PREGNANT???

A little over 4 weeks ago, I found out I was pregnant! Of course this was a HUGE shock to us because I was on birth control. The pill I was on did not regulate my cycle as it should, and obviously did not do it's main purpose:) What was even more shocking is that I was off of birth control for over 3 years before getting pregnant with Isabella, and here I was on birth control and still managed to get pregnant. I started to not feel well, and in my gut, I just KNEW I was pregnant. I took the test at home , and within 3 seconds it was positive. I almost started to hyperventilate! I still to this day am in shock. I called Eric immediately and told him the news. At first, he did not believe me, but he knew in my voice I was not joking! I have had 4 weeks to come to terms with the fact, as well as 2 ultrasounds. Of course we knew we wanted another child, we were just thinking in another 2 years. OK,OK I was thinking in another 2 years! Eric is so excited to have another baby and I really do think that being a Dad is what makes Eric feel complete. However, he is not the one who is pregnant, sick, up to do late night feedings, and home as much as I am. I know that it truly was God's will for me to be pregnant because to get pregnant on birth control is not an easy thing to do. After many talks with Eric and my best girl friends, they have reassured me that everything will be fine. Things always seem to work out for us, and they will continue to do so. I know that this baby will be loved just as much as Isabella is and they are a gift from God. I'm still just in shock! Anyway, I am due June 30th so Isabella and him or her will be a month and two years apart. What I worry most about is making sure Isabella continues to get as much attention as she does. Because Eric and I are home so much during the week with her, she gets so much learning time, play time, and just Mommy and Daddy time that we can offer. We are going to make sure that Isabella is given all the time she needs with us. So... the journey of pregnancy begins again!! I have been off and on nauseous. However, it was much worse with Isabella. I am able to at least eat ( I was not able to with Bella and ended up losing 15 lbs my first trimester). I have not gained any weight yet, but my tummy is getting hard already. I have no preference of a boy or girl really. I would really love for Bella to have a sister. I love having a sister, and can't imagine not having a sister and would love for Bella to experience sisterhood. However, a boy would be awesome as well. 1 boy and 1 girl, sounds good to me! we have many more weeks until we find out the sex, in the meantime, I'm waiting anxiously to get through the 1st trimester!

PUZZLES AND BOOKS

Anyone who is around Bella knows that her favorite things to do consist of puzzles and books. We have never pushed these things on her, just have made sure to expose her to a ton of books as well as things like puzzles and toys to do what she wants with them. If you were in my living room right now, as I am as I type this; you'd see a toddler lawn mower, a push and go Dora car, a Dora ATV, a shopping cart, a bucket of toys, and of course puzzles and books. The things that interest her the most are the puzzles and books. She also loves when you write letters on her Doodle Pro board and her tell you what they are. She can recognize letters A through E as well as say them. If you are the floor of the living room with her, she will literally throw a book at your face (sometimes rather annoying, I know), and scream "READ!" Sometimes she will actually hit us in the face with the book! She loves to point at objects in the book and say "what's this?", as you will hear in the video. She also loves to do a single puzzle, dump it out, and do it several more times. So I thought Id videotape her doing her two favorite things. She continues to amaze me with her vocabulary which consists of so many words now, and just how smart she is. Of course every Mom thinks their kid is the smartest kid ever, and this Mom is no different :)

U OF A GAME

Us Hoover's, Tommy,Becky,Marissa,My Dad & Rhonda went a few weekends ago to the U of A homecoming game. It was so nice to be back on campus and it really brought back a lot of great memories. I really loved my time at U of A and I hope one day Isabella will make the U of A her choice of colleges. Anyway, before the game we met some of my family for tailgating. Bella had so much fun running around in the grass and playing with the balls. It was nice for some of my cousins to get to see Bella as most of them have only met her once or twice.
Then, it was off to the game. On our walk to the stadium, the streets were lined with tailgaters and blasting music. Isabella could not walk on without stopping at each truck with music and dance in the middle of the road. Soon, we had 100's of people all clapping for her as she danced in the middle of the street, it was so funny!
Once at the stadium, we took our seats and began to watch the first quarter. Bella would clap with all of us and say "GO!" The wildcats were already killing Washington and it was only the 1st quarter. The lack of nap, and walking miles also began to slowly kill Bella's energy level. So, Eric and I took her in the the concession stand area to let her eat and roam a little. She ended up just getting cranky so we had to take her back to The Rodriguez's. She was too young to sit through a game and she has way too much energy. As soon as we pulled out of the parking lot, she was out like a light. We got to their house and we just relaxed until the Rodriguez's and my dad and Rhonda got home. Once they got home, we ate dinner and hung out before it was time for us to make the drive home. It was a great time, and we are hoping the next game she goes to she will be more willing to watch. :) Here are pictures of our little Wildcat:

Pumpkin Carving

Almost every year since Eric and I have been together, we have carved pumpkins for Halloween together. We buy the kits and do some really cool, very detailed ones that usually take us over an hour to do. I have always loved doing them with Eric because it's usually nice weather outside and it's the only time I can do a little bit of a crafty project. This year, I decided to do a traditional pumpkin with Bella so we could talk about eyes, nose, and mouth, etc., plus it wouldn't take very long to do. She was already not feeling well, so she wasn't all that interested, especially since we were outside doing them. She loves to just play outside. Anyway, I made a jack-o-lantern, and Eric carved Bella's name in to a pumpkin. Eric and I will continue our tradition to Bells and any of our future kids. Here are the finished products...

Bella's 2nd Halloween

Saturday was Bella's 2nd Halloween. On Friday, Bella started to come down with a cold. It was a real bummer because we had tickets to the Phoenix zoo Howl O ween festivities. We decided to keep her home Friday night and Saturday morning I took her to the Dr. to make sure her ears were clear, and that it was just a cold. Turns out it was just a run of the mill cold so she was clear to trick or treat. However, I felt it was best to not trick or treat with the Tortora family so that Bella would not get Guiliana sick. That made us sad because we were really looking forward to going as a big family again, but we didnt want to get another baby sick.

So, I made Bella's favorite dinner of spaghetti, cesar salad, and garlic bread. My mom, Nino Steve, and Auntie Jen joined us for dinner as well. Then, we all got ready to hit the streets to trick or treat. Eric really wanted Isabella to be a ladybug , and we found the cutest costume for her. Jen also found a lady bug costume in her size so the girls were twins. Our neighborhood was packed with kids and families. Bella was a little grumpy because she didn't feel well, but once we got going she was having a great time. She'd go up to the door say "knock knock" and then when they would open the door she would walk away. it was super cute! We occasionally got a "treat" out of her, but for the most part she didnt care too much about getting candy. :) After a little under 2 hours, we came home and had a piece of Pumpkin cheesecake, which Bella loved! Overall, it was a great time with our family/friends. We are looking forward to next Halloween!











Playing with her Flashcards with Nino