Comparisons...

My mom bought Josiah a pair of overalls when he was a baby and I saved them for Ella...The first pic is Josiah at 4 weeks old and the secons is Ella at 6 weeks old, wearing the same overalls...they are both toooo cute!

Ella's cuteness

Professional pics

We have a friend who is a freelance photographer. He came over to take pics of the kids and I think they came out great! Unfortunately, Josiah didnt want to go anywhere near Ella for the pics, and didnt want to smile for his own...but they still came out great.

Here is a slideshow of the pics (If you click on the actual slideshow, you will be redirected to a page where you can see them larger)

Christmas 2007

We had our first NC Christmas and it was really nice! Even though we had no family here this year (Amy went up to NY) it was still a lot of fun! On Christmas Eve we went to Crystal & Elliot's house, friends that moved here from NY about 2 years before us. Crystal cooked an AMAZING meals and we ate, played games and had a small gift exchange! It was a lot of fun.

On Christmas day we opened our gifts and relaxed in the morning. Then we went to a Christmas open house where there was a large group of people from our church also. We just hung out, sang christmas carols and such...it was nice to be with such great people when your family is not around. That night, I made a Christmas dinner of meatloaf and baked potatoes (we had turkey and ham the night before!)

Here are some pictures of our little Christmas! Ella and Josiah racked up!!! Josiah got a big remote control train from us, a toddler songs cd, some books, a sippy cup, coloring books and crayons. Ella got a bunch of little toys and of course, clothes :). Uncle Richie and Aunt Kerry sent them a whole bunch of toys and books! I had to hide Ella's toys from Josiah because he wanted to play with all of them! Then Josiah's godfather, Tio Al and his wife, Pat, sent Josiah and Ella THE CUTEST pajamas! I LOVEEEE pajamas for the kids! My sister, Vicky, sent them outfits with matching patterns (so cute!) and my Aunt Linda and Uncle Charles sent Josiah a little train that he LOVES!!! He runs it around the house saying CHOO-CHOO! And...Christmas isnt over for them because my sister came back from NY and on Friday we are having our little Christmas on Friday so she can bring over the gifts my parents sent and the gifts she bought them...these are some spoiled kids!

Josiah is 2!!!!!!

I can not believe it!!!!!!!! My firstborn is 2! These past two years have flown by!

We didnt have a big party for him this year, but the four of us had a mini party and he still had a great time! He LOVES the little car we got him and wouldnt go to sleep that night! He really is such a good boy and we enjoy him so much!!!!!

He also got a whole bunch of balloons from Titi Amy, coloring books, play phones (all from Amy!), a cute outfit and beautiful card from Tio Al and Titi Pat, a really cute personalized book and CD from Grandma and Grandpa Banuchi (his name is worked into ever song)and the hit gift was three dancing penguins from Titi Vicky! He pressed the button so many times that I now know the song by heart! hahaha!

Here are some pics and a video: (he wont go anywhere NEAR Ella in pics, hence no pics of them together haha)

The famous wheel! He calls it "Siah's wheel!" hahaha

The dancing and singing penguins!

Balloons from Titi!

Kiddo news

Well I havent updated this bad boy in a while! Here's whats new with the kiddos!

Ella is getting so big so fast! She is nice and chubby and is generally a happy baby! She is starting to smile a lot and has been cooing too. Josiah really amuses her, she smiles at everything he does!

Josiah is sooo cute as well. He is talking up a storm, knows all his shapes, colors, numbers and is working on the alphabet. His new thing is singing. He sings a lor of songs and it is so cute! My personal favorite is when he sings his ABC's. It sounds like this "A, B, C, D, E, F, G...la la la la la, N, O , P...now I know my ABCs, next time know my ABC's" hahaha...too cute. He is also working on saying how to spell his name...it goes like this "J-O-S-E-A-B-H" hahaha close enough!!!!!

As far as Steven and I go, we are doing good. We have been house hunting but havent put a bid on anything yet. Hopefully soon :)

She's here!

Our lil princess joined us on November 12!!!!!!!!
Ella Claire
11/12/2007
8:23 am
7 lbs., 5oz. - 19 3/4"

She is just beautiful! The surgery went well except I had a reaction to the anesthesia, which made me throw up through most of the surgery (such fun) but besides that it went great! Ella was born SCREAMING and they noticed she was breathing too fast and she had to be kept in the NICU for 2 days on breathing machines and IV fluids. However, on the second day they let me start nursing her and she is nursing wonderfully now. She was released from the NICU and stayed with me overnight. She developed jaundice today so she is on some phototherapy but hopefully she will be ok to go home tomorrow.

Josiah met her and he was such a good boy. He reached his hands out to hold her and then he wanted to give her the bottle. He pretty much just looks at her but doesnt really like or dislike her at this point.

Anyway, I will update more when we go home, but here are some pics for now:

12 hours from now...

Its now 8:09 pm and my csection is scheduled for exactly 12 hours from now! Im excited and nervous all at the same time!

The drs told me I cant eat after 12, which I normally don't. But...since they told me that I feel like I must eat up until 11:59 pm just because I know I will be soon cut off!

Anyway, the next update you will get will be with Ella's information so stay tuned!

JOSIAH JOSIAH JOSIAH

So here's my chance to brag about Josiah and only Josiah before Ella comes in and steals some of his thunder...

So, my little boy is just the CUTEST thing ever. His vocabulary has exploded lately and he repeats EVERYTHING we say. He LOVES balls! Anywhere he can get his little hands on one, he tries it! He points out every ball he sees too! In the SuperTarget here, they have big red statue type balls outside the store and he says "BIGGGGG ball." He just cannot help himself. He also LOVES to color! We bought him a big floor pad with paper to color on and he will sit there forever just to color. Of course we have to do it with him and draw the shapes he tells us to draw. He loves Dora the Explorer (an educational cartoon that is SERIOUSLY annoying after awhile) and anything with music he can dance to. He is in the stage where he wants me to check out everything he is doing, so he is always like "Mommy, look!"...at least 50 times a day!

There is sooooooo much more about this kid I can write but it would take me forever. All in all he is such a sweetheart! He really is a good kid, and if the terrible two's exist, then we will cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, Josiah really makes every day soooo unique and happy and I can not imagine my life without him!

Maybe earlier...

Last night around 11pm I started to get REALLY bad contractions. Before this point I would have them but they were nothing regular or really painful, just uncomfortable. This time it was the REAL deal. Of course I did not want to go in to the hospital because I need her to delay her arrival until my parents get here so I have someone to stay with Josiah. After 2 hrs of trying to do everything I could to make them stop, I finally just laid down with a tall glass of water and fell asleep! Woke up this morning and I feel fine! Wheewwwww...dodged that bullet. So here's hoping she stays nice and warm in there AT LEAST until tomorrow night when my parents arrive!!!

One week from today...

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY OUR LITTLE GIRL WILL BE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can not believe it!!!!!!!!!

Josiah and Josiah

I met a girl in our church down here who I really hit it off with! She has a 2 1/2 year old named Josiah as well (and a 5 mo. old little boy who will be Ella's playmate haha). Anyway, my Josiah and hers hit it off too and they are sooooo cute playing together. They are like monkey see, monkey do! We took them to the park the other day and they had so much fun!

Here are a couple of pics:

Later that night we went out to eat with a group of friends and had such a good time! Even better, Josiah slept throughout the whole meal so Steven and I got to eat without having to cut up food into small pieces, keep silverware from flinging and sugar packets from opening haha...Here are a couple of pics of me and my boy before we left! Yes...I know my belly is ENORMOUS!

Josiah again...

Its getting harder and harder to catch him doing cute things on video because once he sees it turn on he stops whatever he's doing...so you'll just have to settle for him doing regular things and be satisfied with his CUTENESS!

My handsome boy...

I love this kid...

So close yet so far...

Create yours at BlingyBlob.com!

13 days until Ella arrives!

So my dr. changed my csection to Nov. 12. I was not too happy about that since it wouldve been easier for Steven if it had been on a Fri, but it gives us 3 more days with Josiah. My parents come in on 11/7 so Josiah probably wont be wanting to hang around Steven and I anyway hahaha.

This weekend my sister threw me a baby shower with a few of the girls down here. It was soooo sweet and I had a lot of fun! Ella got spoiled :) I didnt have my camera since I was completely surprised, but my friend took pics and I will post them as soon as I get a chance.

In other news, I have the longest to-do list and the tiniest energy level. UGHHH it is sooooo annoying. I really need to get myself together. Today I actually WROTE DOWN what was on the mental list in my mind, but haven't done ONE thing from it. Oh well....

BIIIIG PUMPKIN

Here's a short video of Josiah @ the pumpkin patch :)

Pumpkin Picking

I LOVE the fall! This weekend we took Josiah pumpkin picking to a really cute lil' farm over here. He had a great time running around and looking at the tractors, farm animals, and "biiiiig punkins". Of course, it gets harder and harder to get cute pics of him since he doesn't stay still for one second, but here a few we took :)

Then the next day our church hosted a Harvest celebration and he had a lot of fun at that too! We tired him out all weekend!

I also got to go out sans toddler for 2 hours! It was glorious. All I did was go to the mall but being able to walk around not worrying about what Josiah was doing was so fun!

So, the countdown begins to Ella's arrival...less than 3 weeks away now! My parents arrive in 11/7 and 2 days later, Ella should be here! I can't wait!

Building for his sister :)

Josiah and his daddy worked together to build Ella's bassinet tonight.... :)




The finished product - hopefully it stays in tact for the next 3 weeks with Josiah around :)

What's goin' on...

Sooo... 23 days from today, Ella Claire will be here! We can't wait! The time was going so slow and now it seems I cant get things done fast enough! I took out some of the clothes we have for her and folded them all up. Of course I didnt take the tags off of all of them JUST IN CASE they got the sonogram wrong! That has been in my mind lately hahaha...I told Steven we better have a boy name ready to go in case! This weekend I am going to go to get the rest of the stuff we need before she gets here! I love baby shopping :)

I have been having a lot of labor symptoms lately but last night was the worst! I really swore I was going into labor. When Steven came home from work I laid down and that didnt help, buttttt a hot bath, double fudge brownie ice cream and Tylenol did! AND, I actually slept pretty well!

Josiah and I both caught a cold this past weekend and thank God Josiah is starting to feel better. I have the whole stuffy head, sore throat and congestion thing going on so I am hoping I dont give it back to him!

In sadder news, Steven has been having LOTS of joint pain for more than a month. He finally went to the dr. last week and was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was very scary for us, and I think I took it harder than him. But he is going to see a specialist at the end of the month and we are just praying that they will be able to give him medicines and tips to help him out. It bothers me to see him in pain day and night. Its a horrible disease!

As far as the munchkin is concerned, he is TOOOOOOO cute (if I do say so myself!) His newest thing is singing songs and the other day he started singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and he sounds sooooo cute! Its nearly impossible to catch it on video though!

Anyway thats the news around these parts! This weekend we will be going pumpkin picking! I cant wait!

35 weeks

Ella's tight living quarters...

J-Ro comes to town...

So my good friend from NY, Jenn, came to visit all the NYC to NC transplants this weekend. She herself is a NYC - Chicago transplant.

Anyway we had a great time seeing her and miss her already! Here are some pics:

Jenn and I:



Jenn and Amy:


Josiah and the girls:


More pics:

Could it be?!

Has fall ACTUALLY arrived? On Tuesday, it was 95 degrees here...in October! What on earth?! Ok, I know I am further south now, but still. That temperature is not even normal for down here. And being 8 1/2 mos pregnant doesn't help! All I have to say is THANK GOD for drive thrus. I mean, down here you barely have to get out of your car! I had to go to the ATM and Josiah was sleeping in the mom-mobile, plus it was too hot to get out. PROBLEM SOLVED: Drive thru ATM. Ahhh...gotta love the suburbs.

Anyway, relief is in sight. Today, the high is 72. Not bad at all. We've been wanting to take Josiah pumpkin picking, and I, for one, want pumpkin pie. But its just WRONG to do any of those when you are wearing shorts and still have your a/c pumping!

So, bring on the crisp, cool air!!!!!

On another note...keep us in prayer. Josiah woke up with a nearly 103 degree fever last night and Steven is sick too. I'm feeling fine, just in the "get this child out of me" stage...but no complaints really.

Mispronounced words...

Josiah actually speaks very well...but of course, every toddler must have words they mispronounce...and some are sooooooooo funny! Here are some of Josiah's:

Josiah - "JOOO-da-da"
strawberry - "Saw-baby"
shower - "tower"
sock - ummm, lets just say its a bad word that rhymes with sock hahaha
please - "peas"
thank you - "cank ooo"

I know there are more but I cant think of them of the top of my head...haha

NY vs. NC

So...the only thing I miss about NYC so far is food and family. Of course, I miss our families! Its nice to just have someone familiar to see sometimes. My parents were like the ultimate babysitters, my mom invited us over for dinner almost every Sunday, Steven being able to see his dad anytime he wanted...ahhh good times. Its nice to be there for that. Of course, we knew what we were in for. We still absolutely feel we made the right decision, though. Everytime I see Josiah playing outside with rocks and dirt, or at night when he can see the stars and moon and he flips out in the car saying "STAR, MOON, SKY!! Ooooh - MOON!!!! ooooh - STAR!!!" , and he gets completely overwhelmed with excitement, I know it was the right move for us!

I miss food in NY too. A lot of things here are chain restaurants and not your lil mom and pop places, or greasy spoon diners...YUMMMMM. Steven and I went to this diner in Queens almost EVERY weekend. We would both get a full breakfast and coffee with a check less than $10! Ahhh good times. Or the time my boss and I went to a greasy spot on the Upper West Side and their menu was 28 PAGES LONG...no exaggeration!! I miss sausage and pepper stands, NY chinese food and heroes! Oh, and bakeries! Still havent found one here! Funny enough, we found a pizza place about 5 minutes from our house called NYPD Pizza. And they are from Ridgewood!!!!!! What a small world, huh?!

Anyway, I cant really say I miss NY yet...because I dont. I dont miss driving into the city every day and paying a $5 toll. I dont miss getting on the subway and dealing with all the crazies. I dont miss driving around the block for an hour looking for parking. I dont miss paying $1200/month for a 3rd floor railroad apt next to GHETTO people who would curse their kids out all day long, blast their music, and smoke weed on their fire escape. I dont miss carrying Josiah up all those steps either! And...best of all, I WILL NOT miss sharing a room with 3 other women after I gave birth to Josiah! In the hospital here, every woman gets a private room! And....they roll you out of the hospital in a wheelchair!! Hahaha, in NY Steven carried the carseat down and I took the elevator and walked to the car! That is SO wrong. hahaha.

Anyway, those are my feelings as of now. I LOVE our new home and am so happy Steven and I made this move. We miss our families and hope to be in the area for Thanksgiving...with Ella! In the meantime, who wants to move here?!

My anniversary gift.

the pictures say it all!

The kiddos....

So, here's an update on Josiah and Ella hanging out in utero :)

Josiah is now 21 months old and is getting SOOOOO big. He's losing all of his baby looks and is becoming quite the crazy little boy. He loves dirt, bugs, balls, cars, bikes and throwing himself around. He talks a lot (I've lost count of how many words he knows), speaks in some sentences, can count to 20, say most of his ABCs, knows his shapes (my favorite is when he says octagon, it sounds like "ock-a-kon". He can't really figure out his colors yet...he knows the names but can't really identify most. He thinks everything is either blue or red. He is soooo silly and knows what to do to make us laugh. He is still VERY shy with those he doesn't know. He LOVES Dora the Explorer, puzzles and driving lil' cars around the house.

Here are a few recent pics of him:




I dont think he totally gets the fact that a baby will be joining us soon. He says "baby" and knows where all of her stuff is...but I'm anxious to see his reaction when she is here.

Speaking of the baby, Ella is doing well. No problems to report. My c-section is tentatively scheduled for 11/9. I can't wait to meet her and see her and Josiah interact (not to mention I cant wait to NOT be pregnant!)

so thats the news in the kiddo dept!

Our 4th Anniversary!

Today is our 4th Anniversary! On the 4th of October! That's gotta be something special hahaha. Anyway, no romantic plans here today. Steven is off for work and school...we're going out this Saturday.

So HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to us!

Month 3 in NC!

Oh man, I apologize for being so terrible at updating this thing!

Steven celebrated his 30th bday on September 7! We had a great time. We went out to dinner and Josiah was sooooooo good! We got to get through appetizer and dinner before we heard Josiah saying "out, out" to get out of the highchair....now thats a miracle! Here's a pic of the boys that day:



A couple of days later, Steven's brother made a surprise visit down to NC. I was sooooooooooooooooo happy because I know Steven really missed him! It was a great surprise. Josiah ran around the house saying "Tio Tio Tio Tio Tio" and Amy and Richie competed for who was Josiahs favorite :) Here's a pic of Josiah and his Tio Richie:


In other news, I have been enjoying every minute of being home with Josiah. He really is the best kid ever! He has his moments, but he is pretty well behaved. Steven likes his job a lot and LOVES school, even though it takes a toll on him physically to be doing both.

Its still REALLY hot out here, but I hear its pretty hot even in NY for this time of year so I wont complain! I just want to wear FALL clothes already!

Anyway, all is well here! Stay tuned for my next post!

A romantic night out...without Steven!

Ahhh made ya look!!!!

So Steven had school tonight and I had cabin fever! So I decided Josiah and I would go out (I was feeling brave!) We went to the mall and he had to walk around since his stroller was in my car and I was driving Amy's car...I was afraid he would run around like a madman but he was such a good boy!!!! We went into our favorite store (Children's Place!) and Josiah got a shirt and of course, one for Ella. (Less than $10 for both, I might add!)

Anyway, so since he was SUCH a good boy, I decided to push my luck :) We went out to dinner at Carabba's (its like a nicer Olive Graden for you NYers :) - Amy waits tables there so we went to visit her. Anyway, I was really afraid of being out in a nice restaurant with him by myself but all went well! He was the perfect gentleman and I am such a lucky momma!

I feel so accomplished!

A lil' update...

Oh man, I am really trying to keep up with this thing better...

Anyway, we are still doing very well. Steven started school and loves it. Josiah is his usual crazy self. He now says "please" and "thank you" which melts our hearts! Whenever he sees food he wants (which is often), he says "Mmmmm, goooood!" We get so suckered by this kid! He just turned 20 mos. and I can't believe he will be 2 soon! It will also be interesting to introduce him to Ella. Yesterday I was at a friend's house and there was a 6 week old little boy there. Josiah was staring and waving at him...so I hope he will react as well when Ella is born :)

As far as Ella goes, she is doing well. I went to my first prenatal visit in NC and it went well! The dr. was great and he said Ella is doing just fine. For now, it looks like they will schedule my c-section around the 12th of November unless I go into spontaneous labor or something happens with Ella where they need an earlier c-section. I can't believe in less than 3 mos. we will have another baby! Heck, we still hold Josiah until he falls asleep and he sleeps with us hahaha...adding another baby in the mix will be interesting!

Also, Joe & Mayra (Steven's parents) sent Ella a PINK activity center, a PINK bouncer and a PINK hamper! I can't believe I will have pink in my house. As much as I always wanted a girl, I only saw myself with boys!

So that's the update over here! Talk to you all soon!

The lil' prodigy strikes again...

I just LOVE this video...I thought you would all enjoy it too :)

We're alive!!!!!

So sorry I haven't updated this site! Its been so crazy around here! We have lots of updates!

Well, first of all, we are settling in nicely in Charlotte. We LOVEEEEEEE it here and Josiah loves it even more! We have a huge apartment with CENTRAL AIR and a pool outside we use quite often! Josiah has lots of room to run around and he loves going outside to look at the bugs, moon, stars, sky...he is constantly pointing at something and getting all excited! If we are out at night he says "oooh mooooon, star" In the morning he looks out the window and says "ooooh, car!" He LOVES it! Everyone is SO nice out here and its so much more of a relaxed atmosphere.

My pregnancy is coming along very nicely, and seems to be going A LOT quicker than when I was pregnant with Josiah. Ella is kicking up a storm and keeps me up a lot at night...but I cant complain cause I feel great! Here is a pic of me a little more than halfway through. I found a dr. out here and he will be scheduling the date for my c-section next week. It will probably be the 1st or 2nd weeok of November. The hospital is like 5 minutes from our house!

In other news, Steven enrolled at the college down here and will be starting classes on August 14. He is soooooooooo excited and I am happy for him! Its going to be difficult because as soon as he finds a job, he will be working FT and going to school 4 nights a week. Plus, I am working from home FT with what will be 2 kids to take care of! But I know everything will work out. When Josiah turns two, we will probably put him in pre-school a couple of days per week, which will lighten my load a little bit (not emotionally of course, I think I will cry every day!)

Speaking of the lil man...Here are a couple of recent pics of Josiah by the pool :)






Anyway, that is the update in our part of the country! I will keep up with this blog more and I hope everyone is doing well! We miss u all!

You can always email us at - hesmypeace@hotmail.com

Two steps forward, one step back

Packing with a toddler running around is INSANE! Its just impossible! He is the cutest thing in the world but while I am putting things in boxes, he pulls them out from the other end!

We are maybe 80% packed and the truck is coming tommorrow! Please keep Steven in prayer because its a lot of work for him. He has some help in NY and NC, which is great. But it will still be very hot!

In other news, I spoke with me benefits person at work and found out that my health insurance will cover ALL of my c-section expenses down south! I am completely in awe of how this whole thing is working out!

The sad thing is, my last day in the office is Friday and my co-workers are some of the best friends I have! I was on the verge of tears today and have a feeling Friday I am going to be a mess! :(

Belly pics and other updates!

photoSo here I am at the 20 week mark, coming along nicely. I'm a lot more uncomfortable than I was with Josiah, but thats ok...I'll take that over no morning sickness.


And today I wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friend/almost like a sister, Crystal! Enjoy.

In other Ortiz news, we are counting down to the big moving date! It's really stressful trying to pack up everything, see everyone we love and just preparing for a move out of state, but on the other hand we are SOOOO excited to start our new life, one we know will benefit both Josiah and Ella immensely!

Everything seems to be working out so far and my job is letting me work from home for at least 3 months which I am really excited about...

Here is a pic of the pool in our new complex:


Also, here is a link to view a slideshow of images from the complex we are going to live in while we househunt!

Virtual Tours

I'll be sending out an email with all our contact information soon!