A "national" year in review....

Thanks to our friends at Jib Jab, here is an entertaining look back at 2009! Enjoy and I hope you have a fun, safe and happy new year! Cheers!

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Christmas!

Christmas was here and now gone. Only 364 days until Christmas! Yes, I love this time of year. Antonio's 1st Christmas was great! He met a bunch of his cousins he hadn't met on the Schneidler side, see picture below. The Schneidler gathering is always interesting! In years past I can remember screaming, crying little kids and babies; I always thought it was a good form of birth control. Now it was bigger kids running, wrestling and doing mostly boy stuff. I am officially worried about my future now! ; ) Antonio did great considering we didn't leave until about and hour and a half past his bed time and we still had about a 40 min drive home!

The Schneidler/Wolcott/Rodriguez kids!

We spent Christmas morning at home, just the three of us. I made cinnamon rolls from scratch and had eggs and bacon with them for breakfast. My mom, in all the years I can remember back, has always made the cinnamon rolls and since her and Jon are gone I had to try to fill her shoes per Albert! I tried and came pretty close but maybe it's the "mom's love" that was missing! We opened presents and loved watching Antonio open presents; he actually pulled and ripped at the paper! We were impressed that he was even interested in it!

We then went to my Aunts for the day and Christmas dinner. Again, Antonio did great. He always loves watching his cousin Shaun, who will be 2 in February. I see them being buddies in a few years; at least thats what we are hoping for! Antonio received even more toys there! It is amazing how many presents he got from family and friends! He is so lucky and so loved!

My cousin, Suzanne and I with our boys!

It was weird not to see my parents but we did get to Skype with them before going to my Aunts which was great. I am not sure how we would have survived without Skype! If you haven't used it before, check it out. It is a completely free way to chat and "see" friends and/or family that live far away! Once we got home from my Aunts, we then Skype'd with Albert's family in California! Antonio's cousin Elise kept kissing the computer screen that she saw Antonio's face on. So cute! It makes us wish we lived closer to them. We had a good Christmas and were able to see all of our family (in person or via Skype) this year, which was a first! We look forward to many Christmas' in the future! I hope you had a good Christmas with friends and family too!

Oh and Happy New Year.....

T-minus 7 days....

I can't believe that this time next week Christmas will pretty much be over. I am so incredibly excited this year for two reasons. One, Antonio (which says it all!) and two, last year I was so sick I didn't get to enjoy it. I love this time of year so much it is ridiculous; you'd think I was a 5 year old all over again!! However, this year comes bittersweet! I have my absolutely wonderful baby boy to experience his very first Christmas and yet my parents wont be here. Instead they are in Granada, Spain for the holidays. Well, at least for Christmas. As most of you know they are on their amazing year long vacation all over (Germany, Sweden, France, Spain, Italy, Egypt, etc.) and I am extremely jealous! However this year will be my first Christmas not waking up at my moms and enjoying her homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. It's sad, more sad than I expected it to be. Albert and I have been talking about starting our own traditions for a couple years now but haven't and kept going to my parents for Christmas. I guess this year is a good year to start with Antonio. I am going to try to make the cinnamon rolls myself Christmas Eve for the next morning. They won't be my moms but they will do and at least we will have that even if my parents aren't here. I know there are so many worse situations and at least I still have my mom in my life but still....it's sad. We plan on skyping with them Christmas morning after we open gifts here; so in a way they will be here!

On a happier note, Christmas is right around the corner!! I cannot stand it! I want Antonio to open his gifts NOW!! We did a small trial run with him while Albert's sister was in town and Antonio really did open a gift! He pulled the bow off and pulled at the paper and ripped it off! It was more than I expected! After it was opened he looked at the gift then turned to grab for another....he's my kid after all! ; ) I hope you all have an awesome holiday with your loved ones. Hug them and appreciate being with them!

Santa and the tree

As of the 11th Antonio is 5 months old! Seriously, where has the time gone?! He has 2 different jumperoo's, both he can turn himself 360 degrees. One he will be able to really jump around in and the other not as much but he still can bounce a bit. He seems to really like both. He's been enjoying them for about a month now. I think because of them he is much more interested in standing! He is still learning to sit but really enjoys standing!

Last Friday the hospital where I had Antonio and where we have our weekly class they had a Santa. We had to sign up with his name and age because he would get an age appropriate gift. So we went down to see Santa at the hospital and Antonio got to sit on his lap. Not only did they take two shots but we were also able to take pictures with out own cameras! They then got their toy and a small snoopy doll, so really he got two presents! All this was free! It was a great Santa too. He didn't seem impressed with Santa at all. As you can see by the picture he pretty much just sat there! Maybe next year we will get some sort of emotion from him! : )

Then Saturday, Albert's sister Nelly flew in to visit for a week so we went and cut down a Christmas tree. A first for Albert! It was really cold but so much fun! We found "THE" tree, Albert cut in down, put it in the trunk of my car and then we all enjoyed some complimentary hot chocolate! It was only about 10 min from our house too! So much fun!

California

As some of you know we (Albert, Antonio and I) went to California to visit Albert's family for 7 days. We stayed with Albert's mom and she let us stay in her room with a bathroom attached which was nice for that middle of the night feeding he still wakes for. (ugh...) I was extremely nervous for the whole flying thing (and all that goes with it) and then being away from home and routine for so long. I hoped Antonio would adjust after a couple days; no such luck. The plane ride down went pretty well. Most people said that he would probably sleep all the way down; again, no such luck. He took his binky for the take off and only fussed a tiny bit; it was when we were in air about halfway there he got very squirmy and fussy. Luckily we were able to calm him and he fell asleep for the last 30-45 min, including the decent! For all the draging him around we did and being on the go he did good. There was absolutely no "schedule" for him while we were there (shame on us). Of course he caught a pretty rough cold while there and still has it; the runny nose, sneezing, coughing and congestion. The last day/evening/night we were there was rough and we were glad we were heading home the next day. It seemed as if everyone around us was sick though. Albert's mom got a pretty nasty cold while we were there too so we are praying we don't get sick as well.

The venture home was a little more rougher. When we took off he cried then fell asleep and I had hope but then after about an hour he was awake and wiggly. Luckily the plane was about half empty so we go the whole row (3 seats) to ourselves which gave us some room. Just before we started the decent down Antonio started screaming and crying; it continued for about 15 min. then he passed out. Those 15 min were terrible though and he wouldn't keep his binky in. We were all so happy to be home. His toys, bed, jumper, etc. It was all so familiar to him and he seemed so happy to be home.....until about 6 when he just fell apart. He started crying.....hard and couldn't stop. I felt so horrible. I am guessing it is a combination of traveling, having the cold and possibly teething. Poor little guy. Tomorrow is a recovery day. There will hopefully be a lot of cleaning and laundry doing on my part and a lot of playing and sleeping on his. Albert's sister Nelly flies in Saturday for 5 days and hopefully all will be back to normal by then.

I would say the trip, as a whole, went well; it could have gone smoother but it also could have been so much worse! It was so good to see Albert's family and to have Antonio finally meet his Aunt Kiana, Uncle Abel and cousins Elise and Angelina! However, I don't think we will be traveling again any time soon; it's been a rough week and I am sure we will sleep good tonight!

4 months!

Today was Antonio's 4 month well child check up with 3 shots, 2 pokes and 1 oral. Of course they weighted and measured him.

His stats are as followed:

weight: 18lbs 6.5 oz - 95.57th percentile (down from 99th percentile for weight for his age)

length: 27" - 96.6th percentile (up from 84th)

head circum.: 16.6" - 45.2nd percentile

Big boy! However that means he is balancing out. Hooray! (As a tiny comparison, a friend of ours has a 9 month old and she is 18 lbs 3 oz and 27 3/4" long....AT 9 MONTHS!!!! They are practically the same size yet 5 months apart!)

As I mentioned he received 3 shots. The oral one wasn't to bad but it was obvious it didn't taste good as he "drooled" a lot of it out; the nurse said he seemed to get enough to qualify. The two pokes didn't go as well. The first one brought out the frown and bottom lip and before you knew it the 2nd shot was being given and he was screaming and crying, tears were rolling down his little cheeks (ok, big cheeks); more tears I had seen him produce! To top it all off he was looking me right in the eye; it broke my heart and before I knew it, tears were rolling down my cheeks.....it was aweful. :*( I know it could have gone so much worse but it was bad enough for me. Luckily last time Albert held him for the shots while I was in the waiting room. I so wished that was the way it was this time but he had to work. We survived it and Antonio was back to his smiles in about 5 min. afterwards. Last time he did well, not a whole lot of fussing the day of the shots. Well today was different. He has been really cranky and fussy. Barely had quality nap times so on top of crankiness from shots he is very sleepy. Poor guy. It's been a rough past few days. Tomorrow we are staying home and doing nothing. He deserves it! His next appt is January 11th; he'll be 6 months! CRAZY!!! - _-

Antonio has rolled over from his back to his tummy but still hasn't seemed to master it. He only seems to do it when Albert is around too. We think he is beginning to giggle. He has this funny little "hahahaha....". It sounds so funny and cute and we aren't sure if it is actually a giggle but it's cute regardless. He almost always does it when we change him on his changing table in his room. He looks up at the Snoopy border and lets out a little giggle. He has speratically slept through the night. He has done it 3 times in the past 7 nights. I am not sure what makes him sleep through and what doesn't, we just hope he will start to continuously do it! He only wakes up once in the night when he doesn't sleep through; usually around either 1:30 OR around 4. Again, not sure what makes him wake at one time or the other. We have finally found a nightly routine for getting him to bed that seems to work. Albert is the one that gets to do it; it is "their" time as is taking baths. I stay out of it and it's just him and Antonio.

Some things Antonio does/likes are:

- grabs at his toys

- puts just about anything he can grab into his mouth

- drooling like crazy (no, no teeth yet...)

- kicks and squeals when he gets excited

- loves to be carried over your shoulder so he can look around

- rolls over (but only if Albert is present)

- stares at the ceiling

- talks to who or what ever will listen ; )

- he is in 6 month clothes!!

- tickles Albert, granted Albert is very ticklish!

- he always finds the tv no matter where he is or what direction he is facing (yes, I know this is not something to be proud of!)

Portland!

We took our first "trip" with Antonio this weekend to see one of my best friend's son turn 1! Believe it or not, it was a success! Antonio did great! We drove down late morning Saturday and he slept the entire way! Well, he did slightly wake up, moan and then fall back asleep! By the time we got to my friends house he was about an hour and a half overdue for food! The first thing we did was take him inside and get him fed! However in the 5-10 before he got the food he didn't freak out! Impressive! Not only were we in a different place but there were all these people he didn't really know all around. EVERYTHING was different. I was worried he would be a fussy, cranky mess and sleep horribly since he slept practically all day too. However, he went down and stayed down like normal. All three of us stayed in the same room and it was so nice to be able to be right next to him all night again!

Today, Sunday, we got up fed him then went to the mall while my friends and their parents went to church. We borrowed their stroller for the mall since it was the same brand as ours, just a different color. Well since it was a different color it didn't match. So Albert decided to try to put Antonio in the stroller withOUT the car seat to see if he could sit (with a slight incline) in it without slouching over. We buckled him in and he sat in it just fine! He loved looking at everything. Usually he is in his car seat on the top of he stroller so he isn't really able to see out at all. He LOVED it until he got hungry then it all went down hill! : ) Regardless he sat in it just fine.

During the birthday party Antonio was in awe of all the little kids (about 10 , all around 1 yr!) and was letting out random shrieks of excitement! When it was finally time to go we fed him and put him in his car seat and were on our way home. Again, he did great. He woke up about half way home hungry and fussy. We pulled over, fed him then got back on the road. He continued to fuss a bit but after about 10 min he was out again. We feel so lucky that he slept so well down and back! Once we got home it was time to eat again. While changing his diaper and after, he was looking all around; you could just see that all this time he and I have spent in that living room paid off. He KNEW he was home; he was smiling and even beginning to giggle! It was like he was going from thing to thing checking it off his list. We put him on the floor in his "box" and he was so happy! It just warmed our hearts! He knew that this was his home and he was happy to be back! : D

Next trip.....a plane ride to California! Yikes.....

What a difference a year makes....

I have been going through all my clothes and getting rid (giving to Goodwill) of anything that doesn't fit. No more keeping something because I hope to fit in it someday soon or what if I gain weight and may need the bigger "thing". No more. Only keeping what fits now; more reason to shop later! ; ) Well as I m going through it all I am trying it on to see how it fits because let me know tell you, this ol' body is no longer the same as it was pre-pregnancy. Even though I am within 10lbs of pre-pregnancy/pre-morning sickness weight those same clothes fit me different. When I put one of the pairs of jeans to check the fit I felt a "crinkle" in the back pocket. I thought, "oh, maybe some money!" Turns out it was just a receipt but not just any receipt, the receipt of something that changed it all! It was the receipt of the pregnancy test I had bought after waking up feeling, well nauseous and a bit dizzy/light headed.

Now to bring those of you that don't know the details (maybe a bit to much but oh well) up to date. I had pretty much ALWAYS been a "regular" girl when it came to my period. However, over the year or so Albert and I had been trying there was a couple times when I would be a week early or a week late and I would get my hopes up, then nothing. So in mid October I had started about 2 weeks early, I wondered for a moment but since I HAD started I thought nothing more of it. Then November came and I didn't start the same time as in October and instead of getting my hopes up I was just going to wait until the date of the past 3 months, July, August and September (minus October). Well that would have been the 28th; the day after Turkey day. I woke up the 22nd, a Saturday, feeling a bit nauseous and on and off light headed/dizzy. I thought maybe a weird case of PMS that I had never had before. However, in the back of my mind I thought "prego?!?!?". I headed out to the grocery store to get things we needed and continued to feel the weirdness. Before heading home I bought a pregnancy test from the drug store next to Albertsons. I had bought them before only to find it was negative so it wasn't that weird to buy one for me in that past year. I didn't take it until the next day. I took it and it was positive, so I tried the second one....positive again. I could NOT believe it!

That was the day when I DIDN'T realize that everything changed; I think it was the next day when I went to work feeling like I was going to throw up everywhere all day. The funny thing is that on the receipt there is the pregnancy test and extra strength midol! :) At that moment I had no idea what it was but I knew I wanted relief! It is so weird to think that this day a year ago Antonio was growing like crazy inside of me and I didn't even know it yet! Funny how your life can change so incredibly much in a year!

Happy Halloween!

Antonio's first Halloween has gone as expected for a 3.5 month old! We took him to the pumpkin patch to get pumpkins and as excepted he was unamused but it did get him out in the fresh air! Luckily it wasn't really cold and rainy like it had been the past couple of days. It was pretty muddy though and with me still hobbling around we made a straight shot for the first row and luckily found a couple that would work pretty quickly! As we walked back up to pay for them we thought about how next year and every year after, will be so different! We may even take the hayride down to the pumpkins next year! : )

While Albert and I carved pumpkins he slept (yay!). I was a bit worried Antonio wouldn't let us carve the pumpkins; well at least not in one night but we got lucky!

We were given an hand me down bumble bee costume from my cousin to wear; thank goodness Halloween was now because it was barely long enough to snap! He was so cute in it; he didn't even fuss about it either! I wondered if he'd like the hat that goes with it or hate it but really it didn't even faze him! We took him out to our next door neighbors and the neighbor across the street to "trick or treat"! Albert enjoyed getting the candy for him and eating it too! : ) They were so excited to see him all dressed up and so big. We are really lucky; we have GREAT neighbors. They are all retired but not the old, old kind. I'd guess they were the age of my parents...approximately (so not SUPER old, ha ha ha!). Regardless, they loved it and Antonio was great! We got back home, inside, him changed and he was passed out within 10 min! It was a good 1st Halloween for him! Next year will be even more fun and so on!

We ran out of candy by about 7:30 and there were still plenty of trick or treaters! I guess thats good since it was time to get Antonio fed and into his jammies! I hope you all had a fun, safe and uneventful Halloween!

March 1st!

It's official, I am staying home with Antonio until March 1st; hooray! I am so relieved that I will be able to. We were waiting to see if Albert's insurance could get us on right away since mine will no longer be in effect as of the 25th of November if I stay at home with Antonio. As you know, we NEED our insurance! We found out that yes, they will make us effective now! Phew! For those of you who are wondering, no, we did not win the lottery unfortunately. As most of you know, my Grandma passed away last month and left me with a little bit of inheritance that will be used to stay home for a few extra months! We are so thankful for it! I know my Grandma would be glad we were able to use it in this way too!

With all of my "injuries" I have felt like we (Antonio and I) haven't had the chance to really bond or even have fun together and thats had me bummed. We (I) feel so lucky to be able to spend this time with him. Also with missing out on the holidays last year (dealing with the ALL day sickness) I am so excited to be able to bake, decorate, sing carols and repeat! Poor Antonio! ; ) As of March 1st we'll have to put Antonio in daycare which neither Albert or I are looking forward to. Sure there are a few (very few) benefits about him going to daycare; like learning social skills, making friends and unfortunately building that immune system! We are so happy he won't be in a daycare environment or anything like it during this flu season! With all the hoopla about Swine flu added to the mix it is just good to keep him with me! So please pray that I stay healthy from here on out so we can all (Albert included even though he has to work) enjoy this time together!

Flu shots...

Albert and I both went and got flu shots yesterday for the sake of Antonio. Last year I had gotten one for the first time in either forever or at least a very long time. Not knowing then I was pregnant, I decided to get one since my employer gave us a voucher for a free one and I wanted to see if I'd have any weird reaction so when I did get pregnant I know it wouldn't be all that bad. Well turns out I was already pregnant and didn't know it AND luckily I never got sick with the flu, just sick with first trimester and beyond sickness. Good times...yuck!

Anyways, we went to The Everett Clinic yesterday evening to get the shots since they are close and we were all to familiar with them. The Everett Clinic is who I have gone through for all my pregnancy appointments, my gall bladder and then most recently my achilles tendon. When we got there we had to fill out a form saying who we were and if we'd gone through The Everett Clinic before or not. Well I knew I had and I thought Albert had but wasn't sure so I hoped there wouldn't be an issue for him. So once the paperwork was filled out we were (along with about 30 others) called up one by one to check ID and insurance. Well we of course were called, the lady found Albert in their system (phew) but not me (what???). She asked if I was sure I had been to an Everett Clinic previously, I couldn't help but laugh! I assured her I had and mentioned that my employer had just changed insurance companies the 1st of October but since she found Albert she should be able to find me. After about 5 minutes she found me; thank goodness. In the past 3 months I have been to The Everett Clinic 4 times so I KNEW I was in their system. In the end we did get our shots and hope that we will stay healthy this flu season.

upside down and a runny nose!

Yup, Antonio has officially gotten the worst cold of his life, never mind it is also his first! ; ) We aren't sure how he caught it but he did and now I have it too! It started with a crazy runny nose, congestion and sneezing. Now it is primarily major congestion, cough and sneezing. Poor little guy! When he sucks on his binky he sounds like a wild animal growling; it's actually kinda sad. Immediately after he sneezes he coughs in a chocking sort of way. Basically, since he is frequently on his back, he sneezes the "stuff" up then chokes on it going back down all while he gets a concerned look on his face. I know, gross and I am sure you could've gone through the day without the details....sorry. We've for the first time used the suction ball thingy they tell you to use when they get like this. We have to squirt saline up his nose then use the suction thing to get the gunk out and he takes it all pretty well. He gets a scared look on his face during the process and I can understand why. It helps though, I think. Luckily he hasn't had a fever though! He's been a little fussier than normal but not a whole lot thank goodness. I am guessing his throat probably hurts from all that drainage too because mine does. Poor guy!

The past week he has found the ceiling extremely interesting as does he enjoy looking at things upside down instead of just turning his head. There is probably a connection with that and having a cold but it is kinda cute. He will just stare at the ceiling for a good 5 minutes at a time. It's like he just realized there is always something over his head. Next week is Halloween and we were given a hand-me-down costume from my cousin Suzanne to wear! We won't go trick or treating but we will put it on and possibly go to out neighbors to show him off; oh and of course take pictures! Stay tuned for those. Until then, have a safe and happy Halloween!

3 months!

Well as of the 11th Antonio is 3 months! Man, time does fly in the big picture! Antonio is a big boy that continues to grow. We don't know how big exactly he is now but we do know he seems to get heavier and heavier every day! A small part of me can't wait until he starts crawling so he can work of some of this weight or at least burn off what he eats. Then the other part of me realizes that that is just around the corner and that I don't want him to grow any more. As I sort through his clothes to give to other new babies that are on their way I realize just how fast he is growing. He officially doesn't fit into any Carters clothes that are 3 months. Yup, 6 months clothes here we come. Some other brands he manages to still fit 3 months but not for long. It is amazing! He is now smiling when Albert or I come into the room; he knows who we are now. He follows us around with his eyes. It is the best thing! As you all know my parents are on their year long trip all over and Albert's mom is in California so we all have become very familiar with Skype! We try to Skype with both my parents and Albert's mom at least once a week or when my parents have internet. We want Antonio to as familiar and comfortable as possible with both when they are around.

Antonio is continuing to talk up a storm. The squeals of happiness is the best sound in the WORLD! His is just starting to be able to "grab" things in front of him. However he pretty much swings and misses but occasionally he gets his target and grabs hold for a moment, then isn't sure what to do and usually drops it. He's getting it though. He is liking tummy time for longer periods of time as well and we have tried to put him on the floor more (even though I have an extremely hard time getting back up right now) and he is getting so he can lift one side of his body but thats it. The whole turning over thing is right around the corner, I can feel it. I've heard from some people that they've put their baby on their back on the floor, look away, look back and they are on they're tummy. For now I am enjoying the immobile stage. Once he starts turning over its all down (or up depending on how you look at it) hill. : ) Antonio has also begun to drool like crazy! He started this a couple weeks ago and now I try to put a bib on him to catch it otherwise the top half is wet within an hour! He has also found his thumb and fist and has decided they taste good. No, he is not teething.....yet. I have felt his gums and don't seem to feel anything and I am guessing when a tooth is starting to come through I'll feel it. That too could be soon.

I am slowly healing from the latest achilles tendon tear. It will be and is a slow healing injury but I hope to be able to walk with Antonio by the end of the week. I do know it could be awhile before I am fully pain free with it and healed but I just want to be able to walk and carry Antonio again. I had a tease for two weeks Antonio and I were free. We were free to do what we wanted. I could carry him, hold him and walk around the block in his stroller with him. It was great. It was the first time I was healed from everything and able to go places with him. I can't wait until this tendon thing is good so we can go back to that. Soon I know. Day by day, that is how I have deal with all this!

Below are a few pictures over the past week or two. Enjoy!

Everything DOES happen in 3's...

So it is true, the third thing has happened and now I should be good from here on out. On Wednesday I found out I have torn my achilles tendon on my left ankle. First it was a last minute cesarean for Antonio, then it was the removal of my gal bladder and now the tear. I must have done something horrible to someone at some point to get this kind of karma. Regardless, here I am again, housebound, couch bound and in need of help to take care of my baby. It is so incredibly frustrating. Luckily Albert is a great dad and helps out all the time! He has stayed home the past couple days to take care of Antonio but those days have been unpaid for him.

Previous to this, Antonio and I had a great couple weeks. Once I was cleared to carry him on the 18th I went for it. He and I went to Target, my work to see the guys (and 2 gals), Babies R Us and even our weekly class all by ourselves! It was great! We played on the floor, read stories, sang songs and even did "situps". I was finally feeling like a mom! Albert thinks that maybe I tore my tendon getting up off the floor....I am not that old yet am I? Antonio is doing great. He started to sleep through the night for a week then has gone back to not. Now he goes down between 8:30 and 9 then wakes about 1 or 2 then sleeps again until about 4 or 5. I am not sure what happened to revert him back to not sleeping thru; we're hoping he goes back to it! He is starting to recognize the bottle and if you don't put it in his mouth quick enough he leans forward to it. Also when we sit and look at his mirror that lights up he sometimes pulls away from me to lean towards it! So impressive....I know its not huge but it's the little things! We love him more and more each day!

Two months!

Can you believe it? Antonio is 2 months old as of the 11th! Where has the time gone? I feel like I have spent the last two months in my living room! Ugh... We had Antonio's 2 month well child check up today where they weighed, measured and gave shots! : ( As of today our TWO month old is 15 lbs 14 oz (which is 99% for his age), 24" long/tall (84%) and his head circumference is 15.75" round (48%). So in conclusion, we have a tall "big boned" baby with and average size head! : ) He was given 3 shots and one "shot" orally. He had his 2nd dose of Hepatitis b2, and 2 others and polio orally. They gave us infant tylenol to help with the pain for 24hours. He takes it like it is candy and I think it is helping; I think. They said that he will either be fussier or more sleepy and I think he is a little of both. Regardless, he is doing well. Poor guy! Albert stayed in the room as he was given his shots while I left and waited in the waiting room. I couldn't stay there; it was breaking my heart just thinking he was getting the shots!

We take him to a "living with baby" class every Monday. The one we are in is the 0-3 month one. All of the babies in the class right now are all between 7 weeks and 10 weeks. Antonio is the biggest by far and he isn't even the oldest! It is amazing to see how tiny and fragile looking the other babies are. Antonio is smiling and starting the long process of talking. He has started to almost laugh/giggle and make talking sounds; not quite cooing but similar. He is becoming more like a human being. He is so sweet. He still is not sleeping through the night but his waking is more routine. We usually put him down between 8-9 then he wakes up between midnight and 1 then again between 3 and 4 and then between 6 and 7. So he is sleeping for about 3 hours at a time. Hopefully soon he'll be sleeping through the night. He is also beginning to lose his hair. I thought for sure with all the hair he started with he wouldn't lose any but sure enough it's falling out. It is like we gained a pet, I find his hair all over him and other things. He is going through an awkward stage with it, there is a definite "line" or u-shaped line in the back where his head rubs on things where there is no hair. Luckily it is growing in pretty fast where it has already fallen out! I doubt he will get bald!

Below are a few pictures that have been taken in the last week!

Who needs a Gall Bladder any way?!

As most of you have probably heard I had my gall bladder taken out last Thursday the 3rd. The whole situation came on really quickly! The Saturday prior Albert picked up some Burger King on the way home for dinner and that evening I started having some back pain that then turned into back and front pain. It kept me up all night as well as feeling a bit nauseous. I just assumed the pain was from lifting Antonio so much and the the nausea was from BK. Well Sunday Albert went to work as usual since I woke up (after FINALLY falling asleep) feeling much better. I pretty much felt fine through the day until that evening. Sure enough that same back to front pain started up again. I started thinking the front pain wasn't right, maybe I had bruised a rib or something from having Antonio on me so much. Monday was my 6 week postpartum check up so I mentioned it to my doctor who thought maybe it was my liver. He took blood and perscribed me some vicatin for the pain. Albert had Monday and Tuesday off so I rested and decided I was ok for Wednesday. Wednesday was very similar to Sunday except it got worse and worse though the afternoon and evening. I finally decided that I was in so much pain that I should go into the walk in clinic. I saw a doctor and she thought it was my gall bladder from my description and urine results. She also however, took blood in case it was a kidney infection. So she made me an appt. for an ultrasound for the next morning (Thursday) to check. Sure enough it was my gall bladder and needed to be removed. Ugh.. The doctor then told me to go home from the US appt., pack an overnight bag and head over to the hospital. They were going to take it out this afternoon. Just when I was feeling so much better from my cesarean I was going back to the hospital to have another surgery on my mid section. Oh joy.... So off we went. They admitted me and had my gall bladder out by 5 that evening.

I was to share a room with what sounded like a very old man but I was told it was a lady. She was getting help from a nurse and it seemed like she was a bit hard of hearing because she was talking louder than normal. Of course I was to be at bed one, the closet to the door, so every time a nurse would come it they would walk by me to get to her. Luckily Albert, Antonio and I went to my room and as the nurse came in to get my vitals I was feeding Antonio. She was so wonderful she cleaned up an empty room on the corner and had me moved to it so I could have Antonio there and not be bothered. Not only that but had the other bed blocked so no one would be put in the room with me. Phew..... That made the whole situation so much better! So Thursday evening my gall bladder came out and Friday I went home unable to really do anything. Luckily one of my best friends had known what was going on and volunteered to pack her 9 month old and husband up to come up here. The three of them drove up from Portland Friday evening to stay and take care of Antonio while Albert went to work. I am not to lift or carry anything over 15 lbs for two weeks and well that is pretty much Antonio. They stayed from Friday evening until this evening (Monday) and did everything to take care of Antonio. They are and were truly a blessing! Albert has the next two days off then we will see how we are then. Hopefully I will be doing much better.

Emotionally this has been so hard. Just when I was feeling so much better and able to drive Antonio and I around this happens and I fall right back to not being able to do anything. So frustrating; I feel like I have been so helpless for so long. I just want to not be in physical pain anymore and to be able to be a mom. : ( If anything good has come from this gall bladder thing is that Albert and Antonio have created an awesome bond. They have grown much closer in just the past week; it is amazing! So please pray for us. I need to get better as soon as possible. The next two days I will continue to rest but then we need me to be better. Antonio needs a mama and Albert needs his wife and I need to feel good so I can feel positive again.

Grandma's come and Grandma's go....

Last week we had Albert's mom and sister come visit for a week. It was great. Albert's mom got to meet Antonio for the first time, which she loved. That also meant that we got out of the house a lot more and there was a TON more stimulation for Antonio. He did pretty well considering. However, he already seems to be calmer now that is just him and I at home during the day. We went on his very first ferry ride to visit my moms for lunch and the afternoon. It nice since it was the hottest day of the week and we were out of the house! Then we went to the annual summer BBQ at my work on Thursday. On Friday we noticed he had been sneezing more than usual, a little coughing and a snotting nose so I called the doctor thinking he might be getting a cold. Well we took him in and all was fine except for the fact he is huge! He weighed in at 13lbs. 8 oz!!! At 5 weeks! No wonder Alberts back is hurting and my stomach muscles continue to ache. Man oh man! Saturday we had my parents over for a fun dinner with possibly just enough wine to get us all goofy. That next day they left for a year long vacation all over the world; literately. It was so hard to say goodbye to her. I have never been away from my mom for more that a few months before this. When they return August 2010 Antonio will be a boy ( not a baby) and very possibly walking. So sad. Monday we all went into Seattle to go tour Safeco Field. It was a surprisingly good tour. I have been there numerous times including a fanfest one year so I wasn't sure how much I'd actually get from it but it was fun! For those of you who live around here I'd check it out. It was $9 a person but we had two buy 1 get 1 free coupons from the entertainment guide so it was a steal! Poor Antonio has so much Grandma love since he was born between my mom and Albert's and now they are both gone. Hopefully he'll survive! ; )

In the past couple weeks Antonio has gained weight as mentioned above, started to smile which is amazing. However, he seems to be smiling at everyone and everything but me. Doesn't he know I am the one who carried him for 9 months!?! Geez. He even smiled at my mom while they were over for dinner; she loved it! I think he has even kinda giggled! So sweet; I can't wait until he does it more regularly. He continues to sleep in his crib and the next step is getting him to sleep through the night. We think it is close though. Albert gets up with him every night to feed him (it's their bonding time) and says that the 2am and 5 am feedings are less and less. Meaning he isn't eating as much so we hope that is a sign he may not need to wake up and eat! We're hoping so at least.

Tia Nelly, Albert, Grandma & Antonio

Grammy, Antonio and Grandma

Antonio & I

Albert, Antonio and I

1 month today!

It's pretty amazing that just 1 month ago my life was so completely different. I slept in on weekends, the only things that interrupted me was my urgent need to pee (in the end of the pregnancy) and the need to get off my feet (again, at the end of the pregnancy). Now, if I sleep in until 9 it is because Albert has the day off and he and Antonio go downstairs to hangout together. Otherwise I sleep "in" until maybe 7 am. I am completely on his schedule. My life revolves around feeding Antonio, comforting and holding him and hoping he will stop crying and fall asleep! : ) He is amazing; he really is and I wouldn't change a thing; unless you ask me in the middle of one of his "freak outs". Then I might consider it for a moment; but just for a moment.

In the past month Antonio has grown a ton; literately. The day he was born he weighed 9lbs 15 oz and was 21" long. They weighed him the day he was circumcised (last Tuesday, the 4th) and he was 11lbs 8 oz. Knowing him he has gained since then too! At the last Dr. appt ( July 27th ) he was 23.75" long! Amazing! From day one he was able to hold his head up for maybe 10 - 20 sec. on his own and now, probably for a min at least! His vision has gotten better and he spends more time awake looking around at things. He seems to be making eye contact every once in awhile with us too. You can just see the wheels turning in his head. For some reason he is obsessed with our brown couch. He is always seems so captivated by it! The tv also catches his attention; those flashes of light are just so cool! He has found his voice as well. Not only is his screaming and crying louder (oh yay..) but his is making a lot more sounds. Not necessarily the typical "cooing" or "oohing" just noises. Every once in awhile he will let out a shriek or two out of the blue then look a bit curious on where that noise came from then go back to being content. So cute in a weird way. Two nights ago he slept in his actual crib. I wondered if it was or would be a one time thing but he did again last night again. It is sad in a way but I am so proud of him in another. As my cousin said, my baby is growing up! : ( However, I tried it more because his bassinet we have been using was getting a little to cozy. He still is not sleeping through the night yet...soon we hope! If he would just eliminate that 2-3 am wake up call we'd all be happy!

Neither Albert or I can believe how fast time does fly by; it's so sad. He is just so perfect to us. It is amazing to think that WE created this amazing human being; I grew him in my belly. It/he really is a miracle. We are mesmerized by him all the time. Becoming a parent is such a stressful, frustrating, amazing, emotional, happy and proud thing. It truly is and it has only been a month. No, I don't want another baby unless I don't have to go through the 1st or 3rd trimester and unless the baby will just fall out without and pain or recovery time! ; )

He is official!

Today we got both his birth certificate and his social security card in the mail! Hooray, he is an official little person in this world! He is still growing like crazy; as of Tuesday he is 11lbs 8 oz! Will he ever stop growing? I have the feeling the answer is no. We went and saw Antonio's Great Grandma today and he was so good! He laid on her lap, she fed him and then fell asleep! It was perfect. My mom took some cute pictures of the two of them! On Monday we went to our first "Living with Baby" class that we get free for a month. It was fun, not what I expected but to be fair I don't know what I expected. There were 3 other people and babies there; a 7wk old, 9wk old and 12 wk old. Antonio was as big as them; especially the 12 wk old girl! Scary! We sang songs, which I think he really liked, talked about SIDS/baby safety (there is a different topic every week)and talked about what our babies were doing and concerns we had. We got a few good tips from the others since they were long past the 3wk mark. It was encouraging! We will definitely go back next week and through our free month!

Umbilical Cord Stump

Finally the cord stump fell off! It had been hanging on by a thread for the last day or two and was looking pretty nasty. Every once in awhile there would be some spot bleeding on the inside of his clothes recently too. (which apparently is very normal; yes, I called the doctor to ask.) I can't believe he can't feel it; I mean this big nasty scab thing is attached to something then just falls off. Weird. Anyways, I went to change his diaper and looked and it was gone; I couldn't believe it! Finally! They always said it would just fall on and you'd never find it; but he hadn't been many place since his last changing so I looked for it. Sure enough it fell out of his onesie...I quickly tossed it in the diaper pail. Nasty! I ran over to wash my hands then went back to change his diaper. So glad to have that gone! Below is the after photo!

If it isn't one thing it is another right? Right. Tuesday he gets circumcised...finally. We were going to have it done at the hospital but then he ended up in the NICU and didn't. I had somewhat been putting it off because as much as I want it done I don't want to have that happen to him. My OB told me not to put it off because the longer I wait the more complications can come up. So I made the appointment and now am dreading it. So we/I go from one "gross" thing to another. Please pray for Antonio's and my sake that he heals fast and there aren't any complications. I will be very anxious for it to be healed and done with.

Week 2 well check.

Today was Antonio's well check at the doctors and he did great. In just the past 2 weeks of his life he has grown 2.25 inches and almost a full pound! WOW!! He is up to 23.25" long and 10 lbs 12 oz! He is in the 93rd percentile for his weight and 99 percentile for his height at this age! If he keeps this up he is going to out grow both his mom and dad in no time! Yikes! He had to get blood drawn which he HATED. They had to fill 5 circles that were about 1/2" in diameter on a piece of paper and had to prick him twice just to get enough. It broke my heart. Albert was excited because they then put 2 Band-Aids on him, one was yellow and the other purple; Laker colors! ; ) We don't have to go in again until 2 months and then he has to get 3 shots; I think I'll be waiting in the waiting room for that one! The doctor is great too; I really like her! We are home from that dramatic experience and trying to stay cool for the next few days!

Hello!

Hello Antonio followers! Those of you that followed my "Prego Diaries" will find this blog very similar except I will be blogging about Antonio's life. Duh! ; ) As you all should know by now, Antonio came into this crazy world at 4:22 am on July 11th. He was a mighty 9lbs 15 oz and 21" long; we usually just say 10 lbs because what's an ounce?! Anyways, what started out early morning of the 10th spilled into the 11th after a long day. Antonio was smart even in the womb; he knew he was not going to fit through the birth canal. He also let me watch the Mariner's play Texas where Omar actually played! Honestly don't remember any of the game or even really seeing Omar except for one at bat while struggling through a contraction. I don't remember what Omar did in that at bat nor do I remember if seeing Omar on tv helped me get through the contraction. Regardless, Antonio waited until after the game, well long after the game.

Life with Antonio was been wonderful. He is such an amazing baby boy. He pretty much cries only if he is hungry, wants to be held or has a poopy diaper. Granted the trick is to determine which one it is. Luckily when it comes to the hungry part there are other signs that go a long with it but ALWAYS seems to be hungry. I am worried to overfeed him; he is big enough as it is. I don't want to be one of those moms that every time the baby cries they stick a bottle or nipple in their mouth. I am trying to determine for sure what the "problem" is first. I am not sure how good I am at it yet but it is a learning process for sure.

Since I had a c-section and ended up pretty anemic the road to recovery has been pretty slow. I am not able to pick him up much which breaks my heart because that is all I want to do. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and hopefully my healing is good. Everyday seems to be a bit better though. However, I can always tell if I have over done it the next day. Soon, I will get to be the mommy I am craving to be; the one who can carry her son all around, who can drive places and show him off to the world. I cannot wait! My mom has truly been a lifesaver! She has pretty much been here everyday Albert has had to work. She has helped me take care of Antonio, and the house. Seriously, I am not sure what would have happened if she hadn't been here to help! Phew! My mother in law and sister in law come into town on the 14th of August to meet Antonio. We are so excited for them to be here too!

Well check back occasionally to see pictures, read updates on Antonio and see what he is up to! Thank you for your support and following. Antonio is a lucky little boy to have so many people who care and love him! I cannot wait for all of you to meet him. In another week or two I am sure I will be up for visitors and hopefully even venturing out to show him the world! Antonio is fussing so off I go.......until later.