so alike

i was going over some photos the other day and ran across one of dom's baby photos.  dom was 2 months old, & sola just turned 9 months old in the photo below.  now, i can really see how much solana resembles dominic so much!!!  see for yourself:

dom (left);  solana (right)

what do you think?  i love taking photos of the kids when they are sleeping.  i love their cheeks and how their lips become so full when it's relaxed. 

hope you are having a wonderful day!
xo, carla

pre-school cool

guess who's going to pre-school?

dominic!!!  we are so proud of our lil' man.  i can't believe that he's in school already!

 i asked him, "how excited are you?"  and he gave me this smile in the car:

action shot!

hung his back pack and greeted one of his teachers, ms. lorna.

all settled in class with a couple of his classmates, and his other teacher, ms. lenka.

after dropping him off, solana and i make our way to nonna's home...

so far, he's enjoyed every minute of it.  he gets really excited going to school.  often, he waits for us at the bottom of the steps in our home (it's really cute, and it makes me smile every single time)...  i hope this enthusiasm lasts through college.

xoxo, carla

the "a-z" of mama and dom

i found this great post from katie of katie's pencil box and i could not resist doing one of dom and i! some of the questions i had to explain to him in a slightly different manner, he answered all the questions except for "h" & "o"...

here it goes:

A. Age:
(mama) 34.
(dom) gives me four fingers, 4.
B. Bed size:
(mama) queen, wishing for a king when dom decides to join us in the middle of the night.  btw, he loves to kick and twist.
(dom) a bunk bed.
C. Chore that you dislike:
(mama) cleaning after arts and crafting - i enjoy my organized mess!
(dom) i like cleaning my toys (LOL, totally opposite what i asked him).
D. Dogs:
(mama) still wishing for a chocolate brown dachshund named, "stretch".
(dom) i like a big dog, he's 20 lbs. (what he wants one day...)
E. Essential start to your day:
(mama) saying good morning to my smiling babies, this includes my hubby.
(dom) i play with my toys.
F. Favorite color:
(mama) turquoise, aqua, blue-green...
(dom) purple, red is not my favorite color anymore, just purple!
G. Gold or Silver:
(mama) silver.
(dom) i like purple, i like purple-silver!
H. Height:
(mama) 5'6" .
(dom) 3'7"
I. Instruments you play:
(mama) i dabbled with piano in grade 1, did the clarinet in grade 7, my voice / choir in high school.
(dom) drums (my parents bought him a set, that stays at their home - though it's been a while since he played with it).
J. Job title:
(mama) dental lab technician; arts and crafter.
(dom) hugging and caring for my baby.
K. Kids:
(mama) 2, dom and solana.
(dom) my baby (solana).
L. Live:
(mama) in beautiful british columbia, canada!
(dom) in my house.
M. Mother’s name:
(mama) agnes
(dom) mommy carla
N. Nicknames:
(mama) kaka (yes, like caca poo poo), cacatoo, ninang cahlah - by my god daughter asia), naning - by my nephews, isaiah and reece), carla la la la la - by anna v.
(dom) dom, domy, dom dom, d-man, dr. d, dominic poot poot, dom da bomb
O. Overnight hospital stays:
(mama) twice, both c-sections for dom and solana
(dom) when he was 2 mos old
P. Pet peeves:
(mama) homophobia, uppity people, unfriendliness...
(dom) bad boy kids!
Q. Quote from a movie:
(mama)"the greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return" - moulin rouge  
(dom) "cheese and sprinkles!" - rio; "flint lockwood, i got my eye on you!" - cloudy with a chance of meatballs
R. Right or left handed:
(mama) left for highly detailed applications, right for less detailed applications and sports (volleyball, basketball)
(dom) raises the right hand.
S. Siblings:
(mama) i have 2 younger brothers whom i love unconditionally.
(dom) a younger sister, solana leighton!
U. Underwear:
(mama) i would like to say victoria's secret, but in reality the more comfy the better, no granny panties for me though - that's where i draw the line (TMI).
(dom) when i was little i wear baby underwear.  now i wear big boy undies, i mean big, big, BIG boy undies!
V. Vegetable you hate:
(mama) raw celery, cooked carrots, okra (though i'm starting to like them a little).
(dom) carrots, i still like brocolli.
W. What makes you run late:
(mama) my need to sleep in, diaper accidents, forgetting things...
(dom) when it's dark and i get scared.
X. X-Rays you’ve had:
(mama) at the dentist.
(dom) yaaa-no!
Y. Yummy food that you make:
(mama) i get compliments on my thai chicken curry, rack of lamb, and lemon grass chicken.
(dom) marshmallow cookies (he means smores).
Z. Zoo animal:
(mama) giraffes, jelly fish, elephants, pandas.
(max) alligators, fishies, turtles, sharks, yup, that's all!

i hope you enjoyed getting to know us a little bit more.  it was a fun (ny) interview!  i might consider doing something similar to this every year with both kids, well, as soon as solana starts to talk.

have a great week!
xo, carla (and dom)

the dj and the sweetheart

just a little photo fun...

here's the dj (because everytime he wears his cap, he says that he's a dj):

and the sweetheart (aka. "chomper" because she loves chomping on her hands):

love spending time with them!  they are two of my most favorite people in the world!!!

have a lovely week.
xo, carla

the 4 year old & the 2 month old

hello everyone,

it's been a long time since i posted here in the blogitty-blog...  i miss all of you.  i hope you are all doing well.  my littles are giving me some free time at the moment to post a photo (one's napping and the other is watching a movie) - so i will!  we did a photo session this morning.  here's a favorite of mine among the bunch:

i found this amazing blog through pinterest called, young house love.  i am absolutely in love with this blog, created by sherry petersik!  she writes about her life, filled with love, and renovations too.  they also featured 52 photos of their daughter, clara (one for every week of the year) - which is the inspiration for this photo.  it was such an amazing idea, that i had to attempt to take one at least every month for a year of both kiddos.  it was also very generous of sherry to share the process and tips of doing your own shoot!  so, thank you sherry!!!  maybe, this will be a new tradition every month for as long as i can do it...

hope you have an inspiring week!
xoxo,
carla

our lil' man turns four!

it's amazing how time flies...  i can't believe that dom is already 4 years old!  he is such a great big brother to his new sister, solana.  he makes us laugh everyday, and is growing up to be a wonderful lil' man.  we are so proud of him, and love him wholeheartedly. 

happy 4th birthday dominic!

always,
mom, dad, and solana

a spring in my step

it is less than one week before i go on maternity leave, and it's putting a spring into my step!  by the 15th of april, i am officially off!  don't get me wrong, i love work, but i'm super excited to finally be able to focus on what's about to happen, and spend some extra quality time with the lil' man too.  of course, to give the grandparents a break from babystitting!  i'm going to be on leave for almost a year - i feel privileged to have this time to take care of our lil' man and our newest lil' miss. 

photo:  vermishel photography

i know that having two will be a new challenge for the mister and i, but we are really anticipating the moment we meet solana!  i've heard from some, that it'll be an easier transition, that we'll be getting busier, some even told me how hard it is, but i'm trying to be positive and make this experience our own (i'm embracing both the good and the bad - doesn't matter which comes first).

our first time around, i didn't realize how a baby can literally turn your life, home, and emotions upside down.  even change the dynamics of the relationships you have with family and friends.  i also experienced post-partum depression, which was quite intense for the first two weeks after lil' man's birth (those hormones are potent!).  the mister left for work one morning and i remember seeing the home so messy, my c-section incision hurting, and looking down at this crying newborn, and had no idea what to do or which one to deal with first...  i never felt so lost in my life (no kidding)  a couple of things i learned through this experience are, that all the hard parts pass, and as soon as the extra hormones leave, it's quite enjoyable too.

i was also unprepared to breastfeed the first time around... i saw a lactation consultant last march (i thank my friend, rachel, for introducing me to renee - she's been doing this for 38 years, and is such a breastfeeding advocate - i love her!) and was surprised to find out that some info that were given to us in the beginning (with dom) were not true at all...  for example, did you know that the baby's stomach is only the size of a chick pea, not a walnut??? HUGE difference when you are trying to feed the baby at least an ounce of colostrum or milk the first or second day of breastfeeding, besides your milk doesn't even come in until the fourth day.  i'm terrified because some of the old feelings of being unable to breastfeed are creeping back in, yet at the same time i'm excited to push through those fears and focus on doing what's best for baby and i...  also, if you have any advice, i'd love to hear about it!

one thing we are also looking forward to is the use of cloth diapers.  they are so much better than what they used to be.  when someone mentioned cloth diapers, back before dom's birth, i nearly cringe at the thought of washing those by myself.  the last time i was near a cloth diaper, it was a rectangular piece of cotton fabric, folded several times and was pinned with safety pins (that shows you how long it's been since i've seen one).  well, all those feelings changed when i was introduced to the happy nappy diaper service! 

not only do they do the washing for you, the diapers are so similar to disposables.  after talking to my happy nappy consultant, and reading reviews about the service like amber's on the momma stuff blog, i'm convinced that cloth is the way to go!  the inner eco-warrior in me is dying to get out and put a dent on my family's carbon footprint.  plus the fact that it works out to be cheaper than buying disposables is a definite plus!

i'm just hoping that our lil'miss stays until the 21st of april to give me a good week of preparation, until we're ready to greet her...  i didn't have much of a time "off" the last time LOL.

xo,
carla

nesting

hello everyone!  i didn't realize that i've been gone since mid-march.  i've been on a personal hiatus, aka. nesting LOL.  my family of three is preparing for the arrival of our lil' miss, solana.  i am currently 35 weeks pregnant, and am scheduled for a c-section on the 29th of april (my actual due date is on may 7th)...  i can't believe that so much time has passed, and i only have less than a month to go before our girl makes her appearance.

also, i've been spending some quality time with our lil' man, dom, and also prepping him for solana's arrival.  a good friend of ours, nichole, gave me this great advice among others (thank you!):

• give lil' man a sense of ownership - that he is a part of this pregnancy as much as mom and dad.  this is so great because it really helps with the transition.  he really is excited to meet his sister, and he refers to her as "his" baby!  i really see a sense of pride when he talks about her.  he is also very protective and nurturing towards her.  he makes sure that he kisses and hugs "his" baby when he sees me or when i leave to go somewhere.   

another thing i found helpful:  when he accidentally bumps into my belly, i always refer to it as mommy's belly, never the baby. i do this to prevent any resentment, if there would be any... 

going back to nesting, just the other night, i woke up at 4:30 am, and was non-stop cleaning and organizing anything and everything i could get my hands on.  i think i managed to sneak in a 45 min nap sometime in the late afternoon - and was up until 11:30 pm.  in the past 2 weeks, mister, lil' man (yes, he is quite the helper), and i managed to get solana's room prepared, and finished our spring cleaning!  i never experienced this when i was pregnant with lil' man - so this nesting instinct is all new to me.  my mister finds it very comical - here i am, very pregnant and attempting to do all these chores.

so, in light of my nesting nature, here are some wonderful finds:

matryoshka / nesting dolls by mandy tsung

"nestrest" by pouzet and frety, featured on re-nest

"nesting instinct" by jennet jones - a spoonflower fabric

"allegory of the four elements" by mark ryden

bird's nest cookies  (with recipe!) by art of dessert

"nest - drawing in thread" by KLT works / kristin loffer theiss

"dreamers awake" by kelli murray

bird nest bed by eitan and zahr, featured on w ooh om

i hope you enjoyed these finds...  i'll update you on my pregnancy in a week's time.  have a lovely day!

xo,
carla

water, color, paint...

"water, color, paint..."  was what dom was chanting as he used watercolors for the first time...  he really enjoys expressing himself creatively - and my mister and i really enjoy every minute of it!

dom has been asking us if he could paint, so i headed over to the nearest dollar store and picked up a "dick and jane" (used to read the books back in kindergarten) coloring book with watercolor paints, and a brush!

this is how it went...

the best part was this:

"a family portrait" by dom (annotation by me - as described by the artist)

have a great day!
xo, carla

and we're off to a perfect start...

we were so lucky to have such a sunny day on jan 1, 2011.  it was a perfect day to start the year!  armed with what felt like a few hours of sleep, we decided to go for a walk on the beach/pier of white rock.  we soaked up the sun, inhaled the fresh air, and welcomed the new year with open arms.   after enjoying lunch, we decided to walk it off on the dock.

a lot of people decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather too! 

dom loves seaweed, so he was so happy to actually see some sea kelp floating in the water...  though uprooted, he was fascinated to see where one of his favorite foods came from.

the mister and lil' man

dom and mommy

lil' man with my sunglasses because, "the sun was hurting his eyes" - LOL.

have a lovely week!!!
xo, carla

all things merry and bright

my family and i would like to wish you, a very merry Christmas!  this season is extra special because our "bun in the oven" is 20 weeks old, and doing well.

i couldn't find a "we're expecting" ornament.  so, here's a felt one that i made for him/her... 

i would like to share lil' man's santa photo too.  he was so excited to see santa, it seemed like the only thing he wanted for Christmas.  he was asking us to see santa for weeks.  when he finally got his chance to sit on old saint nick's lap, he didn't want to talk to him, or smile for the camera.  so, santa ended up tickling him to conjure up a smile.  dom is stifling his laughter, and kicking his feet in this photo (notice his hands?  that's all him - LOL).

i was so inspired by the beautiful Christmas trees i saw while browsing around.  so, here are some of my favorites:

(source)

(source - image at weheartit.com)

(source)

by buro north  (source)

(source)

(source)

here are some of my favorite ornaments:

"green ornament" by kira shaimanova

"the tiniest deer" by skunkboy creatures (this is a birthday gift, but it would make a great ornament, wouldn't it?!)

aren't those ornaments cute?  also, check out more unique trees here!

enjoy this wonderful time with the people that are closest to your heart.
xo, carla