time flies!

I remember when I found out that I was pregnant. It wasn't what I had planned...
Alex and I "eloped" on February 12, 2002. We were originally headed to Palm Springs to spend the day and take the tram to the top of the mountain. I only brought a camera and a video recorder since we were just going for the day. We took the 215 fwy which took us through Sun City and Perris with a freeway change in Moreno Valley. Just before the freeway change, there is an off ramp called Alessandro Blvd. It's so ironic since that's Alex's real name. Off that exit is the County Court House so I told Alex, since we had been talking about getting married in a few months, we should stop at the Court House and get our marriage license. It lasts for 3 months and if we didn't use it in 3 months, we could get another one!
So, we pulled off and walked into the courthouse and started filling out the paperwork. I stopped, looked at Alex and said, "let's go to Vegas! NOW"! Alex, "are you serious?" He had asked if we could just go to Vegas several times but I was adamant, NO WAY! So when I finally said it myself, he was ALL OVER IT! We grabbed hands and ran to the car, jumped in and headed to VEGAS!
We couldn't get married that night, believe it or not... everything closed at 10! Maybe because it was a Monday? Although, I thought Vegas was open all night! Anyways, we got into Vegas around 10pm and went shopping... I bought a sequence dress, pale yellow, boot style shoes that were hidden under the dress.... then we went to Walgreens and bought make up and hair product, toothbrush and toothpaste. WE HAD NOTHING!!! I had my engagement band and he had no ring. We called his BFF who lives in Vegas and told him and only him, but asked him to be our witness at the ceremony.
10am the next morning, the cheesy white limo with "Little White Chapel" printed on the window, picked us up at our hotel and drove us to the cheesy Little White Chapel where there was a counter full of cheesy wedding items and we had to select our cheesy wedding package.
After choosing the package, we were escorted to the cheesy room where red velvet and painted white booths filled. There were cheesy white fake doves hanging from the ceiling and countless other cheesy things surrounding. A women entered the room in a pink velvet suit with red hair. She was the owner of the chapel and happened to be the woman who married Elvis and Pricilla! She pushed a button on a tape recorder and started playing "love" music. When that was over, she started with actually a very nice reading while we exchanged vows. During the exchange of vows, there was a worker outside of the sliding doors with a high pressure sprayer cleaning the patio as well as the windows!!! That SO went with the cheesy theme... we started cracking up!!!! Alex borrowed his friends wedding ring and we finally were wed!
We left Vegas right after the wedding, Alex had to get back to work... but we were so excited and happy on the way home we were giddy!
We discussed the fact that we weren't going to tell anyone since he had a daughter in Italy who was 14 and he wanted to tell her in person. You would think there's no way that telling someone here could get back to Italy, but oddly enough there were a couple families who lived here from Alex's hometown in Sicily... we just couldn't take that risk.
Well, Alex hadn't had a trip planned for a few months, so it was very difficult to keep hush! We started telling my family little by little... but not one employee could know.
It was about 6 weeks later that I had a follow up for from my "annual" doctor appt. They found some pre-cancerous cells and they wanted to burn them out. The nurse asked if I could be pregnant.... "Anythings possible, but I doubt it... I have been on the pill for 10 years!" So she made me give a urine sample just encase. I sat in the room reading a magazine and she came back in.... "ummmmm, I hope this is good news.... (a perplexed look on my face)... you're pregnant". I am pretty sure my jaw dropped down to my toes.... WHAT!!!???!??!?! This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life and instead, I'm finding myself in a panic!!!!  We haven't told Mimi yet! We haven't told anyone!!!! OH NO!!! How can I tell Alex? I'm supposed to be so excited! I wanted to cry with happiness... instead, I was teary of fear and disappointment. :(
So I left there with an ultrasound of a pea size black spot that showed a heartbeat just seconds before. I was 3 weeks pregnant! When I arrived to Gourmet Italia, with photo in hand, I called Alex into the office. Now, it was time for him to have a perplexed look on HIS face..... I said nothing, but showed him the photo. He asked, "What's this?" I said, "that's your child". He then asked, "what are you going to do?" a question he did not really mean.... after all, there was only one thing to do.... we were having a BABY!!!!
So, we kept that too, under wraps until Alex went to Italy 3 months later! Fortunately I didn't show at all!
What a relief to finally be able to share the news!!!
Luca was due on Thanksgiving day that year, November 28th. Too excited to wait... Luca joined us 2 weeks early, on November 17th! Lifting his head to look around the second time I saw him... I had a feeling this kid was going to be something else.
Walking, talking, reading, writing... all WAY before his time... Luca was an eager learner!
I started him in preschool at 3 and he excelled from the start! I started him in school at age 4, by far the youngest child in Kindergarten. It was the first year of all day Kinder and there was concern of how Luca would do. But I knew that with his social ability and academic ability... there was no way I could hold him back another year.
Turns out, mommy was right! Luca exceeded all expectations and was off the charts from day 1.
Each year of school presented different friends, different crushes and many different interests. And each year, his grades proved he was where he was supposed to be!
Well, this Wednesday, was the second big step in Luca's school life... he promoted from the 5th grade! Handsome. Charming. Smart. Confident. Student Body President. A Future. We were so proud of him. Its crazy to think that just 10 1/2 years ago, he was just a precious little newborn baby in my arms.... now, he's started to spread his wings as he gets ready to fly....
I must hang on to the moments I have with him. Cherishing him, loving him, nurturing him, praising him and preparing him. Thank you Lord, for my precious Luca...
Here's a song I made up and sang to him when he was just an infant:
"Luca, Luca, my little baby boy.... Luca Luca, having you is a joy.... Luca, Luca, Mommy loves you... Luca, Luca, without you what would I do....."