Bedding for Aliyah

Well, I picked out the bedding for Aliyah's room the first week we found out she was a girl! It is perfect! I wanted yellow with a little pink, and I found this online at babies r us. Then I found it way cheaper at Amazon.com! I was excited! We are going to paint her room in the next couple weeks...pretty much whenever I decide for sure how I want to paint it. I originally wanted to paint it yellow, but now I'm thinking about painting it the pink color in the quilt because it's a really pretty pink. We will see! I wanted a bright and happy room, so I thought yellow would be good, but I can't use the yellow in the quilt because that's really bright. I could use a lighter yellow, but I don't know if that would be bright enough. Such a dilemma! :) Anyway, I wanted to show you all the bedding we picked! It looks just as good in real life, too! I can't wait to paint

the room so I can put the bedding in the crib and look at it every day!

Anyway, we had our doctor's ultrasound on Friday, and the tech said again that we are having a girl! This was a different person than the last time because we went to a 3d/4d place the first time just to find out the sex of the baby! This time we actually got all the measurements and everything. Although, I was hoping they would tell me if the baby was healthy or not, but I have to wait for my doctor to call in order to hear. Ugh! I just want to hear that everything is developing as it should! She was really cute, though. She moved around way more this time than in the other 2 ultrasounds. And we could see her heart, her kidneys, her spine...everything in this one. It is so neat that you can see your baby before it's born! I know this is nothing new, but I just am amazed sometimes because I can never understand how someone just comes up with this stuff! Anyway, it was good to see her, and the guy made us a dvd of pictures and a couple videos!

Well, we have been enjoying this weather so much! We got Lij a little pool and have been sitting outside by the "pool" everyday! We are going to the beach tomorrow! And I am just planning on being outside a lot this summer! I want to enjoy only having one kid while it lasts (even though I'm SO excited to have another one), and soak up the free time this summer!

I hope you are all enjoying your three day weekend, and this awesome weather! :)

Hardest Secret to Keep!

Well, I'm sure a lot of you have already seen on facebook that we are in fact having a little GIRL! I can't believe it! I have wanted a little girl since I WAS a little girl! I have high hopes that we will be close and when she is older we will be great friends! I also realize that girls can be a bit dramatic and she will be so much different than Elijah! I am ready for it, though! Sometimes I feel like I'm in a boy-dominated little world. AJ and Elijah are best buds and do all kinds of crazy boy things, so it will be refreshing to have another little girl in the house who I can cuddle with and dress cute and do her hair and paint her toenails and do girly things together! I feel like this is a dream come true, and I truly couldn't be any happier! It's kinda funny that I crave doing the girly things with her since I'm not that girly myself, but I have a feeling my girly side is going to come out more and more as we get closer to having this little one! AJ and Elijah are VERY excited we are having a little girl, too, so Aliyah will be very loved! :)

We found out on May 10 that it was a possibility that we were having a little girl, but her legs were crossed and the tech. could not get a perfect shot, so she had us come in a week later. AJ couldn't come with me the second time, and the whole morning my stomach was sick and I was so nervous! I think I had gotten it in my head that it was a girl and I was trying to convince myself that it could still be a boy! I really would have been happy either way. There are so many benefits of having both, so I was just trying to remind myself that I didn't care either way...but that's easier said than done when you have the thought in your head of who it might be! Anyway, the tech didn't say anything at first about the gender...just showed me the hands, feet, legs, head, and face. Then out of nowhere she said "Yes, I just cannot see any hint of a boy, and I see all girl parts!" I still wasn't sure if that was her telling me it was a girl or if she was just saying she couldn't see boy parts. So I didn't get excited yet. Then she showed me the three beautiful lines that show it's a girl and I saw them throughout the rest of the ultrasound. She said she had just wanted us to come back because she didn't want to say it was a girl JUST BECAUSE she didn't see boy parts. She did see girl parts but wanted just to make sure. She said "Congratulations! You're having a little girl!" I was sooooo happy!!!

I'm not sure if I shared this yet or not, but Elijah has been in LOVE with this baby since he saw the first ultrasound a couple weeks ago. He talks to her all the time now, he cuddles with her, he kisses her, and he hugs her. He calls her by name and it makes my heart so happy to know that he has already accepted the fact that there will be a new person in our family. When he talks about our family, it's not just Daddy, Mommy, and Elijah anymore. It's Daddy, Mommy, Elijah, and Baby! It's really sweet. When the tech. said it was a girl, Elijah jumped up on the bed with me and kissed my tummy and started talking to her! I think that was my favorite part of the day...even better than hearing "It's a girl!"

Anyway, we were able to tell my family last night. We had them over to our house and we showed them Elijah's Birthday video. They didn't know that the gender of the baby would be on there, so I was really excited for their reactions! It was the funniest thing in the world because when the last picture came up with Elijah holding a "It's a girl!!!" sign, the room was completely silent! I was like "did everyone just see that?!" I guess that it was an emotional video and my sister was trying not to cry! And then Emily realized she should be clapping or something, so she started clapping and I just had to laugh. Lesson learned...don't show an emotional video if you're expecting a jump up and down reaction! We had a fun night, though, and played games and hung out! :)

Check out the new poll at the side of my page! We are sure of the first name, but not so sure on the middle name! Thanks for voting before! Most of you were right! I voted boy because I was sure it was a boy! One other person was wrong, too, but the rest were right! So great job! :)

New Background

I love this new background! It's very sunny and happy! :) Just wanted you all to know that today is the day we tell our family whether we are having a little boy or a little girl! So, be looking for a new poll on the side of my page later tonight or tomorrow! :) And, also be looking for a new post telling you guys what we are having! So this is your last day for guesses! :) I'll be blogging soon!

The Happiest Little Boy I Know

Three years ago, at 410 am after 31 hours of labor and a little more than 2 hours of pushing, Elijah Abraham Maldonado came into this world! I have never seen anything more beautiful than that little boy when I saw him for the first time. He was perfect, and had his Daddy's nose. :) I fell in love immediately. I knew from the first moment that I held him that he was special and my life would never be the same.

As I have watched Elijah grow, I have seen his personality come out in different and new ways every day. He has become such a creative little guy. He plays with his toys and makes them talk to each other now, he draws things that actually resemble what he's trying to draw. He knows his ABC's and loves to sing and dance. He makes up stories and can now tell us exactly how he's feeling and why he's feeling that way! He is the funniest person I know. He can make me laugh so hard that I start crying on a daily basis! He loves Curious George and Dora. He likes to pick out his own clothes. His favorite thing to do is go to the "castle park" and play hide and seek. He is the happiest little boy I know and can make ANY situation fun! He is just becoming more and more independent every day.

When I look at Elijah, I sometimes just feel overwhelmed and awed that he is MY son and that I get to be a part of his life forever. I feel so lucky to have him and to hear him call me "Mommy" every day. I get to hear him say his prayers every night and hear him say "I love you, Mommy!" every day! I get to be the one he runs to when he gets hurt because he wants a kiss. I get to be the one to jump up and down with him whenever he is excited about something! I get to be the one to help him make up crazy songs or stories. I just am so lucky, and even though it is sometimes (or all the time) a lot of work being a mom, I LOVE it! I wouldn't trade a single day with him for anything else in the world. I feel like I have a purpose in life when I'm around him...like I was made just to be his mom or something. It's a great feeling, and I'm so thankful for him!

So, anyway, I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my little stinks. He has brought more joy than I deserve to my life, and I'm excited to see him become a big brother this year and see the changes that will happen because of that in him! It's going to be a fun ride watching him grow every year! :) I love you, Lij!!!

Today could be the day??

I am a bundle of nerves right now! Don't get me wrong...they're excited nerves, but man my stomach is turning like crazy thinking that I might find out what our baby is today! I leave in less than an hour to drop AJ off at school before heading to Niles with Elijah to find out if this baby will cooperate this time! We went a week ago and the baby looked great but had it's arms AND legs completely crossed! I totally fell in love with this little one, though...I could see it's little heart pounding, the cute little way it was sleeping, and how comfy and cozy it looked in there! My heart is full of love and joy knowing that baby is really in there and has a strong heart beat! :) Elijah has really seemed to grasp more than ever that we are having a baby and that it's in my tummy. He cuddles with the baby all the time now and kisses it and talks to it. It is really sweet, and I'm excited to see this relationship grow as the baby grows. It's so special to think that Elijah really WANTS a new baby brother or sister now. It makes me happy. :)

We had a great time in Minnesota! It was my favorite time we've ever visited! I think part of that may have been how sweet AJ's mom was! She kept telling me over and over how beautiful I looked! Who doesn't want to hear that?! :) It was so nice! We went to see Iron Man 2, went to the aquarium at the mall of America, went to a Twins game, went out with the siblings, and went to Deluth! It was a fun-filled week and felt so great to relax together and enjoy each other's company. Plus, AJ's mom surprised us by telling us she's coming to visit after the baby is born! That will be lots of fun, and we're really excited because no one from AJ's family has seen our new house! We have a lot to do before they come like decide where we will sleep when they're here, but it will all work out and be awesome!

Well, this is my first week of summer vacation and I have a lot planned. I want to weed the side of our house and get mulch put down, clean out the fridge, catch up on ALL the laundry, organize AJ's and my room upstairs, plan our blue/pink party for Friday night, go to a doctor's appointment, and maybe start planning the baby's room! I really hope we can find out what the baby is today! If you read this and think of it, say a prayer that the baby shows us all its parts! :) I'll explain about being modest AFTER the baby is born!!! ;)

Have a great week everyone!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

It has been a perfect Mother's Day for me so far! We went to church this morning, where Elijah made me his first homemade Mother's Day card and proudly presented it to me when we picked him up! I love it...it's so cute and is a great reminder that parents are there to help children "bloom" in their love for God. When we got home, I played Uno with Elijah while AJ made lunch! Not just any lunch either...breakfast lunch! Mmm...that's my favorite! Also, yesterday AJ got a rose for me and a rose for my mom! I thought that was really sweet!

Anyway, I was thinking a lot this weekend about the mother's who have inspired me. There are so many, but I thought I would focus this post on the mother's in my family who have encouraged me and taught me different things that I hope to use in my own mothering.

First...my mother! I love my mom! She has always been one of my favorite people ever. When I was little, I wanted to be with her all the time and I loved to show off for her and make her proud. My mom ALWAYS encouraged me and let me know that I could do anything I set my mind to! As I grew older, she became more of a mentor. I would ask her for advice...sometimes following her advice and sometimes not...and I would go to her for comfort when things went wrong. I told her everything about everything! After I left for college, she became one of my best friends. I guess the thing biggest thing I learned from her is to be a mother when my children need that and a friend as they get older and need that. She is my favorite example of a mom, and I always feel so blessed when I realize that she is MY mom and I get to keep her forever! :)

The next mother I want to talk about is my sister Nikki. I remember when she first had Nick. I was in 8th grade, and the week after she had him, she brought him to one of my volleyball games and let me carry him down the bleachers to introduce him to my friends! She was always so proud to show him off, and she was really relaxed about letting other people hold him. I always loved that, and when I had Elijah, I let anyone and everyone hold him and took him everywhere right after he was born! It really was so fun to show him off! :) Another thing I have been learning from her is to let my kids be who they want to be. This is going to be hard for me because I want my kids to dress how I want them to dress or act how I want them to act, but she has showed me that it's important to let them be who they are! Her kids always talk to her about things and love to be with their family at home, and I think a huge part of that is that she lets them dress and act how they want. They feel like she truly accepts them no matter what. That is a great mom! I also feel so blessed that she is my sister and that she loves Elijah just as much as I have always loved her kids! It's so neat that my son loves his Aunt Nikki and is always really excited to see her!

Next on the list...Christi! I am not a creative person AT ALL, but she is! She is the most creative person I have ever met. She always seems to find such joy in creating different projects and showing them off. She has always let her kids create things, too. She comes up with really neat projects to do with them and really develops their creative sides. I want to do that with my kids, too...even though it is much harder for me since I do not know the first thing about being artistic! Kids like to create things, though, and I need to allow Elijah to do that more. I need to just let him get messy and try things out! I'm really happy that Rick married Christi because she is so much fun to have in our family! :)

Now to Emily. Emily has become such a great friend to me and someone that I can talk to about the ups and downs of my life. And a lot of those ups and downs have to do with my son! I always tell her this, but I admire how she is ALWAYS prepared as a mom! She always has a hundred snacks in her diaper bag or purse just in case her kids get fussy, she makes them great lunches and plays with them and shows them she loves them all the time. She is great at disciplining her kids without seeming too harsh. She can say one word and Hunter will stop in his tracks and listen to her. She adores Sophie and I can already tell that they have that special mother-daughter bond that every daughter wants. She also loves the Lord so much and teachers her kids even now about Jesus and reads them Bible stories and prays with them all the time. I look up to her a lot and I think she does such a great job not only of being a mom but also a wife!

Anyway, I was just thinking of these ladies today and wanted to say how much I appreciate them and love them and look up to them! They are great women! I think it's so neat that God places people in your lives to teach you how to be a wife, mom, and friend. We would be lost without those examples!

Happy Mother's day, Moms! I hope you enjoy being with your family today, and I hope that you feel appreciated! You all deserve it! :)

19 Weeks...

Well, I don't have much to say, but I am 19 weeks pregnant now and almost half way! It's so exciting! AJ took a couple of pictures of me today, so I thought I would share my baby bump! It's fun to be at this stage of pregnancy! I can feel the baby move so much now! It's such a fun thing to feel the baby moving (and dancing, it seems sometimes) in my tummy. It makes me feel like he/she is having such a fun time in there! :)

I also got my hair cut on Wednesday! I have had it long for quite a while, but I got it cut pretty short this time! It feels good to swing my head back and forth, and I like the way it looks! It's so easy to style.

Elijah is loving the warm weather! He has been spending a lot of time outside riding his bike! I love how happy he is to run around and explore outside! I'm so excited to spend time with him outside all summer! I am free from school now, so I am going to soak up all this free time and enjoy these next few months with just Elijah! :)

Anyway, I just thought I would share some pictures and make a little blog. I know it's such a deep, thought-provoking post! :) I hope you all have a great weekend!!!

A Soccer Mom Dream

When I was growing up, I always dreamt of being a "soccer mom"...that perfect mom who took her kids to all their games, sat and watched and cheered loudly! I wanted to do fun things with my kids...be creative and always spend time with them, encouraging them and loving them. I wanted to bring my kids to church every Sunday and talk with them afterwards about what they learned, and hopefully be able to pray the prayer of salvation with them at some point in his young life! I wanted to be perfect.

I have only been a mom for 3 years and I already feel like I've failed at a lot of things. I feel like I don't spend enough time with Elijah. I feel like I don't do enough creative and fun things with him. I feel like I don't read him enough Bible stories or pray with him enough or talk to him about Jesus enough. I have been FAR from perfect.

I want Elijah to think back to his childhood as a fun and happy time in his life. I want him to have good memories of the things we did together and be proud to say that we are his parents. It seems like I have so far to go to become the mother I want to be and the example for Elijah that I want to be, and now we have another little soul coming into our lives soon.

It is such a huge responsibility to have kids and to raise kids. I mean, we are the first adults they see and learn from. We are their whole world for the first 5 years of their life! I am not at all where I want to be in my walk with Christ, or as a person. And I have felt such an urgency lately to get things together so that the person Elijah remembers when he grows up is a woman who was devoted to Christ and devoted to her husband and devoted to her children. I know I will never be perfect, but I can't just let that be it. I need to always be striving to be better, if not for myself, then for my children.

I'm excited to meet this new little one that is set to arrive in October, and it does make me happy to think that even though I'm not perfect by any means, I am the perfect mom for Elijah and this new baby. God picked me to be their mom, and I feel so blessed. I couldn't ask for a better son than Elijah! He is funny and smart and sweet! He can always put a smile on my face, and I'm excited to see what this new baby's personality will be, too! :)

Relationships...

Ugh...the service was great this morning, but also very challenging. It was about relationships and one thing that stood out to me is that you want to keep harmony in your relationships but that doesn't necessarily mean keeping the peace. I have always struggled with confrontation...I would rather just be miserable myself than confront someone who has hurt me. (unless I'm super close to that person...but even then it's very hard for me.) During the service this morning, a woman was brought to my mind. I don't have a very good relationship with this person and even though I'm certain she would never see this blog, I would never post her name. Anyway, I felt convicted because I haven't been praying for her like I should...or at all really. Pastor Dave said this morning that we need to pray and bless the ones who have hurt us, and that it is very hard to be upset with someone you're praying will be blessed. I realized that there are a lot of people I haven't prayed for...not just this one person, and I felt very convicted that I need to be praying for people every day. I made a list when I got home of those people that came to mind that I wanted to pray for everyday and stuck it in my Bible. Anyway...back to my main point...I know that sometimes you need to keep your mouth shut and try to let things slide, but sometimes you really need to talk it through to reach that point of harmony in your relationships. That is one of my biggest weaknesses, but I'm going to try hard to pray about it and to listen to the Lord about when I should or shouldn't talk things out with someone. This is going to be a struggle for me, but I can work on it and maybe someday it will be a strength of mine! You never know, right? :) Anyway...great message today!

Last week of school this week! YES! And...even more exciting...one week from tomorrow is when we get to see our baby on the ultrasound and hopefully find out if it is a he or she!! I can't wait to see that little miracle on the screen and feel even more like I am pregnant and there really is a baby in there! :) I'll let you guys know how it goes! :) You may have to wait a while to find out the gender, though, because we're leaving for Minnesota right after the ultrasound for the week! Suspenseful, right?! :) Have a great week!