LATELY

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This summer has been different than the past because of the arrival of our sweet lion. In the first few weeks we didn't get out much...partly because I was a freaked out first time mom and also because Luca was dealing with his reflux (aka mad baby in pain = lots of crying.) But thanks to encouragement from friends, JESUS, a slight change in diet and meds, we have been able to get out quite a bit!

Because I'm crazy extroverted, I feel the need to get out every day! I don't like to be out too long though because Luca sleeps best in his crib and naps are very important. BUT I don't wanna be a psycho who never leaves the house because my boy needs three two hour naps everyday. So usually I try to keep his outings no longer than 4-5 hours. 

He is proving to be such a champ though! We took him to Rock the Shores to see daddy play and man, that was such an amazing experience...but mainly because they treated us so well. I just wanna give the hugest shout out to the RTS hospitality team. The whole food situation was AMAZING...if you saw our snapchat you witnessed that we never wanted to leave, ha. Unlimited donuts, and a billion other foods. It makes me cry just thinking about it. Luca basically ate and slept in the stroller the entire time, leaving lots of time for me to eat, ha. Towers & Trees had a great tent backstage where I got to feed him in a non-windy, non-sunny location. It was the best. If only we could get that vip treatment everywhere we go..lols.

I also love to take him in the stroller! He usually naps like a little champ (except for when he's hungry) but in those times, I am so thankful for my Milk Snob cover. It keeps the wind off of him and also serves as my nursing cover. And don't worry, I make sure there is a big hole for him to get air out of and I limit his time in it!

My brother in law scored us fireworks tickets for Butchart Gardens. I wore Luca in my Solly wrap and he napped for a long time. During the fireworks he was a little freaked but we had his baby head phones on, which he hates but protect his hearing! But once he calmed down it was so beautiful to see his little face mesmerized by the fireworks.

Here are some more photos from our summer aka Luca weeks 1-8. Cannot believe he'll be TWO MONTHS old this Thursday!!!

Oh, I love that little face so much :)

Happy Monday!

XO,
laura

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

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image via

It takes a village to raise a child. I am a major believer in that phrase. In my pre-baby life I would hear the phrase and then smile and nod. Yes, it takes a village but 'I got this' was my previous mantra. Pre-baby, I would be so proud of the fact that I was an independent woman! Sure, I relied on God sometimes but help from others? no, it's okay, I got this. I didn't want to be a bother and I was confident that I could do things all by my lonesome. And then I had a baby.

Before Luca, I thought, oh a baby! It will be so darling! We'll just go to the backyard and lounge all day and instagram.....(insert crazy/crying laugh HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA). Sorry to burst your bubble (if you are a little bit naive like I was) but becoming a parent has been the hardest thing I have ever done. And I like to think that I have done hard things. Lead teams of volunteers, live in another country at 18, direct conferences, preach, missions trips, run a half marathon, etc, etc...yep, becoming a parent has been harder than all of those things put together. I have seen more tears in the past 6 weeks than in the past 6 months, heck, probably the past 6 years. Oh, how I needed (and still need) my village.

The first two weeks were INSANE. I was a teary, snotty, anxious mess. All of a sudden my world was turned upside down. I had been entrusted this tiny, crying baby who didn't come with a manual. Oh, and my body was feeling as if it had done 6 marathons. Oh and did I mention I was hardly sleeping, ha. I didn't like going into public because I would burst into tears if someone asked me how I was. I lashed out at James way too often. I constantly watched Luca because I was paranoid he would suddenly stop breathing. But my village intervened.

My village made meals when my only goal of the day was to feed my baby...shower if I'm lucky. My village helped with housework and laundry (true friends right there). My village answered my constant questions and gave advice with no judgement. My village held my baby so I could nap. My village gave me hugs, kind words from God and prayers that I needed so desperately. My village blessed my baby with clothes, diapers and toys. My village poured out love and brought flowers. My village reminded me that God chose me to be Luca's mom and that He would give me all that I need. My village loved on James too. My village reminded us that as parents, our need for God would be greater than ever and that's a good thing.

Oh, how I love my village.

My village showed me that it's okay to ask for help. My village showed me that it's essential to accept help. My village revealed how much I need my village. My village inspired me to look around and be a village to others.

We are not meant to be alone. God never intended us to do this whole life thing alone. I'm extremely extroverted and I still have to be constantly reminded that I can't do this alone. Community can be a messy thing...people are complicated but it can also be a very beautiful thing. I hope and pray that you have a village like my village.

My village reminded me of who I was and that I was capable. And I'm proud to say that at six weeks postpartum, I know with all of my heart that that is true. I'm doing this mom thing and I have confidence (imagine that!) and I don't cry everyday anymore, ha! It's still hard but I truly believe that 'I got this'....but not on my own...with the support of my amazing God and my village.

I love you my village and wouldn't be the momma I am without you...you know who you are. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

XO,
laura

NEWBORN ESSENTIALS

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Our little Luca is almost 6 weeks old and I guess that means that he's almost out of the newborn stage....wowza! During pregnancy, looking through baby stuff was so overwhelming. There are so many things and everyone has a different opinion on what you need. I'm no expert but this is what we've found so helpful for our little lion.

1. Milk Snob Cover- I use my milk snob every time we leave the house! It serves as a cover for the carseat, feeding cover and shopping cart cover for when your little one can sit in a shopping cart. Luca sleeps way longer in the carseat with this on. It blocks out sun, wind and creepers from touching your baby, ha. I seriously am in love with mine.

2. WubbaNub-  This was gifted to me by my sweet friend Lauren. It's a soother that doesn't fall out right away. For now we stuff it under a blanket and Luca is able to suck away and if he stops, it doesn't fall out. When he gets a little older, he will be able to hold onto the elephant's legs which will help the soother stay in his mouth. And it's soo adorable too. I got the lamb one for my little niece. If you're local to Victoria, you can buy this at Momease. 

3. Sleep Sheep On the Go- This is a white noise machine in disguise of a super cute sheep. We were gifted the travel size and I was so happy. I find the original to be a bit on the big size. This one comes with a velcro strap, so we often strap it to the stroller or car seat or wherever he's asleep! We use this every night and I personally get a better sleep with it too. Luca is a great sleeper, so I'm thinking this has something to do with it!

4. Summer Infant Sleeper- Luca sleeps in this little bassinet beside our bed every night. We only have a double bed, so we don't do this but it folds down so you can put your baby right beside you on the bed. It also folds up so you can take it on the go. I'm planning on having Luca sleep in this on our trip to Parksville.

5. Aden & Anais Dream Blanket- We received this as a gift and I love it so much. It's not entirely an essential but I swear Luca sleeps better when he's swaddled in it. It's incredibly soft and they also make them for adults too! 

6. Little Unicorn Muslin Swaddles- Muslin swaddles are such an essential for your newborn! We swaddle Luca up for every nap and bed time and often it's with these guys. They also provide a nice, lightweight blanket for the super hot days. I linked up to Little Unicorn because I love their patterns but there are many other (cheaper) brands that make muslin swaddles!

7. Summer Infant Swaddle Pod- I know I've mentioned swaddle like 10 times but these are amazing!! We were gifted two of these at our shower and he's almost grown out of them. We put him in this at night instead of pajamas and it keeps him all tightly swaddled. He's way less likely to wake himself up in the middle of the night when his reflexes throw his arm up. And oh my goodness, he looks so cute in it too...so sad that he's growing out of it :(

Oh and I forgot the Diaper Genie! I absolutely love it and could not live with stinky diapers in the trash!

So there you have it, my newborn essentials. I'd love to know what newborn essentials you couldn't live without!

XO,
laura

LUCA THE LION // ONE MONTH OLD

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Our baby boy turned one month old on July 11th. Seriously...where has the month gone! I still can't believe I birthed this sweet boy. And how have we been parents for over a month?? Time, you are insane. Now to update you on our one month old lion...

LUCA AT ONE MONTH

WEIGHT: 9lbs 14oz
He gained 30oz in 19 days! Our doctor told us most babies gain 1oz a day...let's just say the little man likes to EAT...A LOT

HEIGHT: 21.5 inches
Grew an inch in a month!

WEARS: He can still fit in newborn clothing but it is tight so I've been putting him in the 0-3 months....so sad how they grow so fast!!!!

SLEEPS: Thankfully the little man sleeps very well. At first it was really hard to put him down for naps...now I've learned some tricks...soothe him, darken the room, white noise, and he's out like a pro! At night he usually gives me two 3 hours stretches..sometimes a 4 hour one and then if we're really tired we sleep for a couple more hours in the morning. So far I haven't needed naps in the day.

HIGHS: He gave me his first set of smiles and man oh man, that melted my heart.

LIKE SERIOUSLY!!!!! Other highs include, snuggling him on my chest, going for walks in the stroller and seeing him and his daddy snuggle.

LOWS: Poor little man has reflux. Basically it's like baby heartburn and gas...no fun :( He was super fussy for a couple weeks (like sometimes wouldn't want to put down and cried non-stop every evening) but since then we got him a prescription and I've cut out dairy, chocolate, caffeine (I know my favourite foods!!!) and a bunch of other stuff. The last couple days have been night and day difference. He still has gas sometimes but he seems to be not in as much pain...praise the Lord!!!

PARENTING: Oh man, becoming a mom has been the hardest thing I've ever done. Instantly, my life changed dramatically. The first few weeks were very hard. My emotions were high and I literally had no idea what I was doing and I was scared outta my mind. Thankfully, I have support from an incredible village. Honestly, I cannot tell you how thankful I am. So many people dropped off meals and gifts and were praying for us. Friends came and helped with laundry (I'm talking about you Auntie Coco!!). And I received crazy support, love, and advice from momma friends....one great woman in my life, reminded me that God chose James and I to be Luca's parents...we are the best fit for him and God, who knows what it is to parent, will give us the wisdom we need. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit who is helping us parent this little guy!!! After the first few weeks, I finally feel like I'm in a groove. I can actually get a few things done around the house and blog...wowza!!
James and I had our first date without Luca last week and we're doing another one tonight! SO thankful to have amazing friends and family who can take great care of our little boy for a couple hours. It's easy to lose sight of our marriage and focus only on Luca but I know that is not healthy at all so I'm so thankful that we have this time to spend just the two of us.

POSTPARTUM: My body has been healing very well after pushing that watermelon out of me! I've been starting to go on longer walks and I fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans...yaaaay! It's insane how much breastfeeding takes off of you. I gained 45lbs with Luca and already I've lost 29! Only 16 to go...woohooo! I'm longing to exercise and hit the gym so badly. My doc said I'll be good to go at 6 weeks, so we'll see how I feel then.

LOOKING FORWARD TO: I can't wait to see him interact more with James and I. Those smiles killed me and I can't wait for more. I'm so excited to see what his personality will be like. Oh and when he sleeps a 6 hour stretch...that will feel like HEAVEN.

I take a billion photos of my little lion and if you're on snapchat and want to see more, I'm one of those obsessive mommas who snaps their kids all day long (username: lauraliira)

Oh Luca, it's been an incredible one month. I'm so thankful God picked me to be your mommy.

XO,
laura

LUCA KINGSTON LIIRA'S BIRTH STORY

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Well hello friends. It's been awhile since I last blogged but I am happy to announce that I HAD MY BABY!!! Man, oh man, life is so different now...in the best (& craziest!!) way possible and I have so many more ideas to blog but waaaaaay less time...haha. (side note- I've been trying to get this post done since we came home from the hospital...ha!)

But today, I will be sharing the birth story of our sweet boy, Luca Kingston Liira. Just want to do a TMI warning that I will be using words like discharge, membranes, cervix, dilated...so if those words make you squeamish, here's the short story... Luca Kingston Liira was born on June 11th (his due date!!) at 2:44am weighing 7lbs 13oz after 22 hours of labour (early labour started at 4:30am on June 10th!)

And now the long TMI story....

I was beginning to get antsy waiting for the arrival of our sweet lion. I went off work on June 1st and used the first week to get lots of stuff done around the house (also treated myself to a pedicure!) but one week later there I was, madly anticipating labour. I had been getting cramping but had no idea what labour would feel like.  It's the craziest thing, and everyone says, you just know....which is true but waiting for it to happen is one of the hardest things I've ever waited for. I even had started a blog post entitled, "The Waiting Game", trying to explain how I was feeling but I couldn't put words to the feeling! Let's just say, the more I thought about it, the harder it was to do everyday life so instead I just tried to distract myself as much as possible! And so did James, he was off that week and planned on painting the exterior of our house...he even bought the paint because he was convinced baby wouldn't be coming until a week after his due date but the Lion had other plans...

Two days before my due date, I went to my doctor's office for my weekly check up. For the past two weeks she had tried to sweep my membranes but apparently my cervix was too posterior and the Lion was still a little bit high in my pelvis. Going into this appointment, I was hoping that things had changed but to my dismay, my cervix was still in the same position and once again, she couldn't sweep my membranes. Baby's head had dropped a bit but still not fully engaged. It looked like James' guess of a week late was going to be right. Even though I knew most first babies come late, I was pretty upset. I just wanted to get on with this labour thing...haha. 

So I went home and walked cedar hill golf course furiously (haha) then showered at Courtney's house (our shower head finally arrived when Luca was 5 days old ha!) Meanwhile James started painting the gate in our driveway. After I got home, I went to our room to put on socks and as I was lifting my leg, I felt a little gush of fluid. Now I forgot to mention that a few days prior to my doctor's visit, I had a few little gushes of fluid....I was never sure if they were amniotic fluid or urine or just discharge but I mentioned it to my doctor and she said if it happened again, let her know, because if it was amniotic fluid, we would need to go to the hospital.

So I called my doctor and she said to come on down to the hospital and they would check me out. Off we went to the hospital...James had managed to paint half the gate, incase you were wondering! In labour and delivery they swabbed me and then my doctor went to check the fluid under a microscope. She came back a few minutes later and announced that "it took a while to find but there was amniotic fluid...you probably have a small tear in your sac....we'll put you on the induction list for tomorrow...go home and rest and you'll either go into labour or you'll be induced tomorrow!"

OMGEEEEEE. We went from not having a baby for another week to WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY IN THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS. It was a crazy feeling for us as we walked out of the hospital. That would be our last night without a baby!!!! So we lived it up by watching the office...#livinglarge

Now I really wanted to go into labour naturally. I heard that being induced brought a lot more painful contractions and I am such a wimp when it comes to pain! So I spent most of the night bouncing on an exercise ball to try to get things going. James also did some reflexology on my lower back, hands and ankles. And we also prayed.

Well we must have done something right because at 4:30am the next day I woke up with contractions (THANK YOU JESUS!) They were not super intense but they woke me up and were coming roughly every 8-10 minutes....I just knew, finally, that I WAS IN LABOUR!!!

In our prenatal class, the teacher had told us that early labour was all about distracting yourself and trying to keep your body upright so baby would continue to come down and the good ol cervix would dilate. I couldn't go back to sleep and I didn't want to wake up James so the first thing I did was self tan my face because obviously I didn't want to be pale going into everything..haha. After that I made my labour playlist (which consisted of mellow worship music...Amanda Cook, Bethel, Hillsong United). Little did I know, I would have that playlist on almost the entire labour as it helped me stay calm. I then continued to bounce on the ball and paint my nails...ha. 

Around 8am I woke up James because the contractions were getting a lot stronger and closer together. We hung out in the living room while I bounced, bounced, bounced. The only thing helping me was bouncing on the ball and using a heating pad on my lower back. James was amazing in reminding me to drink water after every contraction and reminding me to go pee...ha! We also ended up walking down the street to Thriftys....it took us awhile as I had to lean on him during every contraction.

My contractions started to get closer and closer together and around 11:30am my water broke some more...hello GUSH! It actually ended up doing that twice which was quite annoying as I was very limited in pants that I could wear at 9 months pregnant. We called our doctor who was very happy to hear I had gone into labour (apparently the induction list was huge that day and now I would beat them to the labour room ha) and told us to head to the hospital when contractions were 4 minutes apart for 30 minutes.

I laboured for about an hour longer at home and then it was go time! We grabbed our bags and headed to the hospital around 1:45pm.  Man, was that the WORST drive ever. Contractions were very strong and were coming every 2-5 minutes apart. It was super hard to cope in the car and don't even get me started on the weird animal noises that were coming out of my mouth.

We got all checked into our lovely labour and delivery room and were assisted by the sweetest nurse. She checked me out and sadly I was only at 1-2cm! Normally, they would send you home at this time but thankfully because my water had broken, I was either going to progress or be induced. The nurse asked me about my birth plan and I responded, "EPIDURAL as soon as I can have it." She laughed and continued to help me labour. I got checked an hour later and found out I was at 3cm....GLORY! Around 4pm, the nurse suggested I get into the shower to labour there but no thank you, I wanted my epidural and made it clear haha. Unfortunately, there was a shift change so I had to wait an hour before the anethesiologist could greet me. They gave me gravol and it did didily squat, so I took a bit of gas which helped take the edge of the contractions.

Can I just mention how amazing James was? He encouraged me and helped me through every single contraction. They were hurting like hell (probably due to Luca being posterior aka lots of back labour) and James helped calm me down. But how we were both soooo thankful when that epidural came.

The epidural kicked in around 5:30pm and my goodness IT WAS AMAZING. It allowed me to rest while my uterus continued to do the work. Now some people don't like epidurals because your body doesn't progress as quickly, but thankfully I progressed at a normal pace. I received a mobilized epidural which allows you to have some movement in your legs, which helped me during pushing.

We rested for the next few hours. I think they checked me around 7:30pm and I was at 7cm...almost there! At some point they gave me some broth and jello and that was amazing. Auntie Coco (Courtney) dropped off some dinner for James and hung out for an hour. It was nice to have some more encouragement. The new nurse (post shift change) came and checked me just before 11pm and sure enough, I was at 10!!! It was time for my doctor to come and me to start pushing.

Now I can't begin to tell you, how incredible God's presence was throughout the entire labour. His peace filled the delivery room. There were some sketchy things at some points...high heart rate for me, Luca's heart rate going up and down, Luca being too high up and posterior, my pelvis being very small...but through it all, the peace of God was everywhere.

Okay...now the hardest thing I've ever done...THE PUSHING! My doctor arrived and I pushed from 11pm-12am. Even though I had the epidural, I could feel a lot of the pushing and "bearing down" feeling...mostly because he was posterior. I pushed and pushed and pushed for an hour but we weren't making any progress. The anethesiologist came back and suggested we up my epidural and let me rest for an hour so Luca would descend and hopefully turn face down. We said yes and prayed that it would all work out.

Even with the increased epidural I was feeling the contractions a lot but I was able to rest and pray and hope it would all work out. At 1am my doctor checked me and was pretty sure Luca was still posterior...which was not ideal so she called the ob on call to come and try to turn him. Five minutes later the ob came and when she went to check, Luca had turned on his own..praise God!!!

So I pushed and pushed and pushed...oh my goodness it was the hardest thing of my life and I'm so thankful I did squats/worked out my whole pregnancy because if I didn't have that muscle, I don't think I would have been able to push him out (I pushed for almost three hours ha!)....but praise God, one hour and 44 minutes later at 2:44am, Luca Kingston Liira took his first breath. They put him on my chest and my sweet lion roared and roared. He weighed 7lbs13oz and was 20.5 inches long and had a full mane of hair...just perfect.

It was the most amazing moment of my life. To meet this little guy who God revealed in a dream last September, who grew from the size of a poppy seed to the size of a watermelon, who I carried for almost 10 months, whose little feet kept kicking me and hiccups would wake me up. I just kept singing over and over "Little Luca, you have my heart. Little Luca, you have my heart." 

Hearing James talk about Luca's grand entrance just melts my heart. He is such an amazing daddy. The love that he has for our son is so beautiful.

We're parents! We have a baby! It's the craziest thing and I have so many more things to share but must go to sleep before the next feed...haha...but there you have it, the birth story of Luca Kingston Liira..my little lion.

Oh little Luca, you have my heart.

xo,
laura