Life Update - December '16

Someday, I'll go back to keeping a schedule and having consistency in writing. For now, though, we have consistent fluctuations in our home, so it is what it is!

AJ is doing great! She is 14 months now and on the move. She loves being tickled, her favorite game is Peek-a-Boo, and she adores her baby sister. E is already 2 months old getting more tummy time and squirming all over the place. She enjoys the lullaby on her baby play mat and watching the mobile. She is such a happy baby, and we cannot get enough of her smiles.

PJ and I had an awesome anniversary vacation together. We decided to stay in town and celebrate with Disney passes. As excited as I am for Thursday mornings at the parks with our little family, I am ecstatic for mommy-daughter dates with AJ in a few months when E is on solids and we can sneak away for a time to enjoy Fantasyland, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion together, as well as California Adventure's Monster's Inc, The Little Mermaid, Bug's Land, Cars Land and the Frozen show. Hubby and I are also looking forward to rare Fridays off to enjoy with one another and letting our littles stay with their grands!

Today PJ had to go back to work, it was tough, but he survived. There were just a couple of issues, but the smooth transition back was aided by an excellent team that kept ahead of the scripts. We are so grateful for his team, he because they all help him look good and the store is in an excellent position; me because when he is encouraged, I am encouraged. As much as I dislike his commute and the fact that trying to have lunch with him is a whole day event that is a rarity, he loves his team and neither of us can imagine him having to be at a new store with new coworkers.

Jessy is trying to find a rhythm for life, but there always seems to be something coming up. Prayerfully, the Christmas season will go smoothly, but we really feel that maybe this is not the best season to have an infant. If the Lord blesses us with more growth, we hope that number 3 comes sometime in the early summer so we can sleep more by the holiday season!

God is so incredibly gracious. Jessy is growing in patience and having the teaching of kindness on her tongue. PJ is still listening to sermons on his way to work. We are trying to do sermon application questions as our weekly study together. Our small group is working through Ephesians, also, so we work through that together to prepare for discussions. We are so proud of AJ and her ability to play with the big kids at group. Now, if we could just get her to be comfortable enough not to scream and fuss on Sunday mornings in the church nursery. Thank you, nursery workers, we love and appreciate you!

I think that's it, for now!

<3 Jessy

AJ is 1!

Okay, so I'm 2 and a half weeks late, but better late than never, right?

Anyway, I am so proud of my little walker. She has 4 teeth and 2 more coming in and she is a good eater! Her favorite foods are fruit, yogurt and bread - she will have a BLAST at the next women's breakfast!!!

AJ loves being a big sister and mommy loves watching how affectionate she is with EE. Every time AJ sees her baby sister, she gently kneels down and gives her sweet kisses. It's so adorable! Besides becoming a big sister, she is just starting to look more like a toddler and it is so exciting watching her learn and grow.

Whenever we eat, she is starting to better communicate when she is "All done," or wants "more." Daddy and mommy are both super excited every time we eat with her! Oh, the things parents get excited about.

1 Year Old:

I love Peek-a-Boo and Eating

My favorite foods are fruit pouches and grilled cheese

I am 19lbs 2oz; 29.3in

I have 4 teeth and LOVE to smile!

My favorite toys are my Disney princess collectables and the "purse" they came in

I love bath time, giving kisses, reading and praying with mommy and daddy

I can wave, walk, yell "Go-go-go!" sign "all done" & "more,"  and mumble "Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" & "da-da-da-da-da." :)

This is a Tough One

I am 39 weeks pregnant.

It is hot, well, today it is still overcast at 10:40am, so I am grateful for that.
EE is heavy and resting quite low, I can feel her in my lower hips, and she doesn't have much room to move around.

I am extremely hormonal, emotionally labile, needy, and irritable. Everything makes me want to cry, and I am ready to meet this little one. I hate feeling this way and I hate asking for help everyday because I'm having trouble keeping up with my developing walker.

I am prayerful that the midwife will send me straight over to Labor & Delivery on Thursday morning, in the mean time, I am doing everything I can that is safe here at home to encourage my body to go into labor naturally.

I write this with tears because I know the Lord has blessed me and given me so much grace through this pregnancy. I have been able to keep exercising, I have been eating better than when I was pregnant with AJ, and I have been able to spend more time managing our home and reading godly insight instead of giving into many lazy temptations.

I am grateful to be home with AJ to teach and train her. I am so proud of how well she is doing with her schedule and of her independent spirit. She is 11 months old now and she enjoys playing in her room for large chunks of time; has moved up to the toddler room at church early, as it has aided her separation anxiety; she sleeps 10-12 hours at night, waking up at 6:15 each morning; she loves food and will try most new things with a pleasant response, but is not shy about letting us know her preferences; she drinks her milk and water from a straw cup like the big girl she is; and we are so blessed beyond measure that she is our daughter. We cannot wait to see her love on her little sister.

Please pray for us as we continue to await the arrival of our little girl. That we would be prepared and grateful for this time we have. That I would not be anxious or push myself beyond measure for my preferences and desires when we bring her home. For a safe delivery and short hospital stay. For my parents as they take time from work to take care of AJ while we are in the hospital. That AJ would not be overwhelmed, and the transition will not be too difficult for her. Also, for PJ, that he is able to prepare his store well before he goes on leave starting this Thursday.

Thank you, friends and family, for your prayers and support. We would not be able to do this without knowing we had such an incredible community around us!

August Life Update

Good morning, everyone! As I mentioned in my last post, we have been subject to a few changes here in the Molina Household. We have moved to a new rental, a condo with 2 bedrooms and a 2-car garage! Woot woot! This means that AJ has her own room and our car insurance is going to go down a tad because we park both of our cars in a garage! =D

PJ has been doing so well at work! In June, their store was #1 in their scores and I am so proud of him for all the hard work he has been putting in. Currently, his staff pharmacist is out of the country for her mother who has breast cancer and is facing treatment, please be praying for her, as she will be out until the end of the year helping to take care of her family. It has been fortunate that the store is receiving great floaters to come in and help the technicians keep up the work flow. Hopefully, one in particular, will be placed as the temporary staff pharmacist until her return.

The heat and schedule changes with AJ have made keeping up with steps difficult, as walking outside brings me to the point of mild heat exhaustion and the mall gets a little crowded because of said heat. The plus side, though, is that I have been able to keep up with house work and organizing in the mean time ;) Please be praying for motivation and possibly a walking buddy to distract from crowds and/or heat.

AJ is blooming right before my eyes! Her latest "trick" is sipping through a straw. I have been trying to help her with this lately, but she has seemed so stubborn in just wanting me to hold my water bottle to her mouth. One day last week, though, she just sucked her water without batting an eye! Then on Thursday, she took her cup from PJ and held it while accomplishing the same feat!! (Wow, the things you get excited about as a new parent ;P) hahaha I am pretty stoked that I get to train and teach another one all of this again soon!

EE is a kicker! She rolls and moves and plays and she has not even arrived yet! My goodness, she is crazy. AJ moved quite a bit (and is still a mover and a shaker who loves to explore), but she did not delay my sleep at night like this one does. I have a small feeling that my tummy is a little tighter than last time, though, so she has less room to move and therefore makes me a little more uncomfortable.

Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!

Love,
Jessy

Bump 32

Hello Friends! Thank you for your patience as we have had a surge of life change going on over here these last couple of months. I was glad I was able to post AJ's 9 month update, even if it was from my phone.

32 Weeks

Anyway, it has been a while since I've updated you on the whole "Embracing the Bump" journey. I will say, though, that I have appreciated and felt very loved by all the encouragement and support, particularly in the last couple weeks. It has been rough to push through schedule changes with a little one and keep doing daily workouts, but we have managed.

AJ goes between an early morning nap or late morning nap and then a long afternoon nap. I have been able to get away with the late morning nap and an early walk, but it is a bit more challenging to keep her engaged on the walk and not throw off the rest of our morning. So, we will be sticking to the early morning nap and the late morning walk for now. Hopefully the heat will continue to await the later parts of the afternoon (that is, max out in the 80's around 9) - yes, I know that I am dreaming.

However, I have hit a bit of a motivational snag as my fitness watch (The Withings Activite Pop) is currently dead and awaiting a new battery! It has been so nice not to depend on my phone for the pedometer, I can't go back to it - partly because it's just too big now :P

Almost 7 Weeks Postpartum AJ 

Food wise, I will be honest in sharing that motivation, self-control and moderation have escaped my vocabulary and I have gone a little crazy, particularly over the weekends and eating out with family. Fortunately, God has blessed me with the energy to keep walking and do a little prenatal yoga a couple nights a week; this has kept my weight down and my doctor is still impressed with me as far as my gain has gone for this pregnancy! Yay!

I will also share that as I have looked at photos from just 9 months ago, when AJ was just over a month, I can say I feel better and healthier than at that point and anyone can see the difference! It feels good to see the physical change, even if I don't feel it sometimes. It is particularly difficult to take control of any aspect of your life when you have a little human growing inside of you, so I think that I am doing pretty well! EE is 32 weeks in and I am pushing through with flying colors and an almost 10 month old! =D

Thanks for loving me, everyone! Until next time...

Love,
Jessy
Numbers 6:24-26

9 Months

Okay, so she's actually 9 months and 1 week now, and I missed posting an 8 months blog… but give us a break, it's been a busy month and a half. We found a new rental, we moved, we've been setting up (and we're still in the process of that), so boom! 

Anyway, AJ is 9 months old now! Where does the time go?! She is bear crawling everywhere (and very quickly). She is scaling coffee tables and couches and anything else she can pull herself up on. There are 2 teeth on the front bottom section of her mouth and she definitely knows how to use them! AJ loves exploring and observing and is quite the independent gal, except when she's tired or wants attention 😜 She enjoys tasting new foods and likes to feed herself. 

Daddy and mommy are grateful for her newfound love of sleep! As soon as we moved and AJ had her own room, she was down from 6:30pm-6:30am! Yay, 12 hours 😃😴 Now it is just a matter of adjusting to a new place and new naps/eating schedules during the day. She is a champ, though! 

Rough Season

Hello friends! It has been a busy, busy couple of weeks. Hubby and I have gone to several apartment complexes and a few privately owned residences and we are both a tad overwhelmed.

We are communicating well, but having a difficult time landing on the same page. Our area has a high rental price tag for 2 bedrooms, unless it is less than 900 square feet and privately owned. There are a couple of units which have stood out to us, but we are in need of some prayer regarding a timeline as well as contentment. Our lease is up October 1, EE is due September 19, the units are open in July. It will cost us an extra month of rent to exit our lease early, plus the new rent with a security deposit to move into a new place.

Hubby wants to push our move into August, but I was hoping to move by early July so we can all get settled into our new home and I can have everything ready for EE, as well. This is going to be a process, and I will admit that some of this is my OCD and need to have life "put together" before I'm admitted to the hospital and then have to come home with a new baby. I truly do not want to come home to a living room and bedrooms filled with boxes or objects with unassigned places.

Obviously, if we could predict when EE will be joining us outside the womb, we would have a solid moving plan in place. However, this is an impossible feat, so what makes me nervous is all of the uncertainty that comes from pregnancy anyway, joined with the rental market going up or down and units that fit our needs being available at the price we prefer to pay. Our ideal unit has 5 people on their wait list and it is not likely that we would be able to move in this year.

Please be praying for my humility and a heart of submission to my husband. Also, for his gentleness in communicating our immediate needs over my preferences as we go through this process. Thank you, friends and family.

Love,
Jessy

Update - May 14

It has been a great week for me here at home. After a successful grocery trip, I was able to spend Friday preparing for next week. All of our dinners are ready, lunches are done, just have to do the actual cooking :) I am so excited that I was able to prepare everything and feel so accomplished about how I spent my time and energy yesterday.

PJ has had a bit of a rough go at work this week. A few wrong fills brought about an incident report and he had to stay late yesterday to keep up. The store is definitely feeling the loss of their awesome extern, along with a few days without one of the top technicians (his wife had a baby, so we're excited for them). It has just been a tough week, though, so we are praying that he can get ahead today. It seems to be overcast, so hopefully it will be a slow day.

AJ is growing and learning and very adventurous. Every chance she gets, she is pulling herself up to stand, starting to scale the coffee tables, couches, and walls; and she loves to laugh, squeal and observe, as well as eat everything she climbs on. There seems to be some constant teething, but nothing has cut still. Yesterday she made a huge stride in eating. We have been giving her dissolvable cereal and letting her test other foods besides the baby stuff, and she picked up her cereal yesterday and put it right in her mouth! The simplest things are so exciting! We are not quite doing it every time, as she is fisting pieces and not opening her hand to put them in her mouth, she leans over her tray to eat like a puppy. I love my silly little peanut!

We also had dinner with Kelley and Sean this week. Kelley was here on Wednesday to enjoy some yummy comfort food, and brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day! She is such a loving friend and encourager! Sean stopped by on Monday to enjoy some pasta and catch up after a long while! Enjoyed catching up and hearing about his schooling and church. We are excited to stay caught up and see how school goes over the next couple of years.

Tuesday was a tough day for me after I got my first adjustment with steel ties on my braces. It has been new pain, as cold has become quite sensitive for me. It's going to be more getting used to, after I thought I just got the hang of these things.

Thursday was a great day, too! PJ's parents were generous enough to watch AJ while we had a movie date to go see Captain America: Civil War! Highly recommend, you should go check it out. Later, my brother came over and for dinner, PJ's parents took us for a yummy evening at Red Robin!

So, it has been an awesome week, busy, but fun. I am definitely looking forward to having a relaxing Sunday afternoon at home tomorrow.

That's a short update for our little family. Love you all!

-Jessy

Life Update

So, this month is a busy one, and this first weekend is no exception! Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I am sitting here in bed composing this blog while my wonderful husband updates our budget before we go to sleep. I cannot help but consider how grateful I am for the servant's heart he has for our family. He spends his days at work, patiently dealing with difficult customers and learning his role as a manager (which is itself an ongoing learning experience), then he comes home to play with a joyful daughter that we both could not be more delighted to have, and after dinner he spends his evening encouraging me and making sure I am thriving as a Christian, as a wife and as a mommy.

Tomorrow, we will enjoy our church and then spend the afternoon with our family finding out the gender for baby number 2 so we can start calling them by name and tell AJ she will have a little brother or sister instead of having to keep saying "sibling" because it is driving us crazy! LOL We are so excited to find out! My mom finally found (on Etsy) a big sister onesie for 6-9mos size... I guess there is not enough of a market for mass producers to make them for kiddos under the age of 1 hehe. We will be posting a layout photo with her and our ultrasound photos for the reveal, so keep an eye out.

AJ is doing so well this week! She is adjusting nicely into a new schedule, playing hard, standing up all over the place, and eating lots of solids - well twice a day - (along with 4 bottles a day!). She is growing up right before my eyes and it is such an incredible blessing to sift through photos of her and see how much she has changed in such a short amount of time. I cannot wait to see how she grows into a little girl, but I already know these stages are going to pass by so fast, I don't want to rush through them. 

On the gluttony front, I am still struggling with food intake and staying healthy, but this past week I have walked A LOT and given myself every excuse to keep up with my steps goals. I know that real health starts in the kitchen on what I choose to put into my body, but this is a lifelong struggle, so changes and habits are not going to change overnight. However, I can tell you that because I have been walking, choices have been getting better and I feel a lot better throughout the day and the next when I have achieved my goals. 

As far as the pregnancy itself goes, I cannot complain. I am starting to notice more movement, so I'm not forgetting that I am pregnant anymore. LOL I love feeling #2 move around and cause flutters in my tummy. I am feeling really good and this has been an awesome week. I cannot wait to celebrate Mother's Day tomorrow and enjoy hubby's day off! 

Love, 

Jessy 

Numbers 6:24-25

20 Weeks

So many people wonder if this pregnancy is different than my last. To be quite honest, I still have days where I forget that I'm pregnant because I am really busy - teaching and training and watching out for a mobile now 7 month old hahahaha.

I can tell you that there was not a lot of morning sickness, though, I didn't really have time to be hurling in the bathroom since I am home all day with a baby who needs constant supervision. I started feeling #2 move around this week, which is about 2 weeks sooner than I felt AJ. She was pretty chill and the only thing I was feeling was her shift in sleeping positions (which she still does). As far as I can tell, this pregnancy is going pretty well. There has not been any major events, I can feel our little one moving, each visit there baby has shown signs of growth and a strong heartbeat, and we are pretty happy parents.

In the spirit of embracing the bump, I will share that I have started gaining weight again because these last couple weeks have been rough and schedules have eluded me. To confess, food has been my comfort and a poor choice at that. I have still been determined to walk, though the hard work is cancelled out once I am home and the only steps I take are between the couch and the kitchen. It has only been a 5 pound gain in the last 3 weeks, so I am confident that even if I cannot lose it, I can maintain it (through grace, prayer, and hard work). I can say, though, that the gain has not been overwhelming in its discouragement and I am much more comfortable in my own skin than I was a year ago waiting for AJ.

Please keep us in your prayers that I would set a good example for my daughter and remember the importance of having a healthy diet no matter what stage of life or season I may be in.

Seven Months

AJ turned 7 months yesterday! She is a mover and a shaker, she began crawling just about 2-3 weeks ago and is not content in any one spot. Nor is she content just to crawl! It has not taken her long to build the strength to pull herself up and maneuver her way around the room (holding on tight, of course).

Pulling herself up on bouncers, chairs, coffee tables, entertainment centers, bookshelves, and couches, she is one determined little peanut! Mommy did not even realize there was that much stuff to pull up on! We are in trouble...

Teething to no end, there have been little signs of actual teeth coming through. Combining that with growth spurts have interrupted naps and nighttime sleep. Thankfully, at night, daddy is able to comfort her and she goes back to sleep quite easily. However, the shortened naps have been something mommy frequently must discern: do we rock back to sleep or start playing without starting a new bottle? Mostly it has been the latter, she is not accustomed to being rocked to sleep often, which is a huge blessing for all of us. AJ is such a good baby, and we are very blessed to be able to watch her grow.

Some of her favorite things include:
*Standing up, using whatever means necessary
*Trying to climb (fortunately for mommy, we are having a frustrating go of that!)
*Eating solids, trying new foods (mostly fruits and veggies)
*Emptying out the diaper bag (it's no fun playing with the toys that are just lying around ;))
*Finding every nook and cranny that daddy and mommy do not want me in :)

We have one adventurous little girl, but I cannot wait to see how she grows. I love taking her to the park and putting her in the baby swings (not much else we can do besides lay out a blanket to crawl off of). It is so much fun to think of all the things we will have the privilege of teaching her, it is also such an amazing blessing to take our time (even though it seems to slip by faster than we realize) soaking in this season of infancy.

An Update on Hubby

I have spent so much time on here giving baby updates and sharing my own struggles with weight and other issues. I realize, though, that I have failed to share marital updates and how my hubby is. 

PJ has been a little stressed at work, lately. It has been a bit of a whirlwind these last couple of months with his performance review, an offer to move stores and the potential loss of one of his strongest technicians. His review went well, and I was so proud to hear that his store is progressing so well as one of the leading stores in the High Desert.

His boss offered him a different store in the same area which is also underperforming (worse than where his current store was). He hoped PJ would take over to help improve it and follow a similar career path as his manager. That is, clean up store after store until they are ready to bring him up to a corporate level. He politely declined the position, honestly sharing that he did not have the desire to follow the same career path. It was difficult, as it would have come with a pay raise, but it was just as far if not a little farther away from home and was open later hours. We like the store he is at now because his other staff member likes the closing shift and PJ has days 99% of the time. There would be no scheduling guarantees at the other store. Along with the relief of keeping his daytime work schedule, PJ is excited to remain with his current team and see more growth where he is.

One of the most dependable technicians was considering leaving PJ's store. It would have been a big loss, since he was one of the few who could work multiple stations proficiently. With another job lined up and a plan to leave soon, hubby set to work on finding a replacement, along with another part timer to cover call outs and vacations. With the process in motion, the district manager reached out to the tech and convinced him to stay. In addition, he is still allowing PJ to hire another part timer and request backup from neighboring stores so the area has a floater tech. Hubby has enjoyed conducting his first interviews and it has been a good experience for growth. 

In other news, hubby shared that it has been difficult to find sufficient fellowship outside of Sunday mornings due to work. I have no doubt many of my own friends' husbands feel this way. I am extremely blessed to have my weekly women's study, times to meet up with my friends during the week, and the opportunity to catch up on Sunday mornings. It is hard for us to do weekends with friends, as PJ is in a retail pharmacy, and his days off are Sunday and Thursday. 

It is fortunate, though, that there a few close friends of his from church who also have odd hours. Hubby was able to join them in an early morning study on Thursdays. Please be praying for a rich time of fellowship and encouragement. I am so excited for him to have this time to spend in God's Word with godly men. 

Thank you for your prayers and love for our family! 

Love, Jessy. 

Baby Number 2

I did not exactly "embrace the bump" with AJ. I will be honest, I was ashamed and embarrassed by the fact that I was already overweight and I never really felt like I looked pregnant with her. It was like I continued to get wider and I was jealous of all those mamas with cute little bumps that were adorably distinguishable. All that to say, I really do wish I had taken more bump photos to see the physical progression of her growth. 

This time around, I'm embracing my little one and all the bodily changes they're causing. I am a little more confident with number 2 since I'm a little seasoned now haha Also, I'm simply in a better place. Before this pregnancy started, I was walking 4-5 days a week and already working on changing my diet. I'm 17 weeks today and I'm actually still losing weight. It definitely has (or has not) helped that we were all ridiculously sick multiple times and just under 2 weeks ago I had my braces put on and I'm still adjusting. 

Well, I'm back to my honeymoon weight, which is still far from my goal. However, I am embracing this bump and all the bodily discomforts he or she is causing me :) 

Happy Monday, everyone!

Love, Jessy 

6 Months Old

AJ is now 6 months old and she is an incredibly independent child! Still stubborn, but not as deliberate about it, she is eating solids and LOVES them! Now that she moves around a lot more, she has a greater appetite, so feeding times are not as dreaded for mommy :)

6 Months:
*Very much enjoys eating baby food and strawberries
*Loves tummy time, uses to plank and swim
*Wants to crawl, but can't quite figure out how to coordinate arm and leg movement at the same time
*Loves to stand up and browse about
*Teething and chewing on everything, no teeth yet, though
*Enjoys trying to see if the yellow stuffed Peep is an actual marshmallow - it's not
*Thinks she's older than she is, displayed in her refusal to be held - especially like a baby!

One of my favorite memories is watching her try to crawl. She got up on her hands and feet, as if she were planking, and started doing mountain climbers. From there, she dropped her hips down and pushed herself up to look at me. I smiled at her, and she dropped down instantly and began kicking her legs as fast as she could, she looked like she was trying to swim! I was talking to daddy on the phone during his lunch and apologized that I couldn't get a video because every time I pull up video, she just stares at me blankly. His words were incredibly encouraging and I will never forget them, because they help me through the tough days, "That's okay, my love, as long as you treasure all these things in your heart, it's enough for me to hear you tell me about it."

PJ's favorite day was when he came home from work and I was feeding her in the bedroom. She was taking a break and I called him in to say hi and give her hugs. He came to the doorway, I told her, "Say hi to daddy!." She beamed over at him and squealed with delight! It was so precious.

5 Months Old

Yesterday, our daughter turned 5 months old. AJ is such a precious baby, and I am humbled every time we go out and friends, family, and even strangers go on about how adorable she is. I am also very grateful for the mesh of her features. I was sincerely convinced that she would look more like her daddy: with the color of her eyes, the shape of her eyebrows, the darker skin color she had when she was smaller, and other things. However, the shape of her eyes, her nose, her mouth, and her feet definitely point to the fact that she is my little one, too :) Her skin is also getting lighter as time goes by, and her hair seems a lighter brown, too.

PJ and I have learned a lot as parents: we do not know anything! And the Lord has humbled us both at every turn - just when we think we have it down, AJ changes it up on us. The growth spurts and teething have been rapid this last month. It seemed like she went from size 3mos to 3-6mos overnight! One morning, we went to put on her sleeper, and she was too long! Toes were pushing through the feet and the neckline was being pulled to her chest o.0

It has been difficult for us to spend some time alone. We are happy to report that her last feeding is around 5pm/6pm and she goes down at 8pm. This gives us a solid hour in bed before we go to sleep to talk and catch up with one another about our days. I am also grateful that PJ is able to call me during his lunches, it makes for a fun midday break.

AJ's favorites:
*Rolling over: both ways and both directions!
*Getting "scared" and laughing hysterically: she loves it when we shock her a little, she waits for us to pop open our eyes and say "Boo!" >D
*Biting: EVERYTHING
*Waking up early from naps for extra play time!
*Taking her sweet time finishing her milk: pretty sure she enjoys taunting mommy and daddy lol

I guess that's it for now. Thanks for enjoying life with us!

I Have a 4 Month Old!

It is so overwhelming to say that I have a 4-month old daughter. She is beautiful, smart, active and determined. I know already that she is going to be a mobile baby that will not let me hold her if she can help it. We have a very energetic little one and I love watching her grow.

Her favorite things to do are:

-flip from back to belly

-play in her safari bouncer

-eat the raddle on her Bumbo play set

-swing the monkey on her baby gym mat

Our AJ is so precious and independent (at 4mos, that's a nice way to describe how stubborn she is). 😜 She loves to look around, has to know what is going on around her, and adores the attention she receives on a daily basis from mommy and daddy... Of course there's Grandpa & Nonna, Lolo & Lola, GPop and Gg... Yeah, first grand baby and great grand baby 😳 It's a good thing this girl has a cousin on the way this summer!!! 

We have our days, sometimes mommy has her tough moments where she wonders if there is any more patience left in her, and the Lord provides. Prayer is my greatest resource in this new season ('new season' is a relative term, since having a little one means every season is new). 

I cannot neglect to give my hubby so much love and appreciation right now. AJ is such a daddy's girl, and I pretend to be jealous, but I love watching them adore one another, it is one of the most precious parts of my day. The first thing he does when he comes through that door is kiss me, change and take over for daddy time! I love having a few minutes to relax before starting dinner. After he gives her the last feeding and she's done playing for the night, we relax ofcn the couch together and catch up on budgets and shows. 

I am so blessed and I love our life! I do have to say I'm nervous to have another baby, since AJ is the best sleeper ever! Yeah, dropped our late night feeding last week and we're up to 9 hours of sleep at night 😃🙌

Healthy Living

I began a new healthy living journey just before the year ended. I began limiting food intake and portion control just before Thanksgiving and I received an early Christmas gift from my hubby soon afterward to help me track my steps. Needless to say, with all of the sweets and the fun holiday treats, Christmas was difficult and New Years was a tough one (I cheated more than I wanted to). However, since I began this new journey, I have lost 10 pounds!

I considered, but decided against, drastic changes to my diet. I wanted to give myself more realistic goals and make sure that temptation was not always going to be more convenient. Since the new year has begun, I have been walking five days a week. In the past 2 weeks, I have been doing yoga and pilates twice a week. Yoga for flexibility and pilates for strength.

I am so grateful to my husband for his encouragement. On his days off, he walks with me and doesn't let me skip a workout. When we have dinner, he helps me pack everything up before we are both tempted for unnecessary seconds. I am thankful for my friendship with Laura, who wanted help and accountability to do her yoga and has become an inspiration for me to keep up with it as well. I am blessed with my friend Emy, who loves pilates so much, she comes over to workout with me and teach me a good workout to start off with. Finally, Lindsay is such a treasure! She included me in her FIT group on FB, which is a perfect way to help motivate and remind me, through fellow believers, that He has called us to spiritual, mental and physical health.

God has blessed me with such an awesome community of people to help support me. He has also blessed me with a beautiful daughter who reminds me each day that she is watching me. Thank you, Lord, for your wonderful grace and your abundant gifts.

And thank you, friends, for your amazing support.

Love,
Jessy

3 Months Old!

Life is hectic, so I'm a few days late, but I still can't believe that AJ is already 3 months old! She is already such a big girl. Sometimes, when she smiles or gives me a mischievous look, the Lord blesses PJ and I with a quick glimpse of what she will look like in a few short years. Our little one is such an adorable and stubborn girl!

As far as progression and growth, AJ is now approximately 13lbs and wearing 3 month clothing (to specify, not 0-3mos or 3-6mos). She just hit the sweet spot, which means that I will probably be needing to reorganize her dresser soon and pack away the 3mos clothing! People are not kidding when they say these little ones grow so fast!

Baby Molina is trying to hold her bottle, but does not quite have complete control of her muscles. This means I let her try and it drops/squirts her face in about 3-5 seconds. This, to me, is still pretty impressive. Daddy is a little bit more active in pushing her, though, he often props her bottle up w/ Sophie the Giraffe or a blanket+a burp cloth for the first half of the bottle. It works pretty well as long as she is hungry and has a good latch.

Mommy was a little bit drained and inconsistent with pumping, so, she stopped at 2 months, but AJ seems content (most days) to have her formula. Other days, she simply wants to take in just enough for fuel (1-2oz) and play until she's tired. It's a challenge for mommy to be disciplined and patient to work with her, but she does keep to a relatively consistent schedule when we work at it.

It has been 3 nights in a row that we have had a solid 7 hours of sleep! That means AJ has a great schedule for us all to get good rest before our long days. Typically, we're waking up at 6am, eating, playing, sleeping and starting over at 10am. After that, through the late afternoon, her feedings are 3 hours apart.

AJ has her tough days, but we all do, and when I take a moment to step back and look at this beautiful life our Lord has given us, I have no cause for complaint. More and more each day, I am utterly grateful not to have a job to go back to. As difficult as it is for me to get everything I would like finished around the house, I know that it would be much worse if I weren't here. As a bonus to managing our home, I have this wonderful, smart, beautiful, joyful little girl to take care of.

Thank you for all of your prayers, encouragement and support. We couldn't do it without our incredible family and friends!

Love you all,
Jessy