A letter to my babyGIRL Gonzy #2!

My dear sweet babygirl,

I can't wait to meet you in June, hold you, and learn everything there is to know about you!! I'm so thankful that God chose YOU to be my daughter, and me to be your mother. You have no idea the joy your daddy and I feel about bringing home another little girl!! I'm so anxious to see if you'll have black hair like your daddy, or even my green eyes. Or, will you look like your sister and be a mini-me, and have long brown hair, and your daddy's brown eyes? The anticipation is so tough to contain because now knowing your gender, we want to see you already! 

You have a big sister, Leeana, waiting to meet you. She loves you so much already. She always comes to give you kisses and says "mommy, I kiss baby!" as she pulls up my shirt to expose my belly and kiss you, her little sister. You have an instant best friend, because I guarantee she won't leave you alone once you arrive! I can't wait to put you in the same outfits that she wore and take pictures to compare the two of you at the same stage! It'll be something to always enjoy as you two grow older and are so close. I truly look forward to that relationship building over the upcoming years. 

We're already preparing so much for your arrival! I've already moved things around in your bedroom with your sister in preparation! It's quite exciting as I've now pulled out all the clothes that you'll be wearing as I'll need to organize them for your arrival! Getting things in place for you makes my heart so happy! Just around 4 more months of waiting, and then I'll get to enjoy your little smile all the time! 

Back in October when your daddy and I found out we were expecting another little one, we couldn't contain the excitement. One day you'll understand the anticipation of wanting a child of your own. We waited almost a whole year, before God finally decided it was time for another blessing of life, through you! I look forward to being able to be home with you from day 1, and if the Lord sees fit, I'll always be home with you and your sibling(s) to teach you and raise you throughout the years ahead. I really do look forward to learning everything there is to know about you!! Will you sleep through the night like Leeana did, or be a night owl, so we can have our mommy-daughter time while the rest of the house sleeps? Will you be a good eater, or be picky when it comes to food? All the little things that'll make you who you are, I look forward to finding all of that out. I love you my little girl and can't wait to see and meet you soon! In the meantime, keep up the kicks and all the movement! I love knowing that you're already such a strong little girl! 😘

Love, mommy

Here are some added baby updates:

First kick felt-15 weeks

Daily kicks felt-17 week

Found gender-19 weeks 

Daddy felt first kick-20 weeks

And then some pics to show your growing throughout the time in my belly:

The day we found out we were having another girl!! (should actually say 1-19-16)

Birth Control, Miscarriage, Infertility, & Pregnancy (how we found out)

Wow, it's been quite a journey over the last couple of years. So much has changed from being a family of two, then adding a little babygirl, and now adding another bundle of joy! It hasn't been all smooth sailing, so here's the backstory...

Back in March of 2012 Carlos and I had decided that it was time to stop using birth control, in preparation for the upcoming months of beginning to try and get pregnant. That July (2012) we were pregnant, and so excited!!!! We couldn't wait to tell the world, so we began telling our family immediately. By the time I was 7 weeks along, I was at work, and began to lightly bleed. I knew something was wrong, and so I called my doctor, and unfortunately the lady helping me didn't encourage me to come in immediately like she should have (I later found out that it's my child, and I have to be stern when it comes to certain matters). Unfortunately, two days later I went through cramping and miscarried. I looked at my tiny little baby and wept, knowing that the joy we had in bringing that baby home  was no longer going to happen. It was the toughest moment in my life. That Monday, Carlos and I had gone to the doctors to confirm the miscarriage and find out what needed to be done in the future, so my doctor told me to get a lot of blood drawn since my mom had 4 miscarriages before conceiving my siblings & I, to see if we could find something to pop up in the blood work. After 17 tubes of blood being drawn, and me passing out, we later found out that I had a negative blood type (RH Negative). Seems like it's not a big deal, but it was something that would later affect my other pregnancies since Carlos has a positive bloodtype. (Please check this link for more details on RH negative blood types:
http://www.webmd.com/baby/tc/rh-sensitization-during-pregnancy-topic-overview)

October 2012, we tried for a second time, and BAM we were pregnant, this time with Leeana! What an exciting time it was to find out that we were pregnant again, and with such ease! What a blessing that is was to know Thanksgiving morning that we were expecting again, but this time we waited a little longer to tell the family so that we wouldn't get crushed with the devastating news of another miscarriage. Everything was going smoothly with this pregnancy. By 6 weeks I was beginning to get some nausea (good sign, but never fun) and I knew that meant that the baby was growing! By 7 weeks, I began lightly bleeding again. I remember that Sunday morning, quietly waking up Carlos and told him we had to go to the hospital to for me to get the Rhogam shot (for my negative blood type, read the link above for more details.) He freaked out, and jumped out of bed, while I tried to stay as calm as possible to not stress out. We got to the hospital, and it was a long couple of hours, but I got the shot, and we found out that baby was just fine! What a relief after having this happen with pregnancy #1! By Christmas 2012, I was about 9 weeks and we were happy to share the news with our families that we were expecting a baby! They were of course all so happy, and looked forward to another family member. Thankfully the rest of the pregnancy went great, and we welcomed Leeana Eva on August 5, 2013! 

Thanksgiving 2014, the topic of birth control entered into discussion. Carlos and I have never disagreed on this topic before, as we used it prior to getting pregnant, and continued afterwards. We wanted the control to have and avoid pregnancy on OUR terms. That November, Carlos mentioned to me that he had been doing research and realized that he believed using any form of birth control was not something that was backed with scripture, and he no longer wanted to use it. I paused, and then freaked out! Hold on... you're basically telling me that our plan to control how many kids that we have is no longer an option, and that my husband won't allow any forms of birth control. It definitely was a hot topic for about a week, and I knew it wasn't a discussion that we could put off talking about. We discussed things biblically, and watched a bunch of videos on how birth control came about. I was shocked to see/learn about Margaret Sanger (I had heard of her before, but not to this extent) and her goals that she had to control the human race, mainly the African American culture, and those who are unable to afford having multiple children. If you ever wonder why so many Planned Parenthood offices are located in the low income neighborhoods, well now you know. I was disgusted and shocked at how she had one goal, and even after shes died, her goal of abortions, and allowing people to "control" when they want to have kids, is in full affect, and us as a society don't even realize how it's not the way it's supposed to be.

**Genesis 1:28 says "And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth..."

**Psalm 127:3-5 says "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."

Those are simple 2 pieces of text that discuss children, and believe me that's not even the tip of the iceberg. Carlos and I discussed every method of birth control, and how God was displeased with people who tried to stop pregnancy, and I was shocked at how clear it was, and of course it really made me question my views altogether. After the videos/movie we had watched, I really thought about it, and my mind changed quickly. I was shocked at how fast this topic came about and was decided upon. I had a lot of fears about TONS of pregnancies, especially since Leeana was born via c-section, they advise at least a good year-18 months before trying to get pregnant again, due to the major surgery. I explained my concerns to Carlos, and so we did some great research on a biblically approved (lol) way to do birth control. It's called ecological breastfeeding! (Check info here for more on ecological breastfeeding: http://www.llli.org/nb/nbsepoct08p4.html) Overall, you nurse whenever baby wants to, and continue to, which usually causes your period to not return (until you cut back on nursing), and then your cycle returns, in which you can then get pregnant again. Of course this is not a guaranteed method, but we realized that it can definitely work, as it worked with Leeana, since I'm a HUGE advocate for breastfeeding. What a joy it was to nurse my child, and feed her, knowing that I was giving her something no one else, or no formula could. It was such a great time with her, and I miss it since I gave it up right after Thanksgiving 2014. So that's our goal after this baby comes, and we shall see how it goes. :) For anyone wondering, my husband didn't force me to agree to his view of BC, but instead shared with me what he saw was biblical, and we really got into deep discussion daily, and then after all the talking, I saw the true benefit and pleasure it would bring to God. I can't wait to see how many kids the Lord has in store for us in the future.

NOW.... with infertility... this was a tough thing for us over the last year. We thought as soon as we stopped using birth control last November, that we would immediately be announcing another pregnancy to the world, and that didn't go as we thought. As you can tell, it's been a LONG year! I was shocked, and it was one of the reasons I hesitated to change my views on birth control. It was a long year of hesitating to want to get pregnant right away (months 1-2 of no BC), then actually getting excited for the possibility (months 3-5 of no BC), then the real struggle came when I was getting anxious and kind of frustrated that it hadn't happened (months 6-7 of no BC), and then month 8 hit.. and patience and trust in God came into the picture. I knew he had us waiting for some reason, and I was learning to just trust in God's plan. I just knew that overall I would enjoy the gift of having Leeana as an only child, for as long as I could. Throughout this time we'd been asked more times that I can ever want to remember "are you pregnant yet?" and after a few months of getting that question, it's hard to hear it. When you struggle with getting pregnant, you don't want to constantly reminded that your body isn't doing what it should do, and you almost feel a lack of trust in God, as if He stopped loving me to give me this good gift! Don't believe the lie! Sometimes, it's not the right time for a baby, and maybe that's one of the reasons why it took us a year to get pregnant. But please, for those reading this, and you know someone is trying to get pregnant, and it's been months... please don't continue to ask. It's tough to have that reminder that you don't have what you desire so much. We know it's with good intentions, but it also takes the fun out of the surprise of announcing it. We still love you, but please keep this in mind if you do ask people often, because we had it A LOT from everyone, and some days it was tough to be joyful in answering "not yet."

During the summer time, my Aunt Nancy had graciously mentioned to me (as she knew we had been trying), that I should try taking some cough syrup with Expectorant & Guaifenesin in it (you can get it from CVS or any local stores, but those two names will be on the front of the box/bottle. She said it helps women get pregnant (for most, not all). I totally forgot about it for a few months, and then she asked me if I had tried it. Opps! Mommy brain, sometimes we forget so fast! I tried it that month (September), and BAM it worked!!! First try, and I took it for 5 straight days after my period ended, and a few weeks later, we were expecting! The long year of waiting was over, and we were happy. 

The moment of finding out we were pregnant....
I was 9 days late on my period, (which this had happened 2 months before, and I wasn't pregnant), so I was staying calm and wasn't expecting a positive test at all. I woke up before Carlos had to go to work that morning, and took a test. Immediately within 3 seconds a positive sign popped up, and I began weeping which turned into a LOT of tears. I was shocked, and began praying and thanking God for the little baby within my womb. Although the baby was a tiny little bean, I was so thankful to God for giving us the desire of our hearts to have another child. Carlos got ready for work that day, and I didn't say anything. I know, it's mean! But who wants to see their husband off to work, and then say, "Oh, and by the way, we're pregnant! Now have a great day at work! Bye!" NOPE! I couldn't do that. I wanted to enjoy the moment with him, and record it! So he went off to work, and later when Leeana woke up, I told her first. She of course smiled, and had no idea what I meant when I told her I had a baby in my belly. That night Carlos came home, and I was ready to spill it! I had a beautiful dinner prepared, and everything set. I hit play on the camera, and accidentally must have hit it again, because it never recorded! Trust me, I almost cried! So part of the way through dinner, I excused myself and ran upstairs to grab the pregnancies tests (yes I took another before he came home just to make sure it wasn't a mistake). I put them in my back pocket and ran back downstairs. I grabbed a letter I had written him earlier in the day, and handed it to him. Carlos wasn't shocked, because I do things like that often. Basically the card mentioned how we've been through a lot together, and how we have a future ahead of us, and how the only things we know for sure in our future are that we'll need a bigger car, move to another home, and need to make room for baby #2. He opened it, read it, and put it down, and I sat there thinking, thankfully I grabbed the pregnancy tests, cause he has NO clue! So I asked him if he caught anything in the card, and he said "no." So I plopped both tests right on the table, and he looked at me like, "SERIOUSLY?" and immediately he was so happy! We kissed, and hugged! It was such a precious moment, and we're so happy to share the news with the world now! We couldn't be more happy and excited to welcome this next little baby into our lives!

If you've read all of this! THANKS! 

19 months!!!

My little Leeana,

You need to stop growing! You just learn so quickly these days and don't stop! It's fun, but makes me realize how fast you're growing! I miss the little newborn phase, yet I love how responsive you are. You always have an answer and are always trying to do exactly what we do. Here's what's changed this last month:

-you've learned to say "no" and "yeah" and answer questions pretty consistently

-you say "huh" A lot when asked questions and so I repeat, and you say "huh" again, as if you want to play this game forever. 

-when daddy or I say "cover your mouth" while you cough or sneeze, you immediately do it! So cute!!

-you know how to open up dvd cases

-you can feed yourself your own cereal {I was quite hesitant because of the milk, but you do amazing}

-you're still a really avid thumb sucker.... 😔

-you're able to show daddy and I were your nose, belly button, (sometimes) your eyes and ears are. It's so exciting to see how fast you're learning!

Cheers... to the last 2 years!!!!

Leeana,
   I say it's better late then never posting about your 2nd birthday! Sorry it's at such a delay (2 months to be exact), but it's been a busy few months with your birthday plans, and your great granddaddy's passing. Sorry babygirl! So here we go, to sum up the months leading up to your 2nd birthday with how you've grown & pics!! By the way, happy 2 years & 2 months of life! It's been quite an enjoyable ride for me thus far, and I look forward to what's next!!

19 months:

-doing forward rolls now on your own

-you're finally saying "Agua" on your own now, your first Spanish word!!!

-you say "cheese" when we take a picture

-daddy taught you how to say the word "shoe" one night when he was taking off your shoes 

-you're learning to say "hola" but you don't have it down perfect yet

-when you're done eating, you usually don't say "done" anymore but begin to do this silly thing where you close your eyes and shake your head back and forth while saying "no" in a whispered voice. It's pretty cute! 

-you're becoming a little gymnast and doing forward rolls!!!

20 months:

-you pick up shoes and try to put them on people's feet while saying "shoe"

-you know to take my thumb to try and unlock my phone 

-you bring your diapers and wipes to me when you need a diaper change now!!

-you know how to take pictures and videos of things now! 

-you've learned your 2nd Spanish word... "mas" which comes in handy when asking for more food. 

-you try to say "phone" but it comes out a little slurred at times. You know exactly what the phone is and point and refer to it when it's out or lights up. 

21 months:

-you peed on the potty for the first time!!

-you say "shhhhh" to babies who cry, or dogs who bark

-you put your socks on yourself!!

-you're obsessed with buckling things: high chair, car seat, stroller clips!

22 months:

-you say "p-mo!" Meaning preemo!

-you finally say "mommy"

-you're finally able to put your shoes back on yourself, which helps since you LOVE taking them off

-you say words like "sit, dance, snack, hands"

23 months:

-1 month before your 2nd bday, you said to daddy and I "poo-poo" and we asked if you had to go potty and you nodded yes. We asked if you had to poo-poo and you nodded no. We asked if you had to pee-pee and you nodded yes. I took you upstairs and by the time we got there, the diaper was warm. So happy that you're vocalizing your need to use the bathroom, and you understand what #1 and #2 are!! Go baby!!!

-the vocalizing of needing to go potty has only gotten more clear... You begun to potty train yourself! So proud of you for telling me when you need to pee-pee so that we can go in the potty a good portion of the time!!

-love when you walk up to me and give me a kiss and tell me that you love me by saying "love shoo!"

-you are learning to say sorry and although you don't always like it, you do a good job at it most days. 

-you really are getting more of a personality when it comes to growing up. You're sweet and funny, yet you can be stubborn when I ask you to do something. You can make a complete stranger laugh half way across the room just by a smile, yet be terrified and won't want to say hi to someone we introduce you too. It's so funny watching the little changes occur as you're growing and maturing into a little girl!

-you now will initiate prays yourself and say "let's pray" before a meal, or grab your baby dolls hand, say some babbling as if you're praying, and then shout "amen!" Too cute!

-favorite song is your abcs!!

You're 2 now, and as you say "I'm two!" and hold up the number 2! It's quite precious to see as you love telling others the exciting news! I grow more in love with you everyday my sweet girl, in watching you become such an amazing little girl, and so joyful for all to see. I truly don't understand how God was so gracious to give me such an amazing gift, YOU! I love you more than you'll ever know babygirl!

Love,
Mama

My dear granddad

My granddad was someone who meant the world to me. He gave me tons of belly laughs throughout my time with him,  and will be greatly missed. 

He passed away on June 13, 2015, and on July 25, 2015 we held his memorial service. This is what I was able to say in order to honor him:

(Please excuse any grammar that does not apply to a crowd, as it was for a large group)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good morning! My name is Arielle and I'm the youngest granddaughter of Howard & Edith Parlette. Yes, Howard is my grandfather, however he's also been my second dad. I grew up living with my grandparents from the young age of 6, and have had a relationship with them that was one of a kind. We’ve had tough times: we argued, we had tears, they’ve taught me so much and I’ve learned a lot of life lessons from them. We also had many fun moments, but most of all we had a lot of laughter and love.

Let me set the stage for you, my grandparents were newly retired and truly enjoying themselves, doing things that normal newly retired people do.  Then all the sudden, they went backwards in time and began to help raise 3 little kids all over again, me being one of them. This definitely wasn't what they had anticipated with retirement, but I have to say I'm so thankful for those 15 years of watching them and learning from them, and as my grandma has reassured me that they were some of the best years.

My grandfather has taught me many life lessons, but these are some of them. I desire to have a long lasting marriage because of the dedication my grandparents have had to one another over 62 years of marriage. He also showed me what it should look like in a marriage to spend time together with God daily. I remember seeing my granddad turn off the tv, and let grandma know that it was their bible reading time. It was a beautiful site seeing a married couple doing this together. My granddad also gave me my first job; I would earn $1 by being the batgirl at his softball games. He never tolerated laziness, but pushed me to appreciate things and to be thankful for all that I had been given, and to work hard for the things that I wanted. He surely passed on a good appetite to me and the rest of our family as well. He used to pile plates almost 2 inches high with food, and we weren’t allowed to get up from the table until our plate was cleaned off. He never wanted to waste a bit of food, but he loved to cook, so there were never many leftovers. My granddad gave me a desire to always be punctual. I remember him saying how if you’re early, then you’re on time, but if you’re on time that you’re late. He was NEVER late to anything! As a kid, I remember the many years when my grandparents would attend this church, Hope Christian Church, when we were located at High Point High School. I remember the years of sitting next to my grandparents at church while they would usher, and then following them to where they would sit around the table, count the offering from the collection, and of course granddad would always make everyone laugh by cracking jokes. My granddad was always very careful with his money, always saving his money, yet always very generous in taking care of others.

My grandma said to me the other week “he was the one with all the personality and charm”, which of course he thankfully passed onto her! If you had the privilege to know my granddad, you know he had quite the sense of humor. We always said he had the corniest jokes, but really he was one of the quickest guys I've ever met, and could think of a comeback in a split second. There was never a moment without laughter when you were with granddad. He used to pick me on me as a kid because I was the baby, but I’m truly thankful for it because, I’ve learned to be tough, stand up for myself, and I’ve been able to have his same sense of humor. I remember when I began dating my now-husband, Carlos. Granddad used to ask Carlos, "so how much do I have to pay you to take her off my hands?" Of course I would gasp, then we would all laugh, knowing that one day he would truly miss me when I moved out of his home to get married. Whenever I gave my granddad a compliment or told him how much I loved him, his response would always be "how much do I owe you this time?”

By now, throughout my speaking, my grandfather would've interrupted me to crack a joke saying "pass the offering plate down, so we can end this sermon!" He wasn't into things being sad and sappy, but making people laugh and seeing smiles on everyone's faces. As much as this is a sad time, we must rejoice knowing he's with Jesus and finally pain free. If you're here today, and don't know the Lord, I urge you to please repent of your sins and place your faith in Jesus. He kept the law perfectly on behalf of his people, he was the substitution for sinners, who died on the cross to receive the punishment that we justly deserve. So please, repent of your sins and turn to Christ for the forgiveness of sins. I'm thankful to know that one day I look forward to seeing my grandfather again.

One of the last times I prayed with him, granddad said “what you want to do with me Lord, I’m ready for whatever you want, anytime.” Our life is but a vapor, and quickly fading, so I want to ask you these questions: what legacy will you leave behind once you pass away? My grandfathers legacy is extraordinary! Is how you live your life now, the way you want people to remember you? Make sure that you live an incredible life, pleasing to the Lord and that others are blown away at the legacy you left behind, just like my granddad, Howard Parlette. 

18 months!

Lee Lee,

I've officially succeeded as a mom this past month! You've become obsessed with LIPCHAP! You'll be hearing that word quite often. Not only did you start picking it up when you were only a few months old, but now you come up to me when I put it on, so you can have some too! Officially I should be "mom of the year!" Only kidding about that! But that's huge since your aunt Lauren, Grammy and I are absolutely obsessed with lipchap! 

You're learning things so quickly and it's impressing me with how smart you're becoming. You're beginning to REALLY understand when daddy or I ask you think in spanish, and you're even beginning to be taught some words in spanish. It's so exciting to watch as you change and learn so many things! I love getting to see the little changes that you're making more and more often! 

Here's the list of things I could put down of what you've done this month...

-you're learning to shake hands when someone puts a hand out to say "nice to meet you" and of course you do It with a huge smile!

-you know how to clean up your toys!!! 

-you've begun pulling our hands to lead us around and take us places. It's so sweet!

-you figured out how to open preemos crate and let him out once we get home 

-you LOVE climbing into your stroller to sit there and play

-you know how to stick your tongue out when asked, which was taught by daddy when he brushes your teeth/tongue at night 

-when I ask you to blow a kiss, you officially make the sound of a kiss (without the hand motion of actually releasing it)

-when I ask you to give me a kiss, you're not making the sound of a kiss when doing it!! 😍

-you LOVE to spin in circles! 

-when you see me put lipchap on, you begin to say "emmm" to tell me that you want md to put lipchap on you too!! If I don't, you definitely begin to cry over it. You're officially OBSESSED! 

Having Reuben over for a play date

Walking the mall with daddy & I

Hanging out at your Uncle Wills house

A fun playdate with your buddy Caleb

Getting a beautiful rose from daddy

Fun time with Reuben & Seth at Chick-fil-a

Hugs with your best buddy Griffin

Getting to hang with the girls, and meet Ms Hannah for the first time!

Our fun to the dentist office!

Hanging out at Mr. Tire

Practicing for a future sibling!

I love you sweet girl! Can't wait to see what this next month brings! MWAH!

Mama

Baby girl, please slow down!

Wow, today was a crazy day for me as a mom!!!! Nonstop busyness all day long: helping my husband get out the door with getting his breakfast and lunch, breakfast for leeana and I, taking the dog out and feeding him, vacuuming the living room with my little helper, then bath time for leeana and her lunch, then getting her down for a nap (took more time today than usual), giving preemo a bath along with nail cutting, brushing his teeth, cleaning his ears, and of course followed by cleaning the bathtub out and then getting a bath myself. Well, I'm not done there... 3 loads of laundry, with finally eating lunch around 3pm, paying a doctors bill and calling another company about wrong charges, taking out the trash, and working on a huge project that I have for later this week. Haha, and people say that being a stay at home mom is boring!!! Far from it! 

This post is not to complain at all, rather realize that sometimes we have to sit back and enjoy the precious moments we have. This morning before all the chaos began for my day, when going to pick leeana out of her crib, her leg was somehow able to reach the top of her crib. I stood there for a second and just had to look at her and realize she's not a little tiny baby anymore but constantly growing. Her foot reached over the crib!!!!!! This is too much! It made me realize that by having to lower her crib for the LAST time now (only 3 levels and now we're on level 3) that she's becoming a big girl. She's active all the time and so full of life! It made me thankful that before nonstop work at home started, that I needed to take that moment with her to just remember how much she's grown and how over the last 15 months it's been the greatest experience watching her change. 

The only thing I ask baby girl, is to please stop growing up so fast! I love you so much! 

Love,

Mommy 😘