Weekend Adventures

Our days have been starting really early as of late.  OK, Dad and Bubeaner are normally awake by this time, but Momma (NOT a morning person) has been joining them too.  We have been working on making breakfast our family meal since Dad can't get home by the time Bubeaner needs to eat.  And so far it has been working great.  We get to spend quality time together as a family while sharing a meal together.  Saturday, for example, we were all up by 6a and happily eating Nutella crepes with mango by 630a.  Both boys LOVE their nuss nougat crepes.

Flirting with an "older woman" at the playground

 

He insisted on going up the steps on his own

  

In the afternoon, Dad and aunt Pau joined us for a trip to our "new" playground.  Bubeaner was hilarious.  He insisted on doing a little perimeter check.  He then went down the BIG slide all by himself!!!  But it was too stressful for the adults, so we moved on to the little slide.  Bubeaner decided to make it more challenging by going down face first and then trying to crawl back up the slide.  Of course, he is definitely his mother's child and would get distracted halfway up by the rocks that were obviously NOT supposed to be there.

But he needed help getting into the slide... 
he usually wants to go face first.

 

His father's son:

Bubeaner insisted on putting all the rocks, 

one by one, back where they belonged. 

  

 

We have been telling Bubeaner that Bebe is in Momma's tummy.  He actually will go and pat the tummy and give it kisses saying "bebe, bebe".  Well lately, as well as calling Momma by her given name, he's also started calling her Bebe.  Sigh.  On the bright side, he has started using some new words.  He now calls for his lovey by name.  And, almost like he knows she'll be visiting soon, Bubeaner keeps calling out for aunt Lari.

 

Exhausted parents

Energizer Bubeaner wants to keep going

  

Sunday we decided to take it easy and go to the later, 9a mass.  This gave Dad and Bubeaner more playing time.  We are not sure what happened or if this is just the new norm, but Bubeaner was difficult during mass.  He actually had two throw-himself-on-the-ground-kicking-and-screaming tantrums! TWO!!  

The first one was while we were sitting at the pew and Bubeaner actually hit his head against the pew in front.  Thankfully, it was right as we were getting up for communion.  And he LOVES to walk down the aisle so that stopped that tantrum.  Right after communion he started fussing again so we got up and stepped out onto the atrium where the second one occurred.  As we just watched him kicking on the ground, we looked at another couple with their own 1-2 year old in the middle of a fit and realized their resigned, beat-down expression mirrored our feelings.  We are now THAT couple.  You know, the one with the misbehaving kid, with the worn-down expression you feel sorry for in the restaurant/church/store.  Where did our well-behaved little boy go?

OK, so Bubeaner is still an easy-going and pretty obedient child.  Actually, more than most children we've encountered, which is probably why these little incidents take us so much by surprise.  Sigh. (We've also found ourselves sighing more lately.)

Enjoying his sushi rolls

"Man, this is finger-licking good!"

  

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful except for the fact that Bubeaner refused to take an afternoon nap.  Instead he opted for playing with Dad and aunt Pau.  We decided to have an early dinner at our favorite Asian restaurant since we expected Bubeaner would not last long.  Bubeaner loved his sushi rolls.  He could not get enough.  Our waiter was amused at how much Bubeaner was actually enjoying it.  He was so stuffed, that soon after we got home Bubeaner was ready for bed without any fuss or protests. 

"I am so STUFFED I can't even move"

 

As to Bubita, today we reached 23 weeks!  She continues to kick, kick and kick.  She does it more and more at ALL times of the day and night now.  And she is getting even stronger!  Bubita's current entertainment includes kicking back where ever Momma puts her hand on the belly.  Well, that, and also kicking Momma's bladder as hard as possible.  So far we have not had any other "incidents" of vertigo/dizziness.  And Momma's blood pressure continues to be great.  The only big noticeable thing is Momma's belly.  Even though Momma weighs less than with Bubeaner at this stage, the belly is HUMONGOUS!  It's a little unsettling to think how much bigger it might get by 37 weeks (the time Bubita is allowed to make her grand entrance).

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Although sometimes it feels like one step forward, two steps back.  Bubeaner is doing great.  And he was actually talking a lot when we left the grandparents' homes.  However, as of late, he has reverted back to grunting and limiting the words he actually uses.  It's not surprising; it's actually been expected.  During the holidays and the visit to the grandparents, Bubeaner mainly heard Spanish.  Momma still speaks to him in Spanish.  But now that Meme'Licia is helping us out, he's also hearing English just as much.  So, it's really not surprising that he's not really sure what words (language) to use.  Dr. Z mentioned this was possible.

Bubeaner cruising around the neighborhood.

Wednesday we tried church again.  He was LOUD!  Extremelly loud.  We had to step outside to the atrium for most of the mass.  Bubeaner was not really interested in the service... until people started lining up for communion.  Then he grabbed on to Momma's hand and sped through to get to the line.  He walked down the line and took the compliments (and blessing) from the priest.  He loves that part of mass.  Unfortunately, we did not make it to mass the rest of the week because of other morning commitments.  We hope to get back on schedule next week.

Bubeaner dinner time fussiness...

 

 ...and when that did not work, "winking" at Momma...

  

... OK, maybe cuteness wins out.

  

Wednesday night Bubeaner and Momma had dinner with Lisa and Linne, Momma's high school friends.  We had not seen each other in years.  And more embarrasing was finding out we lived only 15 minutes away from each other!  Bubeaner, though shy at first, soon warmed up and flirted.  He even discovered Sammy, Lisa's cat.  They both eyed each other from a safe distance all night.  We had a wonderful time catching up with old friends.  And Bubeaner's bed time was delayed a little while, but soon fell asleep in his car seat and slept even after transfering him to his crib when we got home hours later.  Thankfully, that did not even affect his sleeping.  He slept until 7 the next morning.


Thursday Bubeaner joined Momma a little while at church group.  He was loved spending time with the grandmas, being the center of attention.  He played and laughed until Meme'Licia came by to pick him up allowing Momma to get some work done while he played at home.

Bubeaner thrilled to watch Dad prepare breakfast.

We've been blessed to enjoy family breakfast together most of the week.

We have been enjoying wonderful spring weather since Monday's deluge.  It's been so beautiful that we have made a few trips to the park.  Bubeaner has been enjoying the swing more, although he is still resistant to everything else.  Thursday, we went a little later than usual and found a pack of 10-15 children about 5-6 years old.  They were loud and moving up and down, running and jumping everywhere.  Bubeaner was enthralled by it.  He wanted to see everything they did, why, and how.  It was amusing, but also tiring since by the time we walked to wherever the kids had run to they were running back.  It made for an extremely tired and grumpy Bubeaner before bedtime.  But he did get to sleep well.

Today, we decided to try the church's playground.  It's made specifically for little children.  We were not sure if it would make a difference, but Bubeaner LOVED it.  He loved, the see-saw (eventually), could not get enough of the slides and was comfortable enough to crawl in and out of pretty much everything.  It looks like we have now found our new playground.  It probably also helps that there are no older children jumping and running around him startling him.  And the cute little blond girl playing with him did not hurt either.  Bubeaner was following her everywhere!  This is not good!!

We tried the see-saw first.  

 Bubeaner was not very convinced about this.

 

We had struggled every time we tried the slide.

He loves them at the new playground... 

he even smiled and giggled while he went down ALONE! 

 

He got so brave, Bubeaner even decided to go down face first!!!

What happened to my cautious boy?

Tonight Dad was able to get home a little earlier than usual.  And we decided to stretch Bubeaner's bed time just a little in order to spend time with Dad.  We even decided to go have a nice seafood dinner with aunt Pau.  Bubeaner ate like a little piglet.  He needed to replenish all that energy he spent at the playground. 

Terrible Two's Tuesday?

Is it too early for the Terrible Twos to hit at 17 months?  Ok, we are giving Bubeaner the benefit of the doubt and blaming it on teething.  The morning was a wonderful.  Momma and Dad woke up so early (430a) that we were able to get tons of things done before Bubeaner even woke up.  This allowed us to have a family breakfast!  Bubeaner was thrilled and giggly.

We also made it to mass this morning again.  Bubeaner wanted to prove his big-boy status by walking everywhere.  He walked up to communion with Momma and walked back.  Thankfully, we were at the end so we did not slow traffic too much.  And then he also insisted on walking out.  It took quite a long time since Momma and Bubeaner disagreed as to which direction we needed to go.  He drew a lot of attention.  But instead of smiling and flirting as usual, Bubeaner would give every lady that got close his "Nasty Look" (see above for an example).  He was in no mood to be disturbed.  Bubeaner also threw a little fit when we finally got to the car.  He was not ready to go home.

The rest of the day he was just a little ornery.  He was still loving and cuddling even giving kisses freely to his lovey, Momma and Meme'Licia.  But he was going to do what he wanted when he wanted the way he wanted.  Meme'Licia had to take a few toys away because he insisted on throwing them.  At one point we even had to take away his ballpit because he was insistent on emptying.

However, it was good night.  Dad had a doctor's appointment late this afternoon and was able to get home early enough to catch Bubeaner before bedtime.  Dad then took us to a family dinner.  We delayed his bedtime a little, but spending time with Dad was worth it.

Bubita has been a little quiet today probably because Momma has taken it a little slow too recuperating from yesterday.  But as usual she has been more active since nightfall.  The belly is now HUGE.  We can't imagine how much bigger it will get since Bubita is not allowed to make her grand appearance for at least 15 more weeks.

Long Dreary Monday

What a difference a day makes.  Today was cold, wet and dreary.  It did not stop raining all day long.  We are grateful for the rain (no one that has lived in the desert will ever complain about the rain), but it made running our errands just a little trickier. 

Aunt Pau and Momma spent almost all day running from store to store stocking up the pantry.  We really had not done this since we left to visit the grandparents.  It was sorely needed.  Sadly this meant that we did not spend that much time with Bubeaner today.  Momma was so exhausted at the end of the day that Meme'Licia even had to make and feed Bubeaner his dinner.  And it was heartbreaking.  Even though they are things that must be done, it's hard not to feel guilty about not spending that time with him.  Meme'Licia did mention that he had a good day which was comforting.

 And Momma and Bubeaner did spend a good morning together.  We were up early and were able to make it to weekday mass, even in the rain.  This is something we have wanted to get back in the habit of doing.  It's a little easier with Bubeaner toddling since Momma does not have to carry him everywhere.  That is getting harder to do with a growing belly.  Although, he does not appear to mind.  We've just come up with a different way of cuddling.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a quieter day where we can spend some quality and quantity time together. 

Fun and Adventures

We've enjoyed a great weekend. 

Bubeaner woke up Friday morning crying and kept crying even though we held and cuddled with him.  A week of fussiness, and now this?  We decided to make sure we were not dealing with an ear infection or something else.  So on a cold and wet morning meant to be spent indoors, we ventured out to see Dr. Z.  Bubeaner enjoyed the little field trip.  He walked (holding Momma's hand) into the office and showed off for all the nurses.  He even used the "Big Boy" scale!  He now weighs 24 pounds.  He was fine until RN Sandra opened the door to the consultation room.  Bubeaner hit the brakes and would not budge.  He recognized the room; it's the same one we've had the last couple of times when he's received his vaccines.  Thankfully, Dr. Z said he was in fine, but that it really appeared to be just his molars finally cutting through.  So we are back to BabyOrajel.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing at home.  Bubeaner enjoyed some coloring time.  He's actually getting pretty good at it.  Momma needs to buy frames to display his works of art.  And he's also stopped trying to eat the crayons too.  YAY!

 

And as a rare treat we decided to watch a children's story in Spanish.  We thought Bubeaner had outgrown his facination with the TV cabinet.  However, this is what we found when trying to use the DVD player.  He gets credit for color coordination.

 

And, well, for being so cute too.  How could we get angry at him when he looks this adorable in his chair enjoying his afternoon snack while waiting for the movie to start.

Saturday morning greeted us with news of the earthquake in Chile.  Dad had spent some time in Chile last year, and Sally has several stores/employees in the country.  We were relieved that one of his coworkers had decided to delay his trip there by a day. 

And, of course, we spent the rest of the day anticipating the tsunami headed for Hawaii.  Uncle Tony had called earlier and informed us they were fine, were evacuating, and would call us when they had the all clear.  It was stressful waiting and waiting and waiting.  Thankfully, it turned out that uncle Tony and April just spent a long day "camping" a safe distance/elevation from the ocean.  The tsunami only ended up with some higher than usual surge but nothing too devastating.

After all the days events, we went to sleep quite early making for an even earlier than usual start on Sunday.  And since it promised to be another beautiful sunny day, we headed out for the early mass and then off for a family visit to the zoo.  We've enjoyed watching as Bubeaner shows more interest in the animals and exhibits.  This time we also had the benefit that all the animals were very active probably after having just been fed; we were there as the zoo opened. 

He was really facinated by watching the rhino eating, but even more enthralled by the white bengal tiger.  Although not as interested as the tiger was in us.

We wondered what the tiger was thinking... until he attempted to attack Dad and Bubeaner.  Yeah, we moved on to the next exhibit thankful for the safety of thick glass.

Bubeaner's favorite exhibit is still the aquarium.  We spent a bit of time there just letting him watch all the little fish swimming around.  

After a nice lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, we headed home for a nice relaxing and LONG nap while Dad and uncle Jeff stressed over the USA v Canada hockey game.  Momma specially needed the rest.  As the zoo visit progressed, her walk slowly deteriorated into an unappealing duck waddle.  Yuck!  Bubita approved since she has been quite active since then.  This is good since she had given us a little scare Thursday.  She had not moved all day, and when Momma weighed herself she noticed she had gained 4.5+ pounds in a week and a half.  Not a good thing.  And then Momma started experiencing vertigo and dizziness.  It turned out to only be some inner ear issues.  Although that didn't really explain the weight gain, Dr. T was not too concerned about that since Momma's blood pressure was excellent.  We just need to keep an eye on it, probably lay off the salty foods, and continue hydrating.  

We also think Bubita may have shifted and may be now facing down.  She is now kicking/punching in the upper/lower abdomen rather than to the sides.  She still continues to have quite strong movements.  Momma's entire belly will move and shake as she moves.  Bubita also appears to have more of BisBis "vitamins".  She tends to be more active late at night rather than in the morning like Bubeaner.  We may end up with a night-owl Bubita.

Poison Control and Other Misadventures

The morning started in such a promising and calm way.  Bubeaner once again slept well and was able to play a little with Dad before he had to get ready for work.  He was in a good mood too.  Yesterday he was a little moody.  We are not sure if he may be coming down with something or if his molars finally cutting through.

Either way things were fine until Momma was getting dressed.  Bubeaner managed to grab a hold of one of the hand sanitizing bottles Momma and Dad keep at their bedside tables.  Thankfully, the sudden silence alerted Momma.  He had the bottle in his mouth and pumped it!  According to Poison Control, the main danger was from the alcohol in the sanitizer.  Since he appeared to have taken no more than 1 tsp (and probably less since some was on his pajamas and the carpet), we just had to give him something sweet to drink (alcohol lowers blood sugar in children) and watch for symptoms (think tipsy).

Bubeaner enjoyed a glass of strawberry Nesquik milk since that was the only sugary drink available at home.  Did you know there are 25g of sugar in the 'REDUCED SUGAR' strawberry powder?  It was a left over from a craving last pregnancy.  And as much as Bubeaner enjoyed it, there is no way he's drinking that much sugar on a regular basis... and probably not til he's in college.

Bubeaner was still able to enjoy his hearty breakfast.  And thankfully, there were still no symptoms an hour later when the Poison Control nurse called back.  Meme'Licia and Momma still kept a watchful eye on Bubeaner for the remainder of the morning.  He was even able to enjoy a brisk walk up and down the street.  It was freezing cold but he enjoyed walking holding on to our hands.

 

Unfortunately, the afternoon was a repeat of yesterday.  He was fussy and needy, melting down for no reason at all.  He wanted Momma and he wanted her NOW.  Bubeaner was a little better for a while after Momma applied some BabyOrajel, so it might be the molar after all.

 

Either way, if we have a repeat performance tomorrow, Dr. Z is getting a call just to make sure we are not dealing with an ear infection or something else.  It's very unlike Bubeaner to be so fussy for so long, let alone 2 days in a row.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day for him.

 

Vroom, Vroom

We noticed during our little trip that Bubeaner really, and we mean REALLY, likes cars even though he doesn't have any toy cars at home.  He found some toy cars at Bita's that he refused to put down.  And when he visited his little cousins, he immediately started playing with them.  Even Grandma found him some of Dad's old Matchbox cars.  He loved them. 

So it should not have come as a surprise the he LOVES his little coupe.  He adores it.  He can't make it go anywhere yet, but he demands to be in it all the time.  Yesterday, he was in it every moment we allowed him honking the horn, turning the steering wheel, and making vroom vroom noises.  He even gave Meme'Licia a nasty look when she tried to get him out, and it was to give him lunch!  Bubeaner gives up everything for food... at least, that used to be the case.  (Dad insists that's Momma's look when she's angry.)

Bubeaner has also taken on a new, not-appreciated-by-Momma habit.  He insists on calling out Momma's first name!  It's now been two days in a row that he insists on using it.  It is understandable considering he heard many people call Momma that during the last two weeks.  He thinks it's funny.  If he wasn't so cute...

On some great news, Bubeaner slept 12.5 hours straight last night.  He's been sleeping longer during the night which is what Dr. Z recommended.  Unfortunately, we are still working out the daytime naps.  It appears he's slowly working towards a single 2-3 hour midday nap.  But in the mean time it leaves a cranky sleepy boy during the day.

Quiet Sunday

We took another day to regroup before the upcoming week.  Of course, this did not mean we did not start out early.  Bubeaner does not know the meaning of sleeping in, at least not yet.  This will probably not be an issue during his teenage years.

Dad was amazing this morning making sure that Bubeaner was fed (not just snacking on cheerios) early in the morning.  He even read and played with him before Momma even woke up.  Part of the morning Dad spent fixing Bubeaner's favorite toy.  It's a crazy musical machine that pops balls out.

Bubeaner is certain other things, not just balls, should be used with this toy.  We have found legos, blocks and a multitude of other items in there.  Thankfully, most are small enough that they are not stuck in the tube.  We attempted to explain that only certain balls fit in there.

Bubeaner was not convinced.

Actually today was mainly spent convincing him that certain toys are meant to be used in specific ways.  The next toy we had issues with was the little "walker" from Grandma.  Bubeaner had refused to use it previously; the first time he used it he face-planted.  He's refused to use it since.  However, we (Momma and Dad) decided to try it again now that Bubeaner is more confident on his feet and almost walking.

 

He was not very sure at first.  But he did agree to use it.  He even walked all the way up and down the hallway with it.  At one point, his little eyes lit up when he realized he could get access to more things when walking.  He's funny.  (Did you notice his cool little sneakers?  He really looks like a little boy with his new shoes.)

In the afternoon, Dad thought we deserved a little reward and took us for a little ice cream treat.  We try not to give Bubeaner too many sweets, but a little doesn't hurt.  And even now aunt Pau and Dad (Momma does not do ice cream) share their ice cream with him.  This way he gets a taste but doesn't eat too much.  Needless to say, Bubeaner absolutely L O V E D it!  He could not get it fast enough.  The extra sugar probably also played a role in Bubeaner refusing to take his afternoon nap.  Thankfully, he was not grumpy and difficult in the evening.

 

But then again, it's hard to be grumpy when your godfather (uncle Jeff) brings you an awesome new toy!  He had to wait until it was put together.  And it took a L O N G time to put together.  (Why do toy manufactures make it so difficult?  You need an engineering degree and a vast tool collection to put some of these things together.)  He was finally able to get in and enjoy his new Vroom Vroom Coupe!  (He actually made the "vroom vroom" sound when he was in it.)

Look at this handsome boy in his first car!

 

We did have some technical difficulties.  He is just, barely, tall enough for his feet to reach the floor.  And he knows he's supposed to move his feet... but somehow, Bubeaner has not grasped that he really needs to actually add pressure too.  He looks like Fred Flinstone with his little feet moving at top speed, but going nowhere.  And, of course, we discussed that there are proper ways to exit too.  

 

 

He had to learn the hard way that trying to crawl under the steering wheel does not work very well.  Bubeaner tried it a couple of times before he agreed with us.  Of course, the best part was cruising down the hallway with your best friend right next to you.

As to Bubita?  We are convinced she's going to follow in uncle Ivan's steps.  She spends most of the day throwing taekwondo punches and kicks.  And our little martial artist is getting pretty good at it.  She almost made Momma jump during lunch when she threw a pretty powerful kick.  Bubeaner was even able to feel one.  Although, he did not realize it was Bubita.

Sushi, Anyone?

We had a good day today. Momma woke up listening to the wonderful sound of Bubeaner and Dad talking as they watched ESPN and snacked on cheerios. Bubeaner was actually thrilled to be watching sports again after a two-week long hiatus. He's most definitely his father's son. Most of the morning we spent just lounging and relaxing.

Meme'Licia was able to join us today to help watch over Bubeaner as Momma and Dad attended a meeting in the afternoon. Aunt Pau was also able to join her and spend some quality time with Bubeaner.

Dad and Momma spent most of their meeting time sitting in quite uncomfortable church chairs not moving much.  Bubita took this as an opportunity to wiggle and kick to her heart's content.  And Dad was able to feel her move for the first time!  We were thrilled... and really did try to pay attention and not be distracted by our little gymnast for the remainder of the meeting.

For dinner, we headed out to our absolute favorite Thai/Japanese restaurant, which happens to be a few blocks away. Tammie and aunt Pau were able to join us. The restaurant recently added sushi to their menu so we were excited about trying it out. And it was great!

Momma and Bubeaner gorged themselves on sushi. Don't worry it was only cooked sushi which we enjoyed. Tammie, aunt Pau and Dad enjoyed the really good (raw) sushi.

Bubeaner did not hesitate to start eating his first sushi roll.

Tammie attempted to help him;
Bubeaner mistook it as an attempt by Tammie to eat his roll.
He gave her a nasty look.

After all, sushi is really supposed to be eaten with your hands.

Towards the end he allowed aunt Pau to help him eat the rest of his rolls. He tried the California roll along with multiple variations on the eel roll. His only complaint was how long it took to get them.

It's Good to Be Home!

It is so good to be home. For the past two weeks, Bubeaner and Momma (with Dad along for a weekend) were visiting family. The original reason for our trip was because Momma and Dad were going to baptize their first goddaughter! We were thrilled and honored to be chosen to be AnaLucia's godparents.

Momma and Bubeaner headed out almost a week earlier to stay with Bita and Papa Pepe on the pretext of helping out. It turned out to be a blessing too. A couple of days later the metroplex was hit by a true Artic Blast that blanketed the area under a record 12.5" of snow in 24 hours!


Poor Dad had to struggle to get to the airport and deal with all the delays and hassles of traveling under bad weather. We can't imagine how much more difficult that would have been with a toddler! Dad was stuck at the airport for 7+ hours, and it was so crowded that there wasn't any where to seat, including the floor!

Meanwhile, Momma and Bubeaner enjoyed spending quality time with family. Bubeaner really enjoyed seeing Bita again. But he was thrilled to see Papa Pepe and aunt Lari. He had not seen them since Christmas. Bubeaner, of course, decided he would change their names. He would say LariLariLariLari (rolling his 'r') in a singsong when calling aunt Lari. And he appeared to say Papa when calling Bito Pepe. This is probably because he really does not hear us say Pepe much, but he does hear all his aunts, Momma included, call him Papa (dad in Spanish). This is not a problem since he calls Dad, Dada. Grandchildren are the ones that finally determine what grandparents are called.

We were also able to spend some quality time visiting BisBis (Bubeaner's great grandmother). Poor BisBis has had some really difficult losses recently. Her older sister, great aunt Adelisa, and her baby sister, great aunt Pina, both passed away within 2 months of each other. We were glad to be with BisBis letting her know how important she is to us. And one of the nights, BisBis, Tia Carlota, aunts Lina and Lari, Bita, Momma and Bubeaner went out to dinner. Somehow we managed to stay out for 4+ hours. BisBis appeared to have enjoyed the time out.

Bubeaner and Aunt Lina

Bubeaner and Momma also took some time to visit Grandma. We were even able to enjoy lunch at Momma's favorite restaurant. Bubeaner also enjoyed playing with Jack (puppy) and Bela (love bird). He's pretty fearless with dogs. We actually believe Jack was more cautious about being around Bubeaner. As to Bela, Bubeaner loved imitating her sounds running around saying "tweet, tweet." Grandma even allowed him to pet Bela!

Dad was eventually able to trudge through the snow and join us for the weekend. Bubeaner was ecstatic when he saw him. We missed Dad terribly.

On Saturday, we all dressed up for the baptism. Bubeaner sported a blue, pin-stripped suit with tie and kerchief. It matched Dad's suit and tie! He even had proper dress shoes. And he did not even try to take it off. Both boys looked quite handsome and adorable.

He was also pretty well behaved. Well, he was until he saw Dad holding AnaLucia. He tolerates Momma holding other babies, but Dad holding another baby just crosses the line. He began crying and screaming in the middle of the ceremony.

Bubeaner did have a slight wardrobe malfunction once we were at the reception following the ceremony. We had removed his dress shirt and vest and left him in his pants and undershirt; it was a hot day. When suddenly, his pants just fell to the ground as he was standing near BisBis! Bubeaner just stepped out of them and continued playing as we all chuckled. He spent the rest of the afternoon in his undershirt and diaper.

Thankfully, AnaLucia was a perfect little angel throughout. She looked adorable in her princess dress and her baptism smock (previously used by her brother and sister) was precious. She did not even cry when she was awakened by the cold water poured by Father Julian. The ceremony was touching. And Dad did a great job following along even though it was in Spanish. Unfortunately, we did not get any pictures of the day, other than with the cell phone, since the camera battery was dead and we managed to forget our camera charger at home.

The original plan called for all of us returning home on Sunday night. However, we decided to make a little change considering the still bad weather at home, Dad's busy work schedule the coming week, and Bubeaner not having spent much time with Papa Pepe. Momma and Dad would fly back on Sunday, but Momma would fly back on Monday after the OB appointment. And that's how Bubeaner ended up half a state away from Momma and Dad for 36 hours! It was horribly difficult for Momma and Dad. Bubeaner only missed us during nap and bedtime. He was in a great mood the rest of the time. In fact, he was in his best behavior according to Bita's reports!

BUBITA!

We had our 20-week, level II ultrasound appointment with the MFM doctor today. Aunt Pau and Dad were able to join Momma. We were treated to 23 minutes of baby-sonogram time! The sono tech does the preliminary examination followed by an even more thorough examination by Dr. T.

And as bets were laid, we found out we are having a baby GIRL!!!! Dad could barely restrain himself since he was so excited to get his daddy's girl. Everything is looking great. She is measuring right on target. Her little brain (actually a big head, but have you seen Bubeaner?) was perfectly and uniformly formed. Her little kidneys were functioning and had proper blood flow. We were amazed to see her little heart with all four chambers AND clearly visible valves pumping away. We even saw the liver! Today's technology is quite amazing; though God's handiwork is just breathtaking.

The placenta appears fine at the moment with proper blood flow and no areas of concern so far. There is one area of concern with Bubita. We have a 2-cord placenta with 1 vein and 1 artery rather than 1 vein and 2 arteries. It happens in about 1% of pregnancies (of course!).

This sometimes means there might be birth defects or chromosomal issues. However, Dr. T was reassured by our quad-screen results, which we took at our 16-week appointment, and by the results from today's sonogram. There were no other markers that might indicate other issues. Right now, it appears that our main concern will be watching Bubita's growth since this condition can also lead to growth issues while in the womb.

Though concerned, we were thrilled to know we are having a little baby girl and that she is thriving. And yes, she still shows quite a feisty nature. The sono tech even laughed at her antics though Bubita did agree to cooperate through the exam. We are excited to know our family of four will include our Bubeaner and now our Bubita! (We haven't broken the news to Sandy, our current baby girl.)

Lessons Learned

We have learned there are some days that are just quite educational. Some of the lessons we learned today:

1. It is almost a guarantee that when you need more sleep your child will wake up many times during the night.
   
2. No child is too young to con his parents to get in their bed. In fact, the older they get, the better the con.
3. Do not give your child a sippy cup when he's in the middle of a tantrum; it really hurts to get hit in the head by a missile sippy cup. (Now Momma has a nice swollen bruise at her temple to show off.)
   
4. Do not let your child play with the TV control until you've set parental controls lest you look up just in time to notice your 15-month old purchasing an adult film. We are still trying to figure out HOW he got to that screen. (We later learned that he also somehow managed to tape a few random TV shows. He only had the control for less than 5 minutes!)
   
5. As soon as you start taking a shower, your child WILL wake up from his nap screaming to high heaven. This applies for bathroom breaks too.

But the best lesson of all: there is nothing more precious than watching your child peacefully sleeping at the end of a long, long day.

Crazy Busy Monday

Today was just exhausting. It started with an early rising Bubeaner. He woke up at 5a. He ended up going back to sleep, but we couldn't. And he was finally up again for good at 6a. From there it was just getting ready and starting our day. Bubeaner ended upn taking an unplanned shower with Dad. Lately Bubeaner's been having some incidents in the mornings. Even though the diapers fit perfectly fine, he might need a larger size for nighttime. Sigh. Of course, he was Momma got him naked a little too soon and he was crawling all around the bathroom floor. When he suddenly stopped, did not stir for a few seconds, then was off crawling again... after leaving a nice little puddle for Momma to clean up. Sigh... again.

Unfortunately our plan was changed yet again when Dad left both his blackberry and mobile phone at the house. And since we were already making the 45-50 minute drive to take them to him, we ended up staying for lunch. It was also fun to show Meme'Licia all the fun things that are on display at Dad's work. But with the drive, lunch and a little socializing (Bubeaner HAS to socialize with his Sally crew!), it was past 1pm when we headed back.

Thankfully, Bubeaner is an amazing boy and can take his nap anywhere, including his car seat. He slept from 130p-4p! And that included the times we got down to shop for larger diapers and Bubeaner pjs, buying some clothes for Momma and others, and picking up his chair. He did not even stir once.

Of course, once we were home, he was ready to roam. He was interested in his chair. Actually, the cup holder was what really held his interest. He really did not start enjoying his new recliner until we taught him how to get down. It was tricky since there is not much room for him to turn around. After that, he warmed up to it. So much so that at one point we found him not only climbing onto the chair but also STANDING up on it! Yeah, that is a little problem we never envisioned mainly because it never occurred to us to stand on our chairs.... Kids! Sigh.


Bubeaner was such a good boy all day that Momma decided to give him a special treat after eating his dinner: a couple of Dad's Thin Mints. Like father like son; he adored them. We had to hide the package because he kept asking for more.

He's now sleeping peacefully and hopefully tomorrow will be a little more calm and relaxing with a lot less sighing.

And Our Weekend?

We are not sure where our weekend went. It could be the frigid temperatures that made everything appear to go by faster. We went from 70s to low 30s in a week! Bubeaner spent today in his pajamas since it was so cold. And as tempted as we were to follow suit, we thought it best not to go to church in them. It would have been quite a sight though.

Bubeaner did pretty well. Although we had to step out into the atrium half-way through mass. We never go to the 11am mass because it's always packed and today was no different. Momma does not do so well being packed in like sardines. Needless to say we are sticking to our early morning mass... once the weather warms up a little more.

We forgot to mention yesterday how much he has improved in brushing his teeth! He would let us brush his teeth but when we introduced toothpaste, he regressed. We started TRYING to brush his teeth again every time we brushed ours. Dr. Z also recommended we give him two other toothbrushes to hold; he can't really snatch the one we are using when he has something in his hand already. Smart doctor! Although the best trick we learned on our own. Bubeaner will allow us to take as long as we need brushing his teeth if we make a "shshshshshsh" noise. He wants his toothbrush to make the same sound as ours (electric).

And today, Momma taught him how to climb up on the couch. It was coming. He was already climbing on and off our bed. But in full disclosure, it is a platform bed and thus much shorter. Dad and aunt Pau cheered until we all suddenly realized what it meant: a climbing Bubeaner! Oh well, we will have to be more careful when he is not in his play area.

We were able to Skype with uncle Tony (from Hawaii) tonight. Bubeaner was quiet at first. Then he warmed up and started showing off all his tricks. He even sent uncle Tony a kiss! We had to cut the call short because of Bubeaner's bedtime. And we are not messing with his bedtime; we like our sleep too much.

Talkative Boy

First, thank you for your prayers for Jennifer and baby Nolan. The latest we heard they were both doing as well as could be expected. We got to see some pictures of baby Nolan before he was transferred and he is adorable... and so TINY (2lbs 7oz and 15 in). Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Jennifer was being discharged today; leaving the hospital and being home without your baby is extremely hard. Please keep her in your prayers that she may have the peace and strength she needs. (UPDATE: You can leave messages for Nolan and his parents at his website.)

And no, we have not yet purchase another USB cord for the camera so only a grainy camera picture for today.

Our little munchkin has always loved his food. But lately, he appears to be eating more than usual. Maybe he is going through a growth spurt. Tonight, he didn't even give us time to cut his quesadilla. He just snatched it up from the plate and started munching. He ate 2 quesadillas, 1 flour tortilla, and 2 tablespoons of guacamole. Oh, and a couple of fries too. He ate more than Momma! We are convinced he has his Bito Pepe's metabolism; no matter how much he eats, he does not get fat.


We have also been working on re-educating (training makes him sound like a puppy) Bubeaner that waking up in the middle of the night is not a way to get into our bed. We have also been working on getting him to sleep a little longer in the mornings before he is up and ready to go. It has actually been working quite well, at least now that we have gotten past the first few nights of constant crying and screaming. The last couple of nights he's fussed maybe once but then gone immediately back to sleep. And more importantly, he is waking up at 6-630a again! You would not believe what a HUGE difference that extra hour to hour and a half of sleep makes to us.

Of course, this whole change in his bedtime/sleeping routine has caused some disruptions to his naps. We have learned that even though he is 15 months old he still needs 2 naps a day. He really doesn't function well without them. We are not sure how precisely to fix it, so we are just letting him guide us respecting his sleeping time even if it means he skips or delays his lunch or snacks. Dr. Z warned us it would be chaotic for a while until he settled into a new routine.

And of late, Bubeaner has regained his speech. He talks none stop. He still mainly babbles, but he is also saying a lot more words. Almost daily, he adds a new word or sound. Today he learned "fresa" (strawberry). He's also been working on "boton" (button). The B sound is a little harder for him. But his favorite pastime is saying people's names. Today's favorite was CzaCza (Sarah).

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

Please keep Jennifer and her newborn child in your prayers. Last night she delivered at 26 weeks. Jennifer was an amazing support and caring nurse for John during his stay in the NICU. The baby has been careflighted to Cooks.

A New Week

Ok, so we have not been as good as we had hoped in posting and keeping up with Bubeaner's latest adventures and Baby's updates. Our cord is still MIA (And yes, as Dad just commented; Momma has lost yet ANOTHER cord and suggested we purchase at least 6 cords for future use). We had been able to use Aunt Pau's for the last post, but it had to be returned. So pictures will have to be added at a later time.

In any case, things have been a little chaotic and out of our routine for a little while now. Bita returned home on Sunday after a short week-long visit. Bubeaner still has not figured out that going to the airport means no more grandma. But he did not have to worry about that yet because as we were dropping off one grandmother we were picking up another. At the same airport, and hour apart! Bubeaner is one spoiled little boy. He was pretty good loving and showing off for Grandma Ellen.

We did have an issue with his bedtime routine. During the past week, he had figured out Bita's night time routine and would wait for her to walk by his room to get her attention. Most days, as Bita later confessed, Bubeaner would end up sleeping a couple of hours with Bita in her bed. Last night he got tired of waiting and decided that maybe if he cried REALLY LOUD he would get someone's attention. And he did. We are not sure that the neighbors didn't hear him too. So, we are trying to teach him again that 2a-3a is not a good time to scream your head off. And that no, even if he cries, it will not mean an automatic trip to our bed. This is going to be a LONG week. Thankfully, Meme'Licia is here to help during the day when Momma may not be completely awake.

Today we decided to venture out and catch a movie with Bubeaner along after our weekly grocery trip. Meme'Licia and Grandma fed Bubeaner while Aunt Pau and Momma put away the groceries. And the hope was that Bubeaner would sleep through the movie like when he was a baby. And for the most part it worked that way. Overall, it was a good experience. And we thoroughly enjoyed the movie; it was hilarious.

On the way home, we stopped to get a celebratory mint chocolate chip, chocolate ice cream cake for Dad. And as a bonus surprise, Dad was home early too!

For now, Bubeaner has been sleeping for a couple of hours. And we hope that the night will be calm and restful for all. We promise pictures soon.

We are BAACK!

Yes, we are back. Bubeaner wanted to post for a while but we've restricted his computer access for now. The holidays and an unfortunate chain of colds/flu have slowed our posting, but do not fear, we have all the adventures and pictures to share with you.

Bubeaner had his 15 month check up on Monday. Dr. Z declared him in great health. He now weighs 22.3 lbs (25%), stands 30.25" (25%), and that gorgeous head now measures 19.75" (97%). And these percentiles are on the "regular" scale! Way to go, Bubeaner!!! And he's also doing great with his motor skills too putting things in and out of boxes, playing with his puzzles, and loving his legos. Bubeaner has also decided to resume talking again. His favorite words other than "Mama", "Dada", and "Pau" are "SANdeeee" and "Be-be" for baby. He's also occasionally says "VanVan" for uncle Ivan, "CzaCza" for Sarah, "Pepe" for Bito Pepe and, of course, "B-ta" for Bita Grandma. He once said "LaLa" for aunt Lari too. The cutest thing he does now is send kisses. He will smack his tongue against his teeth to make a kiss sound. He's not stingy with them either.


The only thing Bubeaner refuses to do is walk by himself. When he is distracted he will stand on his own and take a couple of steps. However, the moment he realizes what he's doing, he grabs on to the closest thing or sits down. That does not stop him from demanding walks, more like almost sprints, around the house holding on to your hand. Lately he has also started demanding walks (holding on to your hand) outside. He's been able to walk almost all the way around the block! Dr. Z told us not to be concerned because he's actually "walking" and occassionally doing it on his own. She told us that eventually he's going to just let go and probaby not stop.


As to Baby, Bubeaner has not yet figured out what we mean. He knows what babies are and loves to kiss pictures of babies as he says "Be-Be". We have tried pointing at the belly and telling him it is Baby, but he will look at Momma's belly and then look at us as if we are nuts. Maybe he might understand better when there's more of a belly and he can feel the baby move. Or he may just wonder what Momma ate.


Baby is doing well and without complications. Baby has been more active the last few days moving, or kicking, Momma. Dr. S, our OB, transfered our care for the duration of the pregnancy to Dr. T, the MFM doctor. We were not thrilled in the sense that it meant we had to ackowledge there was a real risk, but we agree that we cannot be in better hands right now. Momma and Bita met with Dr. T today. We discussed a basic plan of care for the pregnancy. He feels at the moment that our risk is not as high as the 10% he originally quoted us, but that he will keep a careful watch over our pregnancy. Of course, it's reassuring, but we also remember that our risk of a placental abruption was <1% and of placental accreta was 1 in 2500 pregnancies last time (We still have not gotten any stats for actually having both)....

For the moment we are well, healthy, and happy. We see him again in 4 weeks when we will find out if Baby is a princess or prince.

Goodbye Bevo

Today we received the horrible news that Bevo had been put to sleep. Bevo had been the Del Rio Molinars dog until they moved to El Paso and we took him in. He was the most loving and cuddly beagle anyone had ever seen. We adopted him into our family and began the soul-crushing and yet rewarding experience of trying to train him into controlling some of his destructive tendencies. Many of my happiest memories of having a dog came when I returned home from work and found Bevo immensely happy to have me home, circling and running with more energy than 5 normal dogs. I also loved having him sleep beneath me, nuzzling my hand for attention in the morning. Bevo loved us and we loved him.

After we had spent almost two years and over $1000 trying to get Bevo trained, he unfortunately bit John severely on the mouth. I made the painful decision to have him leave the household immediately and my friend and assistant Debbie took him in these last couple of months. Unfortunately much as she loved Bevo, her home and 4 other dogs could not accomodate him so a co-worker with many years experience with dogs took him in and tried to make him a part of her household. Due to some unfortunate experiences the last two days, she had him put down today.

I will forever remember Bevo's soulful eyes and loving nature and will regret forever that things turned out this way. I love Bevo, and I always will. Rest in peace my first boy.