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See you later Bumbo!

So thankful for holidays because I got to spend the day with my little man and boy did we have fun! First on the agenda was breakfast, an egg muffin for me and blueberry yobaby for Eli. I thought, hey I'll go ahead and place Eli in his Bumbo since we were eating in the living room and in hopes to avoid injury because he is on the move and in to EVERYTHING. As I was quietly patting myself on the back for having such a great idea, I returned to the kitchen to get our breakfast tray. Imagine my surprise when I see my sweet little boy crawling towards me dragging the Bumbo that was partly attached to his butt. I couldn't help but laugh. I put down the tray, picked Eli and Bumbo up and took them back into the living room. I took a few steps towards the kitchen and watched as Eli leaned over and slide right out of the Bumbo. Witnessing these little things make me want to stay home with him all the time. BUT..... considering I am borderline obsessed and don't want to do anything without him and must pretend I have a life outside of Eli, leaving him with the grannies is good. Plus he shows off his new skills when we get home! After breakfast we played with his toys that are all over the place. I hoped to get him to nap but he was not interested. We met his Daddy for lunch then home to try the nap thing again with no luck!

Tis the Season!

Seems so hard to believe that 2011 has a mere 3 days left before we are celebrating a New Year.
In 2 days I will be 31 years old. Last year I was 20 weeks pregnant as we celebrated my birthday and the New Year. This year we have a beautiful 35 week old baby boy!

He is crawling and showing us bits and pieces of his personality. He grunts at us when things don't go his way, boy we are in for it. He is showing us affection, he will lay his sweet little head on our shoulders and hold it there for a few seconds then look into our eyes. Melts my heart.

Eli fills our home with joy, when he is napping it's so quite and I find myself being bored (well after laundry and cleaning is done).

Christmas was so much fun! He loved tearing open his presents only to attempt to eat the wrapping paper and bows.

I am a little bummed that Eli has been a little under the weather but that hasn't stopped him from playing with his new toys and keeping me on my toes. Since the last 7 months and 4 weeks have been nothing short of amazing I look forward to the months to come!

Wowzers!

Sometimes I feel like I just blinked and bam our little man is 7 months but oh no my friends the last 7 months have been a great, beautiful, exciting, scary at times roller coaster ride.  This picture captures this new thing he does where he starts out crying then ends up laughing. It's fun to watch this little man develop what "I" think is the cutest personality EVER!  He is quite the diverse eater these days, cereal with fruit in the mornings and veggies like sweet potatoes, green beans or peas for dinner.  Still nursing no changes there. He is still figuring the sippy cup out. He mostly likes to throw onto the floor from his high chair and watch daddy pick it up.  Eli is battling his first ear infection right now, all the mucous makes him mad.  I totally relate though.  Here are a couple more of our little man in action!

 

Virginia Bound!

Our little Road Warrior!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday we loaded up and headed to Virginia to visit my cousins for a couple of days. I worried myself sick for weeks over how Eli would handle the long car ride but he did great! Of course there were moments that made me wish we had just stayed home but those moments were far and few. Eli was a champ!

Babies Babies Babies!

Brynlee, Eli & Annie (with their proud Daddies)
Annie & Eli

Koen & Eli

I have said it before and I will say it again, I absolutely LOVE that our friends also have babies right now. Why? Two reasons 1) We get to share the good, the bad and the ugly stories & 2) Our babies have each other!! I haven't snapped a picture of Baby Charlie yet but he will be part of the gang too!

Take your small talk & shove it!

I know it is time for being thankful for all that we are blessed with and believe me I am but this isn't one of those blog posts. This morning I saw RED! This morning I wanted to take my fist and cram it down John Doe's throat. Okay so the scenario goes a little something like this......after dropping our sweet precious little boy off at his Tita's house I headed to work. It had been raining all morning but the rain was down to a sprinkle. Background information: we don't really have much time or energy to do much of anything after work now that we have a baby, so the back of our truck looked like a GDS garbage truck. There must have been 7 huge bags of trash back there. I thought to myself, you know I will help Travis out and drop these off since the recycling place was on my way. Just as I pull in the sprinkle turns into a monsoon. I wasn't about to leave, pull into work looking like the trash lady for the third day in a row so I put it in park, pulled my rain coat hood on and jumped out. At this point the dumpster attendee leaves his nice covered shed and makes his way over to me. I thought, wow, what a good samaritan this guy is. Psssh, the man came over stood right next to the truck and watched me pull all 7 bags out and heave them into the bin, one by one, as he shoots the shit about the rain. The conversation went a little something like this: John Doe "Sure is coming down out here", Me "Sure is", John Doe "Not the best time to be dropping off trash", ME "No, No it isn't but you got to when you can". John Doe finds that humorous. After I heaved the last bag of trash; I jumped in the truck soaking wet and don't look back, the nerve of some people. I would have been fine with him staying in the damn shed but why come over. Got to love a good ole boy.

Ahhh, feel better after getting that off my chest. Thank you for reading.

Baby Food!

Our Baby Boy has been chowing down on green veggies since last week. His facial expressions are too cute. He just didn't know what to think about those plain ole green beans but ate them nevertheless. After a week of green beans and no allergic reaction noted; we moved on to peas, Eli seemed to like them better. To wash down his veggie meal we introduced a sippy cup with white grape juice. He hasn't quite mastered drinking from it but sure likes to chew on it. Up next on the veggie list are sweet potatoes. I hear those are a baby favorite next to the fruit of course. Our nurse recommended we wait a couple of weeks before we introduce those. I am having so much fun making Eli's baby food.

Friday was Eli's 6 month check-up. He weighed in at 18 lbs 7 oz (so we were all wrong) and measured 28 3/4 inches long. His weight is in the 67 percentile and height in the 97 percentile. We had been told his weight gain would slow down but my arms sure thought he weighed 19 lbs! Eli is shaping up to be a little ham, he had all the nurses just melting over his voice and laugh. Unfortunately, Eli spiked his first fever after being vaccinated, poor little fella. Everyone has asked me if I gave him Tylenol beforehand and I hadn't but don't always do. He did get a flu shot which was new. Guess you are damned if you do, damned if you don't. By Saturday night he was feeling like a champ so that made daddy and mommy feel better. I just can't get enough of that little man!

An Ashe Week of Firsts!

Travis, Eli and I stuffed our first Scarecrow, we named him Stumpy. We also had our first craving pumpkins party last week. Eli wanted to help so badly, he held his little pumpkin and tried to bite it like everything else. Travis's jack-o-lantern was awesome, mine not so much and Eli's was cute! We headed to downtown Cherokee for some trick or treating, it was ok but I am making it my mission to find a good neighborhood for next year. I dressed up as a witch for work; made oreo eyeballs for our snack party and overall really enjoyed this halloween & no alcohol was involved! Eli celebrated his 6 month birthday on the 1st of November. He is exploring all over our house in his walker and making our hearts melt with every new thing he does. Next week we will start veggies. He is graduating from his bumbo so we are setting up his fancy high chair (thanks Amanda and Joe) in the dining room. Next Friday is his 6 month check up, our family is wagering on his weight. I am guessing 19 pounds but the others think 20 pounds. What veggie is his favorite will follow, so stay tuned.

Eli loves Fall & I love Eli!

This past weekend we took a little drive on the Parkway. Didn't want to miss out on all the leaf looking. Our little man loves being outside, probably all the colors and things to gaze at. Yes, we took some more pictures of him. I know, I know enough already but he is growing so fast I don't want to miss any of it! It's hard to believe that in a week he will be 6 months old. Everything this little angel does fascinates me. He is laughing now, Travis hopes he has my LOUD obnoxious Garcia laugh but I hope it's more subtle. Funny how simple little things like a scenic drive can be so much more exciting with a baby. In all reality, I still can't believe I am someone's mom but I am....Eli's mom! On another note, we live in a BEAUTIFUL place! Here are some pictures from our leaf looking day.

Apple Bobber Champ!

You just really NEVER completly know someone.....recently found out that my husband of almost 7 years (my main squeeze since 2001, so we are talking a DECADE people) is an olympian apple bobber! He smoked the competition. Out of the 6 apple bobbers, Childers one apple, the rest of us zero apples, and Travis 6 apples! This is him in action!

Fall is in the Air!

Happy 5 Months to my sweet baby boy!
October 1, 2011, turned out to be a cold fall morning. We planned on bundling Eli up in his jogger to support Breast Cancer Awareness but being a new mom and still figuring out temperature and outings, we nixed it. Instead we played with Eli who is doing something new and fascinating everyday! Plus, we were going to be out later that afternoon with friends at an apple orchard for Apple Roland Weekend and didn't want to over do it.

As a matter of fact, a year ago on Apple Roland weekend we told our dear friends the Roland's we were pregnant! This year our little man is 5 months old and the Roland's also have a baby, sweet baby Annie! CRAZY!!

The day was spent picked apples, apple inspired dinner at the Roland's house and discovered Travis is a Champion Apple Bobber! Who would have known? Not I or anyone there that night. So lucky to have such great friends and traditions to share with our sweet babies.

The rest of the weekend and on into the week I have been whipping up more apple inspired dinners and desserts. YUM!

Eli was Baptised!

Our sweet little boy was baptised Sunday September 18, 2011.

My dearest cousin Maribel(my sister at heart) flew in with family in tow to be our sons Godmother. Maribel brought Eli's baptism suit from Mexico. It was a special day that we shared with the most important people in our lives.

Eli will be 5 months old next month (well if you go by weeks he is 4 months & 4 weeks). Everyday it is a new discovery: his tongue, his hands, his feet, almost rolling off our bed, his sweet sweet squeal, his eating cereal face. Everyday he makes my heart skip a beat. Being a mom sure is hard work but this little man makes my world complete!

During their visit here we have taken lots of pictures, laughed til my face hurts, and ate so much it's ridiculous. I sure will miss them once they are gone but feel blessed to know I can count on my family & friends when we need them the most.

Eli also had his first professional photo shoot a few weeks ago, he is such a little ham. I thought for sure I had just wasted our money because he didn't smile, he was fussy to the point I felt incompetent in controlling my son, he flat out refused to pose but in the end the photographer snapped some good ones.


Now on to the next thing, I am researching costumes for Halloween. My best buddy Kelly has scheduled a Halloween photo mini session for our boys, that will be interesting for sure! Those boys will have no choice but to be buddies. Speaking of buddies Eli will be picking apples next weekend with his future "apple of his eye" Annie Roland. Can't wait to snap picture of them together. So glad our close friends have babies right now!!

Baby Blues

The saying Baby Blues has so many meanings for me. I definitely felt a little bluish after the baby was born, especially since breastfeeding turned out to be so hard. Glad we got through that and didn't give up! Baby Blues represents the color of most of the clothing our son received at our Showers. Never a big fan of baby blue, I must admit baby Eli looks adorable in it. And lastly, Baby Blues means missing my baby while I am at work. I took 2 months maternity leave after Eli was born. Today is my second day back and today was harder than yesterday. He was awake and cooing this morning, yesterday he was asleep. I am grateful that my mom & mother-in-law can keep Eli while we are at work and I keep hearing that the grandmother's are the second best thing but I definitely question me returning to work. I loved my time at home with our sweet baby. I am missing out on 10 hours of his day four days a week. I question if my income is really worth that. We would be okay with one salary but not as comfortable as we are now. I want lil man to have everything he needs and will one day want. Then I think... I love my job, after all I am a working gal and never saw myself as a homemaker. I finally landed a job that is challenging and am finally using that degree I am still paying for. So many things have changed in my life. Things that bothered me before don't and things that didn't bother me before do. All my thoughts are about Eli. It's no longer Travis and me, we hardly get any alone time but yet we seem to be managing just fine. I am a firm believer of saying "I Love You" often and "Thank You For All That You Do" regularly. Our glances to one another say so much more these days. We knew our lives were going to be completely different but I didn't realize how much. We can't pack up for a weekend get away like before. No more improv trips to Asheville after work or weekends. Sex can't be spontaneous like when it was just us in our house. Simple tasks such as laundry or washing up after dinner aren't so simple anymore. Lots of planning must go into things as simple as going out for dinner. Nevertheless, this new chapter in our lives is so exciting and words can't describe what it feels to be a mommy! I have stocked my office with framed pictures of that sweet face and look at him often, maybe this will get easier as time goes by. I hope anyway!

Eli is Coming!

April 30th didn't start out as expected. I had been up all night feeling odd & experiencing a few contractions. About 5am that morning we were headed to Labor & delivery. Mind you I read many books, felt like I was ready for what was to come but all that went out the window when I saw blood on my underwear. I flipped out! I forgot what floor we had to go to, forgot what nurses station we had to report to, I was lost. Luckily Travis was on his A game. I was monitored for a while then let go with some medicine to help me sleep. After we left the hospital we headed to Hooper's for breakfast. Little did we know that this breakfast would be the last we would share just us. We headed home, I napped and felt great when I awoke. We had friends coming over to watch the UFC fight. We enjoyed grilled chicken, veggies and the company of good friends. I remember telling Ivey as they were leaving that this may the last get together before our little Eli was here. I wasn't counting on him coming that very next day. Around 9pm I started having regular contractions. I started timing them. We still had friends over so I didn't want to alarm anyone. After everyone was gone I told Travis. Trying to stay true to our birth plan, I laid down. We didn't want to head to the hospital too soon. Around 2pm the contractions were stronger & more frequent. I finally told Travis that we had to head out. We weren't ready at all. Eli's bag was packed but our bag was not. I hurried around and threw some things together. Upon arrival at labor and delivery, we were told I was probably having false labor because Eli wasn't supposed to be born yet. At 5am the nurse checked my cervix and it was dialated to a 3-4cm. We were then admitted and taken to our birthing room. It was pretty surreal when the nurse told us that we in fact were going to have a baby that day. We were both so tired, we hadn't slept much in two days and with the contractions I couldn't sleep even though the nurse advised that we rest. Easier said than done. At 7am I was given the option to receive pain medication. Our birth plan was to have no intervention at all but I really couldn't handle too much more I thought. After being assured that our baby wasn't going to be born in the next hour and be affected by the medication I agreed. I was given stadol (spelling), I felt pretty loopy and would fall asleep between contractions. The calmness lasted for an hour. The cat nap was what we needed to keep on going. The nurse told us we would have the baby by noon. I became fixated with that. In our child birth classes we were told to transport myself somewhere else, or concentrate on something while a contraction hit. I began counting as soon as I felt the pain. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and so on. This really helped me. Around 10am, I was again offered the epidural, I refused and instead got up walked around the hospital floor. We did so many laps. I was against getting in the birthing tub but it really did help the pain. Travis was amazing at keeping me focused. We listened to Adele while the contractions got stronger and stronger. We slow danced every time a big one hit. We tried different positions on the bed, bounced on the ball but the slow dancing is what really eased the contractions. At 11:30, my cervix was dialated to an 8. I thought oh no I can't do this anymore. At 12:30, my cervix was dialated to a 9. At 1:00pm my cervix was fianlly dialated to a 10 but there was still what they called a lip left on the cervix. Meaning I couldn't push yet. Finally at 1:30 pm my very calm doctor came in and I began to push. I wasn't prepared for the pushing part, my legs were up, one was held by Carol our awesome nurse and the other by Travis. When a contraction hit I was instructed to push. I pushed & pushed and our little miracle was born at 1:50pm! When I heard his first cry & caught a glimpse of him, everything changed. I got to hold him immediately afterwards, it was love at first sight. He is my little angel. He was born 8lbs and measured 19.5 inches at 37 weeks. This Sunday he will be a month old. I am not going to lie and say it has all been peaches and cream but I will say that one glance at his beautiful face and all the sleepness nights and nipple soreness disappears. The breastfeeding has been the hardest part for me. I wasn't prepared for the demand, the pain and possible torn nipple if his latch isn't right! In short (well not really this blog is pretty long), I wasn't prepared for so many things. I thought I was, thought I read everything I needed to read about my pregnancy & delivery but I was not prepared for the 17 hours I was in labor. I realized I hadn't read anything about what to do once our bundle of joy arrived. Luckily, motherly instincts really do kick in. I am so in love right now!

Photo Booth Fun

At our first Shower, a Photo Booth was set up for guests to dress up & pose for the camera. Great idea for our little man's scrapbook. I didn't realize this dress made me look so big or that I in fact am that big! Good news is that I am carrying precious cargo around folks!

36 weeks...28 days to go!!!!

Yesterday P'nut & I had an appointment. Things are progressing normally and we are doing really good except for when it's time to get on the scale. Not being a fan of the scale in normal circumstances makes it harder when you are carrying around 20+ extra pounds but I remind myself that our little boy is growing in there. He is roughly 6 pounds and measures 18 1/2 inches long, it's no wonder I can't breathe! He is compared to a crenshaw melon this week. I have never ever heard of a crenshaw melon. At the end of this week little p'nut will be considered full-term! The other night I ate a 6inch sub from subway, a handful of chips & a rootbeer float for dinner but I felt like I had just left a buffet. I read I need to eat smaller meals now in order to avoid feeling like the Goodyear Blimp but friends what I consumed IS a small meal compared to what I normally put away. I guess I need to shoot for smaller :(



Yesterday was also Group B Strep day, it felt a little weird nothing major but it always feels a little weird when I am spreadeagle at the Dr.'s office. We will find the results out next week. We attended a breastfeeding class on Tuesday, I am more determined to breastfeed than ever! It was a one on one type class with a lactation consultant. At first I thought that this wasn't going to work, she opened by saying she didn't have anything planned, she just wanted us to ask questions. 1) I didn't have any questions wrote down, 2) are you kidding me? To my surprise once question #1 was out there I was full of questions, we left with a notepad full of 42 questions and answers plus a few brochures. She was great. We learned about the importance of positioning, we were showed how to cradle hold, cross cradle/over, clutch or football hold the baby. I feel more at ease and confident that we can do this; lots of women work and continue to breastfeed their child, so I am hoping to do the same.



Currently I am a little uneasy regarding the state of our house, we are remodeling a few things, the contractor isn't starting until the 2nd week in May. He states it will take him a week but I doubt it. I don't cope well with not being in control. The nursery is almost complete but I can't put up p'nuts clothes or finish decorating until this man is finished. I know it isn't the end of the world if p'nuts nursery isn't complete by the time he arrives but that was my goal. I have been washing his little clothes & storing them in totes for now, his little clothes are so freaking cute! At one of his showers he got a onsie that says....wait for it....."stud (with a picture of a little muffin next to it)". I can't wait to see him in it!



With our due date 4 weeks ago I am starting to get nervous about the labor. Our birth plan is to have a natural childbirth. I have had a few braxton hicks contractions and some pelvic pain that stops me in my tracks here and there. I am trying to stay positive about being able to handle it all. My sweet husband is ready to give all the support I need.



We were talking the other night about this being the last Easter, last Mother's Day before our little miracle is here to share in all the holidays. We are looking forward to the new experiences we will share with p'nut, his first 4th of July, first Halloween, first Thanksgiving and first Christmas. We can't wait to meet him & hold him!

Belly Bump Shoot

These are the contenders. We are going to have one of these shots blown up & hung in the Nursery. Which one do you like the best?

Ay Dios Mio! 32 weeks means 8 weeks to go!

(hands on my cheeks!)

I can't believe my little kickboxer is so big already. I have the belly to prove it now! I don't know exactly how much he weighs right now, he has always weighed more than my readings allow. This week they are comparing his weight to a Jicama. Jicama is a sweet, root vegetable that looks like a turnip. Jicama makes me think of this delicious cold fruit salad that one of my favorite restaurants in Tucson serves. With its giant portions of mango, watermelon, pineapple, jicama all lightly seasoned with lime juice and chili powder. They call it Pico de Gallo, which is a little odd since pico de gallo is a salsa that contains tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. The name isn't important though, just know it is a delectable fruit dish and my mouth is kinda watering right now. Our little guy is making me really hungry these days, all I think about is FOOD (can you tell)! Moving on...P'nut makes me smile everytime I feel him move; it feels so weird now, I know I have said that before but his kicks are so much stronger. Little Cheli got to see my belly move yesterday and she said "wow, that's weird Tia". She is convinced she is going to babysit P'nut while I work. I am a little scared for P'nut because that 4 1/2 year old is something else! On another front; my work clothes are fitting really snug, thank goodness for my BFF Kelly and her mathernity wardrobe hand-me-downs! This Saturday we have our Belly Shoot, I am really excited to pick out the nursery picture. Excitement is everywhere, our baby shower is planned for April 9th and a work shower follows April 15th. P'nut and I feel so loved!

Amati got Married!

It has been exactly one year to the date that my dear friend Gayle Amati moved back home to Las Cruces, NM then relocated to Houston, TX (well Spring, TX). More than a friend she is like a sister to me and I miss her dearly. Lucky for us we got to fly out to be with her on her very special day. Even with all the festivities that caused her to run around like a chicken with her head chopped off, it was nice to catch up with her. It was great reminiscing about her time here in NC. In my pregnant state I wasn't able to hang out too late but the time spent with her was fabulous! Her wedding was beautiful, her and Steve made a handsome bride and groom. I am glad we were able to be a part of her wedding. P'nut flew for the first time and had his first visit to Houston this past weekend. I think he missed our bed and pregnancy pillow but other than that he had a good time!