food for thought

I don't have a 365 post due to my schedule at my new job, Zoolikins, but I (of course!) am keeping up with my blog reading on my favorite blogs (find all my favs on the column on the right). One of my favorite ones, Keeper of the Home, is the blog of a "Christian homemaker," so we share a lot of similar views.

Her recent (guest) post on vaccinations was super informative, and I think really helpful in understanding both sides of the Great Vaccine Debate. For any soon-to-be parents or new parents, this is a really great place to start. There are plenty of resources out there, and the entry mentions a few good ones to start doing some research.

I look forward to getting back to the swing of things soon!

nice to meet you

14/365

I am sorry about the picture for today's 365 project, but I haven't been able to be around Cecilia long enough for the past couple of days, due to my new job at Zoolikins, a cloth diaper store in Old Town Scottsdale! I'm so excited about my new job, and it's so fun to be in an environment where I really CARE about the product, the customer and the lifestyle. It's been really fun so far, and I've already met some kooky people, so I can't wait to meet more!

Again, the unfortunate part about my training at the store are my limited hours at home (but thankfully, it's just for this week - after this week my typical shift will be Saturdays 10-5pm so stop by!). So I haven't been able to snap any cute photos of my little girl! 

We had our appointment today with my OB to find out the sex of the new baby... So the shot above is Mike holding Cecilia while she eats eggs and carrots in the waiting room. She was NOT happy about being at this appointment - we decided it's the last time we're taking her, if we can avoid it ;) 

My thought process for wanting her to be there was so she could meet her little brother or sister, but she didn't care so much about that as she did the many various cords and trinkets around the office, which equals trouble!

Anywho, here is our first photo of the new little one...

We would like to introduce to you, Siena Clare Guizar!

I feel so incredibly blessed and honored to have another little baby, and so excited that it's a girl! Please keep Siena in your prayers for a healthy and safe time in my belly and entrance into this world :)

I will try to get back into the swing of things with some better quality 365 photos ASAP! No more of these iPhone silly pics :)

"In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you."

rainy days

13/365

When I told you that Cecilia loved reading, I wasn't lying to you. She also has found herself her own little nook in our house - the space right in between the tile and the screen door of the front door. She literally sat there for a good half an hour, right after grabbing a book from her bedroom, and resting in her spot to glory in the rain drizzling outside and her delicious book. She soaked in the day, perking up at every bird chirp, opening and closing her book since the pages are just too difficult for her to turn, and telling me about her adventures with her own sweet noises.

I hope she grows to appreciate these sweet moment even as the busyness of our lives tend to draw her into mayhem. I hope we, as parents, give her this sense of peace to know that she has these opportunities to just be.

"God chose the center of the human soul as his dwelling place because that is exactly the most beautiful place in all creation."

small

12/365

It's the littlest of things that brighten my day - Cecilia sitting in our chairs like a big girl, eating her cereal and watching me dance and sing. She loves life in a way that I can't remember.

"Give me something sacred, something worth fighting for." ~needtobreathe

ah!

11/365

We had a lot of fun today - well, Cecilia had a great time splish splashing like a crazy girl. Literally the WHOLE kitchen was flooded with water due to her crazy good time. I figured it'd be nice to show off her teeth too :) good thing we brush them frequently, they're pearly white!

"The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives." ~Albert Einstein

cloth diapers? really?

I was just at a friend's bachelorette dinner, and for some odd reason, the topic of cloth diapers came up. I immediately perked up! I seriously love talking about/looking at/reading about/watching about cloth diapers. It has become a weird obsession, and an obsession that I haven't even really been able to act on because I have been practicing self control in not buying like a crazy woman!

Some of the girls at the dinner were asking questions about cloth diapers, so I figured I'd put together a little blog entry to direct some of the questions to those amazing cloth diaper experts in the world.

Best CD blogs:
All About Cloth Diapers (esp her entry on the different cloth diaper systems)
The Cloth Diaper Whisperer
Dirty Diaper Laundry (she has amazing cloth diaper video reviews)
Cloth Diapers by Cotton Babies (their entry on the different types of cloth diapers)

Best CD sites/stores (these sites also have really awesome "info" pages):
Diaper Junction
Kelly's Closet
Zoolikins (Also located in Old Town Scottsdale!)
Cotton Babies
Diaper Pin (for great CD reviews from parents and actual users of the dipes)

I hope this is helpful to anyone who has some questions or some "cloth diaper 101" type needs. I hope more and more people fall in love and obsessed with cloth diapers so I'm not the only crazy in town!

potty time

I read a ton about a process called Elimination Communication, which is a really amazing concept of basically potty training your infant. People all over the world do elimination communication as a part of how they raise their children. Their thought process is, You watch for signs when your child is hungry - you feed him or her. You watch for when your child is sleepy - you put him or her to sleep. Hence, you watch for when your child is eliminating - and you put him or her on the potty to eliminate. It pretty much makes sense when you think of in terms of watching your child and reacting to what your child is trying to communicate. That's what every parent wants - to understand what their child is trying to say.

Okay, so while the concept is revolutionary to my mind, I knew I didn't have the commitment level or confidence in myself to do that with Cecilia. However, I would like to have her comfortable on the potty and know that that is where we go to the potty earlier than the typical 2 years old potty training time. It made sense to me, when I read in The Baby Whisperer, to start "potty training" your child at around 9 months old (we started around 12 months old). Her philosophy is that at the age of 9 months, a child wants to please you and finds pleasure in pleasing you, whereas, at the "typical" age of 18 months-2 years old, a child is turning into a rebel in front of your very eyes! He or she is not typically trying to please you in everything that he or she does, they are rebelling in almost every way.

We didn't start putting Cecilia on the potty at set times, and we (still) aren't very consistent with how often we put her on, but I wanted her to get used to being on the potty - I wanted her to see us get REALLY excited (yyyaayyyy!) when she goes to the potty, and we wanted her to not be scared of the potty or get to the age where she wants to do everything opposite of what we say.

10/365

It's really almost the cutest thing in the whole world to see her on the potty - and even cooler when she actually goes! We don't sit for longer than 5 minutes at a time on the potty, and I try to remind myself to not get frustrated when she doesn't go - I just want her to have the experience. It's so much fun to sit with her and read [andreadandreadandreadandread]. Our next step is to be more consistent with her, and we'll see how it goes!

"After everything we've learned, we've finally come to terms: We are the outsiders." ~needtobreathe

curiousity

9/365

I'm loving being outside since the weather here has been so gorgeous. Cecilia and I now have a whole new place to go besides just the rooms in the house to stay away from the cold! Mike and I also have been putting her more and more in cloth diapers (which I LOVE!). I just think they're so stinking cute! We only have one type of diaper that we have been using, the Flip Diaper System. And I have been researching a lot for what we're going to do for the next baby, and I really can't wait. Cecilia only wears disposables when she takes her one nap and when she sleeps at night, so I'm really happy that Michael and I are putting forth this effort for her health, saving money, AND for how cute they are! 

Here are some of my new favorites for how I would LOVE to cloth diaper the next baby:

All-In-Ones/Pockets:

Tots Bots Easy Fit

bumGenius Elemental

SoftBums

Prefolds/Fitteds:

Bummis Organic Prefolds

sustainablebabyish bamboo fitteds

Diaper Covers:

Bummis Super Lite

Best Bottoms

Thirsties Duo Wrap

Okay, can you tell I'm obsessed?? You have no idea ;) One can always dream...

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs at the days to come." Proverbs 31:25

da-da

8/365

Daddy is home. And life is so good. I am so grateful for the beautiful moments where I see Cecilia love on her Dad. There are few things in this world more beautiful than a daddy and daughter together in love.

"As the sun illuminates the moon and stars, so let us illuminate each other."

through the pages of a book

7/365

Cecilia loves reading [almost] more than food. Like, literally. She wasn't feeling 100% a couple of weeks ago (I think due to teething, but who knows?) and all she wanted to do the entire time she was under the weather, was read, read, read. It was crazy! She literally couldn't function unless she was near us, sitting on us, right next to us - with a book in hand. Of course, Mike and I (and her amazing volunteer babysitters) have to have immense patience to read the same book 3,456,786 times, but hey - who can resist the cute puppy dog eyes?? Here are she and Nina - enjoying a goodie :) Life is sweet.

"But Mariella just smiled as she skipped down the road.. because she knew all the secrets in her world." ~Kate Nash

marvelous world of biceps, triceps and wonder

Okay, so y'all know that I'm trying this new working out deal with being pregnant and all... It's kind of difficult for me to feel motivated to work out when I'm with Cecilia. When I go walking outside, I like to walk really quickly and listen to really loud music to keep myself motivated - so I've been going right after school every day (with Mike's motivation - thank you to my wonderful husband) when I can. However, when I'm alone with Cecilia, I don't really want to go walk and blast music in case she tries to talk to me and I'm ignoring her - you know, Mother's Guilt and all ;)

So, when I'm home alone, I need to find some new resources. It's difficult to find free pregnancy exercises online because people probably make BANK on pregnancy exercise DVDs and all that jazz. Enter in Doctor Cathy! I stumbled upon her on YouTube, and she is uh-mazing! Just watch like two seconds of her video below - you'll see how incredible looking and in shape she is. I love that she's hugely pregnant, but she is RIPPED in her arms and has awesome legs. Oookay, I admit, I have a woman-crush on her amazing body - she has been such a great motivation to me already! Please watch for yourself...

I mean, right?! She also has some great prenatal and postnatal exercises as well as a lot of nutritional videos on her YouTube Channel. Anyway, gotta keep motivated on my new Pregnancy-I'm-Gonna-Look-Hot-Plan! 

I'm hoping Mike can use some of his photography skills (we'll see if any exist) to snap some pics for me of my pregnancy belly. Last time, my friend Lexy Popa offered to do some maternity pics for me, and they were so awesome. I am eternally grateful for my amazingly talented friends who share their craft with my family and me. Remember the incredible Christina Lafferty?? She snapped gorgeous family photos for us. And, of course, I can never forget the generosity, kindness and overwhelming talent of my wedding photographer, Kristen Grinnell who captured our day better than I could have imagined. All of these women, and so many more creative, gifted people in my life open my eyes to more of the beauty of this world. They remind me of what it is to find more of the wonder of this world... that gazing upon the beauty of the simplest of moments, I can be found.

Okay, I'm done talking up the incredible people who I am surrounded by - but I am truly overcome with gratefulness for the people that the Lord has put into my life. I truly am so blessed.

"And for a moment we realize that we were born into a world as astonishing as any fairy tale. A world made for romance."

love

6/365

I never really try to put Cecilia in the pack n' play, but for some reason she apparently really likes to go in there! I think it's those hidden treasures in there that she forgets about when roaming throughout our house. She just sat in there and played while I cleaned up the house and got things ready for a BBQ that we had.

We invited some friends over, and a priest named Father Will Schmid, and got our house blessed! It was a long time coming, and it was so beautiful and incredible that our friends were there to support us. Fr. Will talked about blessing the people who live in the house and all those who come to visit - and that we have a spirit of hospitality for everyone. That was our biggest intention when getting this home - was to open its doors for visitors and for friends to come and create a sense of community, of time together to build His church and His kingdom. I am so thankful to Fr. Will and all those who have helped me in making this house a home - and especially to all those who have come into our home as guests and as friends, who have made this house into a home with their presence, openness and love.

"Dear young people, your journey does not end here. Time does not come to a halt. Go forth now along the roads of the world, along the pathways of humanity, which remain ever united in Christ’s Church."

hugs and kisses

5/365

Cecilia is training to be a wonderful big sister. I'm trying to hang around with as many babies as we can so she can become acclimated to me holding babies and not being able to hold her as much, etc. I know that you can't truly practice for the real thing, but it's so fun to see her love, kiss and hug her baby doll. When we got to visit little Blaise Jetty the other day, she just wanted to stare at him and laugh. We'll get there - and I know it will be an adventure to see her with our new baby in a few months.

"We are not alone; there is love out there and it wants us."

the fresh air

4/365

Cecilia loves to walk around on our [dead] grass outside and stomp on the super crunchy leaves! It's so fun for her to listen to the noises of them and laugh and laugh. She also got to have Acaiah over a few days ago to join in the fun outside. I can't wait to see the adventures they have together, and especially what trouble and mayhem Cecilia causes for us in this backyard. Life will be sweet.

"The whole air about us is filled with angels."

bath time is fun time

3/365

Michael attempted to do Cecilia's hair into a mohawk while in the bath today. Even though his effort was not as successful, she forgave him and loved on him anyway. She enjoys the times when Daddy gets to give her a bath, especially when she poops in the tub.

"While we were in the dark, light burst in. And what else could we do but give up what we were clinging to and take the light in, to feel the warmth and start shining."

bellies and piggies

2/365

We have frequented the pigtails now and again when we want to get fancy. So far, Cecilia hasn't put up a fight when I try to do her hair as I try to distract her with food and Yo Gabba Gabba - the two best things in the whole world according to her.

"If you are what you are meant to be… You will set the whole world on fire."

the beginning

I am frequently inspired by many people, but I have lately been inspired by a blog of a mother of two, Gregarious Peach, who started the 365 project a little over a year ago with her two kids. It's so adorable - and such a cool concept to document clips of your child's life. So I figured, Let's do this!! Feast your eyes on Cecilia, and eventually the new baby girl/boy. Enjoy :)

1/365

This is one of the few times that I ever snap a picture of the two of us. Kind of hard to capture when you're holding the camera, especially when you're no pro like me. 

PS - I want to eat her lips.

"The part I remember best is the beginning."

it has arrived!!

...my bump, that is :)

I realize I should probably put a picture with an exclamation like that, but it's dark out, and I'm not feeling so hot, yada yada... So, my apologies.

But really, I'm about 19 weeks now, and the bump is like - HUGE - and it literally came out of nowhere. I was really going to try to get through this whole pregnancy not looking pregnant at all, but that dream has finally ended with a huge bump that I'm growing (ahem) to love.

All of a sudden, with this expanding bump came the realization - HOLY CRAP I'M PREGNANT. I've literally been living every day with Cecilia and Mike like there is nothing else going on around us - when in reality, there is something very real, very life-changing, and very important happening inside of me.

With this awareness, I decided (well, we decided) that it's time to buckle down. I have approximately 20 weeks left of pregnancy to get fit, full and fabulous! Well, the fit part is really the main goal here. Mike and I decided that I should probably simmer down on my insanely high craving for sugar, sugar, sugar! and get better about the things that I am putting into my mouth for nutrition for myself and for the baby. This is tending to be a problem, as my brain literally canNOT stop thinking about above said-word that I shouldn't say... sugar.

I wake up, hm.... muffins! cereal! I get home from school... cereal! ice cream! cake! donuts! soda! anything unhealthy - get in mah belly!


Like, literally. This happened to become a trend and a growing problem. So we decided that we'll eat healthier together and that I would start walking 30 minutes a day to get my body ready for labor.

When we had Cecilia, we decided that it would be really awesome to try to have a natural delivery. I was so excited - and read up a lot on the hows and the tos to having a natural, safe and exciting childbirth experience. Alas, when the time came, we hadn't done our homework well enough, tripped up with a few things here and there, and I got an epidural with Cecilia coming to greet us a few hours later. To be honest, I still tend to struggle with this decision and action that happened as I was hopeful and excited to receive all of the benefits of a natural delivery. However, since I can't go back - and Cecilia was the most beautiful thing we've ever laid eyes on (and healthy and happy), all I can do is look forward.

This time I said to myself, Self, maybe it was the Bradley Method that had it all wrong - maybe I should research different natural childbirth resources and tap into those. I then stumbled upon HypnoBabies which is "a childbirth course that teaches painless childbirth techniques so mothers can enter hypnosis, deepen it themselves and remain mobile during labor, completely comfortable at times." Side note - you have to fully and intentionally believe in hypnosis and its abilities in order for this to work. Forget this. Back to Bradley.


I really did love the Bradley method of childbirth, and so I am excited to dive back into the infamous book, "Natural Childbirth: Bradley Way" which is an incredible book teaching all of the approaches to childbirth from Dr. Bradley. I am excited to jump into this adventure head first - well, belly first at times - and am optimistic that Mike and I will be even more well-read and comfortable with labor and childbirth, that things will go exactly as planned. Oh wait, never MY plans... HIS. I guess at that point - at the hospital, a few hours into labor, Mike tired from me hanging on him to get through contractions - it is all REALLY up to Him as to when He would like us to meet our little man/girl.

So, I'm pregnant. Weird to write that. And I'm ready to dive in and do whatever I can to have a healthy, happy and exciting childbirth and baby.

Now, what to do about this sweet tooth - that's the BIG question.