. . . Moments that take your Breath away . . .

5 years ago today . . .

Love you honey!!!!

. . . I married the love of my life . . . We have experienced so much in our 5 years together. I know we have had our ups and downs, but I could not of imagined my life any other way. I love our runs, hikes, moments over coffee; nights in front of the t.v. and talks about the future. I love every bit of our life together and cant wait to see what the next 5 years will hold. Thank you honey, for all that you give me. Kaydance and I are the luckiest two girls in the world.

She loves you too!

3 months old!!!

Disclaimer: Well this is a couple of days early, but I have time now to write it and do not want to forget come Friday.

My lil' darlin . . . what a month you have had!!! You were in your first wedding and looked beautiful doing it! Your Auntie Cella and Uncle Johnny looked wonderful, but I thought you stole the show :) Your Auntie Lindsey and Uncle Nick got married so you made your first trip to Laguna Beach. You touched sand for the first time and met your cousin Henry while there. You two got along wonderfully and are well on the road to being best cousins for life!

Milestones:

• You notice people so well now. You track those you love the most, interact with babies and smile constantly. One of my favorite moments so far was yesterday morning. I walked into your room to get you out of your crib and you blessed me with the LARGEST smile.
• You are officially sleep trained and nap trained. This was one of the hardest things this mommy has ever done, but you took to it well.
• You are literally seconds from laughing, you make little goo noises now, but have yet to get the chuckle behind it.
• You are officially a string-bean . . . you are 10lbs. and some odd ounces, but measure over 25" long.
• You eyes remain blue as of now and the rest of your hair has begun to come in and it remains a true RED!
• During tummy-time, you hold yourself up so well and have begun to get your "back into it." I can't wait for you to roll and to crawl . . . months from now, I know . . .
• You are sleeping in your crib for all sleep times now. Your noisy breathing has begun to clear up, just like they said it would.
• You dance in the bath and it truly is your favorite time of day!
• Although you are still consistently in NB sizes, your legs prove to be a bit of a problem. You should be in 6mo. close due to your length, but NB sizes fit your little waist. This will prove to be interesting later on in life. Mostly for your daddy, I am sure . . . a long-legged beauty queen is all a dad ever dreams of having ;)

I love you my dear, you are the light of our world and can't wait for all the wonderful moments to come. Happy 3 mo. birthday sweetie!!!

A runnin we will go . . .

A few weeks ago, I read a friend's blog and was inspired. I have been a runner for years. I had to stop running around the 6 month mark while pregnant. I have been a bit sparatic with my workouts since Kaydance was born. I do my daily crunches and push-ups, but running has kinda taken a backseat. Part of the reason is because to REALLY get back into it, I need more than an hour between naps to truly get what I need out of a run. Right now, Kaydance is on a 3-4 nap schedule, with an hour wake-time. Thus, my morning running window is in-between her first and second nap. But, with only an hour and needing a couple of good weeks to really get my pace a crackin . . . an hour really is not long enough. But, I always say that running begins with consistency. So that is what we are doing right now. Running to establish routine. We will work on the distance in the future.

Truly, what I would LOVE is a spin bike. I could do that in-doors and help with my endurance and give me a kick-butt workout on the days that running is not possible. To be honest, it would probably take over running altogether. But, a good spin bike costs around $400 on craigslist last I checked. So . . . . running we will go. Stay tuned, I will update you from time to time on this mommy's quest to get this butt back in shape!

Kaydance is pumped and ready to go!!!

Tomorrow . . .

Tomorrow I drive to L.A. Tomorrow I leave Oakhurst with two babies and a friend to drive to L.A. Tomorrow, I prepare myself for a six hour drive that could be caroled in by the sweet cadence of two babies snoring or God help us, two babies screaming. Tomorrow I leave to spend some much needed time with my cousin who is visiting from Germany with her hubby and son. But above all else, tomorrow I leave to help my sister prepare for her wedding.

Wrapping my brain around the idea that my little sister is getting married and NOT running down the hall in diapers, determined to wrap herself around my leg, has been something I have been putting off. I know that she is 26 years old and has been an adult for sometime, but I think my paradigm has yet to be fully altered and re-focused on the truth. I know that it has a lot to do with me not wanting to see the truth for what it is. But as the eldest of three, seeing my sister get married will be one of the happiest moments, but at the same time hardest moments that I will probably go through.

You see, she is marrying a wonderful man, who will treat her right, challenge her to be a better woman and direct her down the right path in life. I truly could not imagine a better man for the job of my sister's husband. He has all the necessary abilities to do the job well. He is quiet when my sister is loud. He is focused when she is flustered. He is a leader when my sister needs to follow. He is laid back when my sis needs to chill out. He really balances her out in ways that a good husband should.

Knowing she is marrying the right man and that she will live a life full of laughter and constructive growth, makes October 10th a good day. However, knowing that on that morning, she will be dressing up for her wedding and not some party . . a tear will pass. My little sister has truly grown up into a wonderful, beautiful, professional woman. I am proud of her. I love her. So tomorrow I will drive to L.A. to watch my sister experience the best day of her life and marry the man she loves.

Marcella and Johnny get married!!!

Marcella and Johnny got married this past weekend. It was a beautiful San Diego day that felt more like summer, less like fall. From the champagne in the bridal sweet to the moss on the dessert table, the day was perfection. Marcella did a beautifully classy job of making her big day, elegant, chic and a little bit country.

Kaydance made her first trip to San Diego this past Wednesday. Other than a brief stint . . . she slept the entire way and did not utter a peep. I was so proud to be her mommy. So many compliments were given and she allowed mommy and daddy to have a good time too. What a wonderful weekend it turned out to be!

2 months old!

So this is a tad late . . . sorry baby girl!!!! You are two months old and have already taken two trips down south, one for Auntie Lindsey bridal shower and another, this past weekend for Auntie Cella and Uncle Johnny's big day!!!! Your becoming a world traveler already. We love you lil darlin!

Your smiles are contagious and we love to watch you dance in the bath. You are still on the small side of the spectrum, wearing NB sizes still. However, you have grown in length and it is becoming more and more clear, you will take after your Auntie Cella. Tummy-time proves that you are strong and determined to keep your head up and move those little arms. You stop traffic where ever you go with your big blue eyes and beautiful red hair. We can't wait to see all the wonderful things you accomplish over this next month.

A trip to Yosemite . . .

A monumental event took place this past Saturday. My husband and I took Kaydance to Yosemite for the first time. It was also the first time I had been on a true hike since Kaydance was born. We took Jamie and her little Kaia as well. Both of us have been so stir crazy, a trip out into the fresh air was in order. The weather this past weekend was truly OUTSTANDING. Everything was perfect and I can't wait to go back.

We picked up Jamie and Kaia at 1:00, after Michel got off of work. We went to Mariposa Grove first, where we hiked around 3 miles. Hiking Mariposa Grove was special to me because that is where I went on Kaydance's due date. It was nice to bring her to this place for her first hike with the family.

After Mariposa Grove, we went to Wawona Hotel and concluded our day in Yosemite at Glacier Point. We found out on the way up to Glacier that it was Jamie's first time up there. This was special to us because one of our favorite things to do is bring people to Yosemite for the first time. All in all it was a wonderful day. We were able to introduce Kaydance to an activity that will become a huge part of her little life. She rode the BOB like a champ and never fussed. I am looking forward to our many trips to come with our little Kaydance. What a blessing it will be to all of us.

You're a month old, lil' darlin

I cant believe that a month and two days ago, you were born. Time sure does fly. You have accomplished many things in your short time with us. You have been such an incredible blessing to us and we are so thankful for the gift that you are. God blessed us with a beautiful daughter who brings smiles to our faces daily. We love you lil' darlinKaydance.

Milestones:

- You do pretty good holding your head up. It is still a bit wobbly and Uncle Nick wont hold you yet because of it, but you are getting there.

- You smiled for the first time yesterday. What a beautiful smile it is.

- From day one, you have slept through the night with only one wake-up around 3:30 to eat. You do so quickly and go back to sleep without any issues.

- You are a wonderful eater and I love our special time together.

- Bath-time and Tummy-time have become less of a negative experience and more a positive one. We love this time with you.

- We find out this Friday how much you weigh, but I am guessing around 10 pounds, which is perfect.

- We love our hands and legs even if we are not quite sure what they are.

- You love little kisses from mommy and daddy . . . it lights up your eyes.

We love you darlin and can't wait for many more wonderful milestones in the future!

Car repairs and Bridal Showers . . . Yeah!

This weekend, Kaydance, Shelby and I drove to L.A. for Lindsey's bridal shower. While driving to L.A. my car started to make strange noises and loose power. Mind you, it is almost midnight at this point and we are in the middleof the Grapevine. We pulled over to get gas and I prayed that we would make it home without anymore issues. Sure enough, it worked. We made it home without any problems. The next morning, we drove the car to the GMC dealership in West Covina to be looked at. Please note that we were 350 miles away from our warrantee being up. So we thought it imperative to get it in down here instead of waiting until we got back to Fresno.We were following my father when my car lost all power again and the brakes went out. I had to use the e-brake on the 10 fwy, in bumper to bumper traffic and sandwiched between two semi-trucks. Not an ideal situation, but at least my father was with us. We got the car toed to the dealership and were told that the a/c compressor needed to be replaced and that after that, they would take a look at the brakes.

So here we are, 4 days later and we found out that it will be at least 3 more days before we will be able to get the car. Needless to say, it was a crazy experience for myself, let alone my 3 week old daughter.

The reason we came down was for my sister's bridal shower which was amazing. I cried like 12 times and Kaydance was "cooed" over and held by everyone. We had a great time and was able to forget about the car situation for a couple of hours. We are lucky to have a warrantee that will cover the a/c compressor, but the brakes are completely different. Pray that it is a small issue and will not completely deplete our already dwindling savings account. I am all for keeping positive, but seriously, loosing a job, weddings, hospital bills and now this

makes for a very expensive summer and end of this year. Oh and we have only hit the middle of August . . .

I'm 2 weeks old!!!!

The past two weeks have been nothing short of the best two weeks of my life. Since Kaydance danced into out lives, life has taken on a different meaning. Many gave us advice over the 10 months that we were pregnant. Most were something like, "Get sleep now, you will never sleep again." Another "favorite" was, "go see as many movies and go out as much as you possible can now, because once she comes, you will never be able to do it again." Advice that I "received" was more negative than positive and both Michel and I began to wonder why people have children to begin with, if all the advice they can give you is dripping with negativity. Regardless of the advice given, both Michel and I knew that having her, was orchestrated by God and would be nothing but the most amazing time of our lives.

After 31 hours of labor, our time in the hospital was perfect. We could not of asked for a more perfect time. We were given the suite at St. Agnes and because of this, Michel and I were guaranteed that we would not have a roommate and Michel would be able to stay with Kaydance and I for as long as we were there. Our time there was so great, there have been times that I have wished that we were there again.

Kaydance has hit many milestones. She aced her hearing test while in the hospital. She did excellent at her one week appointment. She sleeps like a champ at night and eats wonderfully. She has reached her birthweight in the time allotted. She sleeps in her crib at night with no real issues. She has had her fussy moments, but overall, she is a very low-needs baby and is easily pleased. She has had many first-time visits around town. She went to the coffee shop yesterday, has gone to church and went to the lake today for Carli's birthday party. We are having a blast and can't wait for many more first-time experiences.

So, even though, we were given advice like, "Sleep now, because you will never sleep again," I believe that what should of been said is, "Although you might loose a few hours of sleep here and there, the moments that you will share will make up for it 100 times over." I would give up every sleepless moment to have just one of the new experiences I have had as Kaydance's mother. What a blessing we have been given . . .

My first Sunday Dress

This dress was made for showing off . . . .

She was obviously thrilled . . . .

. . . a bit of a sneak peek . . .

. . . a couple of moments that took our breath away . . . .

. . . perfect . . .

More pictures to come in a few days, but here are a couple teasers . . .

. . . "You have never seen her run . . . she dances"

On July 23rd at 1:17 am, our lil darlin Kaydance, danced into our world.

At 6:00 pm, on July 21, I told my husband that I had been having mild contractions that were 5 minutes or so a part all day. I also mentioned that it was not enough to really get excited about, but that if they got stronger, we would need to call Alex, our doula. I went to bed a 10:00, knowing by that time that we were in for it and there was not going to be any sleeping for me. By midnight, we had called Alex and she got to my house at 12:30 am, now the 22nd of July.

Here is where the real fun began . . . The goal was to labor at home until I was at 6cm., go to the hospital, spending transition with them and deliver lil' Kaydance into this world. This however, is NOT how it went . . . not at all. By 6:00 in the morning, Alex had been at my house for 6 hours and I had been laboring at a pretty decent pace and intensity for 9 hours. My water broke and I thought, ok, here we go, maybe things will finally progress beyond the 3 cm. I had been stuck at for the past 6 hours. I was checked at 9, knowing it was a one shot deal and that Alex would not be able to check me again. I was STILL at 3cm. but Michel had called our Doc, who advised us to go down, not because our water broke, but because rooms were being filled and we should probably claim one before we end up laboring in the hall.

After a stressful, anxiety-filled and PAINFUL ride to Fresno, we got to the hospital and into room 619.

Lets back track for a second and cover some crucial ground. The ONLY reason we had a room was because of our friend Tina. She is a nurse there and had called ahead to reserve a room for us. Otherwise, I would of ended up in the P.I.T. laboring with 5 other women. That would NOT of been ideal at all.

Ok, back to entering room 619 . . . I was checked, found out I was at a 4, finally and got hooked up to our monitors, introduced to Monique who was OUTSTANDING and began the LLLOOONNGGG haul that was my labor in the hospital.

At this time, it was 1:00 in the afternoon, I was having decent "on of pain scale of 0 being nothing at all and 10 being 'I might be dying right now,'" 5 type contractions and a horrible laboring companion had entered my room. My legs began to cramp so bad, they soon become the absolute WORST part of my entire laboring process. For the next 11 hours, I went through contractions, laboring positions, checks, a HORRIBLE nurse change . . . we wont even get into that, but I was definitely handicapped by my legs.

My doctor had entered the picture around 8:00 that night, when I was at an 8 and moving closer to a 9. He checked me at 8:30 and told me I was almost there. This was FANTASTIC news, because at this point, my legs had absolutely NOTHING left.

Now let me brag a bit about my husband. This entire time, Michel had been with me every step of the way. Every contraction, he went through it with me. Alex and Michel were an amazing team. They held me in positions that were so painful for me, because of my legs, for ridiculous amounts of time. Michel became my "Temple-Jesus," and coached me every step of the way. There is NO way at all, I would of made it without him. Alex, our doula, was such an amazing asset to us. She advocated for me at times that I could not, she encouraged me to keep going, when I could not, and she got me to get into positions that I never would of been able to get into, to help me get to that next point of my labor. Both Michel and Alex should win the lottery for what they did for myself and my daughter. They are truly ROCKSTARS!

At 9:00, we began pushing . . . at 12:00, I found myself seeing July 22nd passing us by and knowing that at this point, I had nothing left in me and the horrible realization that I may not be able to deliever my daughter the way I wanted to, set in. Dr. G. comes in, takes one look at what my nurse had done . . . she had "stretched" me during each pushing stage I had gone through. I was now so swollen, my tissue had become almost non-elastistic. Something needed for the pushing stage of laboring. He also looked at me and i told him, I was pretty sure I was done and this was it for me. He does not preform c-sections. He believes in being as natural as possible, which I had done up until this point. I had eaten my own food, drank my own water, labored at home for as long as possible, gone through 28 hours of labor without drugs of any kind . .. but at this point, a c-section had become a strong contender and both Dr. G. and I were letting this sink in a bit. He looked at Michel, myself and Alex and said, " there is one other option . . . we could use the vacuum." He also went on to say that it would require me mustering up EVERYTHING that I had in me, and focus that into the next 30 minutes of pushing. At this point I also knew that tearing was inevitable.

For the next 30 minutes, we pushed harder than we ever had before, my mother walked the rom praying and interceding, Dr. G. maneuvered the vacuum expertly and Michel and Alex coached me into delivering our beautiful Kaydance. When she came out, I was so shocked that we had actually done it, that it took me a second to realize who was on my chest. Other than a cone-shaped head that rivaled many a baby, our little red-head was absolutely gorgeous.

Kaydance Musacchio was born at 1:17 am on July 23rd. She was 8lbs., 3oz., 22 in. long and absolutely perfect in every way. I would do all 31 hours without a doubt, hands down if that is what it took for us to meet our daughter. She has been nothing but perfect for the first few days of her life and I am so in LOVE with everything that is our lil' Kaydance. We thank the Lord every night for what He has given us and are truly . . . blessed . . .

When's that BAABBY Due?!?!?

. . . today actually . . .

However, here I sit, Kaydance still nice and cozy in my womb. I did my very best today, to persuade her to get a move on.

Today, my dad, mother, husband, Paulie and I went to Yosemite National Park. Our goal: hike to the top of the Giant Redwood Loop to see the Fallen Tunnel Tree. Total, my mother and I hiked 5 miles. 2.1 miles up and I mean STRAIGHT up and 2.9 miles down. We took a detour to see some other trees, helping us meet our 5 mile goal.

As I tromped through the wonderful Redwoods, I found many a tourist looking at me with a awry gaze. One said, "Move over Henry, she's due today . . ." as if my water was going to break right there and take him out. Another onlooker commented, "It looks as if she is gonna have that baby at any moment." I find this funny, because earlier in the day, a wonderful woman looked at me with amazement when she learned that my due date was today and not 4 weeks from now, as she had silently deduced from my rotund form. Needless to say, I was entertaining to watch . . . Oh yeah, and STILL pregnant.

4th of July Happiness . . .

Grizzley's Game on the 4th . . .

Michel not too Happy with picture taking time . . . "It is baseball time, Talitha, not picture time . . . "

Let's hear it for cooperation!

39 weeks pregnant at the Grizzley's Game . . . man it was HOT!

Stick a fork in me, I am DONE!

Here are some sausage toes to prove it . . .

37 weeks and GROWING . . .

At 37 weeks and 4 days, I was told that I am 40% effaced, but not dilated at all. To put it in the words of Dr. G., "the door is still shut." "I will be shocked if you have less than two weeks before Kaydance's arrival." He believed this so much, that I have my next appointment in two weeks as opposed to the usual one week. One disturbing bit of information that was given to me . . . Dr. G. seems to think that Kaydance is around 6lbs. at this point. At gaining a half a pound a week, she best make her appearance close to her due date. I really, really do not want to have a larger baby on my hands. My cousin can have those honors . . . no need to share. ;)

Life Changes . . . We Move Forward

Olmstead Point, Yosemite National Park . . . 9 months pregnant

WOW! It has been a while. With school ending and major changes occurring, it left little room for blogging. The first of many changes and probably the largest, is as of May 29th, I was no longer employed. The school I had been working for had to make some major changes financially in order to survive the current economic conditions. We knew that unless some major changes had occurred, the lay-offs would begin. As a staff, we decided to wait until the very end of school to find out rather or not lay-offs would be needed. Many donations were given to the school, but in the end, it was not enough to save some from being let go. I was one of those that were chosen and it has been nothing short of a roller-coaster of emotions since.

I know that God has a plan for our lives. It is hard to understand why it will not include being a teacher at a school that I love and believe in. I know that in January, when I need to have found another job, God is going to give us a job that meets these three things. The first, it will be a job that I believe in, not something that will just bring in money. The second, a job that is close, as Kaydance will be 6 months old by then and I would like to be close to her. The third, a job that provides insurance for our daughter and ourselves. I know that our God loves to answer the cries of our hearts and that this is nothing new for Him. Trusting, believing and having FAITH, is our job and daily, I find myself checking my heart, making sure that I am not wavering.

The other "large" life changing event, is I am currently nine months pregnant and we eagerly await our daughter, Kaydance's, arrival. We pass her room every morning and find ourselves imagining what a month of time will bring. I believe that things that seemed so large, will dwindle in comparison to our new roles as parents. Many have said that loosing my job, could very well be a blessing in disguise. Through the loss of my job, I have already received one precious gift. I will be able to stay home three months longer than we had originally planned. Instead of having to return to work in October, I now am able to stay at home until January. What a blessing it will be to have those three extra months.

9 months pregnant in Mammoth Lakes, California

I ask that those of you that read this, be in prayer and agreement that the right job will come at precisely the right time. Also, pray for both Michel and I as we step into this new phase of our lives, trusting and applying the principles of Faith, will be essential in this process.

Unexpected Blessings . . .

I think that it must be common for soon to be, first-time parents to stress about, "Where it all is gonna come from?!?!?" This feeling of doubt, I have had to combat with who I know my God is and what He is capable of doing, my entire 31 years. I am blessed to be a product of a home that truly lived by faith in that VERY capable God. On a daily basis, my parents reminded me of what faith is and how we ought to live "in it." This life-lesson is one that I WILL teach my daughter. I hope to do so in the same way that my parents did, through their actions and not by words alone.

I believe that God not only wants to give us the necessities in life, but also bless us with the "I really don't need that item, but how cool would it be if we got it," type of item. I usually fight these blessings with the "are you sure?" and "really?" feelings and comments.

Since being pregnant, I have really had to "turn my receiver on." My mother uses that phrase all the time and I find it applicable to our lives more and more often these days. I have learned that the receiver is not the only one being blessed. The giver is also blessed by Him because of their obedience. To ask the "are you sure" and "really?" questions, only cheapens those blessings and I would be so bold to say that by doing so, you are not walking in faith and obedience with Him.

Today, I have been dealing with my own inner-struggles with finances, life, future and all that comes with being 33 weeks pregnant. Questions like, "Where are we going to get that money," "What kind of parent will I be" and "I barely have time to spend with my husband now, how are we going to do so when our child is born," have been swilling in my head all day long. I find that my husband has been struggling with the same questions today and we are in the middle of talking about these very questions, when a good friend pulls up. Out of his truck he brings a gift. This is not just any gift . . . you receive all kinds of wonderful items when you are expecting, but there are some that you register for and HOPE and PRAY that you are able to purchase them some day. As Michel opens his eyes, he sees this:

Our Kelty back pack!

There really was no way that we would of ever been able to purchase this. I registered for it out of faith, beliveing that this very "it is not needed but would be so cool if we had it" gift, would be given to us when the time was right. Seriously, his timing could not of been more perfect. Just as we were questioning where money was going to come from, He blesses us with a truly OUTSTANDING gift. It was almost as if I could actually here Him saying, "see if I can give you this, just you wait and see what I have up my sleeve for the next blessing."

Drum Roll Please . . .

my talented husband made this to surprise me on Mother's Day!

Yes folks, we finally "officially" named our daughter . . . Kaydance. The name was originally thought of because of the very musical influences that are on the Cleveland side of the family. I wanted a name that would honor that side, considering my dad had all girls and no one to pass the surname down to. So Kaydance, normally spelled Cadence, was thrown into the list of possible names.

There are multiple meanings for the word Kaydance.

a melodic configuration or series of chords marking the end of a phrase, section, or piece of music

Balanced, rhythmic flow

A progression of chords moving to a harmonic close, point of rest, or sense of resolution

a rhythm or rhythmic construction in verse or prose

the melodic rhythm that keeps a song moving

These are just a few of my favorite definitions . . .