Belly Baby Baby Bump!!!

After almost 19 weeks of belly (and we won't mention what else!) growth, here is what my "bump" looks like! I call it my Belly Baby baby bump---say that 10 times fast!

Taken @ 18 weeks and 5 days...that's alotta belly! :) Aaron has affectionately started calling me "Big-girl" again...thank God I have a good sense of humor! :)

My Belly Baby Baby Bump!

As I was uploading these pictures, I took a trip down memory lane and looked at a few photographs of my pregnancy with Johnathan...and oh, my, goodness, I had forgotten just how robust (okay, yes, HUGE!!!) my belly and the rest of me had gotten! I guess this is what I have to look forward to...

...24 weeks preggo with our Baby J...though I was on bedrest, so the lbs. had really started to pack on at this point!...

...27 weeks, and looking, well, quite pregnant!...

...30 weeks, you can tell I wasn't afraid to eat, no sir! Bring on the food!!!...


...32 weeks of beautiful baby bumpness!...

...34 weeks and *growing*/counting!...


...okay, the weight has really started to pack on, and I still wasn't through yet, 36 weeks along with our sweet Monkey...


...taken just days before his birth, my big ol' baby bump, which looks more like a mountain than just a bump! I guess I can handle looking like this again!!!

Oh, but I almost forgot the most "dreaded" part...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
...the post-delivery swelling!!! ;) Goodness, am I really going to look like this again???!!!

But, seeing the precious little face of your new baby makes it all worth it...

...and remembering what used to be just pales in comparison!
(Although, if you asked me if I wanted to look like this again, I'd still say yes...just no to the bikini part.....those days are over! Moms in bikinis with toddlers hanging off of them just don't go!)

*Grace*

Proud of our Firefighter!

This past Thursday, Johnathan's Tio/Aaron's brother, David, graduated from the Houston Fire Academy and is now officially a firefighter for the Houston Fire Department! We were able to take a trip to Houston to be with David and the rest of the family, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time, and are especially proud of David and all that he has accomplished! Here are a few pictures of our trip!

Our hotel, The Inn at the Ballpark...quite nice, and it had tons of baseball photos and memorabilia...just perfect for Johnathan!

David and his fellow academy brothers during a house-fire simulation.

Getting out of all that heavy (but extremely important and lifesaving!) gear...I think that all together they wear about 80 pounds of gear!

Dr. Aldape and Firefighter Aldape...what awesome brothers!!!

Ava & Johnathan, hanging like little monkeys! Too cute!

David heading up the procession down to graduation! (*Sorry for the bad pic, but you get the idea!*)

Way to go David, we're so proud of you!!!

*****I'll be back shortly with a Belly Baby Baby Bump post! ;)*****

Sweet Feet

The other day as I was packing for a trip we were about to take, Johnathan was enjoying a lazy morning on our bed watching one of his "hermies" (aka, movies). As he relaxed while munching on a leftover waffle from breakfast, I snapped a few shots of him enjoying the good life...what a little cutie!


As he lay there, I couldn't help but to notice his sweet little feet sticking out from under the pillow. And, maybe it's just me, but I think that his little feet are one of the most precious things about him---okay, well one of a million little things I love about him, but still, I just love his little feet!

Absolute cuteness!!!

Belly Baby Pictures

***Belly Baby***

A few weeks ago before my little surgery, we got these cute sono pictures of our little Belly Baby. This first one is my very favorite...isn't his/her profile just adorable?!!



This is a view of the face & hand...yes, it's okay if you think it looks like a little alien! ;)


Tummy & Face - all pictures taken at 14 weeks, 1 day.

Wintersong

Staying Organized & A Sneaky, Quick Chili Recipe

About the time Johnathan was born I started getting a magazine called Parents. Though not all the articles and stories come from a point of view that matches my own values, there is still a lot that I've gained from reading through it each month. After several months worth of magazines stacking up and cluttering our house, I decided to go through each issue and cut out the articles that were especially helpful, recipes that looked fun to try, etc. So, now, almost two years later, I have a binder that is chock full of helpful advice that coincides with how we're trying to raise our little family. I also have stock-piled some yummy (and sneakily healthy!) recipes that are apparently kid-friendly too...and so far the ones that I've tried have worked out pretty well. Which brings me to the recipe I want to share with you...

My Sneaky, Quick Chili Recipe (adapted from a recipe in Parents magazine)

-1 pound of ground chicken...this meat is very lean so you don't have the grease run-off like you do with ground beef...you could use ground turkey as well

-1 can of diced chili tomatoes

-2 cans of chili beans

-1 medium sized zucchini (shredded...thus the sneakiness for veggie-hating kiddos!)

-salt, pepper, garlic powder or whatever seasons you want to taste

*Brown ground chicken for 5-10 minutes until cooked through. Add the tomatoes and chili beans. Mix in your shredded zucchini...sneaky, sneaky!...and throw in whatever spices you want. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Serve over Fritos and top with some shredded cheese. Yummy!

I made this a few nights ago and it was delish! Johnathan loved it (without cheese, of course) and especially liked that he got to have chips with dinner! Haha! I would say that this recipe would feed a family of 4, so double it up if you need more or if you want leftovers.

------------------------------------------

In belly baby news, I have been feeling sweet little kicks and jabs throughout the day for the past couple of weeks. Right now it tends to move a lot at night...Johnathan was like that too, from what I remember...and last night it was kicking really hard for being so small (just 17w3d) so that even Aaron could feel it for several minutes. Very precious. I feel awesome right now, and hopefully everything is going okay internally...from how I feel I would guess that it is. ;)

Okay, y'all. Talk to you later!

Happy Trails to You!

Yesterday I let Johnathan make his own trail mix snacks...which he just loved to do! Mostly he liked all the extra taste-testing that he got to do along the way...but, since he was eating pretty healthy stuff, I didn't mind the munching that he did in between mixing it all up! If you want my recipe for this tasty and toddler-friendly snack, it's pretty simple...

...(all measurements are approximate as I just grabbed the ingredients from the bulk food bins at our health food store in town)...

Happy Trails Trail Mix
-2 cups miniature pretzels
-1 cup halved cashews...plain/unsalted
-1 cup sunflower seeds...plain/unsalted
-1 cup of carob chips (you could do semi-sweet/milk chocolate chips, but Johnathan can't have any dairy, so I opted for the carob)
-2 cups of mixed dried fruits---apricots, raisins, apples, etc.
-1 cup of dried blueberries...a real treat...those things are expensive!

Mix it all together...let your toddler or child help!...and store in Ziplock bags. I put individual servings in each bag to make snack-time a breeze!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

*Grace*

One of Those Days...

Yesterday was just one of those days where I needed a drink...of coffee that is...my go-to drink when I need to relax and just chill out a bit. I think sometimes that I could survive off of that liquid alone, I simply love it, but I realize that I need some actual plain water in my diet...especially since I'm preggo at the moment...so I limit myself to one cup of joe a day...unless I'm really frazzled or worn out, then I allow myself an extra mug-full...and yesterday was one of those I-really-want-to-pull-out-my-hair days.

Taking care of myself the best that I can I've tried not to leave the house too much unless it's really necessary, but staying home a lot tends to wear on my nerves, and a bit of cabin fever has set in lately. So, thinking that the outdoors would do me (and Johnathan) and bit of good, we decided to take a walk around the block. It is fun to see life through a child's eyes...and little sticks, seed pods, rocks, leaves and other various items that were scattered along our walk became prized possessions to Johnathan who gathered them with reckless abandon. His little hands held tightly to his treasures until he found something better, and then rocks and seeds would fly as he threw them away as quickly as possible to grab another handful of nature's goodies.

After being gone for about 30 minutes or so it was time to come home...which was not something that Johnathan wanted to do. He ran into several people's yards as I tried to get him to actually obey me without putting up a fuss. He is getting really fast when he runs, and I actually have to jog to keep up with him---which is not something that I'm supposed to do in my current "condition"...so I was getting frustrated because he would NOT listen to me, and even gave me his very defiant little look that told me that he didn't care what I was saying, and that he wanted to do what he wanted...not what mommy wanted. Needless to say we probably looked a scene as I tried to get him under control---which didn't really happen. He was going crazy, and I was frustrated...mostly because I felt like I was overexerting myself to keep him from running out into the street as he tried to get away from me. Ugh! The joys of parenting!

After we finally managed to get home it was straight to nap-time for Monkey (after some disciplinary action!), and then straight to making coffee for me as I tried to gather my sanity. I realize that moments like Monkey's meltdown yesterday are inevitable during child rearing, but they sure aren't fun.

Today is going better...I think. Johnathan has a very independent little spirit, and although I know that it will be a wonderful quality when it's channeled in the right direction, it sure is tough right now as we're in the early stages of trying to get him to see that mommy and daddy know best, and that he needs to obey us because we're only looking out for what's best for him.

On a happy note, I am starting to teach Johnathan to count from 1-10 and we're also going over the alphabet. He really likes it so far and keeps asking for "more, more" when I'm going through our flash cards. His intellect has really been blooming lately, so Aaron and I thought it would be a great time to introduce him to some of the foundational building blocks of learning. He is loving puzzles these days, and we're going to have to get him some more advanced ones. Also, he has mastered where to put the right shapes in his wooden blocks box. He is also really enjoying reading and his favorite new word is "car!" We're also working on animal sounds---he's got the dog's bark and the cat's meow down pat, so we're moving onto more. One activity that I thought he would enjoy more is coloring, but he isn't that interested in sitting down to do that! We do his flash cards right after lunch, when his belly is full---and while he's still strapped in his high chair! Haha! He likes it though, for at least 5-10 minutes, and then he's ready to go play. I'll take whatever I can get!

I'm off to "relax" while Johnathan attempts to take his nap! See ya later!

*Grace*

Plumbing Problems

Here's an "embarrassing" story---though actually, I'm not really that embarrassed about it---to help lighten the mood on this Monday afternoon...

The past couple of weeks we've been experiencing some plumbing problems here at the ol' house. They started out with our toilet almost overflowing when the washing machine was draining. The pipes in our home are all connected, and when one area gets a clog in it you just never know which room is going to be affected. After several visits from two different plumbing companies, we finally got the washer/toilet issue figured out...but then the bathtub started to drain really slowly...I mean like it would take about 6 hours to drain the half-full tub...yuck! So, after some other tinkering (and pipe replacing) the main issues were fixed and we had full use of all the modern conveniences that indoor plumbing provides.

So onto today...we currently have a pair of plumbers (no cracks involved, thankfully!) taking care of some of the smaller issues that have crept up over the past months...constant dripping in the tub, a leak under the kitchen sink, disposal that kicked the bucket, etc. Things are being fixed, yay, but in the meantime our house is a bit inaccessible in certain areas...the main place being the bathroom. Being a second trimester preggo lady, I don't have to pee quite as often as I seemed to during trimester 1, BUT my "plumbing" is on a fairly regular schedule, so if I drink a glass of water you can be guaranteed that I'll have to pee within the hour! That being said, and since I am the lady that I am, (and not wanting to divulge to these strangers that I have to use the restroom) I decided to revert back to my diaper days and simply use one of Johnathan's diapers to relieve my poor bladder. So, as Johnathan played in his room I simply emptied myself into a diaper that claimed to be leak-proof...and you know what???...it worked! Sweet relief! And the plumbers were never the wiser! Ha!

*FYI, an aunt of mine told me about using the diaper as a last resort when you're in dire straights and just have to use the bathroom...I'll withhold her name...but you know who you are...and THANKS!!!*

Caught In Between

Lately I've been feeling like I'm caught in between doing what's "best" for Johnathan and doing my best to make sure that this pregnancy goes as well as possible. If I take care of Monkey the way that he needs to be cared for then I am up on my feet and not taking it easy for the baby. If I take it easy for the baby's sake then I'm almost constantly frustrating sweet Baby J. because he doesn't understand why mommy is just laying around like a lazy bum. I guess I can't have the best of both worlds...but I can keep trying to do what I can to make the best of the world that I'm living in. It is hard to realize that I can't be everything to both of them right now...and it brings to mind a conversation that I had with my mom just a week or so ago.

Years ago, when she was very early in her pregnancy with another little "P" my mom asked a friend (and I'm paraphrasing here) how she could be everything to all her children...how far could she "stretch" her love for each of her kids to have all of her all the time...and you know what???...her wise friend told her she didn't have to be everything...that her children (me included!) would get our love tanks filled through her (and my dad) and through each other. Like I said, I've paraphrased our conversation, but what I took away from it is that I shouldn't have to feel like I'm 100% responsible for every bit of happiness and love that my children feel. Not to say that I don't pour all the love I have to give into each of my precious kids, but I need to realize that there are other people in their lives that will help fill those little love tanks too.

So, regarding my current frustration of being caught in between doing what's best for each of my two little ones, I am having to come to grips with the fact that there is only so much that I can do, and I'll have to depend on God for the rest. I believe that He is able to fill in the gaps and I know that if my children feel the love and care I have for them on top of God's love then everything will be okay.

------------------------------------------------

Regarding our sweet little "Belly Baby", I am now a day over 16 weeks along...and although I feel great---very little nausea & energized (most days)---I am sort of anxious because this week (week 16) is the week that I had my pregnancy troubles with our precious Gideon and Daniel. Of course I have the stitch in place right now, but I still get a bit antsy because I know that my uterus is now at the point where that stitch really has to do it's job because my body just doesn't have the ability to. So just pray that I don't get too over anxious, that I can continue to trust God for the sweet life of this baby, and that my previous fears from what I know can happen do not put a damper on the happiness that I should feel carrying this little blessing. Fear really can rob your joy...and I don't want that to happen with this child.

Okay, y'all, I'm off to do some minor organization while Monkey is napping! I'll be back soon!

*Grace*

A Good Day

Today has been a good day, a great day in fact. We woke up this morning to freezing temperatures outside, but inside it was nice and cozy, and the perfect morning to make some cinnamon rolls for breakfast! I cheated and baked the pre-made just pop 'em in the oven kind...but they were still good! ;) Out of 8 I am pretty sure that Johnathan ate 5 of them! His appetite has been enormous lately. Yesterday for lunch he ate 2 hotdogs, a whole mango, an orange, a box of raisins and a handful of dried cranberries! Whew! He is going to eat us out of house and home when he's older!

After our yummy breakfast Johnathan and I just lazied around the house, played and I even snuck in a bit of cleaning and organization---after being on a modified "bedrest" for the last week or so I have been itching to get things back in order! Can one actually miss vacuuming??? I think so...I did! So, I managed to clean a bit here and there and I am feeling so much better about the state of my home! When my house is messy I seriously stress until I can get it clean! I know, I'm weird! ;)

In Belly Baby news, I had my post-op visit yesterday with my doctor, and I got all good news! I have had zero complications since my surgery and haven't experienced any of the "side effects" that can sometimes happen. My doctor just asked me a few questions about how I've been feeling, checked the baby's heart beat---nice and strong!---and then I asked him a few questions about what sort of activities I can do now. Since I'm pretty much doing great, all things considered, I am allowed return to my "normal" activities now! Woohoo! Thus the cleaning today! I am still going to take it easy though, and have given myself my own set of restrictions just to make sure that things go as well as possible. Oh, I almost forgot, last night I received a package that was pretty fun to get...my very own doppler to be able to listen to our baby's heart beat at home! Of course a steady heart beat is not indicative of baby's total well-being, but it is very reassuring to hear nonetheless! I remember all the sweet times I got to hear Johnathan's hb at home too, and I just had to rent the doppler again with this baby!

So back to today, it's been wonderful. Filled with lots of fun time hanging out with my favorite little buddy, cleaning and a bit of eating here and there too! ;) I know that this weekend will be awesome too because I will have my hubby home with me the whole time! Woohoohoo!!! (Love you, Aaron!)

Tata for now...and Happy Friday!

*Grace*

Mom's the Word

It's not often that you get to see both of your mothers in one day...but today is a blessed day for me because I've had the pleasure of being with my mother-in-law who has been here since Monday - and after my MIL headed back up to big D earlier today, my own dear mommy flew down to be with me for a few days! Two moms in one day, what an awesome thing! Johnathan is getting in plenty of Nana/Grammy time, and I am getting the wonderful help that I need! Thanks be to God for grandmas who are willing to help...and for grandpas who send their mates as an extension of their own love! (Thanks Grandpa, Thanks Papi!)

Not much has gone on in the past few days...other than a new year beginning---Happy Twenty-Ten everyone! We've just been chillin' at the hive, and Daddy Bee has been working hard to bring home the honey. Mommy Bee has been busy making Baby Bee and Johnny Bee has been busy enjoying his Christmas toys and just plain making a mess of the general state of things...but in a good way! ;) Life is NOT dull with our little Baby J. running around---and that's a good thing!

Alrighty folks, I'm off to be pampered, haha! See you later!

*Grace*

Belly Baby Diary 12/31/09

Dear Belly Baby,

Today you are 14 and a half weeks old...in my tummy...and I think that I've been feeling you kick around. According to our last doctor's visit earlier this week you are about 4 ounces! Woohoo, what a chunk! ;) Oh, and you have a big head! Haha! Just like big brother! You should be around 3-4 inches from the top of your itty (big) bitty head to the bottom of your little heiny. And we can already tell that you have a cute face. Your little face on the sonogram was just beautiful. And man, were you moving around during the sono...another reason why I am almost positive it's you that I'm feeling and not gas bubbles! ;)

I am trying to take it easy today since I am still recovering from the procedure I had to keep you in my belly---but with big brother running around it is sort of hard to stay off of my feet! Your big brother sure has a ton of energy! ;)

Tomorrow is another new year, and the year that you'll be born! Time has already flown by since we found out that you were on the way, and I get more excited the closer each day gets to the day of your birth!

Bye-bye for now, little one. Mommy loves you!

Down for the count

Since I last posted our lives have been a whirlwind of activity. We spent over a week up in Dallas celebrating Christmas with both sides of the family. It was wonderful, and as usual it was hard to leave...but duty calls, and Aaron had to go back to work!

Yesterday morning I had the procedure to "sew the baby in" so that I can carry it to term. I had this same surgery with Johnathan so I knew what to expect---and in fact I was looking forward to going under---the feeling of being out of it and coming to is quite interesting! ;) So far everything is going well, and I am actually feeling a lot better than I did when I had this done the last time. The baby is doing well, and I got to hear it's sweet little heartbeat a couple of times yesterday. The previous day when I had my pre-op visit we even got to see it's precious little form via the sonogram...I'll have to post pics of that as soon as I get my "lazy" booty off of the couch! Oh, and speaking of my being lazy, I am so grateful that I have my wonderful mother in law here with me right now to help with Johnathan. I have to take it easy for the next week, so my MIL drove down Sunday to help us out, and then my sweet mommy is coming Saturday to stay until I can be up and about like normal. Aren't I blessed?!!! It's always sort of tough to accept help....even when you really need it...so I am learning to be humble and to graciously receive the care from people who love me.

I feel like I could go on and on about things right now...that's what laying around being lazy does to me...but for now I'll just jot down a few of the highlights of our Christmas vacation.

-Saturday the 19th marked the 6th anniversary of our sweet Gideon's homecoming to Heaven. We spent that day with Aaron's family, and had a wonderful (and delicious) Christmas celebration with them. One of the traditions in Aaron's family is the Christmas tamale dinner...and boy oh boy was it GOOD!!! I was really looking forward to that this year, and I was not let down. Everything was absolutely delicious!

-Monday the 21st we attended the surprise 80th birthday party for my Papa. All of his kids were there with their families and almost all of his 20+ grandkids were able to make it. We had a great time eating pizza and dancing and just honoring our sweet Papa. It was wonderful.

-Tuesday/Wednesday was cousin time at my folks' house. Johnathan dubbed his younger cousin, Levi, with the name "Elmo"...the first time he saw him little Levi was in a bright red sleeper, so I told Johnathan, "Look, it's Elmo"...and it stuck! Johnathan enjoyed the time he got to spend with his older cousin, Miles, and everyone else in the house got to see those two little guys get into a ton of mischief together---they even tried to sneak out of the house and got to the driveway all by themselves before we realized what they had just done! They were a handful, but they sure did have fun together.

-Thursday we braved the ice and snow to travel to my grandmother's Christmas Eve party. It took at least double the normal amount of time to get there, but it was worth it to be able to join in on one of the longest running traditions in my family. I just love going to my grandmother's Christmas Eve...it just wouldn't seem like Christmas without it!

-Friday of course was Christmas! We spent the morning opening stockings and enjoying my mom's Christmas morning breakfast...another tradition! I even made Johnathan his very own Christmas breakfast casserole (because of his milk/dairy allergy) so he was able to join in on the yumminess! Friday afternoon we visited the firehouse where my sister Gwen's husband works. We got a few cute pics of Johnathan on Uncle Matt's Fire Engine, and we enjoyed being able to bring some Christmas cheer to Matt as he worked his shift.

So there you go, just a few of the highlights of our trip. I'm sure I'll be back on here soon since I will be laying low the next week or so. Happy almost New Year!

*Grace*

This Boy Ain't No Dummy!

Earlier today a funny (and telling) moment occurred. I had just stopped by Starbuck's for a little caffeine pick-me-up, and since it was rainy and because Johnathan was in the car with me I used the drive-thru. As we were about to pull out the guy who helped me wished us a wonderful afternoon and then I started to drive away...as soon as the car started moving I hear Johnathan say "fries?!!" No doubt my habit of hitting the drive-thru for burgers and sides has caught up with me! Isn't it funny how much a little toddler can pick up on?!!!!!!! Oh my goodness, if he knows when we're in the fast food drive thru I wonder just how many other things he understands! He will be a good little "conscience" just like Jiminy Cricket, that's for sure!

This week we took Johnathan and my cousin Arden out to see Christmas lights. We had noticed in the past couple of weeks how much Monkey enjoys looking at the few houses that are lit up in our neighborhood...each time we drive by them he says "more, more." So we knew that finding a neighborhood that was really in the Christmas spirit would be a fun place to take our little Baby J. We asked around and were told of a neighborhood fairly close by that really decks the halls. When we got there we let Johnathan out of his car seat, and as we inched slowly by each house he would exclaim his excitement as he crawled from window to window, trying to see all there was to take in. It was really fun, and as a parent I especially enjoyed seeing my sweet boy having a good time.

I am up to my elbows in gift-making & laundry, so I had better cut this short. I just wanted to update y'all really quick with a couple things that have gone on with us this week. Merry Christmas!

-Grace

Walk a Mile in My Shoes...or not!!!

Yesterday I had one of those experiences that can't help but humble you...you know the kind...the incidents that just happen out of the blue and cause your face to flame and your pride to fall below the ground...they're good for us, but boy, are they embarrassing!

Johnathan and I got out of the house for a change, and I decided to make an afternoon of running some errands, finishing up Christmas shopping and maybe even getting in a little shoe shopping for myself. I realized a few days ago that I only had two, no make that three pairs of shoes that weren't sandals/flip flops/dress shoes! The weather here has been pretty chilly, and I've tried going without closed toed shoes for about as long as I can and have come home with frozen feet more than a couple of times. So, as I surveyed my shoe shelf, I figured that it was time to update to some more weather appropriate footwear. I simply added "look for shoes" to my mental list as Monkey and I headed out for our afternoon together.

After making a couple of quick stops to get some gifts and to get Baby J's second dose of the H1N1 vaccine I figured that it was time to look for shoes. The ones I had on were a favorite pair of mine...and I am pretty sure that I've had them for at least 10 or more years, so they had certainly held up well...or at least that's what I thought as I walked around the first shoe shop. I didn't have any luck on my first attempt...I didn't even try on any shoes...I went to Payless and they were totally out of everything besides sandals...and I already have too many of those!

Thankfully our Target is right next to Payless, so Johnathan and I made the short walk next door, glad that for the moment it wasn't raining, although it was a bit misty. I grabbed some popcorn and a juice to keep Monkey happy as I browsed the shoe aisles, but I still couldn't find anything that fit my ideal shoe description. So, not wanting to waste a trip to Target (I really like Target!) I decided to look at the maternity clothes, just for fun. While looking through the baby bump clothes section I kept feeling like I was tripping over something, but when I looked down I couldn't see anything on the floor. Thinking nothing of it I grabbed up a few things to try on and headed back for the dressing rooms. *Trip!* What was I tripping on?! I couldn't figure it out...not until I was in the room changing and saw that the sole on the bottom of my shoe had come completely unglued! No wonder I was tripping! The sole was completely unattached from the tip of my shoe all the way up the back of the shoe where the heel part went down to provide me with a couple inches of height. The sole on the bottom of the heel was still intact, but didn't do me any good since the main portion was just hanging on by a thread...a thread which I could not for the life of me break!

So, back to the shoe aisle I went, but of course I still didn't like what was there. I started to head to the registers at the front of the store, but I couldn't walk normally or the rubber sole would sort of flop off behind my shoe and trip me up. I did manage to sort of limp my way up to the cashier, keeping my right leg stiff and sort of just sliding my foot along the floor. The sole couldn't trip me up that way, but boy, did I sure feel self conscious about my walk.

After managing to limp out of the store I decided to try another shoe place in the same shopping area...still no luck...still having to walk with a limp, this time in the drizzle and through puddles...but all to no avail. Back in the refuge of the car I made the decision to try just one last store. After driving the 5 or so minutes to get there and dragging Johnathan out into the rain again, I finally made it into the store, right foot dragging and my pride completely gone out the window, washed away into the gutters by the rain. I spotted several cute shoes as soon as I entered and knew that I had finally arrived at my last shoe shopping destination. That was confirmed when the OTHER sole on my left shoe decided to come unglued too! So there I was, flopping and limping around until I finally said, forget it, and found the first most comfortable shoes on the shelf and decided to purchase them. My sad little shoes went into the shoe box and I simply wore the new ones out of the store...after purchasing them of course!

What a day, and what laughs I was having "on the inside" as I played my little sole-less shoe drama in my head! It was really quite comical, and thankfully I didn't have much pride to lose so I was able to see the humor in the situation! Isn't life grand?!!!!!!! ;)

How could I have forgotten???!!!

Yesterday when I posted Johnathan's word list I neglected to write down two of his most frequent words:

-This...which he says about any item or object which he doesn't know the name to. "Dis, dis, pease" is a popular (and frustrating) phrase that he often repeats until I figure out just what it is that he's wanting.

-"Ice"...which he says specifically for several items that have no relation to one another. He will say it for hat, anything that is worn on your head...headband (I wear those a lot), earrings, etc. He also says it when he wants his hands washed or if he sees me pull out the Purel hand sanitizer...at first I thought he was saying it for the sanitIZer...but he says it for so many other things. It is really quite comical. We'll try to get him to say hat by saying it really slowly...h-a-t, hat...and he responds with a very slow "ice!" Maybe one of these days we'll figure out just what ice means...but in the meantime we know that it means one of the things I mentioned above, we just have to put it into context of what we're doing at the moment!

Oh, he also loves to say the "amen" after we pray at meals. It is so precious. He loves to hold our hands when we pray and finishes with a very proud amen...sometimes when he's really hungry the "amen" comes right during the prayer!!! Every once in a while he will even offer up his own baby version of a prayer which I know God understands and loves.

Okay, well I'm off to continue my quest to finish up my Christmas gifts. I am sort of almost done! ;) Haha!

*Grace*

What is he saying these days? (Take 2)

(For any of you that got the blog e-mail yesterday, I accidentally sent it before I was finished! Here is take 2!)

A few days ago my uncle asked if Johnathan was talking yet, to which I replied yes and gave him a few words for example. Anyways, I want to try to write down the words that are in Johnathan's vocabulary now...well, at least the ones that he uses on a frequent-usually daily-basis. So, what is he saying these days?

-More (a favorite word!)
-Please (he already knows it's the "magic" word and he tries it out anytime we say he can't have/do something..."pease" doesn't always work, but it sure is super cute when he tries!
-Thank You
-Help
-Agua
-Jugo (juice)
-Cracker
-Apple
-Oranges
-Snack
-Bo
-Mama
-Dada
-Chupi (our nickname for pacifiers)
-Puzzle
-Block
-Ball
-Football
-Baseball
-Bat
-Box
-Bird
-Bug
-Rascal (our cousins' dog)
-Arden (my cousin)
-Go
-Book
-Bye-Bye
-Fork
-Spoon
-Bowl
-Hotdog
-Hi
-Hello
-Back
-Noggin' (like on Finding Nemo)
-Nemo
-Hermie (this is what he calls all movies---since a lot of his movies are called Hermie & Friends...)
-Ear
-Eyes
-Nose
-Teeth
-Knuckles
-I love you...he's only said this once though!
-Boom
-Belly
-No...thankfully this isn't a frequent word right now!
-Candle

That's all that I can think of off the top of my head. We are really able to communicate with him more and more these days. He is getting pretty good at figuring out what we're saying to him too...although he still is quite independent and likes to do things his own way a lot of the time! We're working on the disciplining thing though, and time-outs and spankings are becoming a frequent part of our days! "Spare the rod, spoil the child"...not in our house, uh-uh! No sirree! ;)

In other "news", I had another roach incident today. It doesn't quite top my "original" roach nightmare which you can read here, but it was pretty traumatizing to me...and to Johnathan who looked on with utter horror!

~~~Johnathan and I had just settled down onto the couch after eating a tasty breakfast to enjoy a little mommy and son time watching Toy Story. Monkey was all snuggled up on my lap, and I was cherishing the time I had being just me and him. For some reason I looked down over the edge of the couch (I'm sure I sensed something!) and saw a big roach crawling up my leg on my pj's!!! I was up off the couch in a jiffy, flapping my pant leg and screaming bloody murder! Somehow I managed to deposit Johnathan on the floor without completely throwing him off of me and since the roach decided not to jump off my pants I had to resort to other measures to make sure it didn't "get" me. Screaming and flailing like a maniac I did the quickest strip search on myself possible. After I was convinced the roach was no longer on my person I gingerly put back on my pajamas and joined Aaron...who had run into the room, convinced Johnathan had died from the sound of my screams...and helped him hunt down the convicted trespasser! We turned the room upside down, literally, and after 10 minutes or so I found the bug next to the pack 'n' play...what a relief! I sucked that little sucker into my handy dandy vacuum and then went to pick up Johnathan who was more than confused and terrified by this point. You should have seen the look on his face after I had my there-was-just-a-roach-on-me panic attack. The little chin quiver that he did as he tried hard not to cry was just heartbreaking! All is well now though, and hopefully I've had my share of roach personal space invasions!~~~

Okay folks, I'm off! I'm sure I'll be back soon with more stories of our fun (sometimes dramatic) life here in the hive!

*Grace*

Belly Baby Update & Some Pics of our "Baby J"

Last Friday I had another dr's appt. to check up on our little "belly baby"...all went well, and we were even able to hear the baby's heartbeat! It was such a sweet sound and as always I am so amazed at modern technology that allows us to see (or in this case hear) what's going on with our little one. I will have to have the same surgery done that I did with Johnathan, and that is scheduled for the 29th. Pray for things to go well!

Friday evening was the annual Resident's Christmas party which was held at the Aquarium like it was last year. Johnathan has really been into fish lately---thanks to watching Finding Nemo about a hundred times!---so of course he really enjoyed being able to go with us. He loved just running around and of course climbing over anything and everything that seemed to be an obstacle!

Saturday was my cousin Arden's 13th birthday, and Johnathan and I went with her when she got her ears pierced. It brought back memories for me...although they were of when I pierced my sister Glenna's ears...boy, was that a night to remember! Haha! I will just say that Glenna was a trooper!

Things here around the hive are going pretty well. I have been what I call "lazy but productive!" As I folded laundry a day or so ago I realized that all of my PJ's were in there but I only folded a few shirts of mine and a couple of pairs of jeans...and that's only because I went shopping for some maternity clothes that I washed! I have been living in my pajamas lately...mostly because they're comfy and I have spent pretty much all my free time making Christmas gifts! It has been so rainy here that we haven't gotten out of the house much, so I stay here at the house, comfortable in my pj's and getting stuff done in our cozy little home! ;)

Here are some pics to tide you over until my next post! Blessings on this happy Wednesday!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

For all of you PSYCH watchers, this is Johnathan's "Burton Guster" outfit! Doesn't he look just like Gus?!
Getting ready to climb!
Those railings were like a jungle gym for him, he just climbed and climbed constantly for at least 30 minutes!
Precious boy!
Mommy & Daddy at the party...and you can sort of see the "baby bump" that showed up a couple of weeks ago!
Sweet Arden and Johnathan!
Me with the sweetest girl in town!

Thanksgiving in Pictures!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is now fast approaching...but I still wanted to share some pictures of our fun Thanksgiving week---sorry for the delay, the lazy bug bit me last week and I didn't do too much of anything besides just the basic daily survival stuff! Anyways, here are our pictures from a very fun week! If you want to see more you can look at my facebook page...there are quite a bit more there, but here are some of my faves...

Johnathan with cousin Ava, Thanksgiving morning.
Preparing my "Tablescape" for Thanksgiving Day...who is that cute little dude in the background?!
Give Thanks!
Tablescaping continues...
The finished product!
The PIES! We had a French Silk, a Coconut Chess, a Pecan, and Apple and 3 Pumpkin!!! (The pie craving hit me bad!)
Me and my sweet niece, Ava.
Tio, Ava and Tia...Johnathan was napping!
The Aldape men, frying up the turkey.
Sweet Monkey enjoying a big bite of apple pie!
Me and my precious son!
Cute boy!
The kiddos sitting on the prize winning buck!
Aaron and brother David, hoisting up the deer in the tree so they could skin it.
Grabbing life by the horns---or are they antlers?!!
Sweetie boy!
Just chillin' by the palm trees.
"Re-planting" my flowers!
Kids and dirt, they just go together!
Sweet little sugary face after enjoying a powdered sugar donut!

Much love to you all!