Van is almost 4 weeks old!

My little boy is almost 4 weeks old. I can't believe it! My life has been so crazy! I have to say that I am handling it much better than I thought I would. It's much easier with the 2nd baby. I am adjusting to taking care of him and don't feel like I am in a fog like I was last time. I am much more prepared! Of course, being prepared for a baby does not make taking care of two kids easy at all! I don't have time to do anything when I have both kids. Luckily, I have lots of help and only have both kids by myself a few days a week. But, on those days I am beat by the end of the day!

Van is such a joy that it makes it all worth it. I am so in love with him! He is such a good baby. He is a lot more vocal that Riley was at this age and he doesn't sleep nearly as much as most newborns but he is still a pretty good baby. He'll sit in his bouncy seat and just look around for the longest time. He's very curious and very serious. He only has one look and it's "serious". You can almost picture the wheels turning in his head trying to figure this all out. Van is doing pretty good at nighttime now. He wouldn't sleep without me holding him for the first few weeks but now I can put him in his crib and he'll talk himself to sleep. He doesn't really care for the binky which is good and bad. It will be nice to not have to deal with binkies but it sure is nice to "put a cork in it" when they are fussy.

Overall, we are pretty stinkin' happy here. Life is crazy busy and I sure don't get enough sleep but having two beautiful, healthy kids is about as good as it gets. Oh, and our furry kids, Brown and Cal, are great with Van..... just like I knew they would be!

Riley's 3rd Birthday

Riley had her 3rd birthday party on November 21st. We started the weekend off going to the zoo (which is her favorite place) and then had a party at our house Sunday evening. By the time her actual birthday rolled around she was a little confused as to when her birthday really was. However, she loved celebrating it for several days. She opened all her gifts by herself and had a great time playing with all her toys. I can't believe she is 3! She can't believe it either. She loves telling people how old she is. Riley has grown so much. She pretty much wants to do everything on her own now. She wants to dress herself, pick out her food and brush her own teeth. I love how grown up she's getting but sometimes it's a battle trying to get out the door. She wants to put her jacket on herself, open the door herself, get in the car seat by herself..... sometimes we don't have time for all that! Still, she is so much fun right now. No one could entertain us like she does!

Big Sister

Riley is pretty proud of her little brother. She was so happy when she first saw him and she has been fascinated by him since we got home. She couldn't see him in the hospital (except right after he was born) so she was very excited to finally get to touch him. She has been great with him and we couldn't have asked for her to adjust better than she is. She is fighting for attention a little, but overall, she loves her baby brother!

Ivan Miller Brozenic

He's finally here and he's fabulous!! Van is more perfect than we could have ever hoped for. We have both been so happy this last week and very excited to introduce our little guy to the world.

As every Mother likes to do I am going to tell my labor story. Here goes:

I woke up on Saturday, November 6th, having constant contractions starting at about 5am. They weren't painful just annoying and coming about every 10 minutes. We called the doctor at about 10:30 and he told us to give it a few more hours and if they hadn't stopped or if they got worse to come in. We ran errands and tied up a bunch of loose ends (thank goodness!) because I had a feeling this was it. We were pulling in to Target at 11:45 to pick up one more thing for a baby shower that afternoon. I felt a strong pinch and then felt a pop and the water came! It was just like last time. The water just kept coming! So gross!! Thank goodness we were in Dave's car. We told Riley that her baby brother was coming today and we had to go to the doctor. We made all our phone calls and got to the hospital. This time I thought Van wasn't going to mess around. My contractions started in the car and got worse and worse with each one. By the time we walked into the hospital I couldn't hardly stand or talk. They were coming every 2 minutes. I got excited thinking maybe this labor would go much quicker. I was wrong! I did get my epidural and was only in real labor for about 2-3 hours. The epidural actually worked this time!!! It was WONDERFUL! Every few hours the I would start to feel the contractions again and I would push the pain button and suffer through a few more contractions and the pain would go away. We had high hopes that Van would be born before the day was out but we were wrong. He did not come until 1am on Sunday morning!

He was absolutely perfect and I cried the happiest tears when I saw him. As soon as they got him all cleaned up and gave him to me he started making this little whining sound. We thought it was just a cute baby noise, but all of a sudden a nurse came and took him from us. They said he was born Meconium (which means he had just had a bowel movement right before my water broke) and when he was born he inhaled some of that fluid. They tried to get to him before he took his first breath but they couldn't. They thought they just needed to clean the fluid out of his lungs and we'd have him back in a few hours. They brought him to me about 4 in the morning and as soon as I touched him he started making the sounds again. The nurse called the doctor and they took him again back to the nursery. This time they kept him for 2 days!! He never got to come to our room. They took several blood samples and hooked up to an IV because he couldn't eat. We also couldn't touch him because each time we did he started whining again. Turned out it wasn't the meconium. What they finally determined was that he had a hard time transitioning. When he was born so many things had to happen to make sure everything worked properly that it freaked him out. He decided he wasn't ready to be here yet and needed a little more time adjusting to his new life. Once we had 48 hours of him doing fine (and us only seeing him every few hours) we got him back and were able to go home. It was pretty hard to see him hooked up to those monitors and cords. The IV was almost too much for me to see. I had a couple of good cries and realized how lucky we were that he was going to be just fine.

We've had him home for a few days now and have had one rough night. He screamed for about 4 hours last night which was scaring us a little. Riley didn't make a peep for 11 days when she came home. Van stays awake a lot longer and is a bit more vocal. However, he is so perfect that I can't help but feel like the luckiest person in the world! He looks exactly like Riley and I just sit and stare at him for the longest time. Dave and I are so blessed and Riley has really taken to her little brother. She tells us all the time that she really likes him. She kisses him and pats him gently on the head. I think she'll be a good big sister!

The Lion Says "ROOOOAAARR!"

I finally had a chance to load pictures from Halloween. We have a new camera and an old computer so it didn't quite go as smoothly as it used to. Riley had the BEST day on Halloween. She loved every minute of it. She couldn't believe that all the these people were just giving her candy and all she had to say was "Trick or Treat". Every house she went to she ran as fast as she could up to the door, yelled trick or treat then thank you and ran down the driveway asking to if she could go to another house. She can't wait for Halloween next year. As you can see she was a Lion. She has practiced her "Roar" for weeks and it was perfect. Hopefully next year she'll make Mommy happy and be a princess or something like that.

Baby Brother, Ivan Miller, was born on November 7th and I will be sharing the whole story soon. I've been kind of busy and haven't had a chance to get to it. He's perfect!!!

Pumpkin Patchin'

Riley and Taylor went to a few Pumpkin Patches this fall. The first one we went to was lame. It had all the blow up rides and they charged for each one along with charging to get in. Lesson learned. Don't go to the one called Fun Town Pumpkin Patch. It was set up in a gravel parking lot. Dave and I took Riley to another one the following weekend that was great. She got to feed the animals, go on a hay ride. pick out a pumpkin and best of all ride a pony. She loved the pony, of course! She has been so excited about Halloween this year. We couldn't wait for it to get here so we could see her reaction.

FYI...still no baby. 10 days left.....

Finally started on Ivan's room!

Here is proof that Daddy has finally started on Van's room! We are adding fire trucks to the room to make it a little more "boyish". As I hoped we are keeping the Dalmatian theme. My children have no choice but to love dogs from the very beginning. I will have it no other way. It worked for Riley so I am sure it will work for Van. I inherited my love for animals from my Dad and my kids will get it from me..... whether they like it or not. Grandma Brozenic is busy working on new decor for the room including a new baby blanket and curtains. I can't wait to see it all finished!

I am currently 34 weeks and as I have said before......READY TO BE DONE!!! Luckily, just like last time this has been a smooth pregnancy and everything seems to be going just fine. I am still pretty uncomfortable and that's only getting worse but we are finally in the home stretch. Even though I am convinced this boy is HUGE the doctor says I am measuring right at 34 weeks (what do they know anyway?). Six more weeks to go (maybe less if I'm lucky!). I am getting so excited to meet Van!

Babies on the way.....

Baby Ivan and Baby Cole

I have been very lucky this time around and have had a handful of friends who are pregnant at the same time I am. Last time I was all alone and wished I had someone to share my complaints with. This time I have plenty to choose from! Here is a picture of me and my very close friend, Tonya. We have been great friends since high school and are only two weeks apart. She is also having a boy. We are both looking forward to our boys growing up together! I am pretty fortunate that I have several of my good friends from high school and after who have kids the same age as mine that can play together. They are all just now getting to the age where we should start benefiting from that. I can't wait to meet both of these little guys!

Are you ready to be a big sister?

Here is a video of a talk Riley and had about her baby brother Van.

The pool is closed.....

Riley had her last weekend at the pool. :( She loves going to the pool! With her Puddle Jumper she can swim by herself. She doesn't need any help and it's teaching her how to swim on her own. We have been to the pool every weekend this summer and she has gone throughout the week with Grandma and Papa Brozenic. It's hard to believe that next year we'll be taking two kids to the pool.....

Riley is getting so much bigger and smarter every day! She carries on full conversations now and we very rarely have issues understanding what she is trying to say. She speaks in complete sentences and sometimes in Spanish. She is showing even more interest in singing and dancing which makes Mommy VERY happy. I get such a thrill out of listening to her sing along with songs and dance!

Baby is also well on her way to being potty trained. She goes pee in the potty several times a day and rarely wets her diaper. Even at night she holds it until she can go in the morning. We are still working in #2 in the potty, but I know that usually takes more time. She gets so excited when she goes in the potty. She'll say "I did it! I did it! Now can I have M&M's?" She gets a few M&M's every time she goes in the potty. The way I know she is pretty much trained is if we do something right after the potty like change clothes or get in the bathtub she forgets about the M&M's. She no longer does it just for the candy! Such a big girl!!

Baby is also in Preschool two days a week and really likes it. She cried a little at first when Daddy would drop her off but she hasn't done that in a few weeks. She is learning so much and has even made a few friends. We are hoping to have her start going 3 days a week once Van gets here. We really think it's important for her to be around other kids her age and be in a stricter environment. Now that I don't have the schedule that allows me to stay home a few days a week with her we needed another source for day care anyway.

Speaking of Van......he is growing at a rapid pace, in my opinion. This kid is huge! When he moves it almost knocks me over. He feels so much bigger than Riley did! I'm sure I am imaging that, but it's still way more uncomfortable this time around. I still have nine weeks to go and couldn't be more ready. I know our lives will change and it will be very difficult adding another baby to the family but I can't stand being pregnant and would rather have no sleep and no free time than be pregnant. I have to admit I am starting to get nervous about having two kids. I hear it's a pretty hard adjustment and that we can kiss our social lives good-bye but I am just as excited as I am nervous. I can't wait to see this little guy's face!! I can't wait to hold him!! I can't wait to kiss him!! Simply said....I can't wait!

Oh, and I need a nickname for him! He cannot be called Baby since we already have one of those. Riley has made that clear. Her "other" name is Baby and it's here to stay.

Happy 7th Birthday Callie!

My precious Callieann turned 7 on August 12th. People may get tired of hearing me go on and on about my dogs, but they really are like my children! Callie came into my life at the perfect time and for a long time I thought I would never need more than her. She has been such a great dog and I am so lucky to have her. Dave and I couldn't be more pleased with how she has adjusted to Riley and I have no doubts that she will be just a good to Van. Cal is a perfect pup and I thank my lucky stars I have her!

Hot and Cold

Love it!!

Dancing Baby

I am so excited about how much Riley likes to dance! I can't WAIT for dance classes. I can't find anywhere that will take her before 3 so we'll have to sit tight until then. You can't see it on the video but she follows the Wii game "Just Dance" so well. She knows several of them and even does them when not playing the game. She remembers the choreography. Needless to say, I am so stinkin' proud of her! I could watch her groove all the time. I never get sick of it!!

4th of July

I suck. These are the only two pictures I took on 4th of July. Riley did not enjoy the fireworks. She cried when Daddy would head out into the yard to shoot them off. She put her hands over her head and cried when the loud ones went off. I think the loud booms were just too much for her. She eventually held an umbrella over her head so that she couldn't see them. That came in handy once the rain started. When we were inside she had a great time playing. The safety of the roof helped her relax a little. We had a wonderful cook out at my parents house. Lots of friends and family came and the food so great!! I wish I had some of the leftovers right now.....

Riley was there too....

Here are some pictures of Riley at the Zoo. She has asked everyday since Saturday to go to the Zoo. Maybe she'll be a zoologist. That would make me so proud. Plus, she could probably get me close to the animals! Luckily, we paid the extra money for unlimited tram and carousel rides so we didn't have to walk the whole thing. After four hours and miles of walking I don't think I could have walked another step. It was well worth the extra cash! Riley rode the carousel several times which is one of her favorite things to do. She was a perfect angel that day! Sadly, she was not a perfect angel the rest of the weekend. Oh well. Can't have it my way everyday, huh?

So beautiful!

We took Riley to the Zoo this last weekend and had a great time. Riley is just like me and LOVES animals. She had so much fun seeing them all. However, Riley didn't enjoy this part as much as I did. I had to shove some kids out of my way to get this close, but I was in awe of this amazing Lion. She was BEAUTIFUL! I could have sat there all day and watched her. I have never been so close to one before. Unfortunately, there was glass between us or I would have kissed her right on her nose. If someone could please write to Oprah and tell her how my dream would be to pet a lion or tiger or leopard or anything like that. If anyone could make it happen it would be Oprah!

It's a BOY!

We are so excited to finally show some of our first pictures of Baby Ivan! It's officially a boy and we couldn't be happier! He is healthy and doing very well. My due date is still Nov. 10th although they did say that I was measuring a little further along than that. I certainly wouldn't be upset if he decided to make an early debut.

I am very excited for Dave to have a boy. I have felt so lucky to have a little girl. Someone that I can really relate to. I can play with her hair and paint her nails and dress her up in pretty dresses. Not that Daddy doesn't worship his little girl, but I can't wait for Dave to have someone he can share all his "boy" traits with. I think we all know that Daddy is really excited about sharing the exciting world of golf with his little guy.

We haven't picked a middle name yet, but we do know that we will call him Van. As much as we love the name Ivan I also think the name Van is cool too. I always wished my name could be shortened to something but there isn't much you can do with the name Lisa. Dave has been given the task of picking Van's middle name. He is putting a lot of thought into it and it will be whatever he decides. He let me pick Riley's name and a new girls name if we had another one. Because he was very agreeable with me then I figure I can let him have the final say in Van's middle name.

The new baby's room will still be done in Dalmatians since Daddy did such a good job painting it for Riley. We are going to change it up a little but we haven't decided how yet. We are leaning towards adding firetrucks but our minds could be changed if we saw something that we liked better.

All in all we are feeling pretty lucky. A healthy baby boy will complete our already perfect family! I can't wait to meet Van!

Florida Trip 2010

We just returned from a week long trip to St. Augustine, FL with the whole Brozenic/Morales family. We have a wonderful time! Our house was right on the beach and we woke every morning to the waves and coffee. Riley had the best time ever! Her cousins, Blaine and Avery, were both there to play with her the whole time and she couldn't have been happier. They all played together so well. We got lots of sun time and, of course, I burned on the first day. It was bad enough that a few strangers had to point it out to me....as if I didn't feel it! It has turned into a nice tan now and I was careful not to make it worse while we were there. Riley looks perfectly sun kissed and has a tiny tan. She did manage to get her first big boo boo while we were there. We had a week membership to a country club down the street and she fell and skinned her knee. It was quite traumatic. We had to keep the band aid covered at all times so she couldn't see it. Once she got used to it she showed her battle wound off to everyone she could. She is still talking about her boo boo. We got to do lots of shopping (I bought myself a Coach purse thanks to the generosity of my in-laws!) and picked up a few things to bring home. I would like to say that we did a lot of sight seeing (we did some) but we mostly spent all our time at the beach and pool. Personally, I don't think a trip can get much better than that!

Thanks to Cheryl and Ivan who took us all on this trip and covered all the expenses. We had such a great time and will never forget the wonderful family time we got together. I truly have lucked out with the family I gained when I married Dave. Not only do they do so much for us all the time, but taking this trip was the best way to create memories as a group. We love you Grandma and Papa!

Big Girl Room

I finally have some pictures of Riley's new (not so new anymore) room. My sister-in-law, Janae, found this adorable bed set that was exactly what I was looking for. I LOVE the bedroom! Riley moved into this room before we found out we were having another baby, but it couldn't have worked out better. We will now try to decide what to do with her old room for the new baby. It will break my heart to paint over the Dalmatians so I plan on fighting to keep it. Hopefully we can just a few things to make it look a little different.

Big Sister

We are so excited to finally announce that Riley will be a big sister! We are expecting our second baby in November. I am a few days a way from the 2nd trimester. I've been a bit of a nervous wreck for the last 2 months so we decided to wait until I was further along before making any posts or big announcements. We had our second doctors appointment today and heard a healthy heartbeat. It's such a relief to hear that everything is going well! Just like last time we are going to find out what we are having. That won't be until July and it couldn't come soon enough! I am already dying to know if it's a boy or girl. We would truly be happy with both and have already been prepping Riley for a baby brother or sister. She has said every time that she wants a sister. I think she'd be happy with either. I have been experiencing more pregnancy symptoms this time which hasn't been fun, but it's at least made me feel like that means everything is OK. I have feeling sick, tired and had really annoying abdominal pain the first several weeks. It was really hard at first because the stomach pains had me pretty worried. Turns out that's pretty normal and just my bodies way of getting ready for what's to come. The last two weeks I have been feeling pretty tired, but other than that all is great! I'm not showing yet and am hoping I have a few more weeks before I have to wear the dreaded maternity clothes. I was not a fan of maternity clothes and I am actually going to try to avoid them all together this time. Some stretchy pants and shirts should do the trick! Who knows.....I may even let someone take my picture when I am showing this time!!