Monday, June 29, 2009

Mommy Goggles

Oh Ian! What has he been up to?! So much.
  • First, he has a tooth! He finally got a tooth! He's 7 1/2 months old. It is a razor sharp tooth. I was excited when he got it, now I'm regretting it. He could have waited a little longer. He's only bit me a few times though, I'm hoping he's already over that stage.
  • Last night we found out that Ian can go from crawling to sitting. Nobody saw it being done... but he was definitely going from one position to the other.
  • This next accomplishment is the most scary accomplishment. Let me show you through a progression of pictures:





Then he moves around. This is scary. It's basically walking.

Ian also enjoys raiding his kitchen cabinet with the Tupperware:



Oh his baby joys. Ian has been wonderful though! I cannot wait for his first 4th of July... hopefully he won't cry. :)

Blog out.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Eric Clapton

As part of my busy week, Stephen and I drove to Houston Wednesday to see Eric Clapton. We are insane. We drove to Houston around 1 (I'm completely making this number up, it was sometime after lunch). And we drove back to Austin after the concert.

Let me start from the beginning. Months ago, Stephen's parents invited us to this show. We, of course, accepted the invitation. Eric Clapton is amazing. Stephen's dad had to unexpectedly go out of town for business, so we had 4 tickets. After tons and tons of confusion, Robe and Caroline attended the show with us. It was so worth it. Plus, I hadn't seen Robe and Caroline in 9 months, and they are both in our wedding party. They bring joy to my heart.

Here are some pictures from the night:



Me and Caroline. :)


I must get a picture of me drinking every single time I drink. Here is one.


Yes, that is the man (boy?) I'm going to marry. :D



Stephen's nachos. If my mom were there, she would have not said a word as he licked the cheese off of his fingers... she would have handed him a napkin. He wouldn't have used it (or even gotten the hint). It's hilarious that she still tries.


Stephen and Robe...

THIS NEXT PICTURE IS UBER
This is the hippie that sat next to me and Caroline.

I had to be creative to get a picture of this guy without him knowing. Caroline is barely in the picture. I did my job. I like to imagine that if Stephen's dad could have gone to the show, that is much like what he would have worn. We couldn't get a picture of his bellbottoms, those were the best.

I also came to the conclusion that Eric Clapton must be Larry's (Stephen's dad) idol. They are identical twins. It was ridiculous.

The night was good. We were not the youngest ones there. We saw a few high school boys, they were with their parents. The entire show was awesome. Older people do not dance. They sit like they are in a movie theater... until Cocaine is played. There was so much dancing. We really enjoyed watching one man, we was spinning in cirlces. It was awesome.

I'm really glad we got to see Clapton. It was a blast. We then had to drive back to Austin... we had work in the morning.

Blog out.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Where, Oh Where Have I Been?!

Wow... what a busy time I have been having. Not all of it was busy though, but I was still out of it. Let me start off by explaining to you that I have a cold, I think. I am congested. Which is okay, I don't really mind not being able to smell or taste. But somehow, I'm thrown off. I'm pretty disoriented (more so than usual). For example, on Friday last week, I thought it was Tuesday. That's not just one day... that is several days off. I was on the very wrong part of the week.

Mix that in with Father's Day, visitors, Eric Clapton, work, baby, wedding planning, it gets exhausting. So, I've been being exhausted. I'm sorry. I will never avoid my blog this many days in a row again. So much happened, that I need more than one post to talk about it. The following topics will be talked about within the next few posts:
  • Father's Day
  • Amy!
  • Wedding
  • Eric Clapton
  • Ian
Father's Day was awesome. I cannot remember if I already wrote about it or not. But, I'm going to tell you about it anyways. It was awesome. Stephen's parents came up from Houston and we all had lunch at my parent's place. My mom's brother came too because it was his birthday. We had amazing steak and shrimp. I'm assuming it was amazing because 1) it usually is and 2) I'm sick remember? I couldn't actually taste it.

Stephen couldn't figure out what to get his dad because the man has everything he wants, much like my dad, but we'll get to that later. Stephen ended up going to Spec's and getting his dad some delicious beer and a mug that says "Party Naked." Oh Stephen. The beer was a great idea. Stephen and his dad love drinking beer of all kinds. The mug... need I say more?

My dad got some binoculars. They are specifically for football games. I did much research on them and they are awesome. He had a pair, but they were no good... I had to give him an upgrade.

Stephen has been whining nonstop about wanting an external hard drive. I saw no point in it. His computer has uber amounts of memory on it. However, I couldn't think of anything else to get him for Father's Day that he really wanted. So, I ordered him an external hard drive. It is where we store EVERYTHING now. I guess we shouldn't bog down our computer's space.

Anyhow, Father's Day was uber. Needless to say, there will be some awesome information coming your way over the week (and next week). My wedding planning has finally gotten off the ground! Ian has had some awesome developments too.

Tune in later!

Blog out.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

TV Secrets?

Has anyone else noticed that there are zero decent, new shows on at the moment? If there is one on cable, that doesn't count. I cancelled cable because I was TiVo-ing everything and not focusing on school work. (I like this decision and now watch Hulu instead). Anyways, all of the shows that I watched (The Office, How I Met Your Mother, House, etc) all had their season finales. Now, there is nothing.

What are these TV people thinking? It is SUMMER now. More people will watch shows now. During the school year, not so much. I demand that they have good shows over the summer and not just during the school year. Is there some logic to this? I don't see any. They would have way more ratings right now.

I need to know their method to this maddness. Now. Please inform me if you know.

On a side note, Stephen and I haven't been on a date since I was still in school... so it's been a while. I wanted to give Props! to my parents because they're going to watch Ian on Friday so that Stephen and I can go on a date. I'm thinking the Alamo Drafthouse! WO!

That is all.

Blog out.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Mommy Goggles

Is it really already Monday? My days are flying by way to quickly. Yesterday was awesome. My parents watched Ian so that Stephen and I could have a domestic day and clean up the apartment. i finally finished unpacking my things. I ordered Stephen's Father's Day gift too. It'll be at his work on Wednesday. There will be no element of surprise. Before I get to Ian, I have to share with you what happened yesterday. I went to my parent's place for dinner. My mom was making my favorite ribs in the world, so of course I had to show up and eat. Well, after dinner I went with my mom to get Michael's septum peirced (that's the middle part of your nose). It was terrible! The guy peirced it, then he couldn't put the jewelry through. Michael had to sit there with it half way through his nose. The guy was wiggling it around. He then had to put a taper in a he tried about 4 times before he finally got it with a different type of ring. I was wiggling around in pain myself just from watching. I would post pictures but they are all on Michael's phone. Sadly, his bromance couldn't attend, so I was updating him with pictures and texts the entire time. I'll get pictures so everyone can see.

BTW: my mother had to take Michael to get it done. Last time she denied him a peircing, he did it himself and it was very infected. He had to go to the doctor's office, etc. So, instead of having this happen again, she took him to get it done professionally. Lol.

Now, onward to my child! This weekend he gets to meet Caroline and Robe. I'm pretty excited (he would be too if he knew). I was writing down all of his "firsts" over the weekend. I realized that I didn't have the first tiem he rolled over. Then I thought about it for a while. We never really knew when this was. From about 1 month, he was rolling over when we weren't around. I'd put him on his back and he would always roll to his belly. I remember this being alarming because baby's aren't supposed to sleep on their stomach's right away, but it is the only way he'd sleep, and he'd put himself into that position. The midwife didn't think it was a big deal. I just had to remove EVERYTHING from his crib... even the bumper. Why oh why do they sell them with the baby bedset if you are not supposed to use them!?

Incase you don't have a facebook, here are some awesome pictures for you.

Ian and daddy playing.

They just got back from their walk and Ian had a flower for me...

Ian really wanted his hat off for some reason.

Daddy and Ian just got back from teir walk. Their both wearing hats, adorable.


This isn't a picture of Ian!

That is a picture of my breakfast in bed from over the weekend. How delightful. Anyways, Ian is doing amazing. He is absolutely wonderful.

Blog out.

ETA: Here is a darling video of Ian. Ignore is huge pants. They are 6 month pants, but he's little. =]


Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Bromance

Has anyone heard this term used lately? It is a new thing. My little brother has a bromance. It is hilarious. They completely boost one another's self-esteem in every way possible. My little brother does not need help in this department, but whatever. In the mornings my mom would take them to school. They would get in the car and it immediately starts, "You're hair looks nice today dude." "Oh thanks, yours too."

Yesterday was my favorite. We asked my little brother to put together a toy for Ian. It was more difficult than he thought it would be (baby toys are tough). His friend showed up and they put built it together. When they were done, this is how the conversation goes: (Keep in mind, both boys are Michael, I call my brother Michael and his friend Mike).

Mom - "Thanks Michael!"
Me - "Wow, Michael, you actually put something together!"
Michael - "Well, Mike helped."
Mike - "Nah bro, it was all you."

Really?! Then I got to thinking, if this was a married couple, they would never fight. Each of them would always feel awesome, much like these two do all the time. It just makes sense. Instead of always wanting credit in those situations, we should give it out. This is my new goal. I think if all relationships were like Bromances, they would be amazing.

On a side note, Stephen shaved his face. My little cousin D put it the best. Stephen with his beard, looks 30. Stephen without his beard, looks 20. Here are some pictures:

Stephen at age 30...


Stephen at age 20.

Ridiculous. I like it. He did it because it was hot. Ian kept trying to grab his beard now that it's gone. It's hilarious.

ETA: Stephen is 25.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Mommy Goggles Monday

Good morning! Today is Ian's update day! How exciting.

Yesterday, Ian was officially 7 months old! I cannot believe how old he is. He's ancient now. He still army crawls occassionaly, but I think that he has given it up. He has decided to be an inch worm. He lifts up into the crawl position and flattens out, rinse and repeat. It's adorable. He moves so fast though, it amazes me. He can get all around our apartment no problem.

What else is Ian up to? Well, he has only spent one night in his new room. I did buy a baby monitor though. And some dots for his wall. My moms bought him a hamper. He is growing hair every single day. He is starting to look ridiculous with hair.

Oh, he's also chewing some foods with his gums. He STILL has no teeth. Amazing. Well, here are some more adorable pictures of Ian.

Hehe, I love this one. He's like "what?! what do you want!?"


He talks on his phone.


I have no idea where this face came from. But I couldn't stop laughing at this picture. Oh Ian and his facial expressions. He has more than I do. I wonder if this says anything about his future personality.

Also, notice that my baby has brown hair and blue eyes... this is weird, still. Both Stephen and I have brown hair and brown eyes. And obviously Ian looks like Stephen identical twin... I'm still wondering who the mother of this amazingly adorable child is.

Have a nice day readers!

Blog out.





Friday, June 5, 2009

Parenting Decisions

I recently began talking to an old friend who has a baby boy about 1 1/2 months younger than Ian. Surprisingly we are making some of the same 'unpopular' parenting decisions. I still do not know why these decisions are unpopular. Recently, she opened up and vented to me. I completely understand where she is coming from, but I do not understand why people feel the need to critique our parenting style... we don't judge yours (unless of course, it hurts your child).

What am I talking about? Well, Stephen and I use cloth diapers. Yes, cloth. We also puree most of Ian's baby food. If we don't we buy organic baby food. We get no more than two vaccines at a time. Ian is breastfed (GASP!). We use attachment parenting (for the most part, not fully). I understand that not all parents make the same decisions. I do not think parents who chose other routes are bad parents. I don't understand why people feel the need to say anything about our parenting choices.

Cloth diapers. Oh, they are wonderful. We have a diaper service, so we do not wash his prefolds every day. We did for about 2 weeks, then decided it was way to much washing. When we are not using cloth diapers, we are using Seventh Generation diapers or Nature's Own (I think that's the brand). Both are eco-friendly companies. That is not the only reason we use cloth though. I also feel like it is more comfortable (yes, we do have to change diapers way more frequently. But to us, it's worth it). I also like the fit, we get no blowouts with cloth diapers! Plus, you can get lots of cute cloth diapers/diaper covers these days, gorgeous! And despite popular belief, they aren't really harder to use than disposables. They even make an all-in-one diaper, that is just like a disposable, but it is cloth. Amazing.

Moving on. All of our decisions are made for personal reasons. We thought out and researched everything (or I did and Stephen just trusted my decisions). I'm still taken back by why people are surprised about our decision to breastfeed. There are about 1 million benefits. 1) It is free. That's a big one. Babies are expensive. 2) It helps their immune systems. For example, I got the flu shot and Ian benefited (according to the pedi) because he was too young to get one. Also, I don't know why it's shocking, it's natural. The World Health Association suggests breastfeeding for AT LEAST two years. Plus, the mother-baby bonding is awesome. I understand that people choice formula. Luckily, I had no issues with milk supply. I understand that some people just don't want to breastfeed. Whatever. But quit saying things because I breastfeed, it drives me mad.

I'll quit ranting now. I could go on and on for hours and hours. I just needed to get some of that out of my system. I must go get dressed now before Ian wakes up from his nap. We need to put together a care package for Stephen's nephew (soon mine too!) to mail out. He's getting surgery on Monday, please keep him in your prayers.

Blog out. Or should I say, rant over.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Oh Moving

Moving moving moving. That was rough. Moving is never fun, ever. But it went pretty smoothly. And look at me!... I'm on the internet. Our cable guy was awesome. He was playing with Ian while working. Apparently, he has an 11 month old himself. Sweet.

I remember a long time ago when Stephen and I were moving out of our first apartment. I was in my first trimester with Ian and I was completely dragging ass. (Pregnancy made me extremely exhausted). I couldn't go one day without a few naps. I also could NOT drink caffeine. One of my first signs was my inability to hold down coffee. It was sad. Anyways, we are cleaning the apartment and I remember my mom and Janet (Stephen's mom) telling me how easy moving and cleaning was. They kept telling me "This is nothing. You just wait." I thought they were nuts. Until recently. This move was ridiculous.
If you think about it, you cannot do "trips" with a baby, unless you plan on only using one arm. I do
n't know about you, but unless you are superman, this is nearly impossible. And not only that, but I was wanting to move instead of watch Ian because (brace yourself) moving was easier than watching Ian. Turns out, our parents were right. What? Did I really just say that? Yes. They were right. Moving is easy.

Motherhood has really taken everything out of me. The next phenomenon I need to tackle, unpacking with baby. This does not seem too possible. The apartment is a reck. But, I must say, I love the room! I also love how Stephen has set up our computers. Classy. El Esteban is unpacking right now as we speak. And watching basketball, I don't know why. Basketball is the only sport I cannot watch. I've never played it.
I do not understand it. Oh, but no worries, Dylan and
Marissa will help me decorate Ian's room in a few weeks! I have some ideas for them. Ian's room will be decorated with his cousin's artwork. B-e-a-u-tiful!

Anyways, the move was great. My blog schedule might change a little bit. I am working now (I babysit my 2 cousins).

I'll sign off today with a picture of Ian.

I plead the 5th... I have no idea how he got that marker on his face...
Or do I?

And one from yesterday... he's just too cute!!

Ah!! Loves it.

Blog out.