Merry Christmas

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Dan and I were sick, unfortunately, but Mya had a fabulous time opening presents and playing with her cousins.

What a Stud!!!

Holiday Festivities

It has been a while since I have updated the blog so I need to recap what has been going on in our lives the past month or so. The new baby continues to grow and develop on schedule. We went to a doctor's appointment yesterday and heard the heartbeat. Mya went with us and she was very interested in hearing the heartbeat too. We are still hoping for a delivery date in early June. The Lovenox shots are going well too. Dan gives me my shot in the early morning when I am still half asleep and that has been the best approach ever! I barely feel it and then I roll back over and go to sleep again. I thank God every day for Dan's commitment and willingness to do 9 months worth of shots.

Mya is doing excellent. She is 13 months old now and communicating very well. Yesterday we asked her if she was ready to brush her teeth and she ran to the bathroom, opened her drawer, and handed us her toothbrush and the correct tube of toothpaste. Dan was stunned. It is amazing what she is learning on a daily basis. She is able to say "Dada," "Hi," "Mama," and she can shake her head "no" for things. She can also sign "more" and "milk." Pretty cool!

I titled this one "Holiday Festivities" because November and December seem to go by so quickly due to all the family get togethers. These months are full of holiday fun and fellowship. Even though it can get hectic sometimes we really appreciate all the family that we have close by to us. It is fun seeing everyone over the holidays. I've included some pics from our Thanksgiving get togethers. Hopefully soon we'll get a new camera since ours broke so I can take lots of pictures at Christmas time.

Summer Baby

We found out today that our next baby will be due around June 10th, give or take a few days. We saw the heartbeat today, which was very exciting. We made the choice to deliver the baby in Wooster so we met our new doctor today. She was absolutely wonderful with us. The pregnancy should go smoothly, but there is concern about the timing of the delivery and withdrawing from the Lovonox early enough. If I am on Lovonox I can not have an epidural of any kind, even with a C-section. So the hemotologist will have to take me off of Lovonox in the nineth month of pregnancy in order to prepare for delivery. We just have to hope and pray that I do not delivery very early. If I go early and I am on Lovonox, then they have to wait 12 hours before I can have an epidural. We would like to ask for prayer for the timing of the delivery and for the experience (that it is not quite as traumatic as the last one). We also pray that I don't develop any blood clots after delivery. Hopefully the Lovonox and cumadin will take care of that.

Trick or Treat

We had a very fun Halloween this year. Mya was a fairy princess and wore a beautiful costume. Our brother-in-law's mom made Mya's costume. Then Dan and I took her to a Halloween party and we all dressed up. Mya and I were cheerleaders and Dan dressed as the main character from the T.v. show The Office. The party that we went to was incredible. The food was great and they had blow up equipment for the kids to play on. Mya especially liked dancing to the music. She is a music lover! Dan's favorite was the marshmallows on a stick wrapped in fruit roll ups. My favorite part of the night was the food. Being pregnant I have to eat every couple hours so I really enjoyed the catered food. Fun times!

We have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday this week to find out the due date for our next baby. It should be June or July, but we're not sure how far along we are yet. I'll update the blog when we find out.

Happy 1st Birthday Mya!

Mya will be 1 year old tomorrow (Monday, October 22). We are very excited to experience raising a toddler. She sure is a fun-loving, energetic little girl!

Milestones

I thought I would do an update on Mya and her development. She is walking all over the place now. Congratulations Amie on winning the family bet!!! Her little personality is really shining through. She loves sweets, just like her Daddy and likes to be near someone all the time, just like her Mommy. She is cutting four teeth at the same time so you can imagine how fun that must be (for her and for me). She is very snuggly when she wakes up and when her Daddy comes home from work. She and Dan have long hugs at the end of the day. Mya's cousin Luke has decided to call Mya "Princess" on a regular basis now. It's pretty cute! The best thing that Mya is doing now is talking in long sentences to us but we don't quite understand the language that she is using. It's a combination of German, Chinese, French, and babyese. She is still attached to her binky at night and during naps so we're hoping that she'll stop using it on her own someday soon (wishful thinking, I know). And the best news of all......we can finally put her hair in pigtails!

Dan is running his marathon next Sunday (October 21st). Please pray that he remains healthy for the run and that he is able to complete it in a decent time. He wants to get a better time than his last marathon. I just want him to be safe.

We started the Lovonox injections on Wednesday after seeing the hematologist. Also, we have decided to deliver in Wooster because that is where the hematologist is located. Everything is linked with the Cleveland Clinic, which makes it easier on them because everything is updated in their system and records don't have to be transferred. We have our first appointment with the OBGYN on October 30th so we are excited about that. The injections are going well. It is painful and I don't look forward to it, but there seems to be some extra strength that God has given me to take the shots without complaint. It's really neat because my sister felt led to tell me that I needed to surrender to the pain (she sensed that God was telling her to tell me). That is exactly what is happening. The blood disorder stuff is scary but I do have a strength that can only be from God. I know that we'll make it through all of this just fine. God has a plan!

We're Pregnant!

Dan and I found out that we are pregnant with our second child. Yeah!!! We are not sure how far along we are but it can't be more than a month. We are hoping for a July or August baby. Please pray for the baby's development as I will be taking shots of Lovonox (a blood thinner) twice a day for the entire pregnancy. After having Mya I found out that I have a blood disorder and need to be on a blood thinner during the pregnancy and after delivery. Also, our baby doctor is leaving Ashland and moving to Medina. Pray for wisdom as we decide whether or not to deliver this baby in Medina or closer to home. I'm hoping for Medina because our doctor is awesome and I don't want to switch to someone else. Anyway, it will be a long nine months as we prepare for this baby, but it will definately be worth it! Mya has been such a joy in our lives so we're ready for another bundle of joy.

A Hodge Podge of Things.....

I haven't written in a while so I thought I would update our blog. God continues to work in our lives daily and gives us opportunities to glorify Him in everything that we do. Mya is growing like a weed. She is 19 pounds 7 ounces and appears to be taking after her daddy with her height and long toes and fingers. Right now people say that she is looking like me the most but that changes as she grows. Mya has taken up to 6 walking steps on her own so far. She stands all by herself for minutes at a time. She just needs to develop her confidence to be able to walk across the room. Here's the most recent picture of her in her cheerleading outfit. We like to go to Friday night football games so she can wear her cute outfit.

Dan and I are in the process of deciding whether or not to get a puppy. We have decided that we want a Maltese puppy. They are cute and tiny dogs and they don't shed or smell. I think it would be the perfect puppy for Mya; however, we can't decide on when to get the dog. We can get it now while she is little or wait until she is older and we are in a bigger house. Neither of us can decide on the right timing so we have decided to commit it to prayer for now. We know that God will give us a peace when it is the right timing. Here's a picture of what a Maltese looks like. Isn't he/she adorable!

The only other new thing coming up in our lives is Dan's marathon. He will be running his second marathon on October 21st in Columbus. One of his highschool friends will be coming to Ashland from London where he lives with his wife. He will be running the marathon with Dan and they are both so excited for this experience. The tricky part is that Dan has to come home all in one piece from the marathon because we are throwing Mya's 1 year birthday party that evening for a lot of people and I need him to be functioning okay to help me with the party. Please pray for him and me too!!! Dan originally wasn't going to do the marathon because of Mya's birthday but I signed him up as a surprise. I have faith in him that he'll come home with a lot of energy for a party=)

When Will Mya Walk?

We have a bet going on with Dan's family on when Mya will walk. She has to take 10 steps on her own for someone to win the bet. I wonder who will win? She is at the point now where she stands all by herself for at least 30 seconds before she realizes that she's standing alone and then she plops down on her bottom. She has come so close to taking a step on her own. I don't think it will be too long before she walks. Dan guessed the earliest date of September 15 so he just might be the winner. I made him promise to take me to dinner if he wins the money=) That's fair, isn't it? Mya has become quite a chatty Cathy. She talks up a storm while she is playing with her toys. It's adorable! We can't believe that her first birthday is next month. Time flies when you're having fun!

On a different topic, we had a convicting Sunday school class this morning. We are studying Romans 14 right now, which focuses on the weak and strong in faith as well as the fact that we will be facing judgement when we are on earth and in heaven. Romans 14:8 says "If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." It's so important to focus on how we are conducting our lives on earth. Our teacher talked about how faith is like a muscle and it needs to be worked in order to grow and develop. It is so important to be in the Word and memorize and study scripture to develop faith. I was challenged to increase my "quiet times" with the Lord.

The "Boys"

I wanted to add a picture of my sister's children because they are so darn cute. Luke and Reid are such a delight to be with!

Dan and I had a wonderful evening in Strongsville with Dad and Kim. We went to the Japanese Steakhouse for my birthday dinner and the food was incredible! We had seafood and filet mignon and rice, soup and salad. It was a feast! Then we went shopping, my favorite hobby (and Kim's too!), and got some new clothes for the Fall weather. Finally, we went to Stricklands, our favorite ice cream place ever. They have frozen custard with different flavors every day. It is SOOOOO good! Tomorrow we look forward to resting after church. We've been needing a little down time due to lack of sleep in our household. We decided to take Mya's binky away so that took some time to adjust to. It's not easy being binky free, but she's doing much better now.

Braden Patrick Donatini

Leah and Adam finally had their baby! Yeah!!! He was 7 pounds 5 ounces and 18 inches long. He was born very early in the morning on August 31. Leah and Adam seem to be doing great and enjoying their hospital stay. They look like "naturals" as parents.

Grandpa Jack's surgery

Grandpa pulled through his surgery reall well! He looks great and is in good spirits. We are so grateful that the doctors and nurses did such a great job with him.

No "baby Donatini" yet. Leah is still having contractions but isn't dilating. I'll keep you posted and hopefully have a picture of the baby on the next post. I predicted that the baby would be born on my birthday so today WILL be the day....I hope!

Mya Walks Soon

Mya stood all by herself today for about 10 seconds! If we hold her hands she walks and loves the fact that she is more mobile. Any day now she'll take her first step. I pray that Dan is home from work when this happens. Today we had a fun day at Dan's parents' house for my birthday lunch. Mya and I watched Dan practice his golf swing in their front yard with his brother. Adam was trying to work with him on his golf game, which was quite comical. Dan's mom describes him as Adam Sandler on Happy Gilmore. You know when Adam Sandler takes a running leap towards the golf ball and swings with full force. Yep, that's my husband! Well, that might be an exaggeration, but with his muscular body it is pretty cute watching him learn how to play golf. Dan has to play golf with his boss in September so he's gearing up for that day. That should be interesting!
Grandpa Jack's surgery is tomorrow morning at 8 AM so we will be thinking about him and praying for him. Also, my sister-in-law, Leah, will deliver her child any day now. Hopefully we'll have a little newphew sometime this week. She is due on Tuesday but she's having contractions today. I don't think that her "basketball" belly can get much bigger!

Baby Mya

I thought I would take a fun trip down memory lane today and look back at Mya's newborn pictures. She was so tiny! She was 7 pounds 11 ounces and so snuggly! Anyway, here are some pictures of her in the hospital.

On a different note, we would like to ask for prayer for Dan's grandfather, Jack. He will be undergoing surgery Monday morning for an abdominal aortic aneurism. We just pray that he does well through the surgery and that his recovery is smooth.

First Entry

Well, here is our first entry on our very first blog. I thought I would use it to update everyone on our daughter, Mya Grace. She is 10 months old already, can you believe it? Mya is such a joy in our lives. Let me catch you up on her milestones so far. Occasionally we have heard her actually say the words "uh oh" and "thank you." We are starting to introduce her to sign language to help her develop her verbal language. So far she can sign "more" with a little guidance from me. She crawls very well even though she resorts to a modified crawl sometimes that looks interesting. She extends her right leg and bends her left leg. Its like a half of a bear crawl. She is very ready to take off walking any day now. She has a new toy from her cousin Bella that she loves to use to walk around the entire house. She is very happy to be mobile. She eats really well and so far likes everything we've given her. Mya has quite the personality. She is happy just about all the time except when she's hungry or tired. She smiles a lot and its a gorgeous smile! We just love her to pieces!


I'll update you on the rest of the family too. Dan is loving his new job at Dr. Bernhard's facility. He is thriving there and enjoying the environment that he works in. The employees are very nice. I've been able to exercise at the facility and have gotten to know the employees too. What a blessing to exercise at the place where my husband works. Its fun to see him during the day. We don't have any animals anymore. Gracie, our dog, had to be put to sleep last summer because she bit a child that I was babysitting. That was not an easy thing to go through. Our cat has been bothering the neighbors so he is living in a foster home. Anyone need a Riley cat? Anyway, its quiet around here without animals, but we're going to wait until we have a bigger house someday with a different location before we get another dog. I have had the luxury of being a stay at home mom since Mya was born. I will continue to do this as well as work a little from home. I have linked up with a professional who has me doing secretarial work for her and I love doing this. I continue to seek God's guidance on what career I might return to once our children are in school full time. I know that He'll reveal that to me in due time.

`