Antonio Thomas

wordless Wednesday!

2011-04-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Daycare

2011-03-18T08:13:00.001-07:00

Antonio started at his new daycare yesterday, Thursday, and seemed to do great! When I dropped him off I stayed awhile, all the way until they had breakfast! The lady, Rosemary, gave them (Antonio and 1 other kid) waffles and grapes. So while he was eating his breakfast I said goodbye and left. There was a little fuss and concern that I was leaving until he remembered he had waffles on the table! Then he seemed torn to be upset I was leaving or eating his waffles! ; ) Thats my boy!

I was a bit concerned when I saw her put syrup on the waffles, Not that big of a deal except it was a lot of sugar and I've never put syrup on waffles, pancakes or french toast for Antonio. She instantly was on the floor playing with Antonio when we got there and seemed to be very focused on him which was great! Granted I was there too and she wasn't exactly going to ignore him in front of me! : ) She even managed some smiles and even a little laugh from him within 30min! Impressive! When Albert picked Antonio up later he said that Antonio didn't seem anxious to leave, another good sign! They made a St. Patricks day craft, played outside, read books and when Albert picked him up they were "bowling"! The other foods she offered him were, mac n cheese, string cheese (which he wasn't to fond of), banana, some mixed veggies (again, not his favorite), sunny delight and animal crackers. So not the ideal mix of foods but not as bad as I had originally thought! No wonder he didn't nap much yesterday, he had a lot more sugar than he is used too!

Today's drop off went well. She had made a tunnel for him to crawl through or roll the ball through and he instantly took a car and crawled back and forth. When I left he only fussed for a second! I was so impressed! He must feel ok there; I think I really like her too! We'll see how today goes, hopefully less sugar! ; ) Thanks for all the prayers for the easy transition for Antonio; I am sure it helped!

Wordless Wednesday is back!

2011-03-16T20:48:00.001-07:00

Kauai Pictures!

2011-03-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

Long Time No Post!

2011-03-13T13:33:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! Sorry it has been so long since the last post! I got out of routine but will try to get back into it now. TRY is the key word! Antonio is great! He is growing and turning into such a big boy! He still is not talking and I have decided to not worry about it to much! Every once in awhile he seems to say a word but then to never say it again. He understands very well though!

We just got back form a great vacation with my parents to Kauai and had a blast! No, we were not there when the tsunami hit! Antonio loved all the freedom he got and attention. I think coming home was a big letdown for him! Our daycare lady we love found out she has colon cancer. Luckily, they will be able to remove all of it and they don't think it has spread; thank goodness! However, she will be closed for 5 weeks starting Thursday! We quickly had to find another place to take Antonio, which we did on Friday. Hopefully it will work out. The gal seemed really nice and there will only be 2 other kids there plus her 3yr old son. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing. We will see. Hopefully Antonio will adjust ok. Please pray for both Anne, our current daycare lady, and Antonio that makes the transition ok. I will post a few pictures from Hawaii, but don't worry; it will only be a few. The rest, well more, will be on my facebook page.

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-12-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday...how about Textless Thursday?!

2010-12-02T21:36:00.001-08:00

Wordless (almost) Wednesday!

2010-11-23T22:12:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-11-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-11-11T21:14:00.001-08:00

(Antonio's new girlfriend!)

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-11-03T20:19:00.001-07:00

A morning with Mom/Grammy!

2010-11-01T20:34:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Albert worked so he could then have this coming Friday off for a 3-day weekend! YAY! So Saturday night my Mom came over and spent the night, since she was already on this side of the water visiting her sister, my Aunt. As most of you know, Albert works the early shift, up and out the door at 4:30 am, so it was perfect for my Mom to keep Antonio and I company! We had french toast and vanilla lattes for breakfast! It was great! Even Antonio tried the french toast and liked it! It was great having my Mom there to hang out with us. We watched a few cartoons, played and tried on his costume so Grammy could see him in it! Antonio had some good Grammy time too! They played a lot, read books and even had some good snuggle time; everyone was happy!

My Mom helped me blanch some green beans to freeze and she had bought some organic carrots to cook, all for Antonio! It made it so much easier having two of us here so one of us was always entertaining Antonio! He LOVED all the attention! He didn't even nap until 1:30 when Grammy put him down! Spending time with her was something I had needed and wanted to do for so long; having time just my Mom, Antonio and I to spend time together! I was "soul comforting"! It's funny how much more you appreciate (and need) your Mom once you become one yourself! I was bummed to see her go but I knew Albert would be home soon and that she wanted to get home before the Sunday ferry rush! It was a perfect way to spend a Sunday morning/afternoon! Hopefully we'll do it again soon!

wordless Wednesday!

2010-10-28T21:12:00.001-07:00

15 months!

2010-10-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

As promised here is a long time coming up date on Antonio! He recently went in for his 15 month Well Child visit. As expected he is growing! His current stats are:

Height: 31.5 (63.88%)
Weight: 27lbs 12oz (87.38%!!)
Head: 48 cm/18.9" (74.28%)

He clearly is still a good eater! In fact he will eat anything you put in front of him except apples; weird I know. He loves both applesauce and apple juice but if you put a piece of apple in front of him he won't touch it, in fact if you try to feed it to him he turns his head! Very weird considering he's liked portabello mushrooms, asparagus, fish and everything else! Maybe it's a texture thing, who knows. As far as height, it has slowed a bit, his height/weight used to stay pretty much the same percentile until a few months ago. The doctor doesn't have any concern for it though.

However, the doctor is a bit concerned he isn't talking yet. He hasn't said any words/word yet. Neither Albert or I are much talkers so maybe we just need to talk more. She, the dr., gave us a phone number of a "birth to 3 Early Intervention" program that is federal/state run to have them come out and evaluate Antonio. : ( He seems to understand some things, like "light", "no" his name, lets go and a couple other things but if you ask him to bring you a book or something he doesn't seem to understand. I figure it doesn't hurt to call them, especially if its a "free" program! We'll see. As some of you have seen, he is a very smart boy so it's not that he is "lacking" per say but just not talking. Regardless, I will keep you posted on if we decide to try it out.

Antonio walks EVERYWHERE! In fact he is starting to run or walk very fast. He is starting to want to walk instead of being carried now too. I am not sure if that's a good or bad thing yet! :/
He has recently decided to NOT sleep through the night anymore. :/ We had a great stretch of about 2 months, then he got sick; fever, throwing up and nasty cold and hasn't done very good at sleeping through ever since. He's also cut 4 teeth in the past month or so. I'm just ready for an uninterrupted night of sleep! We are still doing swim lessons but this month, October, will be our last month until after Christmas and then we will have to see how the weather is.

He is turning into such a Papa's boy! He absolutely loves his Papa! They play all the time; chasing, tickling, "getting" each other, it is so, so cute. Antonio loves it if you follow him around with a blanket behind him, a big blanket, and then he will turn around, fall on it and want you to pull him around on it. So cute yet so weird! There is so much love between them and there's always giggling between the both of them!

A bit overwhelmed

2010-10-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

Again, it has been awhile since I have posted. Ever since I went back to work my "to do" list has grown longer. Then the middle of last month my 1 co-worker left on a medical leave and has been out ever since so I have been working full weeks. Meanwhile, between busy weekends, swim lessions and life, the blog has taken a back seat. It is one of the many things I have been meaning to do but just haven't found the time to do it; especially since Antonio LOVES the computer. Since we Skyped with my parents while they were gone and continue to "try" to Skype with Albert's mom he always wants to see who is on the screen and "bang" on the keyboard. Not a good thing, as you may know, Apple computers don't come cheap! :/

It looks as if I may be catching a bit of a break. Starting next week I will start having Friday's off....for now. It will give me a chance to catch up on some cleaning/laundry and grocery shopping that I haven't been doing on the weekends and then have the weekend free! My co-worker is not back yet (he could use some prayers, he is diabetic and had to have his big toe amputated beacuse of an ugly infection) but my boss was able to work it so I could have a day off a week! I am/was feeling like I got up, went to work, got home, made dinner, spent maybe an hour with Antonio, got him ready for bed, showered, cleaned the kicthen, tried to watch a Tivo'd show, go to bed, REPEAT. TO top it off Antonio has decided he doesn't like sleeping through the night anymore so I am so tired on top of it. It isn't/wasn't fun! So now I will be able to spend more time with Antonio, which is HUGE and do those things!! I'm so excited! I really don't know how the rest of all the working mom's do it; I really don't.

So with all that being said, I will try to follow this blog up with an Antonio update. After all, this blog is about him!!!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-10-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-09-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

(watching Grandpa BBQ)

It's been way to long.....

2010-08-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry all; I been terrible at keeping up with this blog lately. Things have been hectic! Well as you all know Antonio turned the big ONE a month and a half ago, July, 11th. We delayed his party until my parents got home the first of August! However that gave us the opportunity to have a bunch of little partied for him. On the actual day of his birthday we woke up and I made blueberry pancakes for him. Antonio LOVES blueberries; I'm surprised he hasn't turned blue! We went to Toy's R Us with him and got a couple toys for him; of course a toy computer was one of them from Papa! I made cupcakes for his "cake" however he was very unimpressed!

The following weekend his Aunt Nelly and cousin Angelina came for a visit! We went to his 1st Mariner game and he did great! They played the White Sox and Antonio got to meet Omar who currently plays for them. Omar remembered me and came right over to us! I introduced him to Antonio and he was great with him. Antonio on the other hand just stared with a concerned, curious look on his face. We made it through 3 innings and decided to call it a night before a meltdown occurred! It was perfect too because we saw the Mariners score a run and Omar hit two hits! We were winning when we left so to us it was a GREAT game! The night before Nelly and Angelina left we had a mini birthday party with a mini cake and presents!

About a week later my mother in law came to visit for a few days! It was great having her here, cooking every night! Grandma and Antonio hit it off GREAT! They both loved each other! Antonio learned to walk the first day she was here which made Grandma so happy! :) It was sad for everyone when she left! That following weekend my parents came back from their year long Europe trip where the went EVERYwhere! That was a great reunion! They hadn't seen Antonio since he was a month old and were very surprised at how big he really was. We had skyped with them almost once a week but seeing them seeing him via a computer screen didn't do him justice!

The following week my daycare lady was on vacation for two weeks so my parent came over a couple times each week and spent some quality time with Antonio! It was pretty much a forced bonding time for all involved but it turned out well! The daycare lady came back from vacation and things have gone back to normal! Finally! However, Antonio has been teething and has been fighting a cold all at the same time and its been hard on all of us, especially him! I am hoping he is at the end of it now! In the middle of all that we had Antonio's 1st birthday party! (A post to come about the party....soon) So as you can see July and August have been pretty busy, hectic months with all the visitors, lack of daycare etc. Oh, and we started swim lessons the end of July. Antonio seems to like them, though is still pretty cautious!

I hope to catch up on a couple blogs in the next few days with pictures etc! Hope you haven't given up on the blog yet!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-08-02T20:43:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-07-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-07-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday (a day late)!

2010-07-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-06-30T21:31:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-06-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's not the best video but the audio is awesome! You can just hear the delight in his laugh!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-06-16T06:25:00.000-07:00

Eleven Months!

2010-06-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

T-minus ONE month! Wow! We've decided to postpone Antonio's birthday a month so my parents will be here for it. So it will be August 14th, I concluded I wanted my parents here for it and Antonio will never know the difference anyways. We will still have a tiny celebration on his birthday the 3 of us but wait for the party until August. Plus that gives me an extra month to get ready for it! : ) I've started thinking back to a year ago this time; how uncomfortable I was starting to feel and how tired I was after doing ANY activity! My feet and legs were just starting to double in size. Crazy! I had just had my first of two baby showers.

(whoa!)

I know, I know, this is about Antonio not me but its partly about him. He was in my tummy all curled up and cozy. Anyways, he is 11 months as of Friday. He is becoming a little person more and more everyday. When Albert and I are talking and we laugh, Antonio will laugh too. It is so cute! He wants to be involved so he laughs even though has no idea why. He's beginning to show his inherited temper he unfortunately received from me. When he doesn't get what he wants (ie. the refrigerator door closes before he can "get in it") or when we take something away from him (ie. the remote control) he throws a fit until he is otherwise distracted. Luckily he is distracted enough at daycare Anne, the daycare lady, hasn't seen this side of him...yet.

He is doing great at eating more solids. He's tried a lot and seems to like pretty much everything. Sometimes it takes some persuasion but typically he likes whatever we give him. I find a hard tome thinking of meals to give him. I have lots of snacks, puffs, fruit, crackers etc but I have a hard time thinking of "meals" to give him. The other day we got home from class and needed to eat lunch. I gave him some leftover pork chops, which he liked, and some blueberries. However he didn't eat much for him but seemed done. So I made myself a grilled cheese which he LOVES. We went upstairs to play and I ate my sandwich. Well he wanted some so he started to fuss it up. I gave him a bite and he seemed very pleased. I had brought up some puffs just in case and when he wanted more of my sandwich I offered him some puffs instead. He wanted nothing to do with them, he just wanted my sandwich. He kept refusing the puffs and ended up eating half my sandwich! I was amazed he could not only taste but see that I was offering him puffs and NOT my sandwich. He knew the difference!

Things Antonio is doing & continues to like:

-Talking all the time; lots of dadadadada and other sounds but no mamamama yet. : (

-Still no walking on his own but close.

-He cruises EVERYWHERE and love walking with his walker!

-His new thing is biting, he bites everything from people (not good) to fabrics to anything else.

-He is what sounds like, grinding his teeth; it is AWFUL!

-He takes things (toys, tupperware etc.) out of their containers and then puts them back in (sometimes) and then takes them back out and so on....they never end up back in though. ;)

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-06-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Antonio at EMP (Experience Music Project)!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-06-03T19:36:00.001-07:00

Eating!

2010-05-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

Antonio's eating! I mean eating real foods, we all know he has been eating all along!! Last Friday, the 21st, the daycare gal said she had given him some fish crackers and he ate them.....whole! I was shocked! So I tried giving him some spaghetti o's since they are very soft and easy to gum. He LOVED them! I had made Albert and I spaghetti with ground beef and onions which he frequently eyed! The next day, Saturday, we gave him his normal breakfast, oatmeal mixed with pureed fruit. For lunch I made grilled cheese for us and gave Antonio some fish crackers and banana and a little bit of grilled cheese to try. He loved it and ended up eating half of mine! So since he was doing so good Albert tried giving him a little of the left over spaghetti from the night before; he LOVED that too! Ground beef, onions and all! We were so impressed! : )

Since then he has eaten eggs, toast, pineapple, chicken (from chicken tacos), banana, apple and loves them all! He has a total 6 teeth and is learning how to bite with them well. However, when he eats he tends to put everything on his plate/tray in his mouth all at once! Luckily he hasn't choked yet and we have learned to only give him a few items at a time until he learns to slow down.

We are so proud of him, I was worried he'd only be eating puree's for forever! :p Luckily, he is still enjoying his purees considering I had just made him a bunch! If anyone has any ideas on what other foods to try I welcome the ideas. I am going to get some yogurt this weekend for him to try too. My baby boy is growing up.....

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-05-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-05-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

Ten months!

2010-05-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

T-minus 2 months until Antonio will be a year old! CRAZY! In the past couple months I have found out 2 of my dearest friends are pregnant! One is due the beginning of September and the other the end of November. I am so excited for both of them. I pray that both of them have a healthy rest of their 9 months! As for Antonio, well he is finally adjusting at daycare. I am still able to stay home on Monday's with him so Tuesday's are still kinda hard on him, well, both of us. However, the rest of the week is good. Dropping him off has gotten easier, he no longer fusses or even cries. In fact pretty much as soon as I put him down when we get there he crawls into the kitchen to find Miss Anne (the daycare lady). It's pretty cute. The rest of the kids seem to really like him and play with him which warms my heart. Albert says that the other kids play a "game" with him. Antonio crawls over to the bookcase, pull all the books off then they put them back up, then he goes back over and pulls all the books off again and so on. Apparently it's fun for all of them. :)

Some things Antonio is doing and continuing to enjoy:

-He's still loving his walker and cruising EVERYWHERE!

-He's starting to eat things besides puree's; barely

-he's loving the Gerber puffs and is getting better and getting them into hid mouth!

-He still gags on most things we give him but he is getting better; it seems to be a very slow process for him.

-He's begun the babble, the real baby babble, it is so cute.

-he's got the dadadadada down pat. No, no mamamama yet; soon though!

-He's been sleeping through the night (7pm-5:30 or 6am) for about 3 weeks now!!!

-He's gotten 3 more teeth, possibly 4 so that has bothered him at night but he seems to still sleep through.

-He's gotten his top 2 and 1 on the bottom and VERY soon another up top.

-He's learning to clap, well, he's only done it about 4 or 5 times but it is SOOOO cute!

-He's started giving "open" mouth kisses and I LOVE them! They are a bit wet but so sweet! :)

-As of the past 3 night's he seems to have abruptly weaned himself of his binky.

-he's never been one to need it a lot but mainly to fall asleep. The past 3 nights he has refused it which is weird but we are ok with it! :) Lets hope it keeps up!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-05-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

Antonio's likes......

2010-05-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a video Albert put together this weekend. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-04-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, I owe you guys two Wednesday's worth! So here are a few pictures from the last couple weeks!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-04-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

9 months!

2010-04-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how close that baby icon on the timeline is to the "1"!! Amazing! We went to Antonio's 9 month well child check Monday. We went to a different doctor that is MUCH closer to home and hoped to like him and stay with him but I will drive the additional 20 min each way and go back to the original doctor. The appointment was a joke. This new doctor knew his stuff and did what he needed to do but then was outta there. Since Antonio had a cold he checked his ears, throat and lungs and all were good. Then he checked a couple other routine things then got up to leave. Well I had some questions and had to pretty much cut him off to ask before he left. I got two in while his hand was one the door knob. He briefly answered them but so fast I barely had time to comprehend. Antonio's original doctor always asked if I had any questions and then answered them all. I assumed ALL pediatricians would do that, boy was I wrong. Needless to say we won't be going back the him.

Enough negative, on to positive! Antonio is GROWING!! Here are his current stats:

Weight: 22lbs 8 oz (79.62%, down from 95.8%)

Height: 30" (93.64%, up from 92.9%)

Head circumference: 45.5 cm/17.91" (56.48%, up from 29.6%)

Some things Antonio's doing and liking:

-He is getting better and better at walking. Still needing help but cruises the couch (or anything) just fine by himself.

-He is loving walking with his walker!

-Has learned how to crawl up stairs. (not so good)

-Started primarily crawling on his hands and knees instead of on his belly

-Loving all food as long as it's pureed.

-He gags on anything not pureed even if it's super soft, so we're easing into that.

-He seems to really like the new tastes and textures of meats

-Still waking once a night for a diaper change and a little snack. (however, I don't think it's the hunger that wakes him, I'm starting to think him being wet does....)

-He seems to have reconciled with the vacuum cleaner. However we haven't turned it on with him yet!

-He's freaked out by my hair dryer now too.

Back to work.

2010-04-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

I know it's been FOREVER since I posted something. Things have been a bit hectic. Last Tuesday, the 6th, I went back to work. It was awful. I dropped Antonio at daycare the previous Thursday and Friday and thank goodness that I did because I would have been a wreck! The first day back went ok. I dropped Antonio at daycare and he cried as I walked away, breaks my heart that he does that, absolutely breaks my heart. I got to work and got reacquainted with co-workers and the computer system. Going back to using a PC instead of a Mac is hard enough! ; ) All day I thought about Antonio and as the day went on I thought about what we would be doing at that moment; it was so sad and pathetic all at once. It was pretty scary how much came back to me after being gone for 9 months! However, a lot has changed and I feel like a new person all over again!

When I got off work I stopped to pick up Chinese at our favorite Chinese place and then rushed home to see my boys! It was so good to be home with Antonio (and Albert); I just scooped him up and loved on him. It was the best. : ) Albert said it was fun picking Antonio up at daycare, lucky him, he gets to be the hero and pick him up! Albert's car is missing the back middle seat head rest so Antonio can see out the back window where in my car we have the head rest and mirror blocking his view. Antonio seems to really like being able to see out the back! Albert had that Friday off so he got some Antonio time which they both seemed to love! They will get to do it again this friday too!

In Antonio's first week at daycare he caught a cold and a small diaper rash started. Luckily I noticed the diaper rash starting Saturday morning so I started creme on it and it was gone by Monday! YAY! The cold however, is holding on good. I will spare you the details but he is really congested and has a good run to his nose. He has started a congested cough yesterday too. Poor little guy. Hopefully he can fight it and be done with it this week.

I hope that things start to go better for all of us with daycare and work. I am still looking for an afternoon/evening pt job so I can stay home with Antonio at least most of the week. I know he is getting great social skills but I just HATE being away from him. In fact today when Albert went to pick him up Antonio was "cruising" the gate that goes around the fireplace at daycare. When they were leaving all the kids were saying bye to Antonio; Albert said it was cute! Awww...my sweet boy is making friends! Yay!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-03-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hopefully the video works! You do need to press play even though it is black!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-03-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

Our last day....

2010-03-30T19:17:00.001-07:00

Well the time has come that I go back to work and Antonio goes to daycare. Ugh. I have been dreading this in someway since the day he was born. However, I never imagined I'd be lucky enough to be home with him this long. I feel so blessed. However, tomorrow is our last day home together. Thursday and Friday I am dropping Antonio at daycare even though I don't actually go back to work until Tuesday, April 6th. I think it is more for me than Antonio. I figure that way I am not making the heart wrenching drop off the morning I go back to work. I'll be a wreck that day regardless but maybe, just maybe it won't be so hard this way. I can go home and cry if I want to. However, my plan is to drop him and then head to the gym and put some of that emotion to good use. Oh and get myself a big yummy Starbucks because dammit, I will have deserved it! Thursday will be the first day in almost 18 months (9 in my belly and 8.75 outside) that I will not be with Antonio. Ugh....

Antonio and I have been so lucky to spend so much time together. Even after my gall bladder removal and torn achilles tendon I still feel so lucky! :) I luckily had/have awesome friends who were willing and able to come help me with Antonio during those times! To think I was worried that he wouldn't know I was his mommy! Now I know he knows I am and hope that he will be ok without me (as well as I hope he misses me)! So please pray for both of us on Thursday, Friday and then Tuesday. It will be a long, hard emotional next few days and I am getting anxious to have it be over with!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-03-24T19:17:00.001-07:00

wordless Wednesday!

2010-03-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

bad two days!

2010-03-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

Poor Antonio; he's had a rough past couple days! Yesterday, I put him in his crib while I put some of his clothes away with the mobile on. Usually he lays there and watches it but not this time. As my back was turned I heard a sound that sounded like he was scratching on his breathable bumper (which he does often) and as I turned around, he is standing up in his crib "chewing" on the railing. As we made eye contact he smiled and let go. BAM! He fell straight back slamming his head on the rails behind him. I felt awful! Then later, one of Albert's friends came over with her son who is 16 months and we had them both sit on the bottom step of the stairs to take a picture; it was so cute! Right after we took a few pictures Antonio leaned forward and BAM, face plant on the floor! Again, I felt awful; he must have had THE worst headache!! On top of that he only napped for 30 min in the afternoon instead of his normal hour so he was extra fussy and tired! Rough day!

Then today he woke up happy and we thought today would be MUCH better! Nope, about 11 this morning his nose started running, like a faucet had been turned on, and sure enough the crying started soon after. So I think the next tooth or teeth is on its/their way. The rest of the day he was a runny nose, crying, drooling mess! So next time I wish I were a baby again, I will remember the past two days and be glad I am not! : ) Hopefully tomorrow will be better, he certainly deserves a better day!

EIGHT months! Eek...

2010-03-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

Antonio is 8 months old as of last Thursday. One thing that people, specifically other parents, tell you is to cherish and enjoy every moment because it goes by so fast. That is just another piece of advice I said, ok, ok, I will but didn't really understand just how fast it does go by. It's amazing! Anyways, Antonio is growing up and doing new things everyday it seems! He is pulling him self up on pretty much everything now. He's fallen over a couple times already but no bumps, cuts or black eyes yet, knock on wood! It's only a matter of time though! A lot of times he'll pull him self up on his knee's or feet and then not know how to get back down on his belly yet and gets scared. Poor guy.

As some of you may have heard, the daycare lady from next door called me a couple weeks ago and said she couldn't take Antonio anymore so I have had to re-search for a daycare....ugh. More on that in a different post. Anyways, Antonio and I have been to a few daycares and each place we went to we were there for about an hour to get the feel for it and the kids. We even went back to re look at some. So Antonio has seen, played and met a lot of new kids his age all the way up to 4 lately. Each place he's had fun exploring and watching the older kids! I think he enjoyed it!

Some things Antonio has been doing the past month:

-He's pulling himself up to everything and standing. Chairs, the couch, entertainment center, even in his crib, etc.... (I think we may end up having a crawler!)

-He is still "army" crawling everywhere but is starting to use all fours for a few steps then flops to his belly!

-He is eating anything and everything; at least he can. We've just started trying meats (pureed still)! However, he can eat cheerios, steamed veggies, pretty much anything (with few exceptions) as long as it is cut small enough. He's loving it all so far!

-Bathing in a non infant tub and loving his bath toys! Most times he'll hang on to one to take into his room!

-He's started to reach our for me or Albert when he wants us.

-He's back to sleeping better! HOORAY! He'll sometimes wake up once or twice needing his binky but then falls right back to sleep but nothing like he had been doing. So he's sleeping from about 7-5, eats, then back to sleep until about 7! LOVE IT! (He's just started to suck his thumb again the past day or two so hopefully that will help when he wakes and wants his binky!)

It's funny how hard it is to think of things he does to add here when we've gotten so used to it all!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-03-10T20:08:00.001-08:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-03-03T20:10:00.001-08:00

Ok, here's the new thing. Every Wednesday I will TRY to post a picture or two or three of the past week. Just pictures no words, hence wordless Wednesday! So, check back every Wednesday and hopefully there will be at least one new picture of Antonio! So here are this weeks and a video of his new "toy"!

Going back to work.....

2010-02-26T20:36:00.000-08:00

It's official, I am going back to work April 6th. I will be working Tuesday - Friday until business picks up; I guess I am kinda hoping it doesn't so I can keep this schedule. If and when it does I will have to go Monday - Friday. Until then, I will be grateful for not having to put Antonio in daycare 1 more day. I really don't want him in daycare at all for so many reasons but we don't really have a choice at this point. I just fear he will not get the attention and love he does with me; in fact I know he won't. He tends to be high maintenance a lot and I worry that they will get tired of his whining and just let him whine. That thought breaks my heart. I guess he's been spoiled being home with me. But that is my job, to attend to his EVERY need. I know this daycare will to their best abilities but he won't be the only one there. I guess that is where only children get spoiled and grow to think it is all about them. Good thing my mom ran a daycare out of her home for awhile! ; )

We have found a daycare we like and it happens to be our neighbors! For those of you who have been to our house it is the neighbors that have the cow. They don't actually live there anymore and have turned there house into a daycare. Its great that they are just next door so when Albert gets home he will be able to go get Antonio instead of him having to wait for me to get off work and pick him up since we only have one car seat.

So I have a month to enjoy my time with Antonio then off to work I'll go. It will be the hardest thing I've done so far. The poor lady at the daycare as well, I'm sure Antonio will be a fussy, whiny mess at least for awhile after I go. I, on the other hand, will be an emotional mess probably all week! People say it will be good for both of us but I just LOVE being home with Antonio. It is so crazy hard some days but more often it is just as expected! I'm still hoping something (like the winning lotto ticket) will come along between now and then or even in the near future. We shall see. I am going to try my best to focus on enjoying my days with Antonio instead of stressing about that first day back.

"Try" is the key word.

wordless post....

2010-02-25T16:41:00.001-08:00

sleep...HA! Only in my daydreams...

2010-02-24T20:58:00.001-08:00

I love Antonio so much more than I ever thought possible and he could almost do no wrong but the boy isn't sleeping. I have always enjoyed my sleep so this is extra hard for me! Antonio was sleeping through the night for about a month when Albert and I decided I would take over the night waking since Albert was having to get up early to go to work and I wasn't. Besides, Antonio wasn't waking up so no big deal! Ha! About a week after the switch Antonio started waking up, but only once and usually went right back to sleep; still no big deal. Then he started waking more often and for longer periods of time. Now, and for the past couple weeks now, he's been waking, crying/screaming and then going back to sleep for about 20-30 min then waking and so on. This goes one from about 11-3am. I usually feed him around 2 and he acts hungry but that doesn't keep him asleep. At first I just assumed it was teething but if thats it will this continue for another year? I so hope not. I've also heard that when they learn new things they go over it in their head and that can keep them up. Regardless, I think he should be sleeping through. When I do go in to check on him he is usually on his belly and just needs to be turned back over and given his binky. Like I said though, its only good for about 30 min and starts all over again. I just don't know what to do. He usually takes a good (only 30-40 min.) morning nap then the afternoon ones are awful. He doesn't really nap unless on me and then he'll sleep good and long otherwise I can sometimes get him to nap in his swing but then only for about 30 min. He's tired because he rubs his eyes, yawns and gets fussy; all the signs are there then he just fights it and cries. I've tried putting him down and letting him cry but one time that lasted an hour and a half. Ugh.....I just don't know what to do..... Please just sleep my sweet boy...sleep....

Seven Months!

2010-02-13T22:58:00.000-08:00

Another month has come and gone. Antonio has gotten much better at eating! We are eating stage 2 foods; to be honest, I am not really sure what the difference between 1 and 2 except the containers are bigger. We have gotten a good schedule down for his eating and it seems to work. It's nice to be able to plan around him eating since I know when it will be! He gets 3 7oz bottles in a 24 hour period and then eats solids for breakfast and dinner. I have started making his food since it is less expensive and pretty easy. I can make a bunch and freeze for up t0 3 months! I try to make some every Sunday to replenish the supply. So far so good!

He has mastered the army crawl and goes everywhere now! I have the feeling the actual crawling will start soon though. Once that happens we will invest in a gate, if not sooner. We went and got his flu shot, finally, yesterday and he did GREAT! He didn't even make a peep; even the nurse was surprised. He seemed to do fine afterwards but like last time he got shots, today was rough. He was pretty fussy all day so we gave him tylenol twice and I think it helped. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Antonio has been blowing "raspberries" in the air all the time lately. It is so cute! When he does, so much drool comes out! He is continuing to drool everywhere all the time! It is so bad that he has a pretty bad rash under his chin and neck where his wet bibs and shirt sit. Poor guy. It doesn't seem to bother him luckily. I try to change out his bibs frequently but keeping up with his drool is a full time job in itself! He also bangs everything on everything. Sometimes he'll bang the "thing" so hard he will frow up his eyebrows as if to say, "why so loud?". He also is starting to get upset if I take away or move a toy he is playing with. He is growing so fast and becoming an actual human being right before my eyes; it's amazing!

He is STILL not sleeping through the night; argh! He did for about 3 weeks then all of a sudden he stopped. Now if he does it seems to be a fluke. He will wake usually once or twice a night and just needs to be turned over or need his binky and then he falls right back to sleep thankfully. Then he usually wakes about 3 to eat. Some nights are harder where he will wake 4-5 times in an hour or two (usually between midnight and 2) and then stay down until later. I am not sure whats going on with that but it can stop any night now.

Going back to work has become stressful. I think we finally found a daycare, right next door!!! The gal doesn't live there anymore and has turned her house into a daycare! It will be so convenient for us considering we only have 1 car seat! I can take him when I go to work and Albert can pick him up when he gets home which means less time Antonio is in daycare! I am still planning on meeting with one other lady tomorrow morning but unless she is AMAZING, we will go with our next door neighbor!

As far as the actual "work" part for me; I am still not sure what is going on with that. I only want to go back part time, say 3 days a week but since my employer deals with a lot of seasonal items they will need me to be full time in a couple months. Happily, my boss is somewhat working with me on trying to figure something out. We still haven't found something that works for both of us yet but soon I hope. I'd really like to stay there. I have been looking for other jobs and have applied for a few but no bites yet. I am trusting all will work out but the fact of not knowing is really stressing me out. At the earliest, I would go back to work (to my current job) mid March but possibly not until April, depending on business and what we work out. So please pray all works out for us. I really, really do NOT want to put Antonio is daycare but if need be I want him to be there as little as possible!

Below are a few pictures and a short video of Antonio in one of his jumpers! He loves it! He has pretty much out grown it already considering he is flat footed in it but I just cant bare to get rid of it yet!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-12T21:41:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

army crawl and more!

2010-02-02T17:19:00.000-08:00

Yup, it's official, Antonio's a mover! He has just learned to "army crawl"! For those of you who don't know what that is, it is where he scoots on his belly by using his arms and legs. He pulls forward with his arms as he pushes with his legs; all while he is flat on the floor. You know, like the guys in the army do to stay low to the ground. ; ) Well he is close to mastering this skill! He started this last weekend and when I mentioned it in the class we go to that he's only done it once or twice and only for an electronic (clearly his daddy's boy!), he then proceeded to do it all over the mat in class! He chased this poor little girl all around. She used to be the only mover in class (she is 8.5 months and crawls everywhere) and so he gave her a run for her money! She wasn't to sure she liked it though! ; )

Also, this morning Antonio has cut his first teeth, yes, teeth! He has his two bottom teeth both coming through at the same time! Poor little guy! He wasn't to fussy yesterday or today, however yesterday he was a bit more snuggly and wanted his binky a lot more than usual so I was afraid he was getting sick. Thank goodness its just teeth!

We bought him a booster seat that we can attach to one of our chairs for him to eat on. Highchairs are so much money, more than we can/want to spend on one. Maybe soon we'll get one but for now the booster seat works great, so much better than his swing! ; ) He seems to like it too! He looks like such a big boy in it! When we eat he sits up at the table with us. He is so good, he just sits there and watches us eat; it's cute!

Look! I'm a big boy!

He is loving eating and eats a ton! At least it seems like it! He loves sweet potatoes, pears, prunes and our newest find, prunes and apples mixed together. He does NOT like carrots or rice cereal but seems to really like oatmeal when mixed with green beans, weird. Everything else he seems to like too. So I have mixed a lot of things with oatmeal and he loves it! He will usually eat 1-2 tablespoons of oatmeal mixture as well as a full small jar of something else for breakfast and dinner. For lunch I've decided to just go with a bottle since we are sometimes out then.

mmm.....green beans!

6 months!

2010-01-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

As of today, Antonio is 6 months! Wow, half way to a year! Antonio is growing, mentally & physically so fast.......it's so amazing, yet so sad! We continue to attend our living with baby class which Antonio really likes; I think. This month we graduated to the 6-12 month group with one other little boy and his mom. There are two other little girls in that class that are both 8 months and it is pretty amazing how much more they can do in just the 2 month difference! One is crawling ALL over while the other can't quite yet but seems to be very close! It's also so amazing how different every baby really is. One of the 8 month olds, the one crawling, is practically 1/2 the size of Antonio while the other is definitely bigger.

Last weekend we broke down and bought Antonio a convertible car seat since he has pretty much grown out of the infant seat! The sad part is he doesn't even look that small in the bigger one. The one we got will carry him up to 65 lb, so maybe to age 3. ha ha ha..... : ) We haven't used it yet but Albert has just installed it tonight so Antonio and I may have to go for a little drive tomorrow to test it out. I put him in it to see how he liked it and he didn't seem to mind it yet didn't seem to happy either. I guess he'll get used to it; I hope. The only draw back is now when we go somewhere I actually have to take him out of the car seat, where before I would leave him in it if he was sleeping and would continue on my way. Or he could fall asleep in his seat while shopping etc. Now, I will have to carry him, try to put him in a "cart" or in his somewhat cumbersome stroller. The stroller isn't so bad for at the mall or somewhere we will be for awhile but for a quick stop it is a bit much.

Antonio in his infant seat for the last time!

Antonio is his convertible seat for the first time!

Antonio can officially sit unassisted now! Yay! this is great because I can plop him down and play with him or grab his bottle (or make my morning espresso) and he can watch me and vice versa! It's a pretty big milestone and we are super excited about it! He had been trying to sit for awhile but was extremely wobbly then one day (a day or two before Christmas) he sat by himself; we couldn't believe it! Each day after that he seems to get better and better. Below is a short video from about a week ago! He also shows off one version his chatting abilities; he has so many different kinds of "talking". It ends abruptly by him falling over backwards. No tears just a good tip over! ; )

As for his 6 month stats....drum roll please......

weight: 21lbs 1oz (95.8%)

height: 28" (92.9%)

Head circum: 43cm (down to 29.6%)

At his well child check appointment today he received 4 shots, 3 pokes and 1 oral. He did pretty good, he cried hard for about 10 sec with tear rolling and all then looked and smiled at the nurse. I on the other hand, did much better; no tears for me this time! Phew. Now that he is 6 months he can get flu shots. So hopefully next week we will go in to get him one. The clinic we go to is currently out of them, besides I didn't want to get him more shots than needed today.

Some things Antonio can do and likes are (besides sitting!):

- he has officially tried rice cereal as of today.

we tried it this evening and he seemed interested with the idea but didn't like the actual cereal much. What went in came right back out. They tell you to start with the rice cereal first mainly because it has the least possible allergic reaction. We will try again tomorrow!

- he is on his tummy for much longer periods of time now!

- he is great at rolling from his back to his tummy

still has a really hard time going from his tummy to his back; he's only done it twice.

- he LOVES his jumperoo's he has.

he is lucky enough to have two and loves them both!

- he is wanting to stand much more, with help of course.

- he can turn himself in a 360 degree circle on his tummy

while on his tummy he kicks a lot and holds himself up by his arms a lot - soon he'll be

crawling....

- he has surely started the teething process but no teeth yet.

the doctor thinks we should see something any day now!

- he still loves testing his voice!

he's always making noise by shrieking, cooing etc....

- he's pretty much sleeping through the night finally! (!!!)

most nights he'll go down between 7-7:30 and sleep until between 4:30-5:30 am, eats then will go back to sleep for 3 or 4 hours! it's great! Recently he's been waking up around 12:30-1 as well. We are assuming that has to do with the typical 6 mo. growth spurt.

- he has gotten good at reaching for toys and pulling them close

he can even move the toy from one hand to another; apparently thats a big deal?!

- he grabs at everything

I no longer wear necklaces or hoop or dangly earrings. He loves grabbing at my hair and

clothes!

- he loves his feet!

He will frequently pull his socks off and put his feet in his mouth! Don't you will you were still that flexible!?

mmm.....feet, makes diaper changing fun/interesting!

A "national" year in review....

2009-12-29T09:50:00.000-08:00

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!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Christmas!

2009-12-26T21:23:00.000-08:00

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....

2009-12-18T20:25:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

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....

2009-11-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-10-31T22:34:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-10-23T21:56:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-10-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-10-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

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?!

2009-09-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

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....

2009-08-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-07-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

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.