We had an awesome family Christmas this year! We were extra lucky that hubs actually had Christmas Eve off so we got to celebrate on time this year. Last year we celebrated almost a week late because we wanted to wait for his days off.

For the first half of the day, we let the boys play outside with our neighbor friends as we sat there together and watched them. Something we normally don’t get to do because of conflicting schedules. It was nice to sit there together…and we made sure to verbalize that to each other. Then it was cooking time…womp womp. Hubs requested albondigas and let’s just say things didn’t come out as planned but we still had a yummy Christmas meal. We watched a Christmas movie with the boys then it was time to go to sleep and wait for Santa.

“Ohhh my gosh, ohhh my gosh, ohhh my gosh” was the first thing we hear in the morning! Alex was the first one up telling us that Santa was here! He said “one for mama, one for daddy, one for baby, one for Bashton and one for meeee!!!” It was too cute! We opened gifts, ate lots of candy, went to the park, played outside and watched movies! It was a very nice Christmas for us! The boys asked Santa for simple things…which was a win win because they have too many toys already! Alex simply wanted candy and candy he got. Sebastian asked for books, slime, cars and a ball.

Alex is still very innocent and played with everything that was gifted. Sebastian played for short periods then, as expected, got hooked on YouTube. DOH! That’s a whole other conversation but for sure something we are trying to limit with him. Truth is; the boys really do have a lot of toys. A whole playroom full of toys. They are definitely very blessed, so we do try to keep Christmas pretty simple for them.

It was a very peaceful Christmas for us. Although we miss our family back in Chicago it felt really nice to spend it amongst our kids and truly soak up the day. We hope you all had a very lovely holiday as well!

Love,

-Mama Bear Mimi-

P.S. Below are our holiday pics and it’s disclaimer! HA!

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Christmas 2018

Photos by Danielle Esparza

I know pictures are the easiest way to capture a moment but the behind the scenes are the real moments that should be captured! This holiday session took extra work and patience. I know you can’t tell because of all those pretty smiles but let me tell you we probably threatened to cancel Christmas about 10 times just to get those smiles on camera! The struggle was real! HA! Alex had fallen asleep on our way to our session and was not having it once he woke up. Eventually all three kids were so over it and done with pictures. We struggled to get them to look at the camera and pose. Our photographer Danielle said “don’t worry, I’ll edit as much as I can” and I left feeling a bit overwhelmed. Then we get our photos a week later and am pretty shocked that they came out so good!!! The last thing we tried were family shots and by then you can so tell in all of our faces how over it we were. My cheeks are rosey, Alex is huffing and puffing, daddy is so faking it, Rosie is chewing my hand off and Sebastian just wants to take a nap. HA! That’s the beauty of photo sessions…they’re work!! That’s reality!! Outings with three kids are hectic as is and most times require plenty of patience. They aren’t always going to do what we want them to and my favorite saying (let them be little) truly challenged me that day. So with all that being said I’m grateful for these awesome pics and my little family for bearing it all even though they fought me hard for it! Nice try family but you know we’re doing it again next year! Sorry not sorry.

Baby Rosie is turning 3 months old on the 27th of October! It’s all passing by too fast. It reminds me that I haven’t shared her newborn photoshoot because this mom of three thing is kinda hard. Rosalia’s pictures were captured at only one precious week old and they couldn’t be more perfect!

As you all know I’m over the moon to have a baby girl, but to be honest…this right here is the best phase for me. The 0-3 month phase is the absolute most precious phase for me. They are just so pure and innocent. The newborn curl that they naturally have is my favorite. They will NEVER be this small again and I love that all they do is eat, sleep and poop.

Rosalia is such a good baby! She gives us some pretty obvious clues as to what she wants and needs. She’s definitely not subtle with her stinky stinky time but we all pretty much giggle at it, especially the boys! HA! We’re already communicating so well. There’s no colic, no excessive spit up, and no odd behavior to have to interpret. Win, win, and win!

Adjusting to three kids has been quite the challenge. Rosalia is breastfed, so that bounds me to the couch and breast pump most of my day. I’m not at all complaining though! I actually love being able to cuddle up with her that much. Some say I’m spoiling her but that’s okay with me. She’s just a baby and still needs all those cuddles. Hubs and I have an understanding that my priorities are the kids and everything else will get done eventually.

The boys are just as obsessed with Rosie as I am. Alex actually came up with a chant for Rosie all by himself. It goes “Rosie, Rosie, Rosieeee” and it’s the cutest thing ever! Daddy calls her “Rosie pants” and he’s got us all saying it now. One day I called her “Rosie bear” and Sebastian corrected me saying “no mom, it’s Rosie pants” HA! Sebastian is the protector of little miss Rosie pants. He’s always making sure she’s safe from brother Alex’s loving yet a bit careless gestures.

So here they are! Rosalia’s one week photos, as pure and perfect as can be! They were taken by Photography by Angel in the Chicagoland area. Angel was absolutely awesome and like you’ll read in all of her reviews; she is extremely patient with the little ones. Rosalia’s featured photograph took about an hour to capture thanks to the patience and diligence endured by Angel. Thank you again for capturing such amazing pictures of my princess!

Photos by Photography by Angel – Website Facebook

It’s a girl!!! I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and am over the moon about it! Ahhh!! Pregnancy, labor and all that stuff has always amazed me! I mean my body created a human being, nourished it and then delivered it into this world! Isn’t it amazing that our bodies can do that?!

This time around I wasn’t really anxious or nervous like I was with my boys. I was actually pretty brave about the whole thing, I thought however long it takes or whatever way it happens I…will….be…alright!! I actually had the mentality that it is my last pregnancy so I want to capture as much as I can from it. One thing I was very excited about was wanting to capture raw pictures of the whole process. You know, candid type of pictures that truly capture the moment without being told to look at the camera and smile.

To be real, giving birth is hard work! My first born was 38 hours of induced labor, and my second was 16 hours of induced labor. Yes, every pregnancy and delivery is different but laboring a child is no easy task – which is exactly why I wanted to capture all of the not so easy stuff! I wanted to capture pictures of my baby girl all covered in goo and I wanted a mirror to be able to see everything that’s happening. Yup – it’s just so beautiful and amazing that our bodies can do all that and I want to see it all!

So I asked my sister-in-law, Veraliz, and sister Chio to take as many pictures as they could, even if I looked pained or a hot mess or ready to die, just take the picture! I must say they did an amazing job! Well mostly Titi because my sis was busy trying to help me relax – so thank you Titi and Chio!!

I actually woke up feeling mild contractions on the day I was scheduled to get induced, July 30, 2018. So I felt like we were already off to a great start and probably would have happened naturally had I waited but ehhh I still went along with the plan to get induced. After checking into the hospital and getting situated they said I was 5cm dilated, compared to the 4cm I was the week before. Sweet, I thought!

For the first half of the day I was given antibiotics for Group B Strep, similar to my experience with Sebastian. Antibiotics are given every 4 hours until delivery and my doctors wanted to get at least two doses in. So we actually didn’t start pitocin and inducement until about 4pm…that’s when I started timing everything.

I was pretty comfortable and relaxed until about 8pm when I asked for an epidural. I was still only 5cm dilated but was definitely feeling contractions. I’m always so worried about asking for the epidural at the wrong time, like too soon or too late. I don’t want it too soon because then I can’t get up and all the itching starts. And I do not even want to think about getting it too late where I’m too pained to sit still for it. But I thought the contractions are definitely there and if my plan is to get the epidural anyway why am I struggling with all this pain? Might as well get the epidural now that I’m not screaming or crying. HA.

So I got the epidural and like with my first born it felt weird when the anesthesiologist was doing it. It felt like a shock of electricity going through the right side of my body. They explained it was most likely a pinched nerve as the needle was inserted. It went away after a few minutes and shortly after that I was pain free! Woohoo! Time to nap!

At around 1am, July 31, I was still only 5cm dilated so my doctors decided to break my water. It’s never broken on its own before so I was expecting them to do it anyway. After about an hour they noticed that our baby’s heart rate kept dropping so they kept readjusting my position hoping that it would help. By this time my body is definitely tired and aching. Especially after being in one position for too long.

After about an hour of repositioning I started feeling intense pain with every single contraction, making me tense up and curl in pain. I was so confused why I was so pained. It was like I was totally fine one minute and then the next I’m pretty much crying. It was definitely some of the worst pain I’ve felt. I ended up paging the nurse asking her to check me. She checked me and paged my doctors saying it’s time to have a baby!!! Yay!

Once the doctors came in everything just happened so fast! I was struggling to do anything at this point. The pain was so intense I couldn’t move or turn my body on my own. The nurse instructed me to scoot down lower on the bed and yeahhh. I didn’t filter myself and told her I couldn’t. She encouraged me and said “you’ve got to, you got this!” Hubs then begins assisting me at me feet, my sister was caressing my shoulders and arms while encouraging me to be strong and Veraliz began to position cameras.

The next thing I know my body is begging me to push. The pain is so intense I can no longer fight the urge. About 2 pushes and a pretty pained yelp later, we finally have our beautiful baby girl in our arms! She’s instantly placed on my chest as the nurse almost immediately says “oh she already looks like dad!” (DOH! Palm to the face!) We all kind of laughed and a few of us said “ohhh nooo!” One of my immediate questions were “it’s a girl right?” That also caused a few giggles but I just had to make sure nothing had changed since our last ultrasound.

I made sure to clock in my hour of skin to skin before sharing my baby girl with others. I was still pretty pained and numb but at least now I had my baby girl in my arms. I was also rather starved so hubs started to spoon feed me sliced watermelon as I made my first attempt to breastfeed. He’s definitely a keeper!

Everything happened so fast in the end! I ended up dilated from 5cm to 10cm in the last hour and a half. I didn’t get to ask for a mirror, nor be able to take all the raw pictures I wanted. Veraliz said she turned around to position a camera and the next thing you know the baby was out! That’s exactly how fast it all happened! We even almost missed the timeframe to collect umbilical cord blood and stem cells for storing, something we didn’t get a chance to do with the boys but wanted to do with baby girl.

It was definitely my most pained birth, I have no idea how or why anyone would do this without an epidural! Kuddos to all you natural moms, y’all some strong willed and a bit crazy people! In the end I ended up feeling all the contractions, regardless of the epidural. The nurses and doctors said it was because I ended up fully dilating so fast that my body was in shock. That was some crazy stuff but of course all totally worth it.

Rosalia Villa made her debut, after 12 hours of induced labor, on July 31, 2018 at 3:52am weighing 7lbs 13oz and measuring 19 inches. She is everything we were waiting for. She has been blessed with a little family that already loves her and is excited to shower her with love. Welcome to the world little princess. You will love it!

With all that said and done…this baby making factory is now closed!!

Love,

-Mama Bear Mimi

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May the Angels bless this baby, so perfect and pure, and protect, love and guide her through all of life’s doors. May she have good health and happiness and a life full of love, being watched over always by her Angels above. -Mary Jac-

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So I’ve reached my due date and yup I’m still baking! It’s actually no surprise, both boys went past their due date as well so I wasn’t expecting to pop early even though it would have been awesome. I just had my 40 week appointment where we confirmed that I am 4cm dilated but still not favorable since my cervix is still up high. Luckily we were still able to schedule induction for Monday July 30.

To be quite honest, its a relief to have a date set. It’s actually a lot easier to plan ahead of time as opposed to having to rush into the hospital with labor pains and the never ending Chicago traffic. So the plan is to enjoy this last weekend with friends and family before the struggle gets real. There are actually a few things on the to do list. Like birthday parties, quality time with the boys, laundry, sightseeing, girl time and indulging in some of my favorite Chicago eats. Ahem, Pacos Tacos! Once baby girl is born, I definitely plan to get into a weight loss routine with diet and exercise as soon as I am able. I know it’s easier said than done but for now the motivation and desire to bounce back is at a high, so I’m hoping the drive to be myself again stays uplifted as I adjust to 3 kids.

So far the decision to come to Chicago to give birth has been the best thing we could have done. Hubs is now in town with us, which is also a relief since I was nervous he wouldn’t make it in time. We are both enjoying our time with the boys and in particular seeing how happy they are being surrounded by plenty of friends and family. The boys are having an absolute blast! Everyday for them is filled with activities and play dates. Sebastian has said that he wants to stay in Chicago forever, while Alex loves hanging out on grandma’s front steps and “car” watch.

The last 4 weeks of my pregnancy have actually been pretty good. I’ve been walking a lot with efforts to start the labor process and have at least made progress dilating, something that never happened naturally with the boys. I’ve been able to enjoy plenty of time with friends and family and of course I have satisfied my cravings with absolutely no regret. YOLO!! Besides what I think are normal pregnancy pains like back aches and cramping I really haven’t experienced any real contractions. During week 39, my feet started to get swollen, which is to be expected. Finding a comfortable sleeping position turned into a mission at about week 37, which is also to be expected.

As far as cravings, I haven’t had anything too crazy. Just plenty of mom’s home cooking and Chicago favorites like tacos, pizza, Crunchy Curls, gyros, elotes, pina rellena, Crunchy Curls, Michoacana, more pizza and more Crunchy Curls. Like I said, nothing too crazy, HA!

The next time I blog, it will most likely be to share Baby Girl’s birth story! That makes me very very excited! I can’t wait to experience the beauty of labor again. Motherhood and it’s process is an absolute amazement to me. Last night, my mom and I sat on the couch and experienced baby girl hiccup. Mom caressed my belly as she continuously introduced herself to baby girl and tried to ease her hiccups. It was such a special moment. We talked about God’s marvelous wonders, letting me experience the beauty of His creation.

Plenty of times I look at my changing body and am amazed that there is a baby growing inside me. I’ve carried my baby girl for 9-ish months and can’t believe we will finally get to meet her. It really is a blessing, despite ALL the struggles of pregnancy and whats to come, it truly is a blessing! I embraced this pregnancy like ever before. Maybe it was the fact that we plan it as our last, or maybe the fact that it’s the baby girl we’ve been wanting. Nevertheless, it’s been an amazing journey and as much as I’ve said I’m over it and want be done, I am a bit sad that it means that now my baby girl will grow and grow each day. Never being as little as today.

So baby girl, we are anxiously waiting for your arrival. You are the tie breaker in the battle between mama and daddy. You see, Sebastian looks just like daddy and Alex looks just like mama. So we are dying to see who you look like and who wins this ultimate battle. There’s absolutely no pressure but you know what they say, girls got to stick together, EH! Just kidding…sort of. See you soon baby girl!

Love,

-Mama Bear Mimi

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Milk Bath Maternity

photographed by Millennial Mummy Photography 

35 weeks

July is the month our baby girl is expected to arrive and we have some exciting news to share!! We’re going to Chicago to have our baby girl!! Yes, it’s a bit extreme but after so much brainstorming we feel it is best to give birth to our girl in Chicago for many many reasons. I plan to arrive in Chicago at 37 weeks…eeek I know I am cutting it very very close but I just had so much to do in Tucson to prepare. I wanted to somewhat finish the nursery and have everything washed and ready for when we come back with our new bundle of joy.

One of the main reasons we decided to attempt this “birth plan” was to give baby girl bragging rights; to be able to say she was born in Chicago! I mean her older brothers were born in San Diego, we just couldn’t do her like that and had to give her something to brag about too. HA! Kidding!! Just kidding….well sort of, we’re definitely glad that she’ll have a cool birth story but the main reason we’re doing this is, of course, to be surrounded by family and friends.

I feel very excited and a bit crazy in doing this but it will be absolutely amazing to be surrounded by loved ones. When the boys were born we were blessed enough that our family came out to San Diego to help us adjust to our new bundles. This time around there’s two active toddlers and a very tired mama and daddy, so a little extra help means the world to us. It’s been about 9 years since we’ve moved out of Chicago. The struggle got real once we started having kids and date nights became so rare for us because of the lack of babysitters. We are extremely happy with our growing little family and we absolutely DO NOT regret leaving Chitown but lets face it…we really do need a break once in a while. So we just can’t express how grateful we are when our family and friends give us the opportunity to be us again.

One of the things I am extremely nervous about our birth plan is hubs not making it in time for the birth. He unfortunately can’t take that much time off work so we plan to play it by ear and hope to nail it with the dates. One way that I am coping with this is that even if, worst case scenario, he misses the birth I know I will have plenty of support out there to kind of fill in the gap.

In the past, I have struggled with the newborn phase so I know being in Chicago is the right thing to do. I didn’t realize it then but I’m pretty sure I went through post partum depression with my first born. It wasn’t until we had our second baby that I realized things were different in my mood and recovery. I will blog about that one day but it saddens me how the signs were all there but I wasn’t able to recognize them at the time. One day, years later, I was reading my personal journal and was so shocked to read my entries during that time. So to, hopefully, prevent any similar stresses, Chicago is definitely the best option.

So hopefully I don’t end up on the news as “Pregnant Women Gives Birth in the Air” and I make it to Chicago still nice and fluffy and so very pregnant. HA! That would make a heck of a birth story but no thanks, I’m not that crazy! Baby girl…we’re excited to meet you but please wait until we land to make an appearance. Thanks!

Love,

-Mama Bear Mimi

Whoa!! I am so in love with our maternity photo session! All the pictures came out way better than I expected. For starters, it was such a windy day, especially for Arizona! My hair was flying everywhere. Hubs even had to tell me to sit still as he watched me get photographed with the boys. HA! Then, the boys were so distracted with the tiny rocks and just wanted to play with them. Especially Alex, he would pick up a handful of them then laugh as he scattered them everywhere. Boys I tell ya!

What makes me most happy about our photo session is being able to capture such a beautiful moment for our family. We’re preggo, most likely for the last time, AND it’s a girl! My prayers have been answered and our little family feels complete!! Hubs and I have always talked about having a big family. I would absolutely love that, but I is tired! Raising little ones is not an easy task, I love them to death but man they are a handful. We are just ready to be done with this phase and bravely dive into the rest of it. So we cherish these moments, knowing that everyday they change and develop into something different. Tear Tear.

I love how the boy’s characters just shine through our photos. I mean look at Alex’s smile! That smile says it all! We call him Johnny Johnny…you know from the nursery ryhme…

Johnny Johnny
Yes papa 
Eating sugar? 
No papa
Telling lies?
No papa
Open your mouth
HA HA HA!

Yup, that’s all Alex! Don’t let that cute smile fool you. He’s a little Johnny Johhny, always being sneaky and purposely doing what he shouldn’t so that we have to address him. Most times he looks around for us to make sure that we see that he’s up to no good. Told you…I is tired. HA!

Sebastian is a combination of roses and red bull. He is the sweetest energetic little boy, who wants to be just like daddy in every sense. They do the same exact things, sometimes without even knowing it! One day, in particular, we were just coming home from the playground when Sebastian immediately starts getting comfortable and takes off his shirt to lounge around the house. He normally takes off his pants but this day he took off his shirt. Meanwhile, daddy was unloading the van, not aware that Sebastian had just taken off his shirt. Next thing I know I  see hubs coming in doing the same exact thing Sebastian just did! I immediately start laughing and say “wow! you guys are twins!” When they see each other without shirts on they immediately started laughing!! It was the cutest thing ever!

These moments right here are the exact moments we are looking forward to share with baby sister. Not only share but create even more memories as a family. And that’s exactly why I love taking these family photo sessions. I see our boys faces and see exactly this! My sweet red bull boy and my Johnny Johnny! The next blog post will feature my birth plan, pregnancy update and even more maternity pictures. Told you…I’m addicted to capturing moments.

Enjoy our maternity family memories below, taken at 31 weeks pregnant!

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The Villa Family

#4yearsold #2yearsold #31weeks

Photos taken by Danielle Esparza at Millennial Mummy Photography

I wake up one March morning to messages on my phone from my sister in Chicago telling me that my dad is in the hospital and not doing too well. It’s probably not the greatest way to start the day when 20 weeks pregnant but I manage to immediately call her and get an update on his condition. I spent the morning just thinking about how these are the times when I feel the most stressed and useless to my family because I am so far away from them. It’s hard enough to hear a loved one is in critical care and even worst when unable to just go and see them.

By mid day his situation was not improving and I was overcome by emotions. Hubs was napping our boys and needed to get ready for work when he sees my meltdown and immediately turns into prince charming. He says “pack your bags, I’ll find you a flight!” Talk about best husband ever!! After about an hour, or maybe two, of brainstorming, calling airlines and packing suitcases we decided that it would be best if we all go to Chicago. We scramble to Phoenix airport with 3 of the messiest packed suitcases and two confused and excited toddlers.

We made it safely to Chicago at about 2 in the morning. With all the rush and commotion that went on in trying to get there we really didn’t tell anyone we were going. For me, it was better this way. Although I am sure we would have received plenty of positive vibes had we spread the word. I particularly preferred privacy to be able to attend to the reason I was there.

My dad spent 2 weeks in the hospital, going back and forth from intensive care to non-intensive care. It was definitely a very stressful 2 weeks for my sister and I; and can only imagine the amount of stress and frustration my dad must have been under, to say the least. My dad was then home for 2 weeks without improvement and was admitted again to the hospital for another week or so. He is now, about 2 months later, doing much better and recovering just like he should be. He has regained a lot of his strength and is still fighting to be back to his normal self, even though much recovery is still needed.

During this stressful time I had a lot of time to think about how quickly life can take a turn for the worst. My dad has been battling with his health for about two years now and it has done wonders to our relationship. We’ve been able to connect like never before! Sadly, it always takes situations like this for one to realize it’s not a time to be petty and hold grudges about the past. It’s a time to show those you love how much you really love and care for them.

My family has experienced tragic loss with my brother in 2009 and boy was that a huge awakening and life shaking experience for us. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to blog about it without meltdowns but let me tell you it has taught me how to value loved ones and has made me the person I am today.

I just don’t have time to waste with loved ones anymore. I don’t have time to be angry about situations or hold any type of grudge. Life really is short and I am human enough to never wish anything bad upon anyone, regardless of how close or distant the relationship may be. I accept that we are all different and what may be important to me may not be important to others. And to be completely honest, my dad and I haven’t always had a great relationship. It has been distant and foreign for too long. Long enough for both of us to realize enough is enough.

So I am grateful that we have been able to rekindle our relationship. We’ve had so many deep and genuine conversations, the way it should be. I am grateful that it’s not too late for us to be able to do this. I encourage you all to do the same. I feel no regrets and am at peace with my relationships with loved ones. I am not afraid to show emotion and express them respectfully because life is short…

Love,

Mama Bear Mimi