Category Archives: Family

Adios 2014

December 31, 2014

Talk about a crazy year!!!!

Some 2014 highlights:

January
-We found out I was pregnant (unplanned) in the end of January, that alone was a whirlwind of emotions.
– We took the family to Disneyland for an early birthday present for Pella

February
-Pella turned 4!

April
– I turned 29
– Found out I was pregnant with a baby BOY!

May
-Got myself a new minivan!
-Got a bunny for the kids

June
– Nick took his motorcycle to Born Free 6

August
-We took the kids to San Diego for a family vacation
-Pella started Transitional Kindergarten

September
-Nick turned 36

October
– Had to say goodbye to my French Bulldog Lola, she was 10 years old.
– Gave birth to Nicholas

November
-Orla turned 1
– Had our first Thanksgiving in our home with family

December
-Nick completed the construction of his new shop in our back yard

I tried to pick 12 photos 1 for  every month, but that was impossible so heres some of my favorites photos of 2014

2015 Goals
I am looking forward to getting back in shape this year, and push myself to stay motivated and healthy.  I am also making it a point to not use my cell phone/social media as much,  and give the kids more one on one attention. I want to work on myself, and my lack of patience I have at times. Looking forward to having Nick home a few days a week, so definitely going to make it a point to sit down and have dinner as a family on those nights. I want to give back more this year, whether it be via donations or my time. I want to blog and write more this year. I feel like these all are realistic goals, and may seem like a lot, but I think I can tackle these….

Happy New Year everyone, I wish everyone the best year ever!

A day in our bubble.

December 3, 2014

Let me start off by saying I’ve known Joy from Wildflower Photos for several years now. We first met when I opened my childrens store in Thousand Oaks, when she approached me with some opportunities with her business which I was very happy to support. She printed me HUGE beautiful photo of her baby Gracie “drooling” for my shop, since my shop was called “DROOL”
 From there we continued to support each others businesses!. She was the FIRST person I opened up too when I found out I was pregnant with Pella. It was a total “being at the right place at the right time” as she walked into my shop with her baby on her hip. I had just taken my first pregnancy test ever, walking out of my bathroom in tears, she consoled me when I felt so terrified, and scared. Being pregnant for the first time and being only  24 years old, I was a wreck.  When I had Pella, back in 2010, I always looked up to Joy for inspiration and drive. Shes an amazing woman, and will always have a “special” place with me.
 Every photo shes taken for me, and my family is cherished , her talent is beyond words, and I’m so grateful to have been able to have her in our home and shoot our family in our natural realm. We opted to do this kind of shoot bc there is nothing more real then the everyday routine and moments we as a family share in our home. Thank you Joy for always capturing those moments,emotions, and LOVE in your photography.

Nicholas Friedrich Birth Story

November 13, 2014

Oh the birth of Nicholas! 

From the get go he measured huge! I feared the day I would have to birth him. Like all my babies, I opted to be induced, due to his LARGE size, I wasn’t about to risk pushing out a 10 lbs baby at 40+ weeks. At my appt the week before my scheduled induction I was 3cm dilated and about 70% effaced, with that news I knew my induction would likely be “successful” , I was happy that I wouldn’t need Cervidil the night before, and ELATED that I did not have Group strep B, so I wouldn’t need the antibiotics! Everything was looking great! I took a bunch of Primrose oil hoping that would help soften things up, and hoping It would help my body with tearing
I checked into the hospital 7:30am on Monday October 27th 2014 to start the induction. Got into my room, slipped into my beautiful hospital gown and cozy itchy sock slippers, and waited…
I was a nervous a wreck! I knew I would be having a baby that day! I looked at the machines and the area were they prep the baby all too fresh in my mind from having Orla not even the year before! My nurse came in hooked my into all my machines, and asked me about 100 questions, “do you have  suicidal thoughts?” “Have you been to Africa in the last 3 months” “do you use needles”. Within that hour my Dr came in, asked me if I was ready, and checked me. To my surprise I was 4-5 cm and almost completely thinned out. He decided to break my water in hopes to kick start me
Into labor and avoid needing pitocin. Within 2 hours I was starting to feel consistent contractions, slowly getting more intense and lasting a tiny bit longer with each one. By 11am I was ready for my Epidural. I was about 7 cm dilated, tears rolling down my face from the increasing pain I was experiencing. Got that sucker put in and waited for my “comfort” to set in. My nurse told me to take a little nap, and I looked at her like she was crazy, I was still feeling a lot of discomfort and pain. I called her back within that hour, due to my pain, I was miserable, I was on my side uncomfortable as hell being hit with multiple awful contractions, the only thing I could feel was my right leg. She called in the anesthesiologist, and had him turn up the epi. It took a good 30 min or so I began to feel relief, I was feeling a lot of pressure not so much the pain. My Dr came back in around 1:00pm to check me I was 9cm, he told me he had a another baby to deliver before me. He asked how I felt about doing some practice pushing but that hour before I had my epidural turned up and I couldn’t feel my legs at all! He is not a fan of being totally numb while pushing so he called in the anesthesiologist again to shut it off! I figured I’d still be pretty comfortable within that hour or so, but I was WAYYY wrong within 30 min or so I started to feel the cramping,and those contractions rolling in within a  minute of each other. I was in my mind dying by the time he came back in to deliver my son. He wanted to push with each contraction and I couldn’t do it, I could barely breathe when I was having a contraction, they burning and felt like I was getting stabbed with a thousand knives! So I pushed in between the contractions. With 2 or 3 pushes I felt that baby crowning, and that feeling of holy shit this is it! It took me another 2 or 3 pushes to get his head out. Then for the shoulders, well those didn’t come out so easy, they were stuck… There was a lot of twisting and pushing on my lady bits, which wouldn’t end well for me. Once my dr was able to free his shoulder out he came! The first thing I heard was a squeal followed by the nurses saying “wow he’s a big boy!” He was placed on my chest and the rest is history! Nicholas was born at 1:57pm!
I laid there exhausted and busted up (literally) all I could focus on was my sons chubby little face, he was just perfect! After my placenta was delivered I started to hemorrhage I was given a shot in my leg to keep my uterus contracting properly. He spent some time on me when he was taken to be weighed, big boy he was …weighing 9lbs 9oz!  My recovery would be one I wasn’t expecting to be so difficult. I had a nasty tear, which limited my mobility, for a week I could barely walk or stand long enough to brush my teeth, and I lived on a foam “ass donut” for a week. It sucked! A week after he was born I began to hemorrhage again, so I was given some methergine to keep my uterus contracting down, praying I wouldn’t have to have a D&C ! Luckily within that week the clotting subsided and I was finally starting to feel better. Here we are 2.5 weeks in and I’m finally feeling back to my old self!
Thank god becuase Orla turned ONE today and we  are having her birthday party this weekend.

All photos were taken by Chelsea Elizabeth Photography

2 years of Marriage.

November 10, 2014

Today is Nick and I’s 2nd wedding anniversary!
For me its been hard to really take a moment to think about my marriage. The last 2 years have FLOWN by and it doesnt make it any better when I think about having 2 babies in 2 years. 
I have taken the last couple hours to think about how lucky how I am, and how truly wonderful my marriage is. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with Nick, raising our kids, making memories, and just enjoying life together. 
I wont bore you with cliche marriage stories… instead I’m sharing our wedding video and photos, those are much more fun to look at, and they are a constant reminder of the LOVE we have for one another. 

 
 Marcella and Nick from Nanea Miyata on Vimeo.

To view our wedding album.
click HERE! 

Easter 2104.

April 21, 2014

We had a couple ‘1st’s this Easter.
Orla Graces 1st Easter, and had our 1st blended family Easter Brunch, meaning it was the first time our family (as in Nick and Myself) and Pella’s dads family (as in Joey, Brooke and Ford) spent a portion of the holiday together.
It was really nice to get everyone together for the kids, as thats what life is all about.
Looking forward to many more Holidays with our families uniting for our children.
I busted my exhausted pregnant ass making brunch for everyone, it was humbling for me to have done it as well as felt really good to do it too!
So heres our day in photos! Hope everyone else had a great Easter weekend.

Baby #3 comin in HOT!

April 5, 2014

Thursday February 27th : 
I have been waiting for my period to come for a week or so. I saw my OB following some spotting I had and  got my birth control prescription to start the Sunday of my “real” period! I was really bummed to have to get on the pill again, I don’t do well on any pill (Ive tried every damn birth control known to man) I get awful migraines from the hormones, and a low-estrogen makes me bleed all month! Nick was planning on getting the snipper however the doctor he was refereed too was booked until June, so that meant I HAD to be on something until his procedure was complete and he was shootin’ blanks! So today I called my Dr, told her I hadn’t got my period yet and could I just start the pill to get my period, she said yes sure, as long as i wasn’t PREGNANT, she asked me if I thought I could be and I didn’t even think twice to tell her, No we have been careful! Apparently not careful enough! I decided to get a test just to make sure, and that  was the most intense 3 minutes of watching that stupid little timer spinning around on the window of the test! .. I even turned it face down on the counter so I wouldn’t have to see it pop up … I walked around my house for a minute or two and came back to the test ” P R E G N A N T ” (with the WONDERFUL ability to even tell me how far along I am ( 2-3 weeks!) I collapsed, I cried, I felt ashamed, I felt disgusting, I felt anger, I felt loss, I felt LIKE I GOT HIT BY A BUS GOING 100 MPH. I was devastated. I must have called Nick 10 times before he finally answered my call at work.
I couldn’t even gather a breathe of air to tell him, but he knew (i told him earlier that day I was going to get a test) I just cried to him, “I JUST HAD A BABY” “I CANT DO THIS” he told me he was going to leave work to come home to talk to me. I immediately called my friend Sarah, my neighbor, my good friend, and a mother of 3 who is my age.  I got her on the phone and told her I was pregnant, she didn’t believe me, she told me it was going to be fine, its gods plan, its a blessing, its going to be great for Orla, followed by of course the reality of “its going to be crazy for awhile, its not gonna be easy, but it will be worth it, and it will be great!”  She put me  at ease for a moment, enough to respond to her, take a breathe and wipe the tears that were spilling down my face. We talked for several minutes when I got off the phone with her feeling semi okay, I just laid on my floor thinking about the reality of 3 KIDS.  Im sure you know what came next? MORE TEARS, uncontrollably crying until Nick walked in the door. He picked me up off the floor, hugging me, holding me assuring me this is going to all work out and be okay. “But is it REALLLLY going to be okay?!” “HOW am I going to be able to have 2 babies and 4.5 year old by myself bc you work so much” “our marriage is going to crumble!” I had nothing but fear spewing out of my mouth to Nick, but he managed to calm me down, and talk me through pulling myself together, I think I even smiled for a minute.  I kept thinking to myself its EASY for him to be okay with another baby, he’s not the one who has to deal with being pregnant, and deal with doing what I do. He explained to me that he understands the work, the money, the hardships, the sacrificing we as a whole will have to make, and most importantly that he will need to help me more, and be here more. He called his mom and told her and of course she was excited! It made me feel a tiny bit better that I was hearing excitement about it instead of “OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO!” or something negative. Shes such a HUGE help to me and I feel guilty sometimes for amount of help she offers to us, but I know if theres a time where im going to need the help its NOW! Nick also insisted in calling my dad and telling him, that went exactly as I knew it would and was afraid of, I heard disappointment  in his voice, concern with his comments, but yet says “hes happy” I dont know if  I buy that, but I can only hope he will be supportive with me through this bc his opinions and feelings really matter to me.
Well as today comes to an end, I don’t feel any better about the idea, I accept it I think. I made an appointment to see my Dr this coming Friday to confirm everything is REAL. Part of me doesn’t think its real, But yet it is real. I’m just sad.
Nick has told me we need to live one day at a time, so that’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to write a journal excerpt everyday until I feel comfortable with publicly sharing this news, and my feelings.
tomorrow is a new day.
Friday February  28th
I don’t think I slept, I’ve cried off and on all day. I didn’t take Pella to school today bc its POURING rain and I don’t want to go outside. I just want to stay home and watch Frozen with my babies! Definitely NOT feeling any better about Baby #3. I’m trying to convince my mind to rest until our Dr. appt. Friday. I so badly want to tell people, but I’m waiting to tell my close friends after our appt as well. I did however call my best friend Tiffany, I reached out to her, I’m glad I did, she made me feel more confident in myself  that I can do this, and I will do this. I cried to Nick a couple times today,  just needing his support and encouragement. I DON’T FEEL pregnant, I have ZERO symptoms although I know that can change at any given moment. 
Saturday March 1st.
Today was my dads birthday, I started my day with talking to him, wishing him a happy day. Today I also went to a baby shower, it was POURING rain, I was driving by myself needing to talk to someone. I called my friend Kara who also is my age with 3 kids and a husband who is gone days at a time for work. She had nothing but positive things to say about having 3 kids, making me laugh bc her and I are both really sarcastic and ridiculous! It made me happy to know I have these friends that I can reach out too and talk to about everything.

Friday March 7th
LONGEST week ever. I had my Dr. appointment today. With Nick by my side we had our first ultrasound.  There was no heartbeat detected ‘yet’ only the yolk sac, he believes I am around 5.5 weeks, we didn’t get a due date it was too early. I felt like today I would have had some kind of closure or I guess a due date, I thought I was farther along than I really was. At this point I am bittersweet I have to go back in a month for another ultrasound. Its going to be  A LONG MONTH.

Thursday March 27th
Its been awhile since I posted an excerpt here, but I have my next ultrasound in a week, and I’m so nervous, I still have ZERO symptoms, it makes me feel uneasy like something isn’t right. When I was pregnant with the girls, I had sore boobs right off the bat, migraines right off the back, and a few other little things that for me were pregnant symptoms. I am looking forward to this ultrasound. Considering its been a few weeks since Ive posted, am I feeling happy yet? am I thinking positive? Not yet, I really want to hear my babies heart beating, I want to determine how far along I am, and get the reassurance I’m needing.
I am feeling very grateful lately, mostly about the amazing people I am surrounded by. My friends have been sort of a rock for me, constant checking in on me, a lot of really great talks, and just so much support. I guess all I can do now is wait again, and see what the deal is with baby #3.

Friday April 4th
Today we had our 2nd ultrasound, we determined there is in fact a living fetus in there!
I feel relief. Everything looks good and sounds good. Now that Ive made it public, I was totally overwhelmed with all the positive support! I was expecting rude comments, bc there are plenty of assholes in the world of social media. Instead there was soooo much love and excitement for our new chapter. I posted I wasnt going to post this blog but after reading it from start to finish, I’m glad I wrote about my feelings, it makes me feel validated to have felt the way I did in the beginning. I am totally warming up to this, and I think its not only from my support from all my REAL life friends but the support from the people I like to call my internet mom friends. I know Im not the only one to have found myself expecting another baby so soon following have had a baby. I appreciated each and every comment of peoples experiences, and kind words. Yesterday was an overwhelming day for me.
But today 24 hours later Im feeling at ease. Im feeling like I can start to embrace instead of be in fear.
I told Pella this morning at shes so excited to have another baby. It made my heart melt seeing her light up when I showed her the ultra sound. So for those of you who missed it I am expecting baby #3 my due date is Nov. 4th 2014. I plan on continuing to blog here and there as life over here is BUSY. I am just so happy to know there are such a great people out there who are genuinely happy for us.
Thanks everyone.

Welcome to the world Orla Grace.

November 21, 2013

Orla Grace Miserendino 
-born-
Tuesday November 12th 2013, at 2:24pm
Weighing 8lbs 7oz
Measuring 20.5in 
My birth story isn’t spectacular for me at least, but it was more spectacular having been able to see my husbands worries and anxiety he had my entire pregnancy disappear the moment he was able to watch Orla be born, cry, open her eyes, stretch and know we had a healthy, happy baby girl! 
I went into the hospital Monday night to be induced with cervidil, I was given the option to be induced one week shy of my due date 1. because I was measuring bigger and 2. by choice.
Now, you’re welcome to have your opinions on induction, but for me it was a personal choice, and a choice I am happy with having done, no matter how you choose to birth your baby there are always risks involved. 
At around 11pm they started my cervidil I was 50% effaced and 3.5cm , I went the entire night with consistent contractions, but nothing that intensified with time passing, I was able to sleep here and there when I would catch a break from contracting. I was checked a couple times, NO progress, Cervix still 50% effaced, still 3.5 centimeters dilated. Morning came, around 10am they took out my cervidil and planned to start me on Pitocin around 11am. At that time opted to get my epidural. Around noon my water broke, I was 4cm, my contractions intensified, and my I was actually feeling them back to back. I called my nurse to have my epidural turned up a notch, she came in gave it a boost, but still even after about an hour I felt no pain management, my legs weren’t numb, they just felt hot… Lucky for me by 1:30ish I was checked and was 7.5cm, things were moving super quick. Dr. came in took a look said she was about a 0 station, and pushing could take longer then I was hoping for. I wasn’t okay with that at all in my mind, I pushed for 2.5 hours with Pella, it was awful! I called the nurse within a few minutes of my Dr. leaving telling her I felt AWFUL pressure, I had to push! She checked me, I was fully dilated and thinned out, she had me push a little bit to see if I was able to move her down, and DOWN she came! She ran out into the hall to have the Dr come back and deliver this baby! 2:24pm Orla Grace was born, with a a cord around her neck, she was still pink as could be, and bolted out that cry every mother anticipates to hear when your baby comes out! I couldn’t believe I pushed out an 8 pounder in 30 minutes! 
I would best describe her birth as  intense and quick! I was in so much pain the hour before she was born, and just to push felt so good! The minute she was out of there I felt instant relief! No more pressure, no more contractions, no more HUGE belly! A bit bittersweet as I was totally DONE being pregnant, I knew it was going to be my last time being pregnant.  I will also say the second time around has been a much easier healing process! Its amazing what our bodies can do. 
Im happy its over. I’m thankful to have 2 beautiful healthy, happy girls in my life. I am happy to be able to have had my best friend and husband right by side.
This pregnancy for me was a major 180 from when I was pregnant with Pella, having Nick be there for me and with me, supporting me, helping me when he could and encouraging me was something I wasn’t used too, or expected. I am so lucky to have him in my life, and our daughters lives. For me just being able to give him “life”,his daughter, is a moment I will cherish forever. 

Special Thanks to 
for documenting Orla’s birth.