You know how they tell you that being a mom is awesome? Well, to tell you the truth... Hell, yeah, it is! I even quit my job last year, so I could do it full-time. Plus, it's a great excuse to be partially insane all the time and still be socially accepted. Sort of. Or at least with the remaining social connections that didn't actually die right after delivery.
Baby Chequito, or Checo (nickname for the name Sergio, after his dad), turned one last month and it's been a blast being home with him all day long.
For example, when it's time for a diaper change, he loves helping you out by getting all those wipes out and eating them, incessantly screaming and moving around so it's a lot more fun and entertaining to get that diaper on, then kicking and knocking shit down and hitting your bare feet, you know, to remind you that you should wear industrial boots. So considerate.
It gets better. When it's meal time, spoons are for babies, so this 1-year-old non-baby will throw that spoon right back at you and hit you on your face and laugh. Under his high chair he'll start throwing all that sticky, gooey food on the floor around him, to let you know that the food fight is about to begin. It's awesome.
Oh, and sleepy time is the best! Pretend to be playing with him while rocking that 21-pound baby on your tiny arms for what seems a lifetime while he's screaming his lungs out. Or taking him out for a half-hour drive going absolutely nowhere. Aw, geez. Those 4 am super-fun drives in my pajamas in the middle of a cold, cruel night. Good times.
Nah, seriously. It's all true, but he is the cutest baby alive. And he knows it.
Twenty-one pounds, big head, chubby arms and legs, gorgeous dark-brown eyes, beautiful mole on his tummy, 6 teeth on the most adorable smile. Greatest sense of humor. Morning person, always wakes up with a smile. Dog person, he loves bossing our basset hounds around. Loves taking showers. Eats and poops like he ate and pooped for a living. Loves to take walks and strolls and drives. Plays with all kinds of toys, but prefers instruments, books and his Woody doll. Melts your heart with a look. Breaks your heart with a tear. Does a great impression of my mom clearing her throat. Giggles like a maniac. Screams like a maniac. Eats all kinds of crap off the floor. Hardly ever cries. Loves TV and iPhones. Loves peek-a-boo and pretending to be a scary dinosaur. Claps when someone sings him Mamma Mia, the frog song or La Cucaracha. Huge flirt. Gets along with everyone. Laughs profusely. Doesn't understand the point of pacifiers. Crawls like he's on fire. Smiles at you for no reason at all. Gives the most warm hugs in the world.
This kid, this family, is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love them both with my whole heart. And yes, I can't wait to have another one.
Baby Chequito, or Checo (nickname for the name Sergio, after his dad), turned one last month and it's been a blast being home with him all day long.
For example, when it's time for a diaper change, he loves helping you out by getting all those wipes out and eating them, incessantly screaming and moving around so it's a lot more fun and entertaining to get that diaper on, then kicking and knocking shit down and hitting your bare feet, you know, to remind you that you should wear industrial boots. So considerate.
It gets better. When it's meal time, spoons are for babies, so this 1-year-old non-baby will throw that spoon right back at you and hit you on your face and laugh. Under his high chair he'll start throwing all that sticky, gooey food on the floor around him, to let you know that the food fight is about to begin. It's awesome.
Oh, and sleepy time is the best! Pretend to be playing with him while rocking that 21-pound baby on your tiny arms for what seems a lifetime while he's screaming his lungs out. Or taking him out for a half-hour drive going absolutely nowhere. Aw, geez. Those 4 am super-fun drives in my pajamas in the middle of a cold, cruel night. Good times.
Nah, seriously. It's all true, but he is the cutest baby alive. And he knows it.
Twenty-one pounds, big head, chubby arms and legs, gorgeous dark-brown eyes, beautiful mole on his tummy, 6 teeth on the most adorable smile. Greatest sense of humor. Morning person, always wakes up with a smile. Dog person, he loves bossing our basset hounds around. Loves taking showers. Eats and poops like he ate and pooped for a living. Loves to take walks and strolls and drives. Plays with all kinds of toys, but prefers instruments, books and his Woody doll. Melts your heart with a look. Breaks your heart with a tear. Does a great impression of my mom clearing her throat. Giggles like a maniac. Screams like a maniac. Eats all kinds of crap off the floor. Hardly ever cries. Loves TV and iPhones. Loves peek-a-boo and pretending to be a scary dinosaur. Claps when someone sings him Mamma Mia, the frog song or La Cucaracha. Huge flirt. Gets along with everyone. Laughs profusely. Doesn't understand the point of pacifiers. Crawls like he's on fire. Smiles at you for no reason at all. Gives the most warm hugs in the world.
This kid, this family, is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love them both with my whole heart. And yes, I can't wait to have another one.
Baby & me.
I love books. What's not to love about them? Maybe their price tags, but that's about it.
I'm proud to say I read much more now that I'm married than I did before (when I actually had time to read and didn't as much because there was a bar full of friends waiting for me around the corner). So, yes, I did come a little... late to reading. I actually was one of the first in my kindergarten class to learn to read, both in spanish and english. But I think I used my superpower to read the subtitles to all Disney movies and learning them by heart. Did help with my spelling, though. I was –and still am– a true, spelling champion. And I still have my ribbons to prove it.
Now I'm probably seven or eight years late on my reading bucket list –which I actually only wrote about a year ago–, so I've got a lot to catch up on. And yes, I have a load of unfinished and half-read books waiting for me at home, making me feel bad every time I get a look at that Good Reads very embarrassingly long "currently reading" list. Still, I must insist on my weekly dosage of bookstore-wandering, because hey, you never know what you might find. Last week, I found myself with an old friend buying some Ken Kesey, Aldous Huxley and Frankl (in those three pretty versions). To my defense, it is very rare to find a local university bookstore actually selling this kind of literature. In english! So, I couldn't resist. Also, ever since our baby was born, I've gone ape-wild for buying children's books.
It is a tendency, I might add, to find myself lost in Barnes & Noble and have absolutely no idea what book I'm looking for, but do know with absolute certainty that I will come out of that store with a few many.
I judge books by their cover– literally. It's a figure of speech and they tell you never to do it, but in the real world, that's exactly how I purchase my books. Not by the title or blurb, if it's fiction or non-fiction, not by the famous author or the best-seller reviews. What does it mean, anyway, if a book is a best-seller? A book may sell, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's good. There are a lot of stupid people out there who buy stupid books. Although, I profoundly respect The New York Times best-seller list to my very core.
The blurb always reveals a bit too much, so I tend to read them only when the cover itself doesn't share anything at all about what's inside. Titles can be very bad, or clichéd, but the content may still be good. I try to read all types of books. And although I do have a notorious preference for fiction, whether it's romance, fantasy or mystery, I gotta have me some non-fiction too, specially if it's around the area of cooking, crafting, art, music or some good ol' Tina Fey humor.
Maybe it's the frustrated graphic designer in me, but the cover design is everything to me. While sliding my fingers across the many options on many bookcases, my eyes look for interesting colors and fonts. Once I find one with a nice composition, I examine the details and layout, specially the cover art. Whether it's a very good photograph, a well-tailored illustration, or a deep, emotional painting, a good cover should always communicate the tone of the book and I always look for one that speaks to me. Also, there's something wonderful about holding a book in your hands, feeling the weight of it. I look for quality printing too, a nice font and size, and sometimes even a good smell. I may not even know what the book is about, but I'll buy it if I like the cover.
I have the very common and very bad habit of watching the movie before I read the book. Not every time, but it is a recurring habit. What's so wrong about it anyway? I actually like reading Harry Potter with Daniel Radcliffe's face, even though I completely alter his acting and voice. And he's a lot taller in my head. I loved reading Forrest Gump with my good friend Tom Hanks, and everybody loved heroic Octavia Spencer in The Help. Yes, it sort of kills your imagination a bit, but somehow it also makes it a lot easier for me to relate to the story. Although I never buy the movie poster edition of the book, I don't like them. They feel... unauthentic. A little contradictory maybe, but that's the way it's always been for me.
A soon-to-be checked off chore on my to-do list is marking all of our books with our own signature Ex Libris stamp. I tend to document everything with dates, such as diary entries, photograph albums and scrapbooks, empty wine bottles and corks, letters and postcards, etcetera. So, it's pretty obvious I do the same when I buy a new book; I always write the date and place on the right-hand corner on the first page. Most of them I've bought at Barnes & Noble, local bookstores or the International Book Fair held every october. But some of our books were very special gifts, or have engravings, or are signed by their authors, or are first editions. And some of them were purchased in special bookstores, like some NY books we bought at Strand Bookstore this past summer, or the french ones we bought at Shakespeare & Co. two years ago in Paris when we were on our honeymoon.
If I had a little talent and wasn't so easily distracted, I would've probably been a writer. But being a reader is right up there too.
I'm proud to say I read much more now that I'm married than I did before (when I actually had time to read and didn't as much because there was a bar full of friends waiting for me around the corner). So, yes, I did come a little... late to reading. I actually was one of the first in my kindergarten class to learn to read, both in spanish and english. But I think I used my superpower to read the subtitles to all Disney movies and learning them by heart. Did help with my spelling, though. I was –and still am– a true, spelling champion. And I still have my ribbons to prove it.
Now I'm probably seven or eight years late on my reading bucket list –which I actually only wrote about a year ago–, so I've got a lot to catch up on. And yes, I have a load of unfinished and half-read books waiting for me at home, making me feel bad every time I get a look at that Good Reads very embarrassingly long "currently reading" list. Still, I must insist on my weekly dosage of bookstore-wandering, because hey, you never know what you might find. Last week, I found myself with an old friend buying some Ken Kesey, Aldous Huxley and Frankl (in those three pretty versions). To my defense, it is very rare to find a local university bookstore actually selling this kind of literature. In english! So, I couldn't resist. Also, ever since our baby was born, I've gone ape-wild for buying children's books.
It is a tendency, I might add, to find myself lost in Barnes & Noble and have absolutely no idea what book I'm looking for, but do know with absolute certainty that I will come out of that store with a few many.
I judge books by their cover– literally. It's a figure of speech and they tell you never to do it, but in the real world, that's exactly how I purchase my books. Not by the title or blurb, if it's fiction or non-fiction, not by the famous author or the best-seller reviews. What does it mean, anyway, if a book is a best-seller? A book may sell, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's good. There are a lot of stupid people out there who buy stupid books. Although, I profoundly respect The New York Times best-seller list to my very core.
The blurb always reveals a bit too much, so I tend to read them only when the cover itself doesn't share anything at all about what's inside. Titles can be very bad, or clichéd, but the content may still be good. I try to read all types of books. And although I do have a notorious preference for fiction, whether it's romance, fantasy or mystery, I gotta have me some non-fiction too, specially if it's around the area of cooking, crafting, art, music or some good ol' Tina Fey humor.
Maybe it's the frustrated graphic designer in me, but the cover design is everything to me. While sliding my fingers across the many options on many bookcases, my eyes look for interesting colors and fonts. Once I find one with a nice composition, I examine the details and layout, specially the cover art. Whether it's a very good photograph, a well-tailored illustration, or a deep, emotional painting, a good cover should always communicate the tone of the book and I always look for one that speaks to me. Also, there's something wonderful about holding a book in your hands, feeling the weight of it. I look for quality printing too, a nice font and size, and sometimes even a good smell. I may not even know what the book is about, but I'll buy it if I like the cover.
I have the very common and very bad habit of watching the movie before I read the book. Not every time, but it is a recurring habit. What's so wrong about it anyway? I actually like reading Harry Potter with Daniel Radcliffe's face, even though I completely alter his acting and voice. And he's a lot taller in my head. I loved reading Forrest Gump with my good friend Tom Hanks, and everybody loved heroic Octavia Spencer in The Help. Yes, it sort of kills your imagination a bit, but somehow it also makes it a lot easier for me to relate to the story. Although I never buy the movie poster edition of the book, I don't like them. They feel... unauthentic. A little contradictory maybe, but that's the way it's always been for me.
A soon-to-be checked off chore on my to-do list is marking all of our books with our own signature Ex Libris stamp. I tend to document everything with dates, such as diary entries, photograph albums and scrapbooks, empty wine bottles and corks, letters and postcards, etcetera. So, it's pretty obvious I do the same when I buy a new book; I always write the date and place on the right-hand corner on the first page. Most of them I've bought at Barnes & Noble, local bookstores or the International Book Fair held every october. But some of our books were very special gifts, or have engravings, or are signed by their authors, or are first editions. And some of them were purchased in special bookstores, like some NY books we bought at Strand Bookstore this past summer, or the french ones we bought at Shakespeare & Co. two years ago in Paris when we were on our honeymoon.
If I had a little talent and wasn't so easily distracted, I would've probably been a writer. But being a reader is right up there too.
Our lovely bookcase.
[And I have a T-shirt that says so to prove it].
Yes. Like all pregnant women, I've also struck a recent passion for crafting. It's been in my blood since puberty, but now that I'm married and independent and growing a human being in my uterus, it's easier and much more convenient for me to finally start building my very own –wait for it– craft studio! I'm so excited! I designed the layout myself and my handy craftsman of a husband built the whole thing.
My preferences in the crafting area lean mainly towards the following: scrapbooking, journaling, painting, postcard/letter-writing, embroidery and, this just in: knitting. About a month ago, I finally got rid of my knitting phobia and asked my mom to teach me. I'm doing pretty good for my first project: baby's first hand-knitted blanket. It's actually quite relaxing, once you get the hang of it. Once I master this, I also intend to try real sewing, crocheting and the ever scary and beautiful art of quilting.
Baby's due around January 11th, so I'll be getting that long-desired maternity leave the first of december. Perfect season and weather for crafting, right? (Yes, we will bring in a couple of extra heaters this time so we don't freeze to death like last year). Besides, around that time, our house will be full of cute, adorable basset hound puppies! Janis [Joplin] is due by the end of november, so I'll be spending a lot of time at home, crafting, cooking, reading, drinking capuccinos, playing my beautiful instruments, hugging puppies and, of course, blogging all about it. Can't wait!
I could –and will– really use the time off to relax and do stuff for myself. Yes, a little selfish maybe, but hey, by next year I'll be using all my free time taking care of our adorable child, so no judging on how I use my time this last trimester.
It is true. I am no Martha Stewart (although I have a bunch of Martha Stewart crafting tools, books and her beautiful App on mi iPad). But, as well you know, I'm a kindergarten teacher after all. You can't do it for four years straight and not get super creative and crafty. You'd be amazed by what us teachers can do with so little recycled material at our disposal. We are educators as we are artists, 24/7.
Anyway, it's craft studio building day! It's actually almost done, few minor details to go. Promise to upload gloating picture of joy when it's finished.
P.S. Hubby just finished putting up lovely new white mailbox out front! Finally. Our postman will no longer throw my beautiful postcards, letters and bills through the gate for them to end up as dog chow or wander off on the street. Will obviously decorate it and write "La Casa de la Puerta Azul" on it. [Trans: The House with the Blue Door].
Yes. Like all pregnant women, I've also struck a recent passion for crafting. It's been in my blood since puberty, but now that I'm married and independent and growing a human being in my uterus, it's easier and much more convenient for me to finally start building my very own –wait for it– craft studio! I'm so excited! I designed the layout myself and my handy craftsman of a husband built the whole thing.
My preferences in the crafting area lean mainly towards the following: scrapbooking, journaling, painting, postcard/letter-writing, embroidery and, this just in: knitting. About a month ago, I finally got rid of my knitting phobia and asked my mom to teach me. I'm doing pretty good for my first project: baby's first hand-knitted blanket. It's actually quite relaxing, once you get the hang of it. Once I master this, I also intend to try real sewing, crocheting and the ever scary and beautiful art of quilting.
Baby's due around January 11th, so I'll be getting that long-desired maternity leave the first of december. Perfect season and weather for crafting, right? (Yes, we will bring in a couple of extra heaters this time so we don't freeze to death like last year). Besides, around that time, our house will be full of cute, adorable basset hound puppies! Janis [Joplin] is due by the end of november, so I'll be spending a lot of time at home, crafting, cooking, reading, drinking capuccinos, playing my beautiful instruments, hugging puppies and, of course, blogging all about it. Can't wait!
I could –and will– really use the time off to relax and do stuff for myself. Yes, a little selfish maybe, but hey, by next year I'll be using all my free time taking care of our adorable child, so no judging on how I use my time this last trimester.
It is true. I am no Martha Stewart (although I have a bunch of Martha Stewart crafting tools, books and her beautiful App on mi iPad). But, as well you know, I'm a kindergarten teacher after all. You can't do it for four years straight and not get super creative and crafty. You'd be amazed by what us teachers can do with so little recycled material at our disposal. We are educators as we are artists, 24/7.
Anyway, it's craft studio building day! It's actually almost done, few minor details to go. Promise to upload gloating picture of joy when it's finished.
P.S. Hubby just finished putting up lovely new white mailbox out front! Finally. Our postman will no longer throw my beautiful postcards, letters and bills through the gate for them to end up as dog chow or wander off on the street. Will obviously decorate it and write "La Casa de la Puerta Azul" on it. [Trans: The House with the Blue Door].
Our lovely new mailbox.
Oh, my God. I totally forgot I have a blog... again. (I always start my entries like this, don't I? Must stop doing it).
Sound of husband doing the dishes in the kitchen. The most adorable sound in the world. Also a background noise of little Janis howling in the backyard (my adorable 1-year old pregnant basset hound). Jimi (Hendrix), her own brother, knocked her up before puberty. Sheesh. The interesting part is that she's one-month pregnant and she's gonna be a mom before I am! I've been pregnant for six months! Gaaawd.
I'm kidding. It's been awf-- wonderful. Awfully wonderful. I haven't precisely enjoyed every second of it, no. I've had my bad days, my crankiness, scary hormones and mood swings, extreme fatigue, I've never hated house chores more than now and I really do not enjoy having to pee every 5 minutes. Still, it's the happiest time I've had in my entire life. Both baby and parents are as healthy as can be. We're at our 28th week and feeling those baby kicks every day now. Doesn't exactly help me sleep through the night, but still, adorable as hell. He even kicked Sergio on the face one time.
I've enjoyed sharing every part of it with Sergio. Every wonderful and scary thought, weird dream and funny idea I've had since I found out I was pregnant. I started writing a sort of pregnancy journal on a composition book. I wanted to buy one online and even looked for options at Barnes & Noble and I was close to buying The Belly Book, but I didn't want to fill out someone else's questions with my answers. I wanted a real journal about my first pregnancy experience. So I made one myself.
I'm filling it with all kinds of things: cravings, bodily functions, dreams, ultrasounds, pictures of my belly, vitamins I'm taking and how my husband and I have been living the experience of baby-proofing our lovely home.
Yup, still living at the same hobbit house with the blue door. I just love it here and I don't plan on moving anytime soon. Finally getting rid of all the boxes we stored in that extra room we had so we can get Behr's mint majesty and paint the baby room. Crib's already been delivered, baby blankets, car seat, stroller and many other baby stuff they make us buy. And there's much more of that still on the way. Promise to share baby room pic next time, when it's finished (if it ever is).
By the way, IT'S A BOY! Yes, I admit it, it's completely true: We both wanted our first-born to be a boy. Not because we don't want a girl, we want a princess just as much. We just wanted the first one to be our little hero who'll take care of his younger siblings, however many there may be in the future. We would love four kids. It's always been our number ever since we started dating. But, I guess we'll start off with the two and see where it goes from there.
Wow... It really amazes me how much this baby will be truly loved, spoiled, played with, adored. He's the first of a new generation, like I said, on both my parents' and in-laws' sides. He's still a-cookin' and already has got a lot of fans waiting to meet him, hungry uncles and aunts and starving grandparents. Needless to say, his parents are completely in love with every fiber of his being and his mom can't wait another minute to hold him.
Baby name can't be revealed just yet, but we've got some ideas... Since it's not yet carved on stone, please share possible awesome names for awesome baby boy below!
Sound of husband doing the dishes in the kitchen. The most adorable sound in the world. Also a background noise of little Janis howling in the backyard (my adorable 1-year old pregnant basset hound). Jimi (Hendrix), her own brother, knocked her up before puberty. Sheesh. The interesting part is that she's one-month pregnant and she's gonna be a mom before I am! I've been pregnant for six months! Gaaawd.
I'm kidding. It's been awf-- wonderful. Awfully wonderful. I haven't precisely enjoyed every second of it, no. I've had my bad days, my crankiness, scary hormones and mood swings, extreme fatigue, I've never hated house chores more than now and I really do not enjoy having to pee every 5 minutes. Still, it's the happiest time I've had in my entire life. Both baby and parents are as healthy as can be. We're at our 28th week and feeling those baby kicks every day now. Doesn't exactly help me sleep through the night, but still, adorable as hell. He even kicked Sergio on the face one time.
I've enjoyed sharing every part of it with Sergio. Every wonderful and scary thought, weird dream and funny idea I've had since I found out I was pregnant. I started writing a sort of pregnancy journal on a composition book. I wanted to buy one online and even looked for options at Barnes & Noble and I was close to buying The Belly Book, but I didn't want to fill out someone else's questions with my answers. I wanted a real journal about my first pregnancy experience. So I made one myself.
I'm filling it with all kinds of things: cravings, bodily functions, dreams, ultrasounds, pictures of my belly, vitamins I'm taking and how my husband and I have been living the experience of baby-proofing our lovely home.
Yup, still living at the same hobbit house with the blue door. I just love it here and I don't plan on moving anytime soon. Finally getting rid of all the boxes we stored in that extra room we had so we can get Behr's mint majesty and paint the baby room. Crib's already been delivered, baby blankets, car seat, stroller and many other baby stuff they make us buy. And there's much more of that still on the way. Promise to share baby room pic next time, when it's finished (if it ever is).
By the way, IT'S A BOY! Yes, I admit it, it's completely true: We both wanted our first-born to be a boy. Not because we don't want a girl, we want a princess just as much. We just wanted the first one to be our little hero who'll take care of his younger siblings, however many there may be in the future. We would love four kids. It's always been our number ever since we started dating. But, I guess we'll start off with the two and see where it goes from there.
Wow... It really amazes me how much this baby will be truly loved, spoiled, played with, adored. He's the first of a new generation, like I said, on both my parents' and in-laws' sides. He's still a-cookin' and already has got a lot of fans waiting to meet him, hungry uncles and aunts and starving grandparents. Needless to say, his parents are completely in love with every fiber of his being and his mom can't wait another minute to hold him.
Baby name can't be revealed just yet, but we've got some ideas... Since it's not yet carved on stone, please share possible awesome names for awesome baby boy below!
Listening to baby life inside enormous six-month belly.
Etiquetas:
baby,
baby boy,
baby hormones,
baby kicks,
baby room,
Barnes & Noble,
basset hound,
Behr,
dad,
hobbit house,
mint majesty,
mom,
pregnancy,
pregnancy journal,
pregnant,
The Belly Book,
ultrasounds
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