Oh, this child!

I'm the youngest of three. I have two older brothers who are eight and ten years older than me. So I don't really have to put it out there, but I had it pretty sweet in terms of birth order. I was not only the baby, I was also the princess. My husband, on the other hand, in number 3 of 4. Right in the middle. He speaks of the horrors (I'm exaggerating just a little) of being the middle child. I look at our Diego and wonder if he feels any of that middle child syndrome business. Does he feel ignored, unimportant, passed over? I'll admit that he has a lower number of pictures compared to Sophia and Carlos. Ugh- I feel horrible about that. But man o man, this child of mine has such a personality. His huge eyes just express so much! He cracks me up constantly. He walks with such confidence and talks to people he meets at the grocery store like they're his best friends. When we are out and about, I hear people commenting to each other about my lil man- "Oh, he's so cute!" "Look at that little boy and his head of hair!" "He's going to be something else when he grows up". I seriously almost had to have words with these two ladies who would not stop talking about him. We were at the Fort Worth Stockyards and Diego was busy playing with his brand new corkscrew shotgun and I overheard them talking about him. Then they just kept going... "He's so handsome. Look at him. He's going to be gorgeous when he grows up. Look at him strut around. He is really cute." And on and on. It was kinda creepy. Diego is on the petite side but he will walk up to a group of first/second graders- start chasing them and stand up for himself. He doesn't back down. I love how he demands attention from those around him. I don't want him to ever feel ignored, unimportant, passed over. So here are my favorite Diegoisms that make me smile:

*Mom, I'm super duper hungwy.

*What would happen if a giant (insert whatever scenario you want here)- his favorite is what would happen if a giant stepped on us.

*Mommy- I don't ever want you to leave me because then I'll cwy.

* HEY- LOOK AT ME!

*When I gwow (grow) up, I'm going to be a hospital doctor. And Spiderman.

* Watch my head!- this he says when he is jamming out to hip hop while strapped into his car seat. His body can't move but he wobbles that head to the beat. Looks like a bobble head!

* Oh MAN! Not again!- to this he adds the open palmed hand slap to his forehead.

*Bubble bubble bubble guppie guppie guppies- his new fav show.

* I like shocolate. Lots and lots of shhhhhocolate.

365 days of lovin' this baby!

This picture pretty much says it all! YIPPEEEE! Carlos is 1!!!! Can you believe it? So I started thinking about how to celebrate his birthday a couple of months ago. The actual day of his bday was the day after school ended and Sophia and Diego both had a dance recital to get ready for so I knew that weekend was out. So I planned it for the weekend before and it turned out to be a pretty good weekend for it- Memorial Day weekend! I decided to go with a Fun in the Sun theme. There is something about a smiling sun that just makes me happy. We made it a small family affair. Ha! If you know our family- we don't come in small!!! But I really wanted it to be about all about my Carlitos. If I could write how much it means to me to have those close to me at my son's birthday party... I just can't put it into words. My children are SO loved and it just moves me to tears.

My sweet Carlos- you have been such a true joy! Every single thing about you makes my heart smile. You are a gift from God, a piece to the puzzle and one of the loves of my life. As I've watched you sleep in my arms for the past 12 months, I have come to realize the miracle of God's love for us- only HE could make me feel the way I do about you. Your smile, your hugs and listening to you laugh fuel me to be a better mother and a better person. I've said it before- it is such a privilege to see you grow and I cannot wait to celebrate all the milestones you have ahead of you. I will walk beside you, guiding you along the way.

Time flies....

...When you're having fun. Oh, and when you're sleep deprived!!! So I'm sitting here on our couch, this lovely June 2nd and I'm thinking about what I was doing/feeling exactly one year today. I was huge with Carlos and preparing for his birth the next day. There were no butterflies in my tummy. More like pterodactyls. My bags were packed, gifts for big sis Sophia and big bro Diego were wrapped. I showered, got my outfit for the next day ready. All my lists were checked off but, you know, it really doesn't matter how well prepared for a baby you are... even when it is your third child. Nothing can truly prepare you for the life change a new baby will bring. Carlos turns one tomorrow at 7:44 in the morning. The first three months were a blur, I have to admit. Thank goodness I have plenty of pictures to look at because I can not for the life of me remember anything that happened during the summer of 2010. The third child really tested Ramon and I in the beginning. Even though he was, and still is, such a calm baby- caring for another child really required us to take a crash course in teamwork. No more man on man defense, as they say! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who stepped up to the plate to become so much more of a hands on dad. I needed to be with the newborn and he gladly fed, cleaned, bathed and read bedtime stories to the other two.

Sophia and Diego also learned patience and the art of nurturing for a young baby. Sophia is so, so, so good to Carlos- from day one she would sing to him and look out for him. She still is truly mesmerized by him. I found her playing with him the other day, all alone in his room. I watched her interact with him for a couple of minute and thought, "What a wonderful mother she will be when she grows up." My Diego was so mad at the beginning! I understand now that we really didn't prepare him as well as we should have for a new baby. He took out his anger on poor Sophia and me but never at his brother. He loved the idea of being the BIG brother and now loves to play cars and trains with Carlos. I can't wait to see their relationship blossom as they grow up together- my boys!

Carlos completes our family. I honestly cannot get enough of him. My arms feel empty when he's not in them- I miss him when I am away from him for too long. He is my chunky monkey, my fluffers, my squishy, mi rey, mi amor, mi bebe. I am proud to be his mother. I am honored to be his mother. I feel so blessed to be his mother. Happy Birthday, Little One.

I'll post pics of his party tomorrow. I'm sleepy. Carlos' top teeth are coming in and well, sleep is only but a dream nowadays....

Saying goodbye to my two friends

Okay. So if you really don't want to read about my thoughts on breastfeeding, then I'm giving you fair warning to stop reading this right now. Seriously. Right. Now.


I'm in mourning. My body has naturally weaned Carlos from breastfeeding. I was really trying to make it one full year but my boobs said NO MORE!!! I'm the type of person who once I have a goal in mind, I fully intend to committ to it and achieve it. So the fact that my body has gone behind my back and shut down the milk factory before I was mentally prepared really gets on my nerves. It all started in April when I could not get Carlos to sleep for more than 3 hours and it dawned on me that I wasn't producing as much as before. I tried to pump more, tried to feed him more and made sure I was drinking enough water but nope...it just slowed down. I know I could have tried some supplements but my mind just rationalized that Carlos would be one in just two months, so I should go ahead and start to wean him. But I just hate listening to my mind when my heart is kicking and screaming, not wanting to have this come to an end. Again, if I could have another baby, this wouldn't bother me so much but I'm not going to have another one. I'm not going to have this closeness ever again. It is just another slap in my face that this period of my life is over. Now, don't misunderstand me, I'm not the type of mommy who wants my toddler walking up to me asking for mid afternoon snack (if you know what I mean). That just doesn't sit well with me, personally. I guess I'm just trying to hold on to Carlos being an infant- a baby- for as long as possible. And I take great pride in the fact that I, ME, was solely responsible for his nourishment. I worked hard for it. It's not easy. That bonding, well, I just can't come up with the words to describe how beautiful it is. Now Carlos gets so excited when he sees a bottle. Boo.
And let's just discuss the physical sacrifices that I'm experiencing now that I'm no longer a member of La Leche League. Boo for having to buy smaller bras. Boo for my shirts not filling out anymore. Somebody find me a plastic surgeon. I miss my two friends.

Cheerios, Bananas and Mango- OH MY!!!

Soooo, where have I been?- you may ask. Let me tell you. I haven't been missing in some remote country nor have I been hiding under a rock. I've been stuck in the kitchen, cleaning the high chair. Yes, the high chair has taken up every single free moment of my time. Sweet Carlos has been eating cereal and Gerbers for about 5 months now and as long as I control the spoon all is good. But now that I have been introducing adult food to him, I have been sweeping, wiping, scrubbing, scraping every nook and cranny of the high chair. Breakfast, lunch and dinner have become the most dreaded part of my day because I know that me and that high chair are going to battle it out. Where, oh, where am I going to find hidden bits of chewed up tortilla or squished green beans? Those friendly, round Cheerios look so innocent and fun as Carlos picks them up and places them into his little mouth but no, not so much when I am scraping dried Cheerios off the floor. And just when I think that I have picked up each Cheerio, swept and mopped the floor, just as I walk away, there it is.... the sound that makes tears come to my eyes. CRRRRUUUUUNCCCCCHHHHH! I always manage to step on the ONE Cheerio that escaped my broom and mop. And don't even get me started on the slippery food... the banana, avacado, sweet potato and Carlos' favorite- mango. Eww-you think it feels gross to touch and handle fresh- just imagine what it's like to pick up and dig out mashed, slimey, hours old banana out from under the high chair cover. You know, I look at my youngest love as he sits in his high chair covered in whatever happened to be on the menu and I think to myself- SURELY, this is the messiest one yet. SURELY, Sophia and Diego were no where near as messy as Carlos. Then I started to look at some old pics and there it was...proof that Sophia and Diego did their share of making a mess. And I think to myself- in 7 to 10 years, when all three of them can make their own lunch and clean up after themselves, I'm going to be able to sit on the couch and watch TV without having to worry about cleaning that blasted high chair. But then, by then, (and probably WAY before then) I'm just going to miss dearly the time when I had a baby in the house whose food-smeared face smiled at me from above the tray of a messy high chair. I'm going tear up at the memory of wiping applesauce from between tiny, chubby fingers. My heart will ache when I realize that I don't have a baby to sit in the tub to scrub out peaches and pears from his soft hair. So take a look at my three babies at their best... Sophia at 9 months

Diego at 17 months

Carlos at 11 months

Over and Over and Over Again

I caught myself a baby bumble bee!!!

Won't my momma be so proud of me!!!

I caught myself a baby bumble bee!!!

Won't my momma be so proud of me!!!

Is being sung Over and Over and Over again by my little Diego in his high pitched 3 year old voice. Why, oh, why do some songs get stuck in our heads? The whole family went to Nordstom Rack the other day to find a bday present for my sis in law and we decided to split up. I took Sophia and Ramon had Diego and Carlos. Once Sophia and I were done shopping, we set off to find the other half of our family. It was rather crowded in the store but I had no problem finding my boys. How did I find them so fast? Because Diego was belting his bumble bee song from the top of his lungs. Most of the other customers were smiling. Most of them. :)

Holiday Traditions

Look at me... two posts in one day! I told ya I had a lot to catch up on! So one reason why I really liked Richardson when I was interviewing for a teaching job up here in the Dallas area was bc I just got this good ole small town feel when I visited the district. Being from a small town, I felt that by working for a district like RISD would help me adjust to living in Big D. I was right. It was one of the best decisions I've made. Now Sophia is a student at a RISD school and many of the places that we go to are in the Richardson city limits. This year, we started a, what I hope to be, tradition that brings back so many small town memories for me. Sophia was in her very first holiday parade this year with her dance company. The city of Richardson holds a holiday parade and I was so excited when I found out that Sophia would have the chance to participate. I LOVED being in parades as a child.... Kyle had the Fair on the Square and Buda has (still) Budafest. I mean, nothing brings a community together like a parade!! So I signed her up. She had no idea, really, what she was going to do, but I think that my excitement caught up with her. Ramon decided that his little girl was not going to walk by herself so he signed up to walk along with her. AWWW... he's such an awesome daddy! So that left me and the boys to stake out a spot along the street to watch her. We found a great place towards the end of the parade route and had to wait a good while for the parade to start and then make its way to where we were. It was cool to see all the businesses get involved, all the girl/boy scout troops being represented and of course, the bands!! Oooo- how my Diego moved to the drum line! And my sweet Carlos could only keep his eyes open for the first part of it... even with the bands playing, horns honking and people yelling out "Merry Christmas!", he managed to take a nap! Then came the moment when I knew my princess would be coming- Ramon sent me a text and told me to look out for truck pulling a roller-blading elf. Sophia's face when she saw us cheering her on was priceless! And then as they passed us, Diego realized that he was missing out on the fun and yelled,"PAPI!!!" and ran out to join the parade. Too funny! This parade might not have been on any tv channel but it really put me in the holiday spirit and was a great way to kick off the holiday season. I hope that we participate again is some way next year and in the years to come.