Our Beautiful Journey

2010-01-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

My last post today is that Ellyana is being potty trained right now and doing a fantastic job. We are so proud of her. I wanted to do it by the time she was 2 and a half and that is this month. I can't believe it already.

2010-01-21T12:14:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post some Christmas pictures while I am posting....... We had a fabulous Christmas (minus my morning sickness that lasted ALL day, which is finally gone) Ellyana was really excited this year and got the whole Santa thing:)

2010-01-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

I have not posted in such a long time and I want to start doing so more often. I am now 17 weeks pregnant and Ellyana came with me to my Dr. apt today to hear the baby's heartbeat. She kind of just sat there and listened. She, of course is hoping for a little sister. We find out on February 12th what we are having:)

2009-10-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Baking cookies on a rainy day:)

2009-10-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

My first haircut from mommys friend. I was a perfect angel and looked just beautiful after:)

2009-10-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

Cheering Mommy on for her half marathon on September 13th,2009. I made her a nice sign with daddy!

I am getting so big and talking in complete sentences. I can count to 20, say my ABC's, say Grace(on my own), and sing so many songs.

2009-10-24T16:59:00.001-07:00

A fun day in the sun with my friend Lola. (september)

2009-10-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

Frankfort fest in September. I am a bit behind in adding pictures.

Happy Birthday Ellyana

2009-08-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to our little girl. She is no longer a baby. In fact, she is quit the boss these days making us do all sorts of funny things. She is such a sweet and happy little girl. Ellyana had the best Bidthday any little girl could imagine. She continues to talk and sing all day long. We are having such a fun summer:)

Strawberry picking

2009-06-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

Ellyana and I took Tom strawberry picking for Father's Day. It was something we have all been wanting to do. E liked it for about 5 minutes and then the bugs,water and heat got to her. We did enjoy the tasty berries we picked even though we only got one bucket:)

2009-06-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

Florida

2009-06-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Congratualtions to the new Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Guyanoid... My cousin was married May 30th in Fort Lauderdale Florida outside along the water - BEAUTIFUL! Our trip started out a bit rocky, but we had a wonderful time. Tom, Ellyana, and I continued our vacation to Jensen beach for another 9 days. We had a blast just hanging out andplaying by the water. E did not like the ocean all that much but did much better in the sand and pool this time around:)

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Happy Easter to everyone. Ellyana knew the bunny was 'coming' all week long. She would tell me that he was going to give her presents. Well, it was like Christmas for her. In fact, she still hasn't opened everything yet because it was all so much! We had a wonderful time with my parents on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday morning. Today we were with Tom's family celebrating Julianna's first Birthday. Ellyana had so much fun with her cousins.

I have to mention that this week Ellyana has started saying "Bless you" when someone sneezes, "Thank you momma/dadda" and "Excuse me" when something is in her way. It is hilarious to see our toddler with such wonderful manners. We are so very proud of her:)

Little Miss Chatty

2009-03-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

Ellyana is talking up a storm lately. Since Christmas, her vocabulary has just increased SO much. She is very understandable and LOVES to repeat everything. She can count to 10 skipping 5 and also knows several of her ABC's which she calls her ABB's. She is such a sweet and funny baby and knows so:) We are really enjoying her at each stage she is in:) And she loves doing everything all by herself.

Ellyana 18 months

2009-01-31T16:35:00.000-08:00

Our little Ellyana is already 18 months old. We cannot believe it! She had her 18 month apt and has finally gained some weight. She was also vaccinated for the chickenpox and has reacted to the vaccine by getting the chickenpox. UGH! But it is better now than later in life. She is talking, repeating everything and climbing all over the place. She is obsessed with brushing her teeth and washing her hands(just like her mother). She is just so much fun and seriously makes my face hurt from laughing and smiling so much!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-29T12:11:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! It was so much fun with Ellyana this year. She definitely knew most of the presents were for her and loved every minute of it! She is talking non stop and starting to feed herself with a spoon and fork. She also has to walk down the stairs on her own and climbs onto anything she can! The little athlete can do just about anything mom can! Love it! We had a wonderful visit in Cleveland with our familiy and friends!!

2008-12-10T11:47:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays

2008-12-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

Busy painting her face.

Ellyana was entertaining Lola while babysitting.

We are loving our very entertaining,talkative toddler to pieces right now. She seriously makes me laugh all day long and makes these cold days so much more fun! We had a busy and fun Thanksgiving weekend with lots of family gatherings along with Becky and Adams wedding.(Toms cousin) We took Ellyana to see Santa who she LOVED from afar but did not want to be anywhere near him! We are just really looking forward to Christmas with her this year. Happy Holidays to everyone!

Vacation

2008-11-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

We just returned home from our first family vacation to Florida. We survived the plane ride and made it home safely. Ellyana did not Love The ocean and sand but we are hoping by the next trip she will get better. I had Tom take a picture of me and E in the same spot he took one me when I was pregnant with her. It was on the balcony looking out at the ocean. I have been waiting to take the same shot actually holding her.

Grasshopper

2008-10-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

We were chasing a grass hopper and I started singing.. "grasshopper where did you go?"

In this picture she is asking me where he went. She keeps asking me every day and it is so cute!!

Our Little Butterfly

2008-10-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

Ellyana experienced her first real Halloween. We took her around the neighborhood for some trick or treating fun. She really had no idea what was going on but had so much fun watching all the kids and all of the fun Halloween decorations!

Kissing

2008-10-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Ellyana and I went to Cleveland a few weeks ago. We had so much fun with my family and friends from High school. I reuinited with a very good friend who I have not seen in years. Our little girls who are only 2 months apart were able to meet. We also got together with some other friends and there babies. Ellyana and Brady took a liking to oneanother so I had to take a picture of them kissing. She is quit affectionate these days!

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

We visited Bengston's Farm, which is a pumpkin patch not far from our house with lots of fun activities. Ellyana loved the pig races, petting farm and singing ducks! She picked out her first pumpkin and wondered thru the pumpkin patch having touching each and every pumpkin. We love being able to start doing these sort of activities with Ellyana.

Galena

2008-10-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

We had a mini vacation to Galena with the whole Nowinski clan. We had so much fun relaxing and being entertained by our one and only Ellyana!

2008-10-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

To the tune of "go cubs go," I sing go go go go

2008-10-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture.

Chalk

2008-08-27T19:44:00.001-07:00

We have started playing with chalk and Ellyana decided that is much more fun to pretend it is lipstick!

Fancy Hair

2008-08-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

Ellyana's hair has finally started growing, therefore, I have been decorating it with ponys and pretty clips. She cries while I am doing it, but forgets until she sees in a mirror what is on her head.

Birthday Party

2008-08-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

This is a bit late, but we had Ellyana's 1st Birthday party on August 2nd. She had so much fun and was just a little ham the whole night, making everyone laugh like always. She was a very lucky girl blessed with such wonderful presents from our family and friends.

Welcome Lola Rose

2008-08-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world Baby Lola Rose Hernandez. My dearest friend Kristen had here precious daughter this morning at 8:40 after a VERY long evening of labor weighing 7p5Oz. We will be meeting her very soon. Ellyana is so happy her friend has finally arrived. We have been patiently waiting for such a long time! Congrats to the new mommy and daddy!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Ellyana

2008-07-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY TO OUR LITTLE ELLYANA!!!!

At 9:46 one year ago today we were blessed with the best present God could have ever given us. This year has been wonderful,exciting,fun,amazing and everything else we could have wished for. Ellyana has grown into such a happy,affectionate and playful little one! She had a very happy birthday celebrating with mom and grandma O at the pool during the day. For dinner, G&G N came over along with Aunt Christina. She was very excited to open her first presents. She got an adorable princess chair from G&G N, her first baby doll from G&G O, an Elmo doll and baby stroller from us, and a really fun pop up book from Aunt Christina. We are pretty sure the cupcake that I made for her literally had her bouncing on and off her chair. It was funny! She devoured her allergy free and very unatractive birthday cupcake we made for her! But she loved it and wasnt allergic to it:):) (that was the plan)

Happy 4th

2008-07-05T09:07:00.001-07:00

HAPPY 4TH OF jULY AND hAPPY bIRTHDAY gRANDMA oWENS

*** Today is the 5th of July - I forgot to write yesterday to say Happy BDay to Grandma Owens

Happy Birthday today to Collleen Reilly too!!!!!

We got home last week from a week long vacation in Michigan with G&G Owens. It was so nice and relaxing. Ellyana had so much fun around all the people in the cute little town. We shopped/ate/walked all around and just relaxed. Thank you G&G for the wonderful vacation.

YEsterday was Ellyana's first 4th of July. We had a very nice lunch over G&G Nowinski's and then had a fun family evening at the Tinley Park 4th celebration.

We hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday!

2008-06-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

It has been too long since I have last updated on little Miss Ellyana. She is just too busy and all over the place to give me a chance to write anything. When I do have time, I just want to get rest for my next day of chasing her around!! It is so much fun though and she amazes us each day. I know everyone thinks there child is brilliant, but she really is so intelligent.(she thanks daddy for that) She is really starting to understand things we say to her, as well as say a few words. She is giving everyone kisses, including random children/babies. She is also eating so many yummy foods. Unfortunately, she had a bad allergic reaction today. Thank God, Kristen was with us to help me out or I dont know what I would have done. My wonderful friend, who just got off bed rest decided to join us for our daily errands to Babies R Us and Target this morning at 8 am. When we were dropping her off at her house, E started profusely vomitting and crying. It was so sad to see her in pain. It was actually really scary. Thank God, K offered to come over and help me clean her up. When I was giving her a bath I discovered her whole body was covered in hives. It was from the banana she had for breakfast, which we thought we were in the clear. A while back, I thought she was allergic and then had her tested with a negative result. (weird because she OBVIOUSLY is allergic) The poor baby. It is so scarry to think that food can be such the enemy. We hope and pray that these horrible allergies go away as she gets older. She was all right after some benedrly and a long nap. Keep her in your prayers!!

Walking

2008-05-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

Ellyana started walking about 2 weeks ago. We tried putting a video on the blog but something went wrong. We promise to get it up and going as soon as we figure it all out. She is the cutest little walker around!

We had a fun filled weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Owens in town for Memorial Day. We took several walks outside, went to the zoo, and had a BBQ with Grandma and Grandpa Nowinski. Ellyana had so much fun and has been sleeping like a rock!

We loved the warm weather and hope it comes back soon:)

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers and grandmothers we have, are, and know. Today is such an exciting day to be able to celebrate my first Mother's Day. Oh, and Ellyana is also taking a ton of steps. She can stand up all on her own from a sitting position and then take a few steps. It is going to be any day now. She has bruises all over her face from falling into everything.

Sleeping

2008-05-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

We are so proud to announce that Ellyana is FINALLY sleeping the night. She goes to bed around 8:00 and wakes up between 6:45 and 7:30. It is sosososo nice. We are beginning to feel human again:):) She is also eating so much better since we have cut out the middle of the night feeding. YAY Ellyana:) It took us 9 months to get here and we are going to enjoy it as long as we possibly can.

9 months Old Today

2008-04-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

Ellyana is 9 months old today. We cannot believe she is getting so much closer to being 1 year old. These past months have been so much fun, with all that she is doing. She is really turning into a little person. We had her 9 month apt yesterday and she weighed in at 16p10oz which is 20%, and her height was in the 70%. She definitely grew in height from the last time and just a little bit in weight. The Doc says not to worry because she is so active now:) She is a happy and healthy baby, which is all we can ask for:)

Aunt Caralynn's Shower

2008-04-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday April 19th was Ellyana's Aunt Caralynn's wedding shower. She is going to be a flower girl in her July wedding. Hopefully she will be walking by this time. (most likely with the way she is going) The shower was beautiful with family and friends all around:):) We are so happy and excited for the future Mr and Mrs. Chenowith.

Our little peanut

2008-04-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Our little peanut was sick this week. This is the only time we can actually get her to cuddle in any way. She also listened to a book sitting on my lap. I could not believe it. She is just usually sososo active and never wants to sit still for a second. Hmm.. Not sure where she gets this from.

Oh, I just loved the cuddles! It is such a beautiful feeling.

2008-04-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

Ellyana's new favorite thing is to charge right to the refrigerator as soon as it opens. She goes right for anything she can get her hands on. Yesterday, she just so happened to go for the wine in the door. That's our girl:) She also started climbing up the stairs in the past week, such an animal. Her fourth tooth has finally popped so she is teething like crazy.

First Step

2008-04-06T13:49:00.001-07:00

Loving this weather.....

Ellyana took her first real step today. We were outside on the grass,which she is very very afraid of, and she took one step to her bubbles and then fell right on her bottom. We figured she might start to walk on the grass because she wont touch it to crawl on. She might just take off running:) It was a very exciting and emotional moment for us.

Swim lessons

2008-04-05T18:29:00.001-07:00

Ellyana had her first swim lesson today at the Tinley Park Fitness center. Although you cant really tell in the photo, she enjoyed every minute of her class. She is definitely a water baby:) She also started a Gymboree class to get get all of her energy out.(which shedefinitely has a lot of)

Happy Easter a bit late

2008-04-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter. We celebrated Ellyana's first Easter in Ohio. Ellyana and I were fortunate enough to stay for a whole week and visit with family and friends. It was so much fun. G&G Owens drove us back and stayed the following weekend. We were sad to see them go but the week was such a fun time.

outside

2008-03-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

My mom tells me this is grass - WEIRD!

Heading down the slide with Daddy:)

We have FINALLY been blessed with weather nice enough to go outside. Ellyana has been to 4 playgrounds in 3 days. (There isnt much to do in the burbs but at least there are parks and paths) Yes, she loves being outside as much as mommy does. She had no choice in the matter. HAPPY WEATHER!

Visit from Grandma Owens

2008-03-03T10:08:00.001-08:00

The never ending bubbles grandma bought for me! They really last so long -( Gymboree:))

We had a lovely visit from Grandma Owens who came Wednesday thru Sunday. She was a great help for me and loved spending time with Ellyana. She spoiled her grandaughter with gifts and love. It was nice to have someone for me to talk with all day, as you can imagine it gets quit lonely at times being at home with a baby:):):) Unfortunately, while she was here, Ellyana came down with croup. It was not easy with sick baby but it was nice to have 3 hands rather than just 2. Ellyana is also starting to cut her second tooth so the poor thing is teething and sick all at once.

Waving

2008-02-22T12:31:00.001-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa Owens taught Ellyana how to wave by waving into the webcam they bought us as a gift for her arrival in July. It is such a nice way for Ellyana to see her Grandparents that live in Ohio:( We wish they were here but this is as close as we will get for now.) She gets to see them every night and really knows them by doing it:)

She also waves at EVERYTHING now which cracks us up. When the CD player is on, she waves at it, as well as at her books,toys,etc. You name it and she waves at it:)

Hilarious

2008-02-22T12:28:00.001-08:00

Can you tell she ate carrots that day?

So Now that Ellyana has been eating more food, she has been having really smelly and full diapers! This even occurred on Tuesday night! It was so so funny. Her hair is covered with what was in her diaper. I know it is gross but it was so funny and it definitely required a bath at 6:00 that night. Enjoy..........

Carrots

2008-02-18T09:32:00.001-08:00

Trying Carrots for the first time.. Ellyana could not get enough of them:):)
This is what she looks like after Daddy feeds her. She sure is happy though. We also tried apples last week and the vomitted them all up. Needless to say she doesnt like them.

2008-02-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

Chasing the balloon from G & G Nowinski for Valentine's Day!
This the soft toy from G& G Owens for VDay!

She does this thing where she sucks on her bottom lip lately - not a good habit to get into:( But its really cute.

2008-02-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

Not only did Ellyana try sweet potatoes for the first time yesterday... She popped her first tooth at the bottom. We could not understand why she was going back to her bad habit of not sleeping but it all makes sense now. She also stood all on her own ALL day yesterday! It was amazing and gave me a few tears. Our little baby is growing up so quickly!

Sweet Potatoes

2008-02-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

Ellyana tried sweet potatoes today for the frist time. At first she wasnt too sure what she was eating but then she LOVED them!!! Here are a few pics. We also found out she has a really bad Egg allergy. Hopefully she will outgrow it. For now, there is something else she cant tolerate or have and we are trying to figure it out. Its pretty tough though. Please keep her in your prayers.

Friday

2008-02-03T09:53:00.001-08:00

We experienced a very tiring and traumatic Friday. Tom had to stay home from work to help out with Ellyana because I ended up getting swimmers ear - very very painful for those of you have not had it. On top of that we had to call the paramedics thinking we had to bring E into the hospital to get fluids. We had stopped the soy formula like the Doc said but she hated the hypoallergenic formula. Is smells like dog food so we cant imagine what it tastes like. We thought to give her another bottle of the soy knowing that she liked the taste but not 100% sure if she was allergic or not... Well, she started throwing up, losing color,looking lethargic, and not herself so we ended up calling 911. Of course they understood why we called being first time parents but the paramedic also mentioned that it was much better that we were parents that cared than vice versa! She obviously ended up being all right, but we were worried she lost too many fluids. Things are calming down a bit but we are anxiously awaiting the results to her test. This has been very stressful but in the end we just want what is best for Ellyana. It is really true when someone tells you that you have no idea how much you can love a child until you have your own!!!

2008-01-30T13:29:00.001-08:00

Ellyana had her 6 month apt today. She had some shots, which are never fun, but necessary. she weighed in at 15 pounds 4 ounces and 25 3/4 inches long. . She falls in the 25 - 50% in height and weight and 10-25 in head C!! She is definitely on top of things developmentally. I was proud to check yes for all of the questions they asked about her development:):) The sad part was that I had to take her to get blood drawn for allergy testing. The Doc doesnt want Ellyana to start any food until we get the results.(It was the saddest thing a mother could experience) They took a tube of blood from her vein and had to try several times. They are not sure if they got enough because she is so stong and tensed up so much that it stopped the blood flow. I have never heard her cry like I did today. We already know she cant have formula and are starting to experience some of the same symptoms from the soy! In less than a week we will find out what she cant have(just like mom). Until then.....

Happy half a year old to Ellyana!!

2008-01-29T13:45:00.001-08:00

Ellyana is 6 months old today. We cannot believe the time has gone this fast! She is just keeping us busy these days not allowing us to sit down for a minute. Her pink eye is gone and hopefully so is her ear infection. She has her 6 month apt and shots tomorrow so I will report back with her stats!!

2008-01-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

We thought the sleeping was better until the poor baby got an ear infection. pink eye, and bad swollen gums at the bottom. Needless to say we were not getting 8-10 hours of sleep this week but it has definitely been worse. Ellyana is much better and hopefully will stay better. She seems to catch EVERYTHING!!! You can see her little eye here.

2008-01-20T18:34:00.000-08:00

Ellyana is obsessed with her new shoes that helped her start to crawl. We can officially say that she started crawling this weekend. She has managed to get herself into many things already.(the nail clippers I left on the floor, spilling a cup of tea all over dad, fingers in the vent,etc....) We have started the baby proofing process and are realizing we don't have much time until she's into everything.

This stage she is in is SOSO much fun!

Ellyana has started to reach out her hands for mommy!!! It's really sweet! It makes being a mom even 100 times better than it already is!

And the best news we have today is that Ellyana is finally sleeping at night. She has been doing this for about a week and are pretty certain she is starting something good for all of us! We apologize to all of those who have been around us during these past tired months witnessing our lack of energy and desire to do much besides go home and sleep! We are definitely back into the swing of things!!

2008-01-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks have been amazing with our little Ellyana. She has mastered the art of sitting up on her own, getting to that position very easily and pulling herself up.

This is the stool from Grandma and Grandpa Owens for Chritsmas. She is so interested in the puzzle pieces that spell her name. She pulled herself up and locked her legs not knowing what to do once she was up there. She then reached out for my hand for help. (It was the sweetest thing)

Here she pulled herself up on come containers I was organizing her cloths in!

See I can sit all by myself!!!!

2008-01-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

Ellyana is 5 months and 2 weeks here. She is learning to sit up from her tummy position. We caught all 4 steps!! Watch!

Ready..A little twist at the hip!

A little more!

Here is the proud baby! YAY!!

jogger

2008-01-09T10:02:00.001-08:00

Ellyana was getting ready to take a jog in my new jogging stroller. AKA.. My favorite Christmas present. (thank you mom and dad) But, it was so windy that we only made it to the mailbox which is about 50 feet away from our house. Oh, and thank you to Colleen, Sean and Nolan for the adorable adidas jogging outfit she is wearing! Thats my girl!

Ellyana was not feeling all that well today! You can tell in her eyes!

Eyes

2008-01-08T14:18:00.001-08:00

Are my eyes still blue or what???

The toe sucking

2008-01-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

Ellyana has recently discovered she has toes and that she can get them into her mouth. Just thought I would share! Enjoy.

New Years Eve

2008-01-08T13:53:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

The oh so ready mommy to be getting in a little preactice! (Due July 30th - 1 day after Ellyana's BDay) Ellyana secretely hopes its a girl!!

We spent the early part of NYE with our very good friends and neighbors Kristen and John, but only made it to the NY New Years. There is always next year! It was a wonderful evening.

2008-01-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

My first look at an ornament with Grandpa Owens

"Love doesn't make the world go round, love is what makes the ride worthwhile." Elizabeth Barret Browning

Last year at this time we couldnt even imagine what life would be like around the holidays with our precious little one. Ellyana had her first VERY VERY Merry Christmas. We had wonderful celebrations with our loving families. It all started with the Nowinski family gathering with the traditional Polish meal. Christmas Eve was with the Scaramella family and Christmas Day was with the Owens family ending with a Nowinski/Owens get together. Tom and I had our first Christmas dinner at our home and loved every minute of it. It was such a joy to see our little 5 month old trying to eat the paper her gifts were wrapped in. That is pretty much all she was interested in. Enjoy the photos!

Mom, grandma, aunt Marla

Grandma Owens

Her first gift of the season! The Happy Family

Grandma and Grandpa Nowinski

Aunt Cara and Uncle Christian

God Bless Great Grandma Scaramella

My favorite toy from Santa

Daddy's girl

My little angel

2007-12-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

merry christmas

2007-12-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

We took Ellyana to see Santa for the first time on December 5th at Orland Mall. She was so cute and loved all the beautiful lights around the tree. It is such a wonderful time of year. Tom and I are so blessed to have such a happy and loving marriage and now an amazing daughter to share it with! Happy Holidays to all!

2007-11-26T09:39:00.000-08:00

2007-11-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

4 months already

2007-11-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

On November 29th, Ellyana will be 4 months old already. The time is flying and it gets more exciting each day. She is a strong little lady and ismoving all over the place.... Well trying at least. She has so much to say and so many laughs to share with everyone. She has discovered her hands this month and is close to figuring out she has feet. She rolls over from her stomach to her back and can kind of scoot forward a bit. She is definitely a tough cookie. We are having so much fun with all of her firsts. We cant wait to post some holiday photos.

Ellyana Grace

2007-10-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful daughter was born on July 29th at North Western Hospital. Ellyana Grace is her name which was sort of made up! We loved Elly and wanted to make it a longer name.

Her birth was the most surreal moment of our lives. I was very blessed with an extremely short and painless labor.

Even now 11 weeks later, we cannot believe that she is what we brought into this world. The time goes by so quickly and each week is so different from the next. She is now laughting and smiling all the time. She even laughs in her sleep. (gets that from mommy)She is very strong and will, without a doubt be an athlete. (Only athletes allowed in our family anyways) We are getting used to less sleep and less time to ourselves but she is worth every minute of it! We could not imagine our lives without her.

Ready to go

2007-07-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Tom and I have moved from our adorable condo in Lincoln Square into a fabulous townhome in Tinley Park. It feels like a mansion compared to what we are used to in the city. It is definitely different but a great place to raise our children. We are pretty settled with a few things left to do. I am also ready to have this baby. So far, the Dr. thinks it will be earlier than later with the way things are progressing. I am trying to keep active, which isn't hard for me to do. I am just having some major leg and hip pains at night but I know it is just the babies way of letting me know it's on its way. The bags are packed, car seat in the car, and the nursery is pretty set. AS soon as the house is done I will post photos for everyone to see.

36 weeks

2007-07-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

I cant believe I am already 36 weeks pregnant. At 32 weeks, I had an ultrasound and the Dr said the baby was already about 4.6 pounds. She was surprised at how big it was considering I hadnt gained that much weight. (not complaining though) As long as the baby is healthy, that is all that matters! She thinks it will be about 7 to 7.5 pounds. You never know. They could be off by a pound which is a lot at that size. So far, everything looks good. We are moving out of our place in Lincoln Square on Thursday July 5th and in with Tom's parents for a week. We are moving to our new home on July 12th. At that point I will be 38 weeks along. It is all happening so quickly. Someone remind me in the future not to move when you are in your 9th month of pregnancy. I am just so lucky that I have been feeling well. I also got the "mom" haircut today!!

Seven Months

2007-05-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Time is going so quickly. Pretty soon, it wont be just the two of us. We are trying to get as much sleep as we can to prepare ourselves for many long sleepless nights. (I should speak more for myself than for Tom) I am still feeling very well. Sometimes I think this baby is running a marathon or at least a half. We know there is a little athlete in there. The Dr. keeps hinting it is a girl based on the rapid heart beat. (HMM) Whatever it is that is growing in there will be loved no matter if it is a boy or a girl. Both baby showers were amazing. Thank you to all those who were there. We received some very beautiful gifts. This baby is set for a long long time.

6 Months and Growing

2007-04-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I am oficially 6 months along and growing fast. I am feeling the baby all day long which is very reassuring that things are so far so good. Tom and I just took a trip to Florida to have one last vacation alone and to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. I have never felt so confident in a bathing suit as I did this past week. I am obsessed with having Tom take belly shots of me. I just love to see how I am growing each month. At this point, I am convinced it is a boy and so is everyone else who has shared there input. It is fun playing the guessing game.

movement

2007-03-14T13:36:00.001-07:00

I now feel the baby moving all day long. I cant even begin to desrcibe how it is the best feeling to know that there is something growing inside of you.

The big ultrasound

2007-03-07T12:49:00.001-08:00

Today was the big ultrasound and it was amazing. We really felt like we were looking at a real person and not a piece of popcorn. Everything was perfect and measured to the due date exactly. We were able to see the baby trying to suck his/her thumb as well as every part of its body. The temptation of finding out if it was a boy or a girl was definitely there but once we started looking at the pictures, all of that meant nothing. All of the important body parts were there, including the heart and the brain and that was all we were really concerned about. It was the best day EVER.

Nowinski baby registry - search Palos Park

2007-02-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

www.babiesrus.com
www.potterybarnkids.com

2007-02-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

Due Date: July 31,2007
Gender: ?????
Names: We will let you know in July!

Hearing the Heart Beat!

2007-02-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hearing the babies heart beat on January 11th was the best part of this journey so far. It was the most amazing sound I have every heard. It had a strong beat in the 160's. All of the old wives tales tell me it is a girl, but we want both so whatever we get will be the greatest gift possible. December 23rd oficially started my second trimester. YAY!!! That was a very exciting day for me. So far I consider myself one of the luckiest pregnant women out there. I was only a little nauseous for about 2 weeks and I figured out it was from my prenatal vitamins. I began to take them at night and all was cured. I have been wokrking out throughout the whole pregnancy and fortunately only gained 1.5 pounds. Let's see how long that lasts. I have all these cute maternity clothes waiting in my closet! As my dad says... "You'll blow up soon. Your mother did so dont worry."

The Good News

2007-02-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

Tom and I shared the good news wih our families Thanksgiving weekend. We had them swear to secrecy until the first ultrasound on December 22nd. Some did better than others at keeping the secret but we didnt mind seeing as that everthing was just perfect on that day!! In the mean time, we started telling our closest friends about the future love or our life.
December 22nd was the first ultrasound, which, like I mentioned was great. The Dr. said everything was progressing well.
Our baby had its own stocking this Christmas!

Brain injury or what?

2007-02-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

From about the middle of November to right before Thanksgiving I was getting these dizzy spells so bad I was afraid to drive anwhere. I had to cancel numerous training apointments because I could not see straight. Who would have ever though this was the start of our beautiful journey? I had gone to my GP several times trying to figure out what was wrong with me. After several blood tests and an ALMOST MRI , I took a pregnancy test that answered my dizziness questions. I found out I was oficially pregnant on November 22, 2006. The following week on my Birthday, November 30th I ha m first Dr. visit that consisted of lote of questions. I am pretty sure that Dr. was thankful I switched hospitals!!!