New Baby? There's An App For That

I don't know why this App wasn't out when I needed it so bad with my other two girls. Oh yes I know... there was no iPads back then! I'm just so glad I have it now and it's the one thing that keeps me sane during my zombie like state these past three weeks.

The day I got in from the hospital I began looking for an App that would make my life as a new mommy less chaotic and I'm so glad I stumbled upon this one. I downloaded the trial which is good for only one thing, realizing you just can't live without it and then you buy the paid version. After forking out 4.99 there hasn't been a day or rather an hour that I don't use it. It keeps me sane during this unorganized and very forgetful time of my life. When my pediatrician asks me how's her eating progressing or her sleeping habits changing, I know exactly what to answer instead of what I answered with my other two daughters, "uhh". Yes, this app makes me sound like I actually got some sleep that night, so just for that it's worth every penny!

So what's this amazing App I just can't live without called? It's called... ok wait, I forgot! See, you ask me anything else other than Marina's last diaper change and I have no clue! Ok yes, it's called Baby Log and you can find it in the Market. No wait, that's what the Android one is called! It's in the iPad store or whatever you call it... I haven't slept in days, please bear with me! :) Oh yes, It's in the Apple App Store. There. I recommend you download the free trial version first but it won't do you no good, you'll want the paid version one minute later. This app not only keeps track of all baby's daily activities but also her milestones, vaccines, allergies, growth charts and diary with photos of all her cute little thumb suckings! I love it. :)

So for all you NEW mommies out there which I've noticed there are a bunch, I just had to share this App with you. It's so useful in every way. Now if there was an App for getting some sleep, I'd get one in a... what that thing called that the heart does? :/ I need sleep so bad but at least with this app I know just how my baby sleeps her day and night away and yet I can't seem to hardly get any. Oh well, one day my time will come again. :)

So Much More To Love

Marina Stella Frith © 2012

I am completely full of love and sometimes I think it's the only thing that keeps me going right now. Love, not food or water or even sleep but LOVE. Aw, these magical moments of holding a new born in your arms are amazing. And since they don't last long at all I am doing my best to enjoy every magical moment I can with her even if it means no sleep or food or water. ☺ Ok maybe there is some water drinking every now and then but really, who can think of doing anything else than starting at this bundle of love and joy. With her in my arms there's nothing else I need right now.

Sleeping Beauty. All she seems to do right now is sleep and sleep some more and at the same time it's the one thing that is lacking from my diet. The doctor tells me to sleep when the baby sleeps but I say sleeping is for quitters! Ok, not really but what other choice do I have? I don't have time to sleep! Yes, that's more like it. In a normal life, I would take random naps during the day leaving me fresh and energized but I don't have one of those normal lives where all things are possible. I scrounge for micro naps at the most inappropriate times like when I'm actually feeding her and hope she doesn't fall off my arms while doing it. ☺ Yes, this is normal so that's all I have to say about that, moving along.

Marina Stella Frith © 2012

Marina's Adorable Photo Shoot. This didn't last long, she became bored and sleepy shortly after I started so it was my cue to get a life aside from her. I went and washed some bottles and did some chores then waited until she woke up to get some more mommy sugars again. Oh so many more mommy photo shoots awaits her. Yes, this is something she needs to learn from me from an early age and just like my other girls she seems to be a fast learner. What can a camera-obsessed mommy want more than a cute posing baby girl? Oh yes, three cute posing baby girls!!! ☺ Definitely, so much more for mommy to love! ♥

It's The LIttle Things That I Missed The Most

My life as I knew it has changed. I sort of figured it would but had no idea by how much. It definitely got worse before it got better and right now I'm going into the better direction and I couldn't be happier! :) Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I've been in constant pain and then more pain after labor. Two weeks later, it seems my life is finally headed the right direction one day at a time. After passing all the pregnancy pain and after labor hurdles, the lack of sleep is the only thing keeping me down right now but it's nothing compared to what I've gone through. Lack of sleep? Really, bring it! :) I can't say it enough though, this has definitely been the hardest pregnancy ever! I can say now, with all due respect, that I am done in this department so I am trying to enjoy every second of it as much as I can. :)

I'm a mom that prides herself in being there for my girls as much as they need me even if it means putting my self last or none at all. With two girls I thought I had it figured out, I've got two hands so I was able to divide myself with each one. Now with my third daughter, I was afraid I would not be able to do it anymore. How am I going to care for three now?! It's definitely more responsibility but it also makes life worth living. No matter how hard it may be, I would do it all over again in a heart beat! They are my greatest joy and blessings in this world and worth every ounce of pain I endured and more just to have them in my life.

When you go through hard times, you value life so much more and gives it a new found meaning that you didn't have before. To me it seems I've been handicapped for 10 months and to finally be able to do things I could only dream of, is amazing. Last night for example, I sat on the floor with my girls eating pizza and watching a movie! As simple as this may seem, to me this sitting on a floor was an impossibility! Bending to pick up something from the floor was out of the question. Walking normal and painless was only in my dreams! It was so frustrating to want to do things with my girls and I couldn't. Little things are what mean so much to me right now and that I never want to take them for granted again! I have learned that it's the little things that are the biggest blessings.

With Spring in the air, I am so hopeful and ready to start living again. I guess I will continue to do my best and that should be good enough. I just pray for strength and health to be able to keep up with my three growing baby girls. I'm so looking forward to life now that I can't wait to get started again. It feels like I've been away somewhere unavailable but feel so positive about my life from now on. Even if it may be harder, it will also be so much more fun and rewarding and that is where I want to focus on. I've done it once, I've done it twice so third should now be easy.

It should. :)

Oh Great, I'm Sick Again :(

Out of all the things this world can dish out at me, I think sickness is one of my least favorite. Not that I'm not used to being sick, lately it seems that's all I ever seem to do. So being that I'm quite a pro at it by now there's actually a pretty bad downside to it when I am. First I worry that my girls will get sick too and if they do my worst fear is that how on earth will I be able to care for them if I can't even care for myself?!

Call it super power strength but I always manage to do it. It's as if my own sickness doesn't exist when they become ill as they become my priority and nothing else matters. I don't even know what I have, all I know is that it's consuming all my lungs. And since I don't like to whine about my sicknesses, I tend to never go to the doctor. That's like asking for help and you know how much I don't like doing that. I like it when my body fights and eventually wins no matter what a terrible week I may have.

Now if it's my girls, I don't hesitate to take them to the ER if I have to. It's as if they have so much more value to me than I do. They are precious to me and me well, I can tough it out. Nothing breaks my heart worse than to see one of my girls sick in bed and there's nothing I can do about it. It's terrifying to me and it breaks me to the core.

Now that I have a newborn you can only imagine my fears! I'm doing the best I can and pray to completely heal from this darn sickness that I have. You could not have come into my life at a worse time. Yes, this is me talking to my sickness. Pretty weird.

So until I can finally breathe clearly literally, I will continue to watch over my sick baby girl Camila while I pretend that what I have is only insignificant compared to hers. God grant me the strength to only be able to care for them if they need me because as bad as I feel this actually makes me feel so much better. :)

 

 

Sick and Tired But Looking Forward to My Sunny Day

It's been a while since I have felt like my old self. Healthy, energetic and cheerful. While I wouldn't describe myself with those words now I don't lose sight of who I am really. Something about my busy life this past year has left me quite drained of all of these words. I am sure I am headed that way again and I can't wait to because this is not me.

Sick again! I was sick two weeks ago and now I have caught another virus that just plain came to laugh in my face. As if. It's like I'm a pain magnet! I can't shake it off and it's driving me mad. I go from one pain level and area to another and sometimes they like to accumulate in several places just to spice things up. I am nothing short of exhausted but very very hopeful. I have my eyes set on rewind and I know one day soon I will be my old self again! Yes, this makes me happy... finally! :)

While I'm usually not a whiny person, I do want to look back at this time of my life and say "I never want to feel that much pain and discomfort again" and keep working on getting better health. I know I'm healthy, my doctors told me so but what I have is more like complete exhaustion, body pain, lack of sleep and a dam virus killing the last bit of energy I can come up with. That's just about it.

So with that said, I can't stress enough how hopeful I am for my future. My happy sun will come up again and I will feel a million times better. I look forward to it with wide open arms... One day I'm going to be my old myself again! :)

 

 

Why I am the woman I am today: My mother's love

These past two weeks have been short of a roller coaster ride. The ups and downs have left me in an exhausted state of body and mind. With my full term pregnancy, being sick for a week, my two daughter's daily activities, home and business to tend to, it left me all completely drained at the end of the day. I don't see how I managed to move along from day to day but if it wasn't for the most amazing woman in the world who came to my rescue when I needed her the most, I don't know how I would've been able to manage it all.

My loving mother.

I know every one feels their own mothers are the very best and they are probably right, but this is definitely something we have in common. My mother has managed to travel to be with me and help me during my three pregnancies and she does it with so much love that I feel like God sends me an Angel to watch over me when I need it the most. I have been blessed with a beautiful mother who takes real concern for my well being not only because she is my mother but also because she knows what it's like to be in my situation. We all need someone sometimes and she always comes to my rescue without me even asking. She knows me well enough to know I won't ask for help because I got that personality trait from her.

She is a strong woman who still manages to care for others at her age. Her children mean so much to her, I see myself in her more every single day. I don't think I could ever put anyone else above my children when the times comes that they need me. I know this because I do it every day already and I know this will never change. There's no greater feeling than to be cared for by your own mother and this is one quality I have learned from her. At my age and caring for every one else I tend to forget how it feels to be cared for. She reminds me every time she visits me. The last week before delivery of my babies, she has traveled to help me clean and cook meals and help with the girls so that I can get rest. I'm telling you I'm not used to this and my heart fills with indescribable joy when she says to me: "I know what I'm gonna make you for dinner!"
During my last weeks of pregnancy I am barely able to walk, unable to bend and have the energy level of a turtle but I still know I got to get up and get my day completed because no body else is going to do it for me. Having her here with me means the world to me. I can't say it enough, she's my angel when I feel like giving up but I know I can't. It's so emotional when she has to go because my heart is filled with gratitude that no words can describe. She is and always will be the strongest, sweetest and loving woman I know and look up to and if I can only be half of what she is I know my girls will one day be sayin the same things about me. There is no greater gift that you can give your children. :)

I LOVE YOU MOM!

My Baby Girl Marina Stella Was Born!

My Baby Girl Finally In My Arms! :)

March 7, 2012 is a day I will never forget... My third Miracle was born! ♥ My day began with yet another routine OB appointment filled with uncertainty. "What if I'm not 5cm anymore?" "What if I have to wait another week?"  I kept thinking to myself.  Mostly, I thought it would be another day of waiting but little did I know I would be headed to the hospital from there to begin the process of giving life to my little angel.  I was a bit over 6cm and it was enough to get me admitted into the hospital this time!  This was exiting news as I had been sent home before with 5cm so this could be the day. This could be the day?!!!  As forever as this pregnancy felt like it was taking, as I got admitted everything went by so much faster than I ever imagined! The epidural, the oxytocin, the water being broken by my doctor at 7cm to one hour later my little baby girl being placed in my arms! I could not believe she was almost here until I saw the doctors and nurses running around and me actually having to breath in to hold her back! When she was on her way, nothing was holding her back. "Your body was made to have babies" my doctor told me as every one was amazing at how quickly she was out.  I thought to myself how proud I was for toughing it out through it all and have delivered my baby safely. :)

With My Three Baby Girls ♥

As I laid on the bed during my "waiting" time, the whole nine months flashed before my eyes... from the moment I found out I was pregnant to the every day back pain to the days I almost could not get up from the bed. I could not believe I was finally on the day when it would all come to an end.  A day I thought would never get here and it finally did! I was so happy, scared and anxious as to how it all would end.  It all ended in a blink of an eye! Faster than I ever thought or imagined. I actually wanted it to slow down a bit so I could process it all but didn't have time to. The way it started was the way it ended, in a heartbeat.  The second I heard her little cry I was flying in my own little cloud of amazing emotions filled with love, adoration and so much amazement!

Marina Stella Frith • March 7, 2012 • 6lbs 10 oz • 18 inches

Thank You God For blessing me with my third little Angel. I feel like the happiest girl in the world! I pray for guidance, love and support to be the best mom I can be for her. I know as mothers we all make mistakes but I pray for the knowledge to be able to correct them when I do. Everyone who knows me know my daughters mean the world to me and just when I thought my heart was incapable of loving any more... Marina comes into my life to teach me there is NO LIMIT to a mother's love-- It is infinite and never ending.

Thank you God for blessing me today and trusting me to be the
best mom I can be for her. 
♥  I LOVE YOU SO MUCH MARINA!! ♥

It's That Scary "Health Ed" Time Already?

Like everything else in my life, this has sneaked up on me... Health Education for my 9 year old. WHAT?! I don't think I was ready to receive this particular permission slip just yet and to be honest, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to sign it! I pride myself in educating my girls in everything before anyone else does, she knows she always trusts me to know the answers to any questions she may have.  Like she once told me when I made the mistake of answering her "I don't know" when she asked me something, she said to me "but mom, you know everything!"  I've had to live up to this high expectation at all times. Let's just say Google has been my close friend and ally in this endeavor.  It's not easy to be a know-it-all mom, you know. :)

My little girl is growing up! I rushed online to view the video she was going to be shown at school's health education class as images of 'what kind of trash porn are they going to show my little girl' kept flashing before my eyes! To my surprise and relief, I had already had this talk with her since like three years ago.  All my freaking out was a bit in vain but it just shows how responsive I am.  I remember being a little girl and hearing all kinds of stories and I would be terrified. Unable to have a real conversation with someone I could trust out of embarrassment I had to try to convince myself they were not telling the truth.  I pride myself in the relationship I have with my daughter, she knows she can trust me and always have me as a friend.  Yes, I am her mom but her friend as well.  Growing up I learned we have to take advice from somebody and when we can't find someone to trust, we will often take the dumb advice from another dumb friend who is just as clueless as we are.  I never want my girl to feel this way. By golly, I went to college! (Like Plankton would say) LOL :)

Relieved? I sure am... for now. At the same time a bit worried at everything that is yet to come but I will handle it probably just as freaked out as I was this time.  What's important is, I will handle it.  Last night with tears in her eyes she told me "mom, I don't have much longer to be a little girl" and I said to her "babygirl, to me you will ALWAYS be my little girl" as I signed her permission slip.

❥ lorena frith

Happy Birthday To My Mother

It was such an honor to have my mother at my home during the time of her birthday. One week had passed since she came to stay for my delivery that I was actually glad I waiting until after her birthday to spend this special day with her. I was thrilled when my sister Aime came to visit us too as I know this made her birthday even more special! ☺

My mom at Cuco's Mexican Restaurant singing Las Mañanitas to her!  My mom is so modest that she doesn't even want anyone to know or even celebrate her birthday that when all the waiters came to sing to her in the middle of the whole restaurant and all the crowd joined in, she couldn't believe it! She was so embarrassed that these photos became priceless to me. :) I Love My Mom!

Celebrating at Cuco's Mexican Restaurant 3/04/12

This Girl Wants to Make an Entrance

Apparently she is not ready yet and have no idea when she will be! Yesterday and today have been days of waiting and waiting but of no progress.  I'm definitely feeling contractions since then but have not gotten progressively stronger.  They just come and go as they please and today just seems to be yet another day of the same thing... waiting and no progress. :) My trip to the hospital was just that, a trip. I was told to go home and wait for stronger labor pain symptoms which could be at any moment or at any day.  With my due date of March 8 I still got plenty of time but honestly hope she doesn't wait that long! Praying for a health baby delivery.

While she's doing good and I still have a good couple of weeks before my OB even thinks of inducing my labor, at this point all I can do is wait for her to make her move when she's ready.  I'm glad to finally be in March and honestly, March 2 (ehem, also Jon Bon Jovi's birthday) would have been nice but at this time, it is not gonna happen. What's next? Sophia's due date she chose several months ago. She picked Camila's birth day correctly several months before she was even born and if she guesses this one too I'm gonna get her registered in some type of psychic course and start charging money from her! :)

All I know at this point is that this girl wants to definitely make an entrance I won't soon forget!  She is taking her sweet time and me for a ride far longer than I ever expected. :) So here I am  now, waiting for the any moment I have to run to the hospital that just seems to be taking forever.  I am enjoying the visit and being with my mom every moment right now, so this has kept me occupied the past couple of days.

So this is it for now, I'm off to running on my treadmill and doing some extensive vacuuming and strenuous wrestling... I think that's what the doctor ordered. :)

❥ lorena frith