Nina came to visit for Antonio's birthday. Nina is what Antonio calls his aunt (Albert's sister) Nelly. To be honest, I don't know why we call her that but we do. It is not Spanish for aunt, that would be "Tia" so I don't ask why, I just go along with it. :) Anyways, she arrived on Wednesday the 10th and left bright and early this morning, the 17th. We had such a fun time with her. She had some distractions with her life back at home but I think (hope) she still had a good time; I know we did!
For Antonio's actual birthday we all got up and went to Ihop for breakfast ( I think this shall be a new tradition!). Antonio got his very own waffle and was super happy about it! Then we went to have him help pick out his birthday present from us, a new big boy bike (with training wheels). From there it was up to him. He debated between the Zoo and a ride on big boat. At the last minute he chose the big boat. :) So we went to Mukilteo to take the ferry over to Whidbey Island and back. It was a good, quick, tourist activity for Nina as well. After the boat ride we played around at the beach. Form there we went home to put together his new bike and have lunch. Per his request, he had a grilled cheese sandwich. After his nap we went to swimming then again, per his request, we had hot dogs and cake for dinner. Thanks to technology, we had Grandma, Grammy and Grandpa and Nino all with us via phones (on speaker) and the iPad to sing happy birthday to Antonio! It was a great day!
Friday was a day of prep for Antonio's birthday party the next day. Shopping, grass cutting, cleaning and more.
Saturday was party day! We had family come an hour before the friends came. We had lunch and opened presents just in time for his friends to show up! We had a couple friends from daycare come which included Ms. Rosemary as well as cousins and a couple other friends. There was a lot of basketball, baseball and sandbox playing! We did a book exchange instead of presents which happily went well! I had every kid bring a wrapped book to exchange. Everyone sat down and put their wrapped books in the middle. Antonio picked first then youngest to oldest. Then everyone got to open the one they picked and then could trade if if they wanted to. That way not only did Antonio not get a bunch of toys he would maybe only play with for a week but each kid got to open a present and take a book home as a "favor"! Then we did a piñata, which is always fun, water ballon toss and had cake and ice-cream! After everyone left Antonio took a nap. When he woke up and came back outside he asked where everyone went. I think he had fun! ;)
Sunday, Antonio, Nina and I went to the Everett Farmers market in the morning. After nap-time (I had to wake hime after 2hrs and 15m!) and Papa coming home from work, we went to the Snoqualime Ice Cream Cafe in Maltby. If you haven't been and your local, GO! Yes, it's pretty much an ice cream shop but the flavors are so good! We left home so late that it ended up being dinner! I guess there is a first for everything! :) The "scoop" they give you is huge, more like 3 normal scoops! Antonio thought it was the best thing ever! I had "Mukilteo Mudd" which was basically chocolate, maybe even like a dark chocolate ice cream but so much better that normal plain chocolate. Albert had "Tennessee Whiskey", yes, they use actual Whiskey. It was also so good. Nina got "Honey and Lavender". It also was good but had some sort of "planty" after taste that I wasn't fond of. Antonio got his own cone, cookies and cream. All their ice cream is so good and creamy; you pretty much can't go wrong with what you pick!
Monday, we went to Theo, which is a chocolate factory that is the first Organic and Fair Trade for life bean-to-bar chocolate factory in North America! Their factory is north of Seattle in the Freemont area, near the Zoo, on Phinney Ave. I must say, just walking in made me happier! As soon as you walk in the door you smell chocolate! Not only do they have a retail store attached to their factory but they also do tours of the factory. We wanted to take the tour until we read it was not recommended for children under 7. :( Albert and I both want to go back and take it sometime soon! Another place to check out if you're local. After that we went to the Zoo! As always, we had fun! Antonio seemed even more interested this time and happily (and surprisingly) our chocolate didn't melt in the hot car! Must be the organic/fair trade part! ;)
Tuesday, Nina, Antonio and I went to the outlets. Did you really think she would be here for a week and us not go?!? Happily Antonio was a happy shopper, he even went poop in the Starbucks bathroom with Nina! After lunch and a nap, we got ready to go to swimming and then to an AquaSox baseball game! Antonio was so excited to go and was looking forward to it all day! The weather people had been calling for thunder and lightening all day but somehow we made it to the 5th inning before it started to sprinkle! It was getting late anyways and Nina and Albert had to leave at 5am the next morning to head to the airport so we decided to head home. We definitely will go to another game. It was cheap, fun, close and Antonio had fun!
It was such a fun filled week and our hearts are, at least mine is, full. Antonio loved every second his Nina was here and cried pretty hard this morning when he realized she was gone. Broke my heart but it was worth it! I cannot believe my baby boy is 4, FOUR! How did this happen?! He is such a good kid and so smart. In just a few short weeks he will start preschool; wow! Before I know it he will be graduating... Slow down time, please!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Four years ago
As I crawl into bed tonight I can't help but get very nostalgic. Four years ago tonight my body was getting ready to go into labor. on July 10th 2009, I would wake up at about 3 am to use the bathroom, then again at 5 when I seemed I had lost my mucus plug. It was a whole 24hrs later before we finally got to meet Antonio. At 4:11 am on the 11th he came into this world, a whole 8 days early! I cannot even believe he was ever inside of me; what a true miracle life is. I still, to this day, look at him and find myself in awe of the fact Albert and I made him and I grew him inside my body. How did my body know where to put the eyes? To only "grow" two arms? It really is amazing.
We are so lucky to have Antonio in our lives; what did we do without him? He really is a good kid and has such a sweet, kind heart. He makes each day better and teaches us new things all the time. He reminds us so often of what really matters; each other. He seems to be growing socially more and more each day. Just a few months ago he wold barely talk to people he didn't really know, now if someone talks to him he almost always responds. :) He is still a reserved kid and I am grateful for that in this day and age.
In just a couple months he will go to Preschool. I am beyond excited for him but am also not ready for him to go. That means he is growing up. He is going to learn so much, meet so many new people and do so many new things. My baby is no longer a baby. Antonio does however, still want a baby sister and as you may or may not know, we are in the early, very early, stages of fostering to adopt. So maybe I will get the chance to "have" another baby in the near future, maybe. Until then, I will try to continue to hold close every little moment I share with my sweet Antonio and try not to rush the days along. Happy early birthday my sweet pumpkin doodlebug.
We are so lucky to have Antonio in our lives; what did we do without him? He really is a good kid and has such a sweet, kind heart. He makes each day better and teaches us new things all the time. He reminds us so often of what really matters; each other. He seems to be growing socially more and more each day. Just a few months ago he wold barely talk to people he didn't really know, now if someone talks to him he almost always responds. :) He is still a reserved kid and I am grateful for that in this day and age.
In just a couple months he will go to Preschool. I am beyond excited for him but am also not ready for him to go. That means he is growing up. He is going to learn so much, meet so many new people and do so many new things. My baby is no longer a baby. Antonio does however, still want a baby sister and as you may or may not know, we are in the early, very early, stages of fostering to adopt. So maybe I will get the chance to "have" another baby in the near future, maybe. Until then, I will try to continue to hold close every little moment I share with my sweet Antonio and try not to rush the days along. Happy early birthday my sweet pumpkin doodlebug.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Fathers day
Antonio is lucky. So very lucky.
I was telling Antonio today about how today, Sunday, is Papa's day and that we need to make sure Papa feels extra special. :) Also, how he (Antonio) needs to be thankful that he has a Papa. I told him that not every little boy and girl has a Papa they get to see and play with everyday. He said he was sad that they didn't. "Who did they play ball with?", he wondered. I told him that maybe their Mama did and he said, "No, only Papa's do that".
Ouch kid.
I understand, Albert is much better at playing ball with him than I am, so it's ok. :) Anyways, I told him he was lucky. As I was noticing that he was just not understanding why he should feel lucky I also realized that, that in itself, is lucky. For him to not realize how lucky he was to have a Papa is luck in itself. :) Most of my closest friends growing up had only one parent in their home, that they saw regularly. Whether it was because of divorce or death that was just how it was. Some of us were struggling to deal with that while others of us were used to it already (as much as possible) and realized that was just the way it was. Being around a family, a real family with a Mom and a Dad living in the same house was weird.
We always want our kids to have a better life than our own, not that ours was horrible, we just want better. For Albert and I, happily (or sadly depending on how you look at it) Antonio's is already better. He lives in a big house (big as in, bigger than both Albert and I grew up in), he has both his Mama and Papa living with him and he has toys, that even if they existed when we were kids, we would've never have had. And, when he sees people in a drive-through he assumes they are waiting in line to get hot cocoa, not burgers/fries/etc. Our job here is complete! :)
Both Albert and I grew up without a Dad, for very different reasons, but we did. I am amazed everyday how great of a Papa Albert is for never having one himself. He has no idea what he is "supposed" to do (nor do I) but amazingly enough, he is the best Papa Antonio could ask for and the best Papa I could ever want for Antonio. Maybe since he has no idea that makes him better because he's trying to be the Papa he always wanted.
For us, Father's Day is bittersweet. A day that we would try our best to ignore, before Antonio. Now however, it is a day to celebrate Papa and show him how lucky we are to have him; because I do know how very lucky we are! :)
I was telling Antonio today about how today, Sunday, is Papa's day and that we need to make sure Papa feels extra special. :) Also, how he (Antonio) needs to be thankful that he has a Papa. I told him that not every little boy and girl has a Papa they get to see and play with everyday. He said he was sad that they didn't. "Who did they play ball with?", he wondered. I told him that maybe their Mama did and he said, "No, only Papa's do that".
Ouch kid.
I understand, Albert is much better at playing ball with him than I am, so it's ok. :) Anyways, I told him he was lucky. As I was noticing that he was just not understanding why he should feel lucky I also realized that, that in itself, is lucky. For him to not realize how lucky he was to have a Papa is luck in itself. :) Most of my closest friends growing up had only one parent in their home, that they saw regularly. Whether it was because of divorce or death that was just how it was. Some of us were struggling to deal with that while others of us were used to it already (as much as possible) and realized that was just the way it was. Being around a family, a real family with a Mom and a Dad living in the same house was weird.
We always want our kids to have a better life than our own, not that ours was horrible, we just want better. For Albert and I, happily (or sadly depending on how you look at it) Antonio's is already better. He lives in a big house (big as in, bigger than both Albert and I grew up in), he has both his Mama and Papa living with him and he has toys, that even if they existed when we were kids, we would've never have had. And, when he sees people in a drive-through he assumes they are waiting in line to get hot cocoa, not burgers/fries/etc. Our job here is complete! :)
Both Albert and I grew up without a Dad, for very different reasons, but we did. I am amazed everyday how great of a Papa Albert is for never having one himself. He has no idea what he is "supposed" to do (nor do I) but amazingly enough, he is the best Papa Antonio could ask for and the best Papa I could ever want for Antonio. Maybe since he has no idea that makes him better because he's trying to be the Papa he always wanted.
For us, Father's Day is bittersweet. A day that we would try our best to ignore, before Antonio. Now however, it is a day to celebrate Papa and show him how lucky we are to have him; because I do know how very lucky we are! :)
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Sick
If there were a "sick" bingo I am guessing we, well Antonio, would have won by now. Or at least he would have filled his card up. :/ In January he had bronchiolitis, the end of April he had croup then on the 10th (of May) he woke up with a fever and has had one on and off ever since. By that evening he was throwing up. Then that turned into a nasty cold, cough, runny (thick nastiness) and a lot of congestion. Then, last Sunday, he started complaining of ear pain and his throat hurting, meanwhile he was still having fevers off and on. I was hoping it would go away after a couple days yet here we are, 4 days later, and he still have a fever and his ear still bothers him. :(
We made an appointment this morning to go to his pediatrician instead of the walk-in clinic. She checked him all out and said that if his body was going to fight this off on its own it should've by now. She looked in his ears and saw that the one he said was hurting him was more red and "bothered" than the other. She said it didn't look to bad but was obviously infected. She she gave us some medicine and said if he wasn't better by the end of the weekend to call her. So hopefully he will be all better by then.
I am so done with him being sick. He hasn't been sleeping well and he has lost about 2 pounds in a month, which is good for an adult! Happily, he could afford to lose a couple before anyone would even think about starting to worry. ;) I just want us to sleep better, eat better and most importantly FEEL better! Oh and it would be nice to venture out and have some fun adventures again! So in the mean time, pray he gets better, no more fevers, colds or "pain".
We made an appointment this morning to go to his pediatrician instead of the walk-in clinic. She checked him all out and said that if his body was going to fight this off on its own it should've by now. She looked in his ears and saw that the one he said was hurting him was more red and "bothered" than the other. She said it didn't look to bad but was obviously infected. She she gave us some medicine and said if he wasn't better by the end of the weekend to call her. So hopefully he will be all better by then.
I am so done with him being sick. He hasn't been sleeping well and he has lost about 2 pounds in a month, which is good for an adult! Happily, he could afford to lose a couple before anyone would even think about starting to worry. ;) I just want us to sleep better, eat better and most importantly FEEL better! Oh and it would be nice to venture out and have some fun adventures again! So in the mean time, pray he gets better, no more fevers, colds or "pain".
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