Risks,Happiness...2012

This word keeps coming up this week. "Only the person who risks is truly free"
What risks do I want to take this year? What fears do I want to face?
Why don't we just do the things we dream of doing, dream of being, living the life we dreamed of when we were younger and didn't have all the day to day responsibilities...What will make me happy...me Lisa...not Lisa the Mom...not Lisa the Wife...but me Lisa.

What I have learned over these past 31 years from life experience,books, friends, and family...if you are truly happy then your life is happy

It always makes me feel good to "check in" and remember my happiness

It really is the little things, that make me happy...

I made a list about a year ago... a happiness list.. all the things that make me happy..Its funny how many simple things made it

A warm breeze touching my skin
a smile from my kids
a heartfelt hug from my husband
a cup of coffee...preferably a Starbucks caramel macchiato, hot, with soy milk..
Wine, pinot grigio on a hot day and pinot noir when its a bit chilly outside
dark chocolate
working out..pretty new for me, I have only done this consistently since I had my Bella, but I find if I go with out it I get in funk...
time with friends...true friends,my mommy friends,best friends,fun new acquaintances
afternoon visits from Gramma
planning get togethers and having friends over to my house
decorating
reading...books,magazines-fashion-design,my nook,my favorite blogs
pedicures
getting my hair cut and colored
ok, anything that involves pampering
photography,photos all over my home
having my sister close to home
pink
the quiet of the world early in the morning
sparkles of sun sprinkled across the Florida waters
sleeping babies in my arms..oh how I love those warm little bodies and innocent little faces
My small crazy family...Grammas and Titis included
Dancing like nobody is watching
Shopping...
oh, I love writing   ...   and using !!! (bet you already knew that if you know me)

In 2012 I want to be present more in my daily life,with my children,husband,family,and friends
(Isaiah just slept through the night for the first time this week...I can see the light and the energy coming my way ;) Take the risks..big and small

More time outside with my kids
Make fun memories and traditions with them...Jr and I are off to a great start
Take a few photography lessons
Update the kids baby books
Write in my Blog regularly!!
Work out at baby boot camp 3 days a week
Loose 10 more lbs and keep it off
Love my post baby body (surprisingly this is the skinniest I have been in years)
Keep up with twice monthly playdates with my bestie....great for mommy and kiddos too
Date night at least once a month
Listen more talk less
Keep the kitchen stocked with healthy food and plan weekly dinners...
(Its crazy to think how much of life's memories are made around food...it is such a big part of life!)
Quarterly meetings with my forever friends ;)
less crap TV...(love to TIVO reality TV...love those real housewives..ha!)
less facebook....
Help make our two locations even more successful!
Stay on budget (my shopping love does not help)
Family trip to Disney world
Be ME and don't worry what someone else may think
LOVE my husband more everyday...hes the best!
Accepting and loving the people in my life for who they are and not trying to change them
Go to the beach monthly (at least)
Learn more Spanish
Run a 5k
Eat less sugar.....hmmm....yes, eat less sugar...:)
Finding my style as a hot and healthy Mom
Discover new risks that I want to take...Have a feeling there is something big I am supposed to do
........I could go on....I think this a great start....

I look forward to reading this post at the end of the year and checking off all of these things and thinking how I have enjoyed my loves and created new ones.

Life with Isaiah!

Its a wonderful life! He is such a good baby. He has the biggest happiest smiles and giggles. He will be 12 weeks old on Monday. Wow, has time flown by! I have had my tired moments but it is all worth it to have my two happy beautiful babies! Bella has transitioned pretty well. She gives him lots of hugs and kisses and a few pinches every once and a while! She is still very young so we are being as patient as possible with her. She is just so darn cute even when she is misbehaving!

 I started back at baby boot camp last week. It feels great to get back into my old routine and start exercising again. I am 4lbs lighter than my prepregancy weight and working to lose more. Junior has been going to a crossfit gym and has lost 25lbs over these past 3 months! He looks and feels great! Carly has even joined the gym with him too!

Gramma has been great spending lots of quality time with her grand babies and spoiling her Bella Boo! It has been wonderful to have Carly here. She is such a natural with the kids and a fantastic Titi. Titi Joanne even came down from Canada and got lots of snuggle time in with our new little man!

Isaiah went for his two month check up and he is now 13lbs. He is in the 50th percentile and doing great! He had jaundice up until he was 8 weeks. We had to keep checking his levels to make sure they were going down. You can see how yellow he was from the pictures. They said it was caused from the breast milk but was no danger to him to let it run its course. He is all clear and looking so handsome now! Here are some pics from the last few months....

Isaiah Is Here!!

Isaiah Noah Cotto joined our family on 6/27/2011 at 6:46pm. Weighing 8lbs 3oz and 20 inches long.

He is so beautiful. We love him SO much! He has completed our family. We never knew something was missing. But now that he is here we feel at peace and happy. It just feels so good having a family of four and a boy and a girl. Bella is adjusting well to her baby brother. She loves giving him kisses and hugs. She surprises us all the time and will just be walking by him and say Isaiah and blow him a kiss. She can say his name really well! He is a very good baby. He loves sleeping and being cuddled. We think he is going to have a nice calm personality.He sleeps through all of Bella's noise and the dogs when they bark. Daddy and Gramma have been spoiling Bella and making sure she gets lots of attention too. I am breastfeeding him and it is going really well! I had trouble with Bella. This time around everything has been so much easier. I am much more relaxed about things to. So I think he can sense that and he just chills out. 

He went to the Dr. yesterday for his one week checkup. He has jaundice but they said it should be gone within a week. He is 8lbs 2oz. Last Wednesday he was 7lbs 9oz. So he is almost back to his birth weight. He gives us sweet little smiles and loves looking around when he is awake. His hair is a dark brown not as dark as Bella's when she was born. But about the color hers is now. His eyes are a dark blueish gray right now. We will have to wait to see what color they turn out to be. I am enjoying being at home with him and Bella. Gramma has been over to help almost everyday and has done our grocery shopping since we have been home. Thanks Mom!! Your the best! Junior had 4 days off this past weekend with the holiday. I told him it was his paternity leave. :) He didn't get to do that when Bella was born, so it was a really nice treat. Our family is blooming and we are loving every minute of it!!

Bella meeting Isaiah at the hospital

Kisses for her brother

Sweet Cheeks

Happy 4th of July!

I'm Ready When You are Baby Boy!!

Isaiah has been breech for the last month. They have been checking on him every time I go in to the Dr.s office and they told me he turned last week! Yay! Then I went in for my weekly checkup today and the Dr. wanted to double check his position with an ultrasound. It scared me for a second. I don't want him to be breech again. So we got a quick ultrasound and he is head down!!! Yay! We got to see a portion of his face. Its hard to get a good look of the baby on an ultrasound at this stage since he is squeezed in there so tight. So far from what we saw he looks just like Bella!!! We got to see his lips nose and chubby cheeks!! Check out his picture below. I will be 38 weeks pregnant tomorrow. So it is safe for him to come anytime now! I am ready! I have gained 20lbs so far with this pregnancy. I gained 25lbs with Bella so it looks like this one will be a bit less. I wonder how much he weighs??...

I had two wonderful baby showers this month. One on the 4th that my best friend Cathie hosted. It was a really cute duck theme. and One on the 11th that my 6 best friends from high school hosted. It was an All Star theme. Both were so special in every way and meant the world to me! Thank you girls for all the time, effort, and thoughtfulness that went into them. I only have a few pictures and the girls are working on getting theirs uploaded. I will share them soon! I received some beautiful clothes and boy things that we needed for Isaiah. I have them all washed and ready for his arrival. I love looking at all the little newborn sizes and the smell of the Dreft baby detergent. It smells sooo good! Brings back memories of Bella being a newborn. We took a poll of Isaiahs weight and date. I can't wait to see who gets the closest!

Cathie and I

Gramma to be and Mommy to be

Forever Friends

Who's having the next baby???

Bye, Bye from Bella. xoxo

This is from today, Daddy put his socks on her...silly Daddy!

Beautiful Sunsets Together

We have been enjoying the beautiful Florida sunsets as a family. Bella is now loving the sand and the water! She keeps Daddy busy at the beach! Mommy has enjoyed taking pictures of her two loves and relaxing with Isaiah. We brought dinner down a few times and played with Bella. This weekend our cousins, Freddy, Aura, and little Freddy were here from Miami for one of my baby showers. We got to enjoy the beach together. Freddy and Bella had a Blast playing together!!! Soggy diapers and all. :)

You are such a Gift!!

Getting ready for bed and just looking at my growing belly and thinking of you my baby boy. This pregnancy seems to have flown by. I am 34 weeks pregnant with you Isaiah. You are such a precious little gift all wrapped up and just waiting to be opened. You came to us when we were least expecting it and have happily grown into a beautiful baby boy that we will be meeting before we know it. Your sister keeps me so busy that I don't always take the time to reflect and appreciate how special you are. It took us three trys to have your sister along with bleeding and scares throughout her pregnancy. But you, you have been with me for 34 weeks and have been this beautiful wonderful blessing that came to us like a gift. Wow, thank you lord for a wonderful healthy pregnancy and a beautiful boy!! I feel so blessed and so full right now. I can't wait to meet you in about a month. You already are the perfect addition to our family. I love you Isaiah....Mommy.

Mother's Day 2011

Beach,Love,Family, Peace....
We spent a beautiful morning at Fort Myers Beach. We walked the pier and put Bella's feet in the sand. We had a yummy Ice Cream cone from Kilwins. Then we headed to Yucatan Grill for a nice lunch. Bella had fun walking all around. She fell asleep on the way home. We let her nap for a bit then we went for a nice swim in the pool! Gramma and Grampa came in too! Bella had fun playing with all of us! Daddy and Grampa made water spouts from the jets that she thought was really fun! Daddy got me an I initial charm for my Pandora Bracelet. I have a B for Bella and now an I for little Isaiah. I love looking down at it and knowing that he will be here soon! He and Bella also got me a super cute pink leather cover for my Nook Color reader. I love it!! Thanks Babe and my Bella Boo!!