Our little adventure finishes with a TREASURE

So it has been awhile, BUT for a great reason! Our little angel Layla Rose Mancini was born on May 4th at the Royal vic at 18h17. She is PERFECT!! We are super elated to have her with us and we are treasuring every single moment!

The labour and delivery went as expected...meaning NOTHING WENT TO PLAN! The doctors tried with four different times with 2 meds to induce labour. All of it failed to dialate my cervix passed 4cm, however I had the pleasure of enduring over 24 hours of contractions without epidural ( 1-3 min apart), to be followed by another 18 hrs with epidural. All to be finished by an emergency c-section. I had an infection in the hospital and then was discharged after 6 glorious days only to be back in the hospital for a second infection YIPEE! Now I am home again and back on antibiotics pills after an IV. PHEW...hopefully all will be over soon.

It has been a long 5 year journey, and I would never have been able to do this without my husband. He has been the rock on which I lean on and has been so strong through this all. He has had to take care of both me and Layla and has truly been just the best there is. I would also like to thank all my friends and family who have stood by us through the crappola, and now are going to enjoy every single minute of the blessed little baby. So from the deepest part of me and Eric and our little baby, Thank you all so much!

First of many Layla Rose themed posts!

#90 my first coffee and yummy breakfast!

#91 Two of my babies!! LOL!

#92 Momma & Layla after a first bath

#93 First bath! What a good girl..she fell asleep!

#94 The grandparents

#95 Me and Layla on Mohter's day

#96 Cuddle time!

#97 Baby Layla Rose in her swing...so happy!

#86 What we see when we pull away from the house...Bongo guilting us, breaks my heart each time!

#87 Eric you go get 'em tiger

#88 Where's Eric????

#89 THERE HE IS!!!

Thank you is the only prayer you need

So amazing moment  in my life has just happened...I DID MY LAST INJECTION!! HALELUJAH! For the last four years I have been injecting myself, sometimes up to three times a day as part of fertility treatments and then as a way to maintain this pregnancy. It has been a difficult part of our journey, but in a way it was a constant reminder to myself what I was willing to do to have my daughter. I want also to use this as a way to illustrate a point. I have been on this journey with my husband , but also my friends and family have been along for the ups and downs of this whole ride. Many of them have had a different reaction than me, many of you are giddy and excited and gushing and to be honest overwhelming. I am not the kind of person who wears emotions out there for the world to see, I hide vulnerability and share them only with my husband, as a result of this people think that I am not excited or looking forward to being a Mom. Sometimes, I feel judged for not going all gaga over baby stuff and not wanting to join every mom and tots group, I have even been treated to the comment of "do you really want this?" My answer to all those who have thus far questioned my desire or "excitement" of becoming a mother is this, you have no idea what I have been through to become a Mother and what I have given up, what I have gained, what I have learned and what I have overcome to get to this point. I am me, and this is how I am and no one will love this baby as I will love her, and just because I do not want to be all gushy makes me no less than those of you who wear your emotions all out there. Therefore I am grateful for the injections and the medications and the procedures for making me really appreciate the gift of my daughter. I am humbly grateful and thankful for the chance to be a Mother and THAT'S what I am feeling. I am not googoogaga, I am in shock that in a few days I will hold my daughter and I am grateful for the chance and that the rocky road to get here has made me see what a gift I am being given, and not to forget what it took to make this precious baby girl.

I am going into the hospital in 24hrs and the next time I blog my daughter will be here. I have been Lifeclassing it up with Oprah and tonights lesson is to be thankful and I want to say this as well.  I believe that what you put out into the world, you will get back. To be angry, or unforgiving will lead you nowhere, but to be thankful for the opportunity that life gives you is where we need to be. I am learning that, and it is that lesson that has made me so thankful for all the hardships my husband and I have faced because it has changed how we see this pregnancy.
So phew...thats my last rant before baby comes and I probably won't have time for rants for awhile LOL!!

If you want to change your state of being then start to be grateful

More fun with the Camera!!

#80 Birds that are WAY too big to fit in our bird house..pretty but not too bright!

#81 CRAZY robin who keeps coming back every year and dive bombed Eric's head...thats her string she uses for her nest!!



#82 You know it Julie, Eric has a stash for you waiting here when you get here!!



#83 Bongo trying to eat his fourth harness...this is it Mister, if you don't like this one, TOUGH!!

#84 COCOA CLOSE UP!!!!

#85 BONGO CLOSE UP!!!

#77 The first few birdies in the back yard!! YAY!! spring is around the corner!!

# 78 Cocoa testing out the best camp baby gift!! Look how happy she is!! HAHA!!

# 79 Baby Sophia being guarded by her Pops!! Good luck with dating!! HAHA!!

Eric's Hungry!!

#76 This is what happens when I can't cook, Eric eats a WHOLE box of Mac & Cheese!