4 am

It's 4am and I have been up, wide awake, for the last half hour. What is up with that?! I'm constantly tired, yet the last few nights around this time I've woken up from random pains and not been able to go back to sleep for awhile. Not fair!

Last Thursday I ended up having to go the the ER...abulance ride and all. I think it was the first time since I was a little girl! I have been feeling weak and a little dizzy, but figured it was because I haven't been able to eat much these past couple weeks. I ended up getting very dizzy and disorientated on Thursday afternoon while out. They diagnosed me with virtigo and dehydration. Aparently virtigo is an inner ear thing and can make you feel pretty sick and dizzy. They gave me meds and lots of iv fluids and sent me home to have an "easy" weekend. Unfortunately, this was my big truffle weekend, which made relaxing hard. Nate has been great, and really stepped up to help me with the truffles. I finally finished them last night, with a big sigh of relief!

Ayla has really been testing her boundaries lately. She goes through periods of being the sweetest little girl around, to devil child on a sugar high in no time! Haven't figured out the best way to deal with her tantrums yet... but I'm working on it! ;) This morning was interesting. We have been semi-potty training her. Trying to catch her before she poops and make her poop on her potty, but really have been pretty slack about the whole thing. She doesn't tell us when she is going to poop, but lets us know afterwards b/c she hates the feel of a poopy diaper. This morning she slept in late, which was great, but woke us up at 9am by screaming! Nate ran upstairs to get her and SURPRISE.....naked poopy baby! She had unzipped her pj's and taken her diaper off AFTER she pooped! Luckily most of the mess was contained inside the pj's. So gross! I'm just praying this doesn't turn into a regular morning adventure now that she knows how to do it!  I guess it's time for potty boot camp and time to consider looking into a toddler bed....when did my baby grow up?!

Well, thats all for now random readers. Just another update into my crazy little life. Time to go try and get some sleep!

Surprise-It's Twins!

First, let me start by saying that I can't keep a secret to save my life. We had planned on waiting to tell everyone for at least another few weeks, if not months. But, I am just bursting with excitement, and nervousness, and need to share it all!

A few days before Thanksgiving I realized I was a day or so late, figured it was nothing, but went and took a pregnancy test anyways. I took it, thought it was negative and threw it away. Looked at it later and could see a very faint line. Took another one the next day, and another faint line. Holy crap, I was pregnant! I called my doctor and scheduled bloodwork. When my bloodwork came back it showed some interesting numbers. My progesterone level was low again, so they put me on supplements. My hcg level started on the lower side on the first test, but in 3 days went up x6 when they would expect it to only double. My doctor mentioned that it can be an indicator of a multiple pregancy and set me up for an ultrasound appointment. Today was the big day to get the ultrasound this morning. Sure enough, two little sacs with two little babies, and two little flickering heartbeats. Amazing. I'm still in shock, and a bit freaked out, but also very excited. I am just praying for a very uneventful pregnancy. Please let this pregnancy go smoothly....

Here is our very first picture of our little jellybeans!

And since I haven't posted any pics of Ayla recently...here's a few of our little monkey:

 

 

And a few cake pictures too :)

Bad blogger

Where does time go? So much has happened lately and yet I keep putting off updating here. One reason is I keep going back and forth trying to figure out if I want to make my blog private or not. But oh well, time to update.

On Thanksgiving my parents got surprised with a home makeover! They were nominated by a bunch of teachers that my dad works with. They have been working on the porch and yard this past week, and today they had to move into a hotel for 4 days while they makeover the inside of the house. The "unveiling" is on sunday, and I can't wait to see what they've done! I am so happy for my parents, they definitely needed this desperatly!

One of my best friends ended up having her baby earlier than expected last week via emergency c-cection. I have been worried sick about her and her little boy all week, but they seem to be doing fairly well now and on the road to recovery. She has been through so much with all her children, and I just wish she would get a break! Her baby boy is absolutely gorgeous, I can't wait to meet him!

Christmas is going to be tough this year for us. Ayla is the only one we are buying presents for, and even she isn't getting very much :( Nate's hours were cut at his job and money has been really tight. We are going further into debt with every passing month, and this month I was forced to pay bills with credit... I just don't know what to do. I'm doing odd jobs when I can, and Nate is trying to find a new job, but something needs to give soon. I had to apply for heating assistance this year and it was such a blow to my ego. I just never imagined us in this situation. We actually ended up running out of heat this weekend b/c I was hoping the heating assistance would go through before we ran out. Unfortunatley, it didn't go through yet, so I was forced to buy oil with my credit card and than got a fee for boiler service since we ran out. We are just praying that Nate gets a new job very soon, b/c one way or another we are going to have to move out of this house very soon.

Ayla is doing well. She is growing so fast it amazes me. I look at her now and I don't see a baby anymore, it's so weird to see her little brain at work. She still isn't saying many words, but she understands everything we say and really tries to communicate with us. I really think she is going to end up needing speech therapy.

Project Sweet Pea is continuing to grow! We just added two new projects to our group. 10 projects in all! I am so happy and honored to have such amazing women working with us! I love being able to give people the opportunity to help others :)

I have also been going through some personal things that I'm not ready to share quite yet...but will soon. So stay tuned ;)

Happy Birthday Gabe

Happy Birthday to my little man. Three years....has it really been three years? These milestones always bring up the same questions; what would he look like? what would his personality be like? I miss him.... 3 years and still not a day goes by that I don't think about him.

Nate took the day off work. We started the day on a bad note, having to put my pet rat, Dumbo, to sleep. She was old and sick, and I had been putting it off for awhile. I am now done with caged animals. They don't live long enough, so I am done! I don't really have the time for them anyways.

We brought gift bags to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital. My way of giving Gabe his birthday presents. We dropped them off and met with the head NICU nurse. She seemed very interested in Project Sweet Pea, and very excited to get the bags. It's nice to know they will make a difference and be put to good use. L&M Hospital was where Ayla was born and spent her short NICU stay. It's a very nice hospital, with a great NICU, although it is much smaller than Mass General. Afterwards we visited Gabe's site and decorated his stone for the holidays. Whenever I am out shopping I always pick up little nicknacks to leave for him. I am determined for the rest of my life to make sure he has a well decorated site. One of the few things I can still do for him.

Wow, 3 years. 3 years and it still feels as raw somedays as the day he passed. I guess you never get over something like that, even though people who have never been through it seem to think you should...

I am probably going to make my blog private for awhile... I use this blog as a journal and I am afraid of being judged, or things taken the wrong way, which has kept me from blogging a lot lately. I have written quite a few entries lately and then deleted them b/c of this.... If you read this and you would like an invitation to my blog once I make it private, please either post a comment or email me at: Chefrinny@gmail.com

Wooden Crafts

This week we have all had a bit of a cold. Unfortunatly that means we have been shut in the house all week! I started playing around with some wooden crafts and have found a new hobby!

Here are some pictures of my latest creations:

I made these to include as keepsakes in the Project Sweet Pea bags.

This was made to match a bedding set for a dear friend of mine

This is a frame I made for a friend who loves lighthouses. I have the perfect picture to put in it! :)

This is for Ayla's room 

Thats all for now...Thanks for looking!!!

Sweet Pea Shower

First I want to thank everyone who helped with the Sweet Pea Shower! We had a great day and collected tons of items to stuff the gift bags with! I'm hoping to go to the hospital next week to drop off some of these bags!

Here are a couple pictures from the Shower:

 

 

 

Pictures

Just a couple of pictures till I have some time to update. Enjoy :)

   Tiffany's Box 16th Birthday Cake

Day at Grandma's!

Smelling the Flowers!

Check out my boots!

 

 So pretty :)

Sweet Pea Shower

It's that time of year again! As usual I am putting together an event in memory of Gabriel for his birthday. This year we are having the Sweet Pea Shower! This event has an open invitation for all, so come out to support us and bring a friend!

 

In Memory of Gabriel Eric Nava

Date: Saturday, November 07, 2009

Time: 12pm-4pm

Place: St. Joseph’s Church

1105 MAIN STREET

, HOPE VALLEY, RI 02832

RSVP: Corin @ 401-524-9182  

For more information visit: http://projectsweetpeas.com/SweetPeaShower.aspx

Home Sweet Home

Last week Ayla and I went down to visit with my sister in South Carolina for a week. It was an amazing week! We met my little nephew, who is absolutely adorable, and Ayla was able to finally meet her Auntie Missy and Grandma C. It was great just to be able to see them again! I was even able to go to Charleston for a day and see some friends from IHOP ;)

I am finally home, and now trying to catch up with everything! It's amazing how many emails can accumalate in a week!

Here are some pics from our grand adventures:

Missy and Domonic

Ayla feeding Domonic

Friends from Charleston

 

Welcome to the World Dominic Xavier!!!

Just wanted to announce that my nephew, Dominic Xavier (I hope I'm spelling his name right!) was born this afternoon! Big congrats to my little sister, Missy, who is going to make a great mom :) I can't wait to go meet him next week!!!! I will post pictures as soon as I can!!!

Terrible Two's....already???

This picture pretty much explains my life lately. A screaming toddler! Wow, what happened to my perfect little angel?! She has been throwing the worst tantrums lately! Spoiled doesn't begin to describe her, and she hates to be told 'no'. In fact she hates the word so much, she decides that it is necessary to turn into a devil child and attempts to blow mommy's ear drums with her screeches! I've always heard of the "terrible twos" but I thought I had a little more time before I had to worry about that! Wow, this is making me re-think having another baby for a loooong time! lol


Overall she has been great. Ayla had her 18 month check up a few weeks ago. She weighed in at 27 lbs 4 oz and 34" tall (although I believe she is taller, the nurse had a really hard time getting her to stay still...lol). She is finally starting to come out with some new words, but "mommy" STILL isn't one of them :( Stubborn little girl! She reached the minimum number of words to avoid speech therapy for another few months. The pediatrician wants to re-evaluate her at her next appointment and make a decision.

Ayla and I are leaving for South Carolina next week! My little nephew is due this week! I'm so excited to get the news..... I can't wait to meet him :) Ayla hasn't met her Auntie Missy or her grandma Cheryl yet, so this will be a very exciting trip for everyone! We are staying down for a week, and I'm hoping to be able to take a drive to Charleston for a day trip to see some old friends!

Well thats about it for now! I'm going to really try to update more often :)

Pics of cake and Ayla...again :)

Midnight Madness

I know I haven't posted in awhile, I really haven't had much free time to myself at all. Really, couldn't we extend the day by say 10 hours.... or maybe just skip sleeping. I could get so much accomplished if I just didn't have to sleep ;) Let's see...where to start?...

Project Sweet Pea:

We had an awesome graphic designer put together a graphic for our logo. It came out AMAZING. The designer is Rachel Blanchard and you can check out her stuff here:
http://www.coroflot.com/RachelB83
We have uploaded our new logo to our cafepress store so check it out: www.cafepress.com/projectsweetpea
We are also working very hard on getting our online personal stores ready to go live. We will have t-shirts, tote bags, candles, ornaments, burp clothes, and much more! Check back on our website to see whats new.

I am also very excited to announce that we have 4 new project leaders working with us, and a few others who are interested! Added to Gabriel's Gift, Shannon's Star, Shelby's Sunshine, we now have Kiernan's Kindness, Ayda's Blessing, and 2 others to be named soon! I hope that we can continue to grow and cover as many hospitals as possible. I feel
so blessed to be working with such amazing women!

Sweet Cravings:

The business is still in limbo right now. I am working to get the deposits back from the restaurant owner. We are tossing around different ideas of ways to get this started, some of the ideas would mean putting it off for a year or so.... which I'm not too happy about, but I know I will have it eventually. Maybe it's just not the right time. That being said, I am still doing cakes for friends and family and actually keeping pretty busy with it! For the past two months almost every weekend has been booked with cakes. I am also now waitressing on a regular basis 3-4 days a week, and between the two I am exhausted. It's nice to finally be able to contribute again to the family income!

Ayla:

My sweet little baby is turning into a bit of a monster... I have to admit I think she may be just the teensiest bit spoiled ;) Oops. I'm hoping that all this is her going through the terrible twos early, and this is the worst of it, b/c if not....we are in HUGE trouble! It's really not all that bad though, she is still a ton of fun, and full of love.

Nate brought her to the Pawsox game last night, where she apparently had a great time. She even met Paws and had her picture taken (which I don't have yet).

Mini Get-Away:
We were able to escape to New Hampshire last weekend for my birthday, which was amazing! We spent the weekend relaxing, shopping, playing disc golf (which is actually a lot of fun!), and eating way too much! Ayla enjoyed all the new scenery. We even took a trip up to the Ben & Jerry's factory in Vermont and scored some free ice cream :)- mmmmm....ice cream!

Unfortunately I have been having issues with my camera lately so we only got a couple of pics from the weekend.




Well, I think that covers almost everything.... I promise very soon I will stop being such an awful friend and catch up with everyone! I don't really need full nights sleep ;)

Pictures

I will give a better update tomorrow, but thought I would share some pictures of my two favorite things while I had a couple of minutes :)

Ayla:










Cake:

Rollercoaster Ride We Call Life

If you couldn't tell from the title of this post, life has been.... interesting (for lack of a better word). This is going to be a chaotic post, all over the place with updates, so bear with me :)

Sweet Cravings Update:
The business is temporarily on hold. We ran into a problem with zoning, which I had been trying to fight. Apparently all of West Kingstown is residential zoning, and all businesses there existed before the zoning ordinance. The facility I was trying to rent is in the basement of a restaurant, but because that facility is non-conforming to the zoning ordinance, only restaurants can operate out of the building. I consulted a lawyer to see if there was anything we could do, and we could apply for a special use permit, but it would take time, money that I don't have, and would probably still be turned down. Now I'm back to square one trying to find a new location....I am so frustrated. I am still doing cakes on the side, along with any other odd and end jobs I can find. I have actually been picking up some shifts at the breakfast restaurant that I was trying to rent. Anything to pay the bills!

Ayla Update:
Ayla has been great. She is now climbing furniture, and getting herself into all sorts of trouble :) She is truly fearless it seems, which will probably give me a heart attack before she turns two! She had a check up earlier this week and all is well. They still couldn't figure out what had caused the hives and all her other symptoms, but since they haven't come back her doctor isn't worried about it.

Nathan Update:
Nate passed his CDE (certified diabetes educator) exam! Wooohoooo! Congrats to my hubby!!! Besides that, he is beng the wonderful supportive husband throughout all my craziness!!!! :)

Misc:
A couple of weeks ago we went down into our basement storage to find that moisture and mice had gotten to almost EVERYTHING we had stored down there..... tons of stuff that we had saved to use for future babies, our holiday decorations, etc.... Mouse poop is all over the place, and mold is growing on everything porous. I know it's all just material goods, and can be replaced, but ugh!!!! We just can't seem to catch a break lately!

Update on Me:
Well.... I've been better, and I've been worse. I have a lot going on right now, and emotionally I am a just really worn down. I know I owe a lot of people phone calls and visits, and I will start to catch up soon! Please be patient with me.....

Project Sweet Pea

Gift bags for parents with children in the NICU

We seek to provide a little touch of comfort for parents of children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This project was started by a group of parents and grandparents who have one thing in common, we have all experienced what it is like having a critically ill child in the NICU. Through our experience we came together for support and comfort. Now it is our turn to give back.

Our goal is simple:
To provide gift bags filled with items that may give a touch of comfort to someone in need and let them know they are not alone.

Check out our website: www.projectsweetpeas.com

Disclaimer: Project Sweet Pea is NOT a non-profit organization; all purchases and donations are NOT tax deductible. We are NOT affiliated with any group or organization. We are simply parents who have had children in the NICU, and look to provide comfort through this project.

A Difficult Decision

As most of my friends and family know, CHERUBS has been a huge part of my life for the past two years. There are a ton of wonderful people who I have met through CHERUBS, and for them I am forever grateful. They have helped me get through a very rough time in my life, I don't know how I would have gotten through it without them.

I wanted to let everyone know that due to personal reasons I have decided to leave CHERUBS. I will no longer be representing them in any form or way. All previous planned get-togethers and fundraisers in CHERUBS name are canceled. It was a difficult decision, but I feel that this is best for me and my family.

Because I am leaving CHERUBS as a representative, I have also stopped doing the gift bag project FOR CHERUBS. All donations previously made have been returned to the CHERUBS office to continue the project as they see fit. I WILL be starting a new gift bag project with a couple of wonderful moms, (and one amazing grandma) without any affiliation to a group or organization. For more information watch for an announcement coming very soon on:
Project Sweet Pea

I also want to let any and all CDH families to know that they can contact me anytime. I will still support any and all families in any way I can. You can contact me through:

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/corinnava
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/corin1118
Email: Chefrinny@gmail.com
Phone: 401-524-9182

More Cake

Here are a couple other cakes I've made these last couple weeks. The first one was for a bridal shower, and I LOVE the way it came out :) The second was for a wedding last weekend. It was a simple cake with fresh gerber daisies.

Kim graduated!

My good friend, Kim, finally graduated college! Yay, wooohoooo!!!!! She took the extended college road, so when making her cake for this weekends party, I tried to express it with sugar :) Each little piece on the cake all represented something in her life.

LOVE YOU KIM!!!! WE ARE SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!

Weekend Adventures

The last couple of weekends we spent taking mini vacations. First we went to Pennsylvania for a CHERUBS get together. We spent the weekend camping and enjoying the time with two wonderful families who have become close friends. Kate put together a great picnic on Saturday where we were met up with some other wonderful CDH families.

(CDH Mommies and survivors)

(Ayla playing with Lily and Gracie-twin siblings of CDH angel, Shannon)

This weekend we went to Cape Cod with Nate's family. The weather was a little colder than I had hoped for, but we did get some sun! Ayla had a great time playing in the sand and swimming.



Now back to reality....