Our Baby Girl is here....

Okay so it's been a while since I've written but Our Little Princess arrived 6 weeks ago today! Lily Isabelle Arnold was born June 17th at 8:00 am via cesarean section. She weighed 9.1 lbs and was 22 1/2 inches long.
I was 41 weeks along and I just wasn't thinning or dilating so my Dr. would not allow me to try a VBAC so I had to go ahead and schedule the c section. Everything went well and Lily was happy and very healthy. She was the biggest baby in the nursery. I about died when they said how much she weighed. I could not believe I had a baby that big in my belly.
I stayed in the hospital for 4 days and then went home. Since we aren't in our house yet things were a bit hectic. Lily doesn't have a room which is fine because she sleeps with us anyway. The first few nights were rough because she had her days and nights mixed up. But I'm happy to report at 6 weeks she goes down about 10pm and sleeps until 4 am. We still have rough nights now and then but for the most part she is doing awesome.
She is different from Dominik with her temperament she gets fired up pretty quickly and screams over the littlest things. It took a minute to get used to at first. She loves to snuggle and be held and she will only sleep at night in mommy and daddy's bed. I have a feeling she may be there a while. Nic is beyond in love with her. He is such a cute daddy. Because of the house he isn't home much but we are almost in so things should get a little easier. Dominik is doing great with her and he is mommy's little helper. He will grab me diapers and wipes and such.
He is quite the sassy pants right now but I think that has more to do with his age than the baby. All in all he has adjusted pretty well. She started smiling at 4 weeks and is starting to coo. She is so strong she was holding her head up in the hospital. That is the benefit to have such a big baby they don't feel like you will break them. All my other friends are having small babies and mine came out ready to drive :) I am healing pretty good I am going nuts not being able to work out but I go to the Dr. Monday to get the hall pass to resume activities.
The house is coming along, we have finally painted and the tile is almost done. It looks gorgeous I am so proud of Nic for all his hard work. He and Dave have done an incredible job and it's finally starting to pay off. We will still have quite a bit to do when we move in but it looks like a completely different home that what we bought. Jenn his older sister has helped us with the tile and paint choices. She is an interior decorator and has excellent taste. We went with slate in our entry way and Nic surprised me with this beautiful travertine in the kitchen. Jenn's husband Chris is doing our cabinets and they are BEAUTIFUL I cannot wait for our kitchen I think it will be my favorite place in the house.
Our 1 year anniversary is Sunday. I cannot believe it has been a year and I certainly cannot believe all we have been thru in the past year. We have wasted no time. We got pregnant, had a baby, bought a house and renovated it. We definitely waste no time getting down to business. But it has been worth it. We are so blessed to have beautiful children and a beautiful home to move in to. I am more in love with Nic than ever and all of these challenges have just made me love him more and have shown me what an incredible man I have married. I look forward to seeing what the next year brings. Hopefully we can put things on cruise control a bit.
I am so in love with my husband and my children. I could not ask for more right now. I hope everyone is doing well. I will post a slide show shorty!

40 Weeks no baby and a c section planned at 41 weeks

Well I wish I could say I had my baby girl in my arms but unfortunately her and my body aren't quite cooperating yet. For those of you that do not know I had a c section with Dominik and so I was attempting a vaginal birth after a c section. However there are certain criteria that I have to follow in order to do so and so far those things are falling into place.
I'm only dilated to less than a one and my cervix isn't thinning at all my Dr. believes at this point because I am due that the odds of me having her naturally are less than 50%. So we scheduled a c section for next Thursday in hopes that perhaps against his opinion that I can still go into labor on my own.
He will only let me go to 41 weeks with a VBAC so unfortunately next Thursday is the very latest I can go. I am so disappointed but I know that I can only control so many things and the ultimate goal is to get her here safely. I have a non stress test set up for Monday to make sure she is still thriving. My Dr. checked my amniotic fluid levels and those looked really good. I'm measuring right on schedule and I got to see her chubby little cheeks in the ultrasound. She is super cute. So far I still feel really good I'm not swelling up and I haven't gained any weight for the last month. I've been very lucky to have such an incredible and trouble free pregnancy for the most part. I'm praying that I will go into labor by myself in the next week but I'm also prepared to do the c section knowing that I did everything in my power and that was the only alternative. I've been walking and all sorts of things to help labor progress but nothing seems to work. I guess she is just enjoying herself way too much in there. My Dr. had planned to strip my membranes but my cervix is so hard he can't even do that. haha. Anyway it's been an emotional couple of days but I feel good about the decision I've made and I just need to accept that this is one of those things that I can't control. The good news is a week from today I will be holding my newborn baby girl in my arms and I cannot wait.
The house is coming a long I'm happy to report that we have finally sheet rocked and we are in the process of putting up all the doors and trim. We are hoping to be in some time in July. I am so proud of Nic and all his hard work he really has sacrificed so much to make this house so nice. We keep trying to keep our eye on the prize and a year from now we will look back at all this and laugh! Again we could not do it without the hard work of his family. They have truly been so incredible during this process and it just proves that no matter what you can always count on family!
I did some pictures of Dominik for his 4 year pics and then some maternity photo's. I wanted to make them family photo's but Nic is so busy I did not want to pull him away from the house so we decided to do some once the baby gets her as a "complete" family. Dom is doing great he is definitely all boy and he has tons of energy. I'm going to spend this last week with him and enjoy our last special time before Lily gets here. I still can't believe he is 4 years old and I'm so proud of the little man he is becoming. I feel so blessed to be able to stay home with his these past few months because I can never get these times back. They grow up so fast and I don't want to take any of these moments for granted. As much as I want Lily here I know I will miss having her with me 24 hours a day. I am so lucky to be a woman and to be blessed with the incredible gift to have children and I try and remind myself of that when I complain about being pregnant or her not being here yet. It's funny how you think your life is SO hard but when you look at the BIG picture you realize how incredibly blessed your life really is and that others around you have it far worse than you. I am so thankful for my life and my family and kids and although things seem tough or stressful I wouldn't trade any of it. Okay I'll get off my cheesy soap box! I hope this finds everyone Happy and Healthy and stay tuned for details of Princess Lily's arrival!

Lily's Crib

Even though I can't put her room together yet we do have Lily's crib and bedding picked out. I thought I would post some pics so everyone could see what her nursery will look like when we move into the house :)

For now she'll be camping out with mom and dad in their room! :) I found the crib on KSL and the bedding at Babies R US! I can't wait to decorate her little nursery. It's so fun shopping for girl stuff. (but very expenisve) haha!

Listen to The Arnold Mix

4 weeks until the arrival of Little Lily

So I just posted a post I had written 2 weeks ago but never put on here. So I figured I would do a quick update. I am now 36 weeks and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our sweet little girl. I went to the Dr. yesterday and so far nothing is happening which is okay since we do have 4 more weeks. I still feel pretty good. But my back is starting to hurt a bit more. I am also quite the clutz. I fell over at the Dr.'s office when i was trying to get undressed. Luckily I wasn't hurt, the only thing that hurt was my pride! I could not stop laughing at myself and my Dr. thought it was pretty funny too.
Dominik and I took some pictures on Monday. I wanted to get his 4 year old pictures taken and then I had some maternity photo's taken as well. I'm hoping to get Nic in for some family photo's but he is so busy with the house I hate to even ask him to take a night off! :( We still haven't sheet rocked but we are getting very close. The house is looking fantastic and it's incredible how much work they have done in a short time. I went with Nic's sister and we picked out our paint carpet and tile so that will all be ready to go once things are complete.
I have started to nest which is hard in the rental because I have packed a lot of things up to move. But I've started getting all her baby clothes cleaned and things more organized. I haven't even had my baby showers yet and people have given us enough clothes to last her thru her first year :) I have 2 showers this weekend which I think will make things seem more real. This pregnancy seems to be flying by for me. (almost too fast) I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I've been reading baby books since it's been 4 years since Dom was born I feel like a rookie. But i'm pretty sure it will all come back to me. Nic is very excited too. He talks to her and plays with my belly every night. It's soo cute. I'm so excited for him to become a father there is nothing more incredible than watching your child be born. He is already such a great father to Dom and I know he will be just as incredible with our Lily.
Dom is still as excited as ever. He even uses Lily to try and get things. We were at the store yesterday and he told me that "Lily said to buy him a toy" He says the funniest things. She isn't even born and he is already using her as his scape goat!
I feel so blessed to have such an incredible family. I couldn't be any more in love with my husband and son and our daughter will just be another blessing to add to our home. With all the craziness in the world its nice to have the comfort of your home to turn to. Nic and I are facing some of our biggest challenges and yet we are closer than ever. I am one lucky lady! Anyway enough with the cheesiness not sure if it's the hormones or just me. I do cry a lot lately but they are all happy tears. So there is the quick update on Life at the Arnold's!!!! I will get those pics up when I get them from the photographer!

34 weeks and counting Dom turns 4 and house demolition...

Allright everybody! We are rapidly approaching the final count down until Princess Lily arrives and we are getting so excited. I went to the Dr. yesterday and he told me that at the next appointment he will start checking me. I totally wigged out I cannot believe we are almost here. I'm getting so anxious to meet her. My belly is getting huge and I can feel all her limbs now :) I feel pretty good still. I'm starting to get more tired and I can't sleep as well but I'm managing to hit the gym a few times a week which is helping. However the fact that I have a huge weakness for baked goods does not help with the weight gain! haha

Our sweet little guy Domi turned 4 this week and I cannot believe how fast it's gone by. It seems like yesterday that he was born. He is such an incredible little boy and I feel so blessed to be his mother. I'm having so much fun getting to stay home with him right now. He definatly likes to test my limits but for the most part he is a pretty good boy. I've been able to take him to do fun things like go to the petting zoo and play at the park. We also spend time working on crafts and working on his spelling and writing. I cannot believe how incredibly smart he is. He can write Lily Dominik, Nic Mom, Tiffany etc... The other day he asked me to show him how to write the word elephant. 4 has been a harder age for me. He likes to argue and defy me a lot and he is really good at trying to manipulate things in his favor. But I guess that's typical for his age. He is definatly excited to be a big brother. He has been begging me to buy Lily a gift so we finally bought her a "Princess" binky. He has to show everyone. When he goes to the gym daycare he helps with all the babies. I really think he will enjoy his little sister and helping mommy take care of her. It's fun watching him grow and develop and come into his own. He has such a dynamic personality and TONS of energy! If only I could borrow some of it! :)

The house is coming a long slowly but surely. We ran into some issues once we got thru the sheet rock. All the pipes had burst so it's a good thing that we took down the sheetrock. Nic and his dad spend EVERY night and weekend over there. I don't know what we would do without those two. It's unbelievable how much they have accomplished. Words cannot express our gratitude to his dad and his mom for giving up her husband. We know they have tons of other things they could do with their time and it means so much that they would give that up to help us out. Without Dave we could not have done it. We are hoping to sheetrock next week. (fingers crossed) I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's all said and done. We've gotten help from a few of Nic's other friends and family too! We are so incredibly lucky to have such a great group of people around us to help us during this time. I am pretty useless for the most part but I do go over and sweep up saw dust and such. And you better believe my man gets a hot breakfast every morning and a warm dinner when he gets home. Gasp I know I'm sure the people reading this that have known me for many years are sitting here reading this in shock at the thought that I actually cook. Yes folks, that's right Tiffany has turned into a Domestic Diva :) It's actually kind of fun and its the least I can do for my poor husband who is slaving away to make our house a home. We were hoping to be in my the end of my May but it's looking more like June. I'm trying not to freak out because they baby will probably be here by then. But if we are going to do this we want to do it right. I just keep telling myself to go with the flow and it could always be worse.
I am just so grateful to have such an incredible husband and father in law that have the ability to even do this type of work. A year from now we will all look back on this and laugh :) Anyway that is what is new in our world. I will keep you posted as things progress. Hope this finds everyone happy and healthy!

27 weeks and counting

Hey Everybody,

Well we are approaching the 3rd trimester next week and I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by. I'm starting to get a little nervous but very excited. I know I still have 13 more weeks but I know she will be here before we know it. I'm feeling pretty good. She is the most active baby. She moves ALL the time. It's like a regular circus in there for her :)

Dominik is so cute about her. He knows how to write her name and he draws pictures for her daily. He gives my belly hugs and kisses every day. It is the sweetest thing. I know he is going to be the sweetest big brother. He is so protective of me and tells me to be careful because of the baby.

Nic has been amazing as well. He sings and talks to her all the time and has really been trying to help more around the house which means a lot. He's been really good at keeping me motivated to stay active. He goes and gets Dom for me so I can go to the gym and we go on walks every weekend. He is going to be such an incredible father and I'm so excited for him to feel that amazing bond that you do with your children when they are born. He has no idea what he is in for. Especially with his little princess. This little girl will have him wrapped around her finger :)

I'll never forget the day I first laid eyes on Dom there are no words to describe that feeling in your heart or the love that you feel for your children.

We are getting ready to close on our house this week. FINALLY! We have been working on getting this house since December. It's a home we have to rehab so Nic is going to be very busy for the next few months getting it ready for us. It's going to be a lot of work but it's a very good investment. We are so excited. I'm a little nervous about everything getting done before the baby is born but I just have to go with the flow.

Dominik is doing great he will be 4 next month. I can't believe my little baby is now a boy. He is growing up so fast. Arguing is his new thing. He pretty much challenges anything we say. But he is still such a cutie. He is into writing out names. He can write Nic, Mom, Lily and Dominik and he has even started to try to read. He is also turning into quite the artist. It's so fun to watch him grow. I'm so proud to be his mommy.

Work is going well for me I've really started to do really well with my numbers which is financially helping our family. I'm so grateful to have a job in this economy and very grateful for my company. We are trying to gear up for maternity leave which is going to hurt the budget a bit but I want to spend at least 8 weeks with my little angel. :) Anyway I hope every one is doing well. Our family is Blessed and doing incredible. Stay tuned for more updates.

20 Week Ultrasound

Hey Everybody,

It's been a while since I've written but I wanted to update everybody on life at the Arnold's. Nic and I went to our 2o week ultrasound today and got to see our little princess. (yes it's still a girl ) She is getting so big, it's unbelievable. The tech said everything looked good. It was neat to see all her little limbs and organs and such. She has the CUTEST profile. I think she has Nic's nose. She wasn't cooperating very well during the ultrasound but they managed to get the pictures they needed. She is kicking me ALL the time and moving all around. Nic still hasn't been able to feel her move yet, but I'm sure one of these days he will.

I've been having contractions for the last few weeks so I've put told to take it easy when they start. The Dr. prescribed me medication to slow them down if they get out of control. This happened to me with Dom at 30 weeks but 20 weeks is a bit soon for her to make her debut. The good news is, I didn't dilate with Dom and so far nothing is happening with her. So all is well with the bambina.

Dominik will be 4 in April and he never ceases to amaze me. He is definitely bullheaded but he can be the sweetest. The other morning he got in bed with me and started tickling my arm and looks at me and said "mommy, you are the best mommy in the whole world!" My heart just melted. He has been tough at school but we are working through it. His favorite game in the world is Candy Land. We play it at least 20 times a night. I think he is pretty excited to be a big brother. He will kiss my tummy and tell me he can hear her. It's so sweet.

We are in the process of trying to buy a home which is always stressful but hopefully it will all work out before the baby gets here. I can't wait to start putting together her nursery. I still can't believe I'm having a little girl. It's hard to imagine loving another child as much as you do your first but I know there is plenty of love to go around :)

Work is good for Nic and I we are both doing the same thing and are very grateful to have jobs in this economy. Anyway there is a little update on our family. I hope everyone is enjoying the new year.