She's got the Eye of the Tiger

Boxing Queen of the Wii...

And she wins!!!!

My beautiful Belle

I can't believe you are turning 5. My, how the time has flown by. You came into this world screaming. We knew right then you'd make your voice heard, and boy have you! You are our little chatterbox who always has a story to tell!

We could also tell right away that you'd be our cuddlebug. You still love to cuddle! You are such a little sweetheart and so loving.

You have filled our lives with smiles and endless laughter.
You aren't afraid to be yourself. You are crazy silly, and have a wicked sense of style. You're a stunner baby!The years have flown by, candles have been added. You still love to poke your finger into the frosting and flash a cheesy dimply grin.

You truly do your name justice. You are not only beautiful on the outside, but you have the purest, most beautiful heart. I love you with all of mine. Happy 5th Birthday my sweet Isabelle. xoxo, Mommy

Christmas 2008

We had a great Christmas with only one hitch this year. Our sweet little man woke up on Christmas Eve not feeling so well. I took him to the doctor and he was diagnosed with croup. Even sick, he had the doctor and nurses fawning all over him. What a Lady Killer.

The doctor said he'd be fine to continue our plans to celebrate with the family, so we did.

Santa paid us a visit....

Santa brought us a new tv and Wii. Thanks Santa! Belle is amazing at the Wii. I need to have Omar video her so I can post it. She talks smack to the tv. It's hilarious!

She loved her art center we bought her. She's our little artist who is constantly drawing, so she was thrilled. Poor Papi was not feeling well and wasn't really into opening his gifts.

We went to the IL's, and he ended up not feeling too well at all.

The next day he stayed at home with Daddy and MIL. Before bed I found that he had broken out in hives! Poor baby. Off to the doctor we went twice more that weekend. He had an ear infection as well as some sort of allergic reaction.

He's feeling much better now and enjoying his gifts, so I'll have to get some pictures of him.

I think that about sums it up! I hope everyone had a nice Christmas.

Family Pic

From Our Family, To Yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

He's got the moves! This boy's gotta dance!

Christmas time fun

Our holidays kicked off with a work Christmas party for Omar at the San Ramon Country Club. We had a wonderful time! It was so nice to get out and have some adult time without A) wiping a nose B) having to order chicken fingers C) picking up cheerios off the ground or D) having the conversation revolve around Playhouse Disney! :) We shipped the kids off to Grammy & Grandpa's and had our first real night sans munchkins since Belle was born! LONG OVERDUE! Here's a few pics from the evening. Yes, that is a tuxedo t-shirt. And a long sleeved one at that. Classy.

Next up, the tree. Belle was an excellent tree decorator. Can you guess which ornaments she hung and what her favorite color is??

Finally, we thought it'd be fun to make a gingerbread house, just the three of us once Elias went to bed. Note to self: Next year purchase an already assembled gingerbread house. The first 30 minutes or so of decorating was a blast! However, around hour 2 of the frosting not holding the walls together and the roof caving in, I was in dire need of my little helper to go to bed, a strong drink, and some superglue to make this baby stick! 3 hours in it finally stuck. Not too pretty, but the roof is at least on and we have 4 walls. SUCCESS!

Baby it's cold outside!

It was colder than a witches tit in a brass bra this morning (as my oh so proper husband would say). Okay, okay, I know my sister is laughing at the thought that it was cold here! Hey sis, just remember that when you lived here you weren't use to "cold" either! Let me rephrase, it was freezing for the first real cold morning in California! Time to break out the winter hat for Elias. He was cracking up this morning when I put it on him when we got to Grammy's. I thought it was hysterical and had to catch a picture or two.

You put one foot infront of the other

I was blessed enough that Elias decided to take his first steps while I was off of work this last week. His biggest accomplishment so far has been 5 steps in a row! We've managed to get him walking on video, but I still need to capture the magic on camera. I'll post a picture when I do. I can't believe he's learning to walk! Yikes!

10 Unforgetable Moments In My Life

In no particular order...

1. Waking up to hearing my sister screaming in the living room. I was 3 years old and we shared a room. Our door was shut; it was never shut. I went out to find my cousins asleep on our couch and my sister yelling at a family friend that we were forgotten. Our parents forgot us. They went to the hospital to have my baby brother and left us at home by mistake. We were suppose to go to! That was the morning my baby bro was born and one of my first memories.

2. Watching my son be born. It was disgusting and beautiful and surreal all at the same time.

3. My daughter and my eyes meeting for the first time. I never fully realized the amount of love I could feel until that moment.

4. Meeting a handsome stranger at a welcoming fair when I was a freshman in college. Little did I know that moment would change my life.

5. Saying goodbye to my Gramps. He was a pillar of strength and peace even when he was dying. I felt such love and comfort as I lay on his chest and said goodbye. He was, and still is, an inspiration.

6. Seeing 2 pink lines and the word "pregnant" on a pee stick.

7. Getting sewn up after giving birth to Belle. I WISH that was forgetable.

8. Sept. 7th, 2002.

9. Joshua Tree bar in NYC, drinking them out of Malibu and talking in an Irish accent all night. Definitely unforgetable.

10. My Gram outdoing the peacocks every 4th of July and embarrassing the hell out of my mom and Auntie.

Black Friday

The perfect way to end a day of shopping.

I have a bagina...

Original post written December 15, 2007

Having an almost 4 year old is quite the adventure. You never know what they are going to ask or say. I'm in the camp of if they ask you something regarding their body, tell them the truth and use the appropriate term because you never know who they will repeat it to! When Elias was about 2 weeks old Belle discovered that boys look a heck of a lot different than girls do! She asked with a disgusted look on her face "WHAT IS THAT??!" I told her it's a penis. Boys have a penis, and girls don't. She asked me if boys have boobies. I told her "No, they just have a chest." She was satisfied and ran off to play. This morning we had the following conversation:
"Mommy, boys have a PEANUTS (penis) right?"
"Yes, boys have a PENIS."
"And girls don't Mommy, right?"
"Right"
"Girls have boobies and boys have a chest, right?"
"Right"
"Mommy, then what's this called? What's my privates name??" (Pointing you know where!)
"It's a vagina. Girls have a vagina and boys have a penis."
"Ohhhh...okay Mommy."
We then went downstairs for breakfast and she ran to Omar.
"Papa, I have a BAGINA and BOOBIES and boys don't. They have a PEANUTS and a CHEST!"
Omar looked like he was going to faint!!!
She just asked me if I have a BAGINA too. God help us. Please excuse my daughter if she asks you if you have a BAGINA or a PEANUTS.

A Positive Outlook

Original post written July 21, 2007

I realize I was in a funk and miserable when I posted my last blog. In hopes to not stop the future existance of mankind I thought I'd post 10 fantastic things about being pregnant/a mom.
1. Hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time. Nothing could bring such a sense of relief, joy, and instant tears as this.
2. Seeing your baby on an ultrasound and realizing, wow, there really is an actual life inside of me.
3. First movement. Very surreal. Yes, you knew there was a life growing inside of you, but feeling it makes it 1000 times more real.
4. Preparing for your baby. Picking out a name, the room, clothes, hopes and dreams about your little one. Planning out a life in your head for your baby. All of these things bring a huge amount of excitement.
5. Going into labor. You'd think labor is actually one of the downfalls to pregnancy, but it is actually the most exciting as painful and scary as it is. You are just a short time away (hopefully) from meeting your baby.
6. The first cry. Instant tears. Instant joy. More love than you've ever realized you could have.
7. Looking into your baby's eyes for the first time. An overwhelming feeling of love and responsibility. This little precious gift is depending on you to take care of him or her. You are the most important person to this little one. You are his or her world. No one will ever love you as much as he or she does or as unconditionally as they do.
8. Smiles. Nothing will brighten your day as a smile from your child.
9. I love you's. Your baby/child can make the largest mess, be the biggest pain in the ass, and frustrate the living hell out of you and still when they offer up an "I love you sooooooo much Mommy!" and throw their arms around your neck, somehow that frustration melts away and nothing sounds so sweet.
10. Realizing that this baby is the coolest person you know. Not only that, but he or she is half of you, and you get the honor of being his or her parent!

Sex, poo, cramps and all the other TMI things of being as large as a house...

Post written on July 18, 2007...I was definitely in my third trimester!

What is it about giving birth that seriously makes a woman lose her mind? Something washes over our brain (literally) so that we only remember the wonderful cute things about being pregnant. Our biological clock starts ticking and we crave a sweet little baby to hold. We long for an adorable little baby belly and feeling those precious little kicks. Only thing is, we forget that the little baby belly actually turns quickly into the gut of a 350 lb man and those precious little kicks end up feeling like Bruce Lee somehow got shrunk into that gut and is kicking his way out. Eli is kicking so hard that I swear my son is going to come out cussing like a sailor from hearing his Mommy! Not my finest moments. Forget about tying your own shoes or picking anything up. Thank God that it's summer and I can live in live in flip flops. Somehow I forgot that my bladder would shrink to the size of a walnut and I'd be up peeing 5 times a night. Sleep? What's that?? Oh, that's what I try to get when I'm not up peeing, and somehow trying to find a comfortable position on the 5 pillows I'm hogging. Yes, my bed has been invaded by the fat woman and her pillows and my husband is clinging on to the corner of the bed praying to not fall off in his sleep. On to more TMI things, poo. Yes, your bladder has shrunken and you can't stop peeing. Some women even non-voluntarily pee. Fingers crossed I don't get that. You'd think pooping would fall in the same category, right? Wrong. You don't only not poop every 5 minutes, you're lucky if you can poop every 5 days. Okay, that's an exageration, but it's a difficult task is all I'm saying. As if these weren't unpleasant enough add to that ligament pains and sciatic nerve pains. Yes, you will see this preggo not only waddle but occassionally limp around. I guess a pregnant woman who has absolutely no sense of balance anymore wasn't entertaining enough. God had to add this little wonderful gift as well. Let's see, what else? Food. Oh food. How I love and hate thee! I can eat a huge meal and an hour later am starving like a refugee. I can't eat enough. The irony there is that I get heartburn from hell and can't enjoy my food. Another irony, the biggest of them all, sex. Yeah, I won't go into that, but lets just say I think all the testosterone I'm carrying has caused me to be even more like a teenage boy than I was when I was pregnant with Belle. Ever tried screwing a 350 lb gut that has to pee every 5 minute and has Bruce Lee trying to bust out of that gut at the same time? All of this while trying to not think about the killer heartburn or that ice cream screaming my name in the freezer. Let's just say picture an elephant and a lion. Quite comical. I no longer require a sitcom for a laugh! My own clumsy fat ass will do. I know it's all worth it in the long run, and I can't wait to see my little man. Speaking of which, he better be little and not turn out to be a shrunken Bruce Lee like I suspect. October??!! Where are you??? I know, I should teach Sex Ed for teenagers. They all be jumping to get pregnant soon!

Transferring a few old blog posts for posterity.

I thought I'd transfer a few of my old blog posts for posterity over from myspace since they'll be deleted. They're old, but I found them humorous and don't want to forget the kids antics!

My little man, my how you've grown!

I can't believe my little man turned one. I honestly can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday that he was born. Now he's cruising all over the place and his favorite thing to do is to tease and say "nooooooo!" In the spirit of reminiscing here's Elias' birth story that I wrote one week after his birth.

On Tuesday, 10/2, my OB told me I was dilated to 4, 75% effaced, and that she predicted that Elias would be arriving that week, the weekend at the latest. The next 2 days I had a ton of contractions, just nothing to kick things into full gear. I'd time them as they'd get closer and closer and then one would throw the whole thing off and be spread out. All day Thursday it was like this. I had read that climbing stairs can get things going, so Thursday night while Omar and I were watching tv I'd climb our stairs (up/down/up/down) during the commercial breaks. He had a good time laughing at me. I had already tried spicy food and sex and I figured even if climbing the stairs didn't work, it wouldn't give me heartburn and could help my whale-like blubbery butt get a little firmer. Went to bed at midnight with some contractions but figured nothing would be happening that night.

I woke up at 3am from a dream that my water had broken. As I lay in bed I realized I was wet! I went to the bathroom and my pj shorts and undies were soaking wet. Hmm...did my water really break or did I pee myself while I dreamt that my water broke? I called out to Omar "Babe, I think *maybe* my water broke". He came in and looked at the evidence. "I dunno...what do we do?" he said. I told him to go back to bed and I would call the nurse. At that point I wasn't leaking anything so I really wasn't sure. One of my big fears was thinking my water had broken just to arrive at the hospital and be told "sweetheart, you peed yourself!" I did NOT want to be THAT girl. So, I did what any woman who didn't want to be embarrassed like that would do...I gave it the old sniff-a-roo. Didn't smell like pee. Called labor & delivery. I told them the situation, dreamt of water being broken, woke up wet, doesn't smell, no contractions. Can I wait until I'm sure it's my water or if I get contractions? "Absolutely not" they told me. Since I was dilated to 4 on Tuesday they said to get my butt in immediately. Back up the stairs I went to get Omar up out of bed. He hopped in the shower and I started packing up last minute things. I then noticed when I'd move certain ways I'd have a gush. Phew...definitely my water, not pee. I went to get Belle up and put her jacket on her. I told her that Elias was coming and we were going to take her to her Nino & Nina's house while we went to the hospital. She was so excited!

I called her godparents and it went to their answering machine. I said we were on our way. We got there, and I was then having contractions. I got out of the car and carried Belle's bag while Omar carried our barefooted/jammied girl to the door. They live in a condo which they have their front door, then 4 flights up. They then have 2 flights inside until you get to their bedroom. I rang the doorbell. No answer. Called their house phone, answering machine. Called their cell phones, voice mails. We stood outside banging on their door (6 flights below where they were asleep) and called a million times. No answer. I started getting strong contractions at this point and we'd been standing outside for 40 minutes. I couldn't take it anymore. Change of plans, Belle was going to the hospital with us. I called my parents in desperation and asked them to come get Belle from the hospital, and drive as quick as they can. They live about 30 minutes away.

We arrived at the hospital and were checked into labor and delivery. Belle was so cute sitting on Omar's lap and so excited that Elias was on his way. Thankfully my parents got there right when contractions were getting bad. I didn't want Belle to see me in pain. A nurse came in to take my blood for labs before I could get an epi. I was still only dilated to 4. As she's fishing for my vein she makes the remark "Man, I haven't missed one in almost a week". I'm still bruised terribly on my arm. Luckily she got a vein pretty quickly in the other one. I was able to get my epi at 8am. I had "terrible/give me drugs" contractions for about an hour...not bad! The anesthesiologist was a complete a-hole. He gave me this huge talk on how epi's can go bad...um, thanks man, I already have had one, just give me the drugs already! He had me bent over for a long time while he was fiddling around with his equipment. I was having a really bad contraction and needed to shift positions or hold on to something to get through it. I asked him and he barked back "NO! Look, just sit there and sit still or I'll never get this in and you'll be in pain." The nurse and I made eye contact. I could tell we both wanted to tell him to f'off, but he was the drug man and I needed drugs! I didn't want to piss him off and not get my epi, so I sat there slouched in horrible pain. By 8:30am the epi kicked in and I got some relief. I was dilated at 5.

At 8:45am I told the nurse I had a lot of pressure "down there" and either I was pooping or the baby's head was there. She took a quick look and said "you aren't pooping, and you were only to 5 cm 15 minutes ago. The baby is probably just moving down. Try and get some rest." Well, that's hard to do when you feel like you could fill the room with poop! I waited a minute to see if the feeling would pass. Nope! "Really, I'm going to either fill this room with poop or the baby's head is there. Something is going to come out!" She gave me the look like "sure lady" and agreed to check me. "Oh my god, you're to 10 and his head is right there! DON'T PUSH! I need to get the doctor! Wake your husband up!" She ran out of the room. I was on my right side and Omar was asleep on a pull out bed to my left. I was too numb to roll myself over so I just yelled "OMAR WAKE UP! COME HERE NOOOOOW!" Amazingly the man who sleeps like the dead jumped up and ran over. "What? What's going on?" He looked so confused. I told him the baby was coming NOW! Get the cameras out! Omg, wait....help me not push! He's coming!!!!"

The nurse and a room full of other nurses come in and start scurrying around. Do I want a mirror? I didn't have one with Belle, so I said sure. My OB comes in and said they called right in time, they were just putting her other patient under to begin surgery. She gets set up and the mirror is put in place. I'm asked if I can see. "Oh, yuck...that is not pretty!" I had everyone laughing. I said I didn't want to look until he was coming out. I was given the green light to push. 2 pushes and they told me to look...there was the top of his head and a ton of dark hair. It was 9am. At 9:08am Elias was born.

I watched him come out in the mirror and it was surreal. He was so much smaller than we all expected. He was immediately put on my chest. Omar cut the cord. They took him to wipe him down for a second and my OB demanded they give him back to me. I love her! We had skin to skin time and I fell completely in love. It was like looking at Belle when she was born. He looks so much like her it's amazing. He weighed in at 6 lbs 10 oz and 20 inches long. Our hospital experience was overall great. We had some of the best nurses. They were so helpful, especially during the night. We also had a "celebration meal" where we could order off of a fancy menu and they brought in sparkling cider, appetizers, soup/salad, dinner, dessert, etc on table that was set up with flowers and a gift. It was really cute.

Belle's poor godparents woke up to my million of messages and freaked out. They went and picked her up from my parents, and she spent the weekend with them as originally planned. She went to the zoo and ChuckECheese and had a blast with them. Belle was so excited when she'd come to the hospital to see us. She's still adjusting and a little clingy, but she's doing great with Elias. Elias was released at 6 lbs 5 oz. We had his first dr's appt on Tuesday and he weighed in at 6 lbs 12 oz!!! My little bruiser is growing wonderfully and I'm completely in love with him. I can't believe he's almost a week old!

Here's to my little man, my how you've grown! You still own Mommy's heart.

Halloween Pics, better late than never!

The festivities started with a Halloween dance party at Belle's dance class. The girls all looked so cute!

Next was a Halloween party at Preschool for Belle. Again, the kids all looked adorable, and she had a lot of fun. This is her best pal. He adores her! Omar isn't too thrilled about the whole thing.

Finally it was time to Trick-or-Treat! Auntie Brooke, Uncle James, and Liberty came over for dinner and then we hit the streets. The kids were very squirmy and not too into a photo op. They wanted to get going and get their loot!

Yoda was very sleepy.


Then the rain started coming down and it was time to go home. All in all, a great Halloween!

My little Mama

Belle is four, almost five, going on 16. The things that she says induces hysterical laughter. Sometimes, she can be so sassy, but it's hilarious and we have to bite our tongues as hard as we can to not laugh and correct her as good parents should. Every day she gets a little more independent. As sassy as she can be, she also has the kindest, sweetest heart. When I was deathly sick (see below post To Eat or Not to Eat), she was very concerned about me. I overheard her telling Omar that she was going to make a "throw-up" chart for me and chart when he needed to bring me soup. She brought me up a bowl to throw-up in incase I needed it. She told me she was going to take good care of me, just like I did her 2 weeks prior when she had the flu. When I finally awoke from my flu nightmare and wandered out of my cave, I saw this sitting in the hall. She wanted to make sure I was greeted properly when I came back to life.

I later found the throw-up chart she made for me. The picture isn't the best since it was drawn in pencil, but note the detail of me throwing-up and Omar giving me soup.

Priceless. My kid. God how I love her.

My superhero

I am so incredibly proud of my hubby. He won the CW's super hero contest!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY8ccrW6_zU

Giving Thanks

It was a perfectly cloudy day today. I had taken off the day from work and was home with the kids. Our day started with finishing off some cinnamon rolls we baked the other day. We then got crafty and made a Turkey hat for Thanksgiving. After nap time, I saw that it was still nice and cloudy...a perfect day for a photo op. I grabbed the camera and the kids and we headed to the park. I had a blast taking a memory card full of pictures of my gorgeous kids. I know all parents think their kids are cute, but man, mine just melt my heart! When Omar got home tonight I uploaded the pictures and we looked at them. We both were amazed at how big they are getting, and how beautiful they are. God has truly blessed us. On this Thanksgiving and every day I am thankful for the blessing of being a mom.