101 in 1001

I haven't updated my 101 in 1001 in months. Oops. I know at least one I'm falling behind in. :)

So,without further ado, here is my updated 101 in 1001 list.

FYI, this blog is being written at 4am, Ian has been up since 2:30am. Would this be a proper 'fml' moment? I swear, I can't even function anymore. On top of school and work (and wedding planning, 24 days), I also am not allowed to sleep. It. Is. Wonderful.

Rituals

I really need to update my 101. I did make a realization though. I wanted to start rituals with Stephen because I didn't think that we had any. We have 2 that randomly popped into my head the other day. Kisses and breakfast.

What?! Well, kisses. Every single morning before Stephen goes to work (and even on the weekend if he wakes up first), I get a kiss. Even if there was a fight the night before. It doesn't matter. I get a kiss. :) It is a great start to each one of my days. Maybe that's why I'm so optimistic these days. I love mornings. I love having them start off with a kiss from Esteban. That is ritual number one.

[As I'm typing this. I don't know if 'ritual' is the right word, but I'm going to use it anyways]. Breakfast! Every Saturday Stephen has been going to Maria's tacos and getting us amazing breakfast tacos. Apparently my parents have been doing the same thing. They are ooooooh so delicious.

I should go mark these off my 101, maybe tonight. On another note, yesterday my mom, Ian, my bridesmaid Franny, and I went to Weddings Unvelied. We looked around and left after an hour. In that hour, I won a $50 gift certificate to a delicious truffle place AND a 15% off of beautiful cakes. My first thought was that I could use it for Ian's birthday that's coming up. But then I thought, maybe I could let Janet use it for the rehearsal dinner cake. Who knows?! I'm really excited about it though. I could have won one more time and I probably did, but we left. It was way past Ian's bed time. He was a trooper.

I will leave you, not with words, but with a picture. Ian smash!

Just kidding... not leaving yet. I ordered Ian's Halloween costume and it shipped today. WE ARE SO EXCITED! I am going to try to keep it a secret until Halloween. But, it will blow your mind hole!

Circa Noon

Hola! I hope that everyone had a wonderful week, soon to be followed by an inspiring weekend. One of our fish has ich, so I sent Ian and Stephen off to the store so that we can cure the little buger. We also added a school of fish and a snail. I think we might get a bottom feeder today. I still want the glo fish, we don't have them yet. :(

Wedding planning is blooming beautifully! Amy is picking out my rehearsal dinner place. Or at least she's doing all the research, then running it by me. Why didn't I think of this sooner? I feel so at ease now. Stress-free nearly. Amy is wonderful. Have I said this before? I have finished the Save the Dates, I just have to finish compiling e-mail addresses so that I can send them out, I'll do that today. Along with:

• Update 101 in 1001
• Clean out kitchen
• Go get groceries
• Shop with Jackie (registry)

I know what you're thinking. You're going to register with Jackie?! Yes. Yes I am. Things change when you have a kid.

The blogs have been slacking. I've been exhausted! I came home from work on Thursday with a sleeping baby. I walk into a sauna. I put Ian down on my bed and put 2 fans on him. It's 90 degrees in our apartment and our AC had been running all day! (Yay for high bills!) I called maintenance, stressed to them that I had an infant (Stephen was more concerned about our fish). They came out, but I was gone by then. Ian woke up crying because he was hot. We scrambled to the condo. My parents are out of town, but they don't mind when I do something if it's for Ian. They later confirmed this when their plane landed. Poor guy. He fell asleep again in the car. I hated moving him so much during his nap time.

Back to the fish for a second, Stephen was very concerned. He made me get ice in a bag and put it in the tank to cool it off. I shut the blinds, turned on the fan, shut all the doors. This was a very stressful time for Stephen.... it was adorable. Don't tell him I said he was adorable. All in all, we lost one fish... my baby fish that I had rescued. Poor little guy. I was (and still am) sad.

Onto the A/C. It's fixed now. We have wonderful air condition back in our apartment. Now, I can get back to wedding planning, blogging, and cleaning! Glorious! Our night at the condo was wonderful. Though, Ian doesn't sleep when he's at grandma and t-bone's house. He didn't go to bed until really late. I'm sure he was hoping that they would come play with him at any moment... they didn't. He gets to see them tomorrow though!

School starts next week. I'm excited but bummed at the same time. I am really have troubles leaving Ian lately... toddlers are so much fun! Yes, my 9 month old is a toddler, more on that later. I have got to get going now! So much to do, so little time.

Blog out.

Continuation of Expansion

I am updating a little late in the day. You might be asking me why... well, Noche had babies. Who is Noche?! Oh, that is one of our beautiful molly fish we got to expand our family. As you all know, we got an aquarium. We decided that we would slowly fill the tank up and get all different kinds of fish so that we can name them all. This was the perfect plan.

We went to the pet store and we got 2 mollys. They are pretty easy to maintain. We got a black one named Dia:

We think that Dia might be sick. She's hiding a lot. We will see...

Here is the orange one, Noche:

This picture doesn't do her justice, she was fat. I knew she was fat. I even made the joke at the pet store that she was pregnant. I was right! If I were to take a picture of her now, she's skinny like Dia.

Anyways, this morning I woke up and I went to check on the fish, just as Ian and I have been doing every morning. He loves fish! I saw a little baby fish! I freaked, I called Stephen at work. I never call him at work. He just laughs. My older brother told me to just let them eat the little boogers. I can't do that. Stephen told me to go to the pet store and buy a little thing that goes inside the tank. Our favorite fish guy (who we are pretty sure has a crush on Stephen. My Gaydar sucks, but Stephen's pretty sure about this. We might send him in on his own and see if he can get his number) wasn't there. So, I had to settle for the random dude. He was nice enough. I bought this fish net thing. I caught most of the fish.

Before I went to the store, I counted 5 babies. When I came back and was catching them, there were 10. When I went to feed them, there were 11. There was one in the big part of the tank. I decided to leave it there. I'm not evil. But I read online that you can leave them if there are plants and rocks for them to hide. It was close to the rocks too, and it blended in. I think it'll survive. Or, I'll just have Stephen move it when he gets home.

This weekend, Stephen's parents are coming to visit. Our initial plan was to have them accompany us to the pet store so that they could help us pick out another fish for Ian's tank. They don't know it yet, though they might now after they read this. Now that we have nearly 15 fish, I don't know what we're going to do. Maybe we can give the babies to someone... I don't know. I hope we'll pick out another fish. We really want this Hatchet fish. It's adorable. I also want those neon glowing fish.

Ian needs play now. I will update more on our new fishies later!

Blog out.

Expanding the Family

It's not what you think. We aren't having another baby just yet. We are expanding through fish!! Yesterday, while Stephen was getting his hair cut, Ian and I went to Pet's Mart. We were looking at the fish and Ian was giggling like crazy. It was adorable. I don't know what it was about them, but he seemed to love them. It was uncanny.

Later on in the day, we took Ian to my parent's place so that we could go shopping for fish. We ended up getting a tank and what not. We decided to get a pretty large tank (29 gallons). It is in Ian's room. We got plant seeds so we are waiting for those to bloom a little bit. We got back for some fish at the end of the week. I'm pretty excited. Ian just looks at the tank for now. He got mad at me because I wouldn't let him get into it.

So yes, we are expanding the family. We are adding about 10 fish to our family. It's pretty exciting. We don't know exactly which ones yet, but it will be fascinating. I've already decided that all of the fish will look different (whether it be color, size, type, etc). I want to name all of them. Stephen thinks this is insane, but all family members must have names.

Here is a picture of the new aquarium:

Like it? There are no plants yet... they are still trying to grow.

**Side Notes**

Do you like the new layout? Up on the top right corner are links. One link is to the main page, the other to my 101 in 1001. I will be adding more links (i.e. my cooking section, my wedding webpage, etc). On the immediate right, there are links to other blogs that I follow. And finally, on the far right, is my archive.

Tell me what you think!! I like it because of the coffee-desk. It makes me think of how I am in the mornings when I sit in front of my computer to write glorious stories for you people.

Blog out.

101 in 1001

Here is it, I have been working on it for a while. I wanted it to be great.

Visit the Day Zero website for more information on this awesome feat.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part)

Started: Thursday, July 23, 2009

Deadline: Thursday, April 19, 2012

Not Done

In Progress

Completed

Link

Commentary

1. Get married.
2. Make a recycling center and use it.
3. Potty train Ian.
4. Watch an anime with Stephen.
5. Save for DSLR camera. I didn't need to! It was a gift. A wonderful, wonderful gift.
6. Have wedding pictures printed in a book.
7. Start scrapbook for Ian's firsts (or first year). 
8. Wear heels/wedges every day for a week. (0/7)
9. Have a picnic with I-han, Gloria, Tiffany, and Joyce.
10. Organize pictures on computer.
11. Save $10 for every goal acheived.
12. Take Ian to the beach. 08/15/09 - This was fun! Go read the blog on it!
13. Go on 20 dates with Stephen. (5/20)
14. No fast food for one month. (0/31)
15. Send out Christmas cards. Yes! I hope you got yours! :) If not, e-mail me your address and you'll get one next year.
16. Do something special (randomly) for 3 friends. (0/3)
17. Buy Steve Madden wedges. 07/24/09
18. Fluently speak Stephen's Love Language.
19. Go to the dermatologist.
20. Get family picture taken.
21. Graduate. Yes, but leave it to me to immediately start grad school.
22. Have my family over for a home-cooked meal.
23. Have Stephen's family over for a home-cooked meal.
24. Get new tires for car.
25. Expand family. Ian the sequel is due Jan. 15, 2011!!
26. Make home-made tortillas. Has not yet been accomplished, but I do have a recipe now! I might make them soon. :)
27. Bake Ian's birthday cake from scratch, by myself. Check and check.
28. Learn to sew.
29. Get recipe card storage. YES! Thanks to my wonderful bridesmaids!!! I'll post a picture of it soon. It's adorable.
30. Make my wedding guestbook. I have an amazing idea for the guestbook. Everything (well, almost everything) is bought for it.
31. Get body rockin'.
32. Eat at Neptune Subs.
33. Paint a wall.
34. Swim one mile nonstop.
35. Have a meal of food with Kevin, Cynthia, and Carina.
36. Conveince Stephen to get a manicure, pedicure, or massage.
37. Go 24 hours without cell phone. For my grandma Dorothy's 70th birthday, I forgot my phone in Austin...
38. Start savings for Ian.
39. Have a movie night with Stephen.We've actually had a few movie nights, but we do need more.
40. Run one mile without stopping.
41. Have crayfish broil.
42. Make own convertible dress.
43. Let hair grow out to natural color.
44. Organize my side of the bed.
45. Take grill to the park and have a BBQ.
46. Swim in the apartment's new pool. 07/23/09
47. Grow a plant.
48. Make a weekly chore list for the fridge and follow it for two months straight. (0/8)
49. Invent a coffee-breakfast-meal.
50. Get kit and calibrate monitor.
51. Become efficient in using GIMP.
52. Change my last name to Bendig (or Davila-Bendig).
53. Take a cooking class.
54. Make the cooking class meal for the family.
55. Cut coupons for 3 grocery trips.
56. Choose days to regularly update blog.
57. Be the first one awake in the mornings to have "me" time for one straight month. (3/31) This is happening, but not on purpose.
58. Clean out desk.
59. Make Goodwill donation.
60. Go kyaking with Stephen, but be more competent.
61. Watch Hangover again. OMG! I love this movie!
62. Get "welcome" mat.
63. Use reusable grocery bags 10 times in a row. (10/10) I keep one in Ian's stroller so that every time we walk to the store, I have one! I need one of those small ones that  you can keep in your purse.
64. Give monthly progress reports on this list. (3/lots of months)
65. Read 5 books. (0/5) - Book #1: 08/22/09 - Ian and I started reading Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon. I'm reading it allowed, might take a while.
66. Replace Stephen's truck.
67. Have 2 rituals with Stephen. (2/2) Read about it!
68. Be santa.
69. Get another game system. Can you say Wii?! Goodness! It is so much fun.
70. Perfect my mac-n-cheese.
71. Start a cooking segment of the blog.
72. Use an alarm clock other than Stephen.
73. Have a girl's night.
74. Have a Harry Potter marathon.
75. Go on a Honeymoon.
76. Watch the Congress bridge bats.
77. Start "Ian's Firsts" segment in blog. 08/11/09 - Read it!
78. Watch a movie at the condo with my parents.
79. Breastfeed Ian until 11-07-2010.
80. Make someone's day. Janet - 08/03/09
81. Attend a wedding that is not my own.
82. Keep Tattles and Tells active.
83. Eat a piece of pizza. I don't remember the exact date. But it was done. And I think I liked it. It was delicious.
84. Organize closet. It has been in progress for a while. Don't judge.
85. Mail a secret to PostSecret.
86. Watch the sun rise.
87. Watch the sun set.
88. Give random flowers to my mom, my grandmas, and my mom-in-law.
89. Eat a salad every day for a week. (0/7)
90. Get a massage.
91. Make an inspiration board.
92. Play a game of Monopoly all the way through.
93. Take Ian out of the state.
94. Leave a note in a book at a store for a stranger.
95. Take prenatals every day for a month. (0/31)
96. Send something sweet (as in sugary) to someone through snail mail.
97. Go bowling.
98. Introduce 101 in 1001 to 5 people. (5/5) Ashley, Caroline, Jackie, Geo, Brad
99. Do a different workout video a week 3 times a week for 4 weeks. (0/4)
100. Have a picnic and roll down the hill on campus that I used to with my family.
101. Do another 101 in 1001 for the day this one ends.

Excuses, Excuses

Good morning! It is a very early morning. 5:22 to be exact. I woke up at about 3:45 and decided to get out of bed at 4:45 and begin being productive. Ian awoke me with a wet diaper. He hates wet diapers. I am hoping that that will be mean he will be potty-trained easily, but probably not. Anyways, so far this morning I have had a mini arm workout. I am also now watching Third Rock from the sun as I drink my lovely morning coffee and write my blog.

This brings me to today's post. Excuses. Last Monday was supposed to be the first day of working out for Stephen and I. The beginning of a 3 month challenge. Well, it was my first day. And today is again my first day. Notice that I called this morning's workout a 'mini' workout. It is because it was tiny. I did some push ups and a little bit of weight lifting with tiny weights. Let me begin from last week. I was unable to do my leg workout before Ian woke up. He was having a cranky day. Awesomely, I decided it was a good idea to do my leg workout with Ian strapped to me in his Bjorn. (Note: this is probably a good idea to a person who regularly works out). I wasn't weightlifting. I was doing lunges and squats. I did so many I felt great!

On another side note: I did the squats in front of a mirror. When I would go down, Ian couldn't see himself, we would pop up and he'd see himself and laugh. This was so fun! This is probably why I got carried away. I love to hear his laugh!

Continuing on... My legs started to feel shaky. So, I stopped. For the remainder of the day, my legs were not sore. They were numb. I felt like jelly. Amy can attest to this next portion (along with my entire family). My legs HURT for a week. Today, I feel like the normal sore feeling and it's been a week. Thus, my workouts were put on hold. I was convinced that I pulled every muscle in my legs. (**Note to self** Do not squat and lunge with nearly 17 pound baby repeatedly when you have not worked out in ages). I was unable to get down and up with ease. I thought I saw a bug, and I couldn't hop up. If you know me, this is incredible. I will sacrifice others to get away from bugs!

Needless to say, with this morning's workout, I took it very easy. I need to be able to carry around Ian. So, I went light on the arms. Hopefully, today is the real beginning to my challenge against my fiance. Whom by the way is doing great. He swims at Barton Springs twice a week with my brother. Stephen is much like a dolphin. He hasn't swam in forever, yet he jumps into the pool and leisurely swims to the other side with ease. He looks so graceful. I'm so jealous! I need his abilities!

Since this blog is about excuses, I'm going to go ahead and throw one out there. WARNING: Do not click the following link unless you want to bawl your eyes out!! Pray for Dylan. This is the blog that I somehow came across and have been following. I always check my blogger page before writing my blogs. Not anymore, write THEN read. I cannot read that blog without tearing up. I am so grateful that Ian is a healthy baby. I feel terrible for any baby that has to have IV's and endure that sort of trauma. Poor thing. I can't even imagine. I'm thinking about ordering some of the family's orange wristbands. (This site has driven me to do research on Dylan's cancer, it has an 85% 5+ year survival rate on young children, so keep him in your prayers, it is a lot of trauma for the poor little guy).

Onto a happier topic: I have a notebook in which I will begin brainstorming for my 101 in 1001 days. Read Chelsea's blog to get the gist. (I do not feel like making this blong (long-blog) and longer!) I do not know when I will be posting this list. But, it will be sometime, hopefully before school starts back up.

And of course, Ian. Monday's blog would not be complete without my darling boy. He amazes me daily.

Here is Ian in his new shoes! Aren't they adorable? I cannot get over them. I love them.

We took Ian to the mall. This is a new thing, him sitting like this. I guess he's lounging? Lol. He would just bend to get his food. He's so flexible!

Ian standing on Stephen. That blue block is his favorite block of all times. I do not know why. That adorable shirt is from Franny. Yes, Ian still wears 3-6 month clothes. (But, only buy him 9 month old clothes, he'll need them soon).

Me and Ian messing around. See that block? It's a different part of the day!

A family picture! I love it. Ian and Stephen are identical twins, it's eery.

Quick tidbits about Ian:

• 5 people stopped me and asked if Ian was 4 months old yesterday. Exactly 4 months old from all of them. Ian is double that. Is he really that tiny?!
• Ian can readily feed himself now. He's a pro.
• In the dressing room at Macy's yesterday, Ian tried to take a walking-step towards my mom. NOT YET! YOU'RE TOO LITTLE!! (He's already standing on his own for a bit)

Random thoughts:

• Caroline *bridesmaid* made a blog!
• I have made uber amounts of wedding progress. For you married ladies, what did your moms wear to your wedding?
• I rekindled an old romance with Jackie. ;)
• Google Analytics stinks! It keeps messing up my 'hits.' I have no idea how many people actually visit my site.
• Today will be an awesome day!

Did you read all of this? I know Kelsi probably did, she's dedicated. Kelsi, we need to get a meal of food ASAP!