Dear friends, I want to share my immense joy with you as we welcome our new little daughter Lola Olivia into our family. She arrived on Thursday evening at 9:52 pm weighing in at 6 pds 5 ounces, 20 inches long, and sporting lots of dark gorgeous hair. Nathan and I are completely overwhelmed with love for our princess, we’ve waited for her for so long, and it was a very rough pregnancy/delivery. Thankfully our girl is here safe and sound, and beautiful!

Our four boys have been dotting on her and loving her up so much. They are over the moon to have a sister of their very own. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support through my pregnancy, many of you got me through these months and I’ll never forget it. I hope to be back to Boutique Cafe very shortly, but in the meantime I’m wrapped up in Lola and enjoying each moment of her first few days. I’ll share a link to see more and more pics of our Lola, I’ll be adding more so feel welcome to stop by and gush with me over her.

With love and thanks,
Daria, Nathan
The boys & Lola Olivia

Lola Olivia on Flickr>>

Tomorrow is an exciting one that I’d love to share with all my Boutique Cafe buddies. I’ll be going to an ultrasound in the morning, and hoping to not only see a happy healthy little bundle – but also find out if we are expecting PINK OR BLUE!!

Obviously we’re hoping for PINK since we already have four strapping boys, and I’m severely outnumbered. But we’ll be thrilled either way, a baby is just such a beautiful blessing. So everyone stay tuned, and cross your fingers that our little baby will cooperate with the ultrasound tech and show themselves. LOL!

Cheers and thanks for your support and friendship! – Daria

Yes, it’s true. Nathan and I are expecting baby #5 at the end of December (and yes it was a BIG surprise to us). I’m still trying to wrap my head around the impending big belly, sleepless nights and all of that. After our miscarriage last fall I really thought that I was done, Really I just felt that was it, but this little person has other plans so I’m excited to meet him (or her).

Sadly I’ve been bedridden, hospital prone and severely dehydrated from a pregnancy condition called HyperEmesis Gravidarum. It’s actually quite a series condition, there’s even a website you can check out at http://www.helpher.org which says:

“HG is a debilitating and potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease marked by rapid weight loss, malnutrition, and dehydration due to unrelenting nausea and/or vomiting with potential adverse consequences for the newborn(s).”

And it’s all true! I’ve been so sick, weak, tired, and losing weight rapidly. 12 pounds so far! This has caused me to need to pull back on alot of obligations over the past month or so, I’ve just had no choice. Thankfully I have an amazing family who have dropped their lives to rush to my aid and take care of me and my kiddos. I also have my Nathan who has been like a dream hubby, jumping in with both feet and taking care of all things children and housekeeping. I’m lucky to have such a great man, his Mom taught him well. Needless to say that the past 6-8 weeks or so have been trying and really tough to get through…sniff sniff. I’m hoping as I enter my 2nd trimester that my HyperEmesis will let up a bit and allow me to live a more normal existence but HyperEmesis tends to last the entire 9 months for me. In the meantime I spend most of my time in bed, in pjs, and catching up on every show on tv. ugggh! I miss feeling like me.

So that’s my big news, there’s a little baby on the way but I’m not quite in the excited phase right now. I’m more in the bitter, resentful because I’m so ill phase. Maybe some bloggy friends encouragement will give me the boost I need! XOXO – Daria

Dear Boutique Cafe Readers,
Well it’s time to break the ice and share our excitement with the blogosphere – we’re having a baby!! Some may be surprised to hear this news, I believe I have professed being DONE for awhile now. What can I say? Things change and I couldn’t be any more thrilled that our family is growing. I’ve always dreamed of a big family, I adore children so this is super joyful for us. We had been seriously looking into adoption this year, and are still on that course as well at this point (we have an interview/meeting last week). So potentially we could be adding two children into our family within the year! (that’s 6 kids for those who were trying to count it)

At this point we’re only a mere 8 weeks (judging from the dates we have), that would put us with a June 23rd Due Date. I’ll definitely update that should any stats push us back or forward a week or so.

So now comes the harder part, I haven’t had a great track record when it comes to pregnancy. With my four boys I was pretty much sick 24/7 the entire 9 months. I’m hoping for some reprieve this time around, but just in case I get weak and weepy I am lucky enough to have a tremendous support system in our extended family. I feel confident that I’ll be able to get through these months and have a healthy little bundle to love. The comment keeps coming up about whether I’m hoping for a girl, and the answer is….I’m considering myself expecting a boy until I hear otherwise! LOL! Our track record shows that testosterone is prevalent in our little gene pool so I’m thinking blue, and if pink creeps in there then I’ll be OVER THE MOON!

A cool thing about this whole expecting experience is that my sister-in-law Liz is also having a baby around the same time. Our little darlings with be born likely in the same month and I can’t tell you how thrilling it will be to have a little buddy cousin that is their exact age! I’m kind of scared to be pregnant next to her though, she always has the cutest little preggo belly and looks fantastic. I’m worried that I may just reach whale status this time around!! ROTFL. However many pounds I gain, I’m very grateful and know that we’re very blessed. Thank you for your support and excitement for us, it means so much! – Daria

Do you listen in to The Savvy Organizer podcast? Our Savvy host Maja is on Baby Watch this week, and could really use some good vibes sent her way. Please stop by The Savvy Organizer and post an encouraging comment for my dear friend and podcast partner Maja.

Keep watching for updates about when the stork drops off her new little bundle!

Back in August, 2007 we reviewed the popular line of Oh Mama! snack bars. The bars, created by a mother of three with a Masters of Health Science in Health Policy and Management and experience in maternal and child health, are all natural and complement your prenatal vitamins without running the risk of over supplementing. They also include DHA and omega-3 fatty acids. Impressive! Now the same care and attention that goes into Oh Mama!’s snack bars is in Oh Mama!’s latest product, their Ginger Ale Elixir.

This new Elixir is definitely not your typical ginger ale. This sleek and portable drink is specifically designed to help alleviate specific symptoms of morning sickness and soothe the stomach during pregnancy. To do so the drink is infused with nature’s top-three nausea calming ingredients: ginger, lemon and vitamin B6. It’s also fortified with 100% RDA of folic acid. Check the label on your 2-liter of ginger ale. You’ll find carbonated water, citric acid and caramel coloring but no ginger, no lemon, no vitamin B6 and definitely no folic acid. Perhaps the theory that typical ginger ale soothes stomachs is from back when you could actually find ginger in it!

Because I’m done with the morning sickness thing (whew!) I could only test the drink for its taste. I actually enlisted my kids’ help in taste testing as well. After my 8-year-old made sure she wouldn’t “turn pregnant” from drinking the Elixir, we all took a sip…and then took a few more sips. Everyone, including myself, thought it tasted just like ginger ale and one daughter thought it tasted even better. I had to agree with her. Oh Mama! Ginger Ale Elixir with its nausea-calming ingredients and folic acid was a big hit! Perhaps the company should start offering it in a 2-liter size. We could all use some stomach soothing after a stressful day at work or crazy day at home, right?

With its great taste and stomach soothing abilities, Oh Mama! Ginger Ale Elixir is a must-have for expectant moms with morning sickness. You already have a lot to worry about during those first couple trimesters (which carrier to buy, how many onesies you’ll need, just how you’ll survive on 4 hours of sleep)…morning sickness shouldn’t be one of them! –Emily

At baby&momma you can “shop ’til you pop” and then some! The company has some really fun tees for pregnant bellies and babies. Their maternity tees are a cotton/spandex blend so they are really soft and have great stretch. I was able to check out their “Who’s Your Mommy?” maternity tee, and though it’s about 10 months too late for me to actually wear this cute t-shirt, the fabric and cut made it easy to believe it when baby&momma claims their tees “can stretch over even the largest of pregnant bellies.”

baby&momma’s maternity line has some really great sayings like “I’m with my Inner Child” and “Our future lies within.” And let’s not forget their cute onesies for newborns. Though sized 0-3 months, the company says they’re sized large and can fit most babies 3-6 months (100% cotton–no spandex in these babies so they will shrink slightly when washed). My faves from their onesie line are “Are you really my relatives?” and “Notify the press: I have arrived.”

If you’re looking to add a fun, new tee to your maternity wardrobe or a fun baby shower gift for a friend, visit baby&momma’s website. You’re sure to find something cute and comfy! –Emily

** Giveaway! baby&momma is giving away one of their “clone” infant onesies! Please leave a comment with a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: May 28th (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

* Congratulations to Tara R., the winner of our baby&momma giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!

If you’re a Mama with “Great Expectations” the most recent giveaway, on A Mom In Red High Heels blog is sure to make you smile. One lucky winner is going to win an Expecting Mama Prize worth over $300.

For full contest details Click here to visit A Mom In Red High Heels site >> and leave a comment. There are several ways to get extra chances to win.

You’ll love this Giveaway, including the adorable mama lisa tee from georgie tees and much much more!!

Thanks for letting us share this extra special giveaway with all of you! We love this blog and know that you will too.