish Folk Dancer.
His jabs and turns have become much more rough and prominent and there are some days when I feel like he is doing the River Dance on my cervix!

Everything has gotten a little puffy, especially my feet.  I pretty much know every single retailer within a 20 km radius courtesy of my frequent bathroom stop-off's.  And my hips, back, lungs, and everything else are pretty much screaming, "Are we there yet?!" like an impatient toddler.
I hear you, I hear you!

I'll be 37 weeks this Saturday and as much as I'm feeling such excitement and anticipation for our son's arrival, I'm soooo ready to be back to normal again.  Normal being able to see my feet again and not having to roll like a log off the bed every morning and frequent times at night for a bathroom break (although the rolling like a log part's always fun...)

Both hubby and I have got our hospital bags packed, baby-sitting arrangements have been made and secured for Ava and everyone's cellphones are on alert.

The end is near! Can't wait to meet you, Son!
The question now is... when?
Countdown on.

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He Likes to Move It, Move It!

~ 29.2 weeks 

My little SONshine is either getting more & more uncomfortable in my tummy as he grows each and every day or much like his older sister, does not like to stay put while he sleeps.
What use to be butterfly-like somersaults or twinges in my belly are now full-blown elbow jabs and feet feet kicks.
I can't really tell what part of his body I'm feeling when he does move, but according to my last OBGYN appt (a week ago), Baby T had flipped over again and is currently in the breach position.

Along with this miraculous and wonderful sensation of my son bustling around his comfy abode, of course some familiar and not-so-familiar pests have joined the party -- I'm talking about heartburn, shortness of breath/trouble breathing, hot flashes, backaches, trouble sleeping, and weaker bladder (not to mention the constant need to use the restroom!)

These are the the things do not miss about being pregnant.
And the totally iniquitous part is that is as the space in your tummy lessens due to the growth of the baby, your appetite increases and when you put two and two together you get = heartburn, shortness of breath and   extremely bloated and full way before you've even finished your plate.
*sigh* Fair? I think not.

This baby is also very picky compared to his sister. Cravings change constantly, I eat something and do not want it again after, my taste buds are completely wacko and not only does he want the foods that are way more pricey, he chooses items that I can't just simply whip up or buy anywhere close to me.
Our grocery and food budget bill is off the charts this pregnancy courtesy of our fastidious little guy.
Wow. I've got a persnickety one on my hands. I sure hope this changes when he graces us with his presence.

Aside from that, this pregnancy is going wonderfully. No red flags or major issues to date *knock on wood*.
Today I had my glucose tolerance test (Boo to the fasting and gulping down a blah orange sugary drink) and just awaiting the results of that.
Baby T's heartbeat was at 140bpm from last week and seems to be growing perfectly.

My tummy is massive (much bigger than with Ava; although I'm not carrying all around this pregnancy), walking and especially going up stairs has become a serious marathon and sitting or standing for too long is no fun either.

Thought I'd share a quick update. We've got 11 weeks to go!

We are anxiously and excitedly anticipating the birthday of our son!

Credits (photo): babycenter.com, huggies.com.au

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Bonne Fête du Canada!

This past Sunday we celebrated our country's 145th birthday!
Every year we like to make sure we wear our red & white loud and proud, eat lots of great food, enjoy the company of our loved ones and of course end the night with beautiful fireworks.

After having children, events and holidays such as this just get more and more exciting.
Ava absolutely loves celebrating us much as we do and is usually the loudest of us all!  Usually you will hear her hollering, "Happy Birthday, Canada!" waving her little flag -- it is so adorable!
Love seeing her patriotism.

This year in particular was no different, even though I'm 7 months pregnant. I couldn't cook/bake as much and we were not able to head out and do a lot of walking at any local Canada Day festivities or head down to the cottage but we did as much as we can in our home, just the family.  It was wonderful! Small but mighty  (just like our family!)
Had a great meal, enjoyed some sparklers and fun in our backyard and then headed over to a local area where our neighborly farm gave a spectacular light show!
I can't think of a better way to ring in Canada's birthday than with those you love.

Hope you all enjoyed your Canada Day!

Oh... and congratulations to Spain for the big Euro Cup win too! Woohoo! (We were tuned in for sure!)

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Oh Baby!

Today we had a very important and special date.

A date with the little gem growing inside my tummy.  Ava and Daddy both joined me during today's 6 1/2 month ultrasound which was just absolutely perfect because this has to be the most vivid and active ultrasound I've had yet.

It's been a month since I last seen Baby and it's mind-boggling how much our little one has grown during that time.

Today we got to see everything and I mean everything! Our ultrasound technician was wonderful -- the best one I've met so far.  She excitedly chatted along with the ultrasound showing us everything we needed to see and even laughing along with us as we watched our baby sucking his/her thumb and trying to get his/her toes at the same time. Adorable!

We saw the profile so well and could pretty much make out how similar lips the babes has of his/her dads!

Our little girl was beyond thrilled that she was even yelling out: "Hi baby! I see you! Hi! It's me! Your big sister, Ava!" 

Well, since those near and dear to us already know the gender of the baby and the news accidently spilled a couple weeks ago from an over-excited family member (no hard feelings), we decided we are going to share our happiness and joy with our friends as well.
And I wanted to give my loyal readers a chance to be a part of this too considering many of you have been around from the beginning of my infertility journey. 

Miracles happen; dreams come true.

So, without further ado, we'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family...

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Christmas Eve at the Gomez's

T'was an evening filled with heaps of laughter, scrumptious food and wine, close family and myriad amount of presents under the glimmering tree.
Every Christmas Eve, our small but mighty family takes turns in hosting the annual Tasico Family Christmas Party or what we refer to as Nochebuena, which is a traditional dinner we have on Christmas Eve.

We had such a wonderful time with family and most importantly, the children had a blast!
I'm very blessed to have a great group of supportive and loving family to celebrate with.
Whatever you celebrate, I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday as well! Salud!

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Happy Birthday Princess Ava!

This past Saturday, the 29th of October, we celebrated the birth of our precious little girl.
It's been 3 years to the day that the most cherished and important part of us entered our lives.
For those that have suffered or are still suffering from infertility, you know how much more momentous and anticipated this occasion was.

We invited our most closest family & friends into our home to celebrate this day with us.
The house was filled with lots of pink, balloons, decorative pompoms, decadent desserts, delicious food, fun and laughter. And most of all, great energy.

Our theme this year was a Cute Fall/Owl theme considering her birthday is in Fall.
Our giveaways were gourmet chocolate/caramel covered apples (very fitting for the theme) which were created by  Eliscia from Sweet Tooth Platters in Brampton.
Our beautiful and delicious cake was created by the team at Swirls Cupcakes in Streetsville. They are our go-to cake artist's for most of our events. It was a vanilla cake with strawberry buttercream filling and fresh strawberries (Ava's fave).
We ordered a massive bouncy castle from Party Inflatables in Mississauga and beautiful balloons and decor from Party Packagers & Michael's Arts & Crafts Store.

Overall, it was an absolutely perfect day -- sun was shining (despite the weather forecast for rain), and most importantly, our little girl had an amazing time.

Thanks to all those that helped us in celebrating and made this day extra special for Ava.

~ T & C

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Pumpkinfest at Downey's Farm

This past Saturday, the three of us headed over to Caledon's Downey's Farm (which happens to be our favourite farm by the way) to have some fun at Pumpkinfest.
Pumpkinfest will be running from September 24 to  October 31st.
We go annually, and we always enjoy it. Especially Ava. They have amazing structures to play on, corn maze, face-painting, pumpkin-picking, wagon rides, petting zoo, build your own scarecrow (additional fee), live entertainment, paintball (additional fee) and some delicious food to munch on. Let's not forget the Bakery (delicious pies!) and Gift Shop and Estate Winery.
The entrance fee is a tad steep for my liking for what's inside, but the experience makes up for it.
It's $13.50 + HST per person (ages 2-92).

We had a great time overall and I highly recommend a visit to Downey's Farm!

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