Wordless Wednesday - Puddles

Twenty-One Questions to Ask Your Kids

Tonight we squeezed in this little Q&A with my darlings as we were wrapping up with dinner and getting baths ready. The idea came from Mama Pea's blog, and her kids' answers are hilarious.

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?

Emily:  "Don't go pee pee in your pull up tonight."

Jake: "Stop!"

2. What makes Mommy happy?

Emily:  When I don't go pee pee in my pull up.

Jake: Me.

3. What makes Mommy sad?

Emily:  When I don't give you a hug.

Jake: Me

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?

Emily:  Tickle me.

Jake: Tickle me.

5. What was Mommy like as a child? 

Emily:  You liked being tickled.

Jake: Me.

6. How old is Mommy?

Emily:  57

Jake: 3

7. How tall is Mommy? 

Emily:  50 inches

Jake: Big...No, wittle.

8. What is Mommy’s favorite thing to do?

Emily:  Do the laundry.

Jake: Play with sissy.

9. What does Mommy do when you’re not around?

Emily:  Do laundry.

Jake: Say goodbye.

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?

Emily:  No, not that one Next question.

Jake: --

11. What is Mommy really good at?

Emily:  Doing laundry and not cheating at Mancala.

Jake: Toys.

12. What is Mommy not very good at?

Emily:  Making good smoothies.

Jake: Ummm...being silly.

13. What does Mommy do for her job?

Emily:  Work.

Jake: Dancing.

14. What is Mommy’s favorite food?

Emily:  Corn and meat and meatloaf. 

Jake: Cheese.

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?

Emily:  Not cheating at Mancala.

Jake: Singing,

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Emily:  Minnie Mouse

Jake: Dancing.

17. What do you and Mommy do together?

Emily:  Play at the park and ride our bikes and sing "Stuck Like Glue."

Jake: Dancing.

18. How are you and Mommy the same?

Emily:  We have the same hair sometimes.

Jake: Big.

19. How are you and Mommy different?

Emily:  You are big and I am small.

Jake: *Gagging noise* ???

20. How do you know Mommy loves you? 

Emily:  Because sometimes we listen.

Jake: Dancing.

21. Where is Mommy’s favorite place to go?

Emily:  McDonald's to get a salad.

Jake: Sonic

Where He Dwells

Okay, so I haven't taken pictures of Jake's room, because it is still coming together. We want it to have a classy vintage look with bold brick red, solid blue, and creamy chocolate. Our rad friend Lindsay painted us these three canvases (thanks co-workers!) and they look wonderful!

Here are the rest of the pieces:

Hartford Straightback Crib by Rockland in Coffee (also the dresser and changer)

Aidan Crib Bedding by Cocalo Couture

Sock Monkey, because what better defines vintage toys?

Lamp with Brick Red Shade

Flag Display, with Ryan's flag that was flown over the Capitol on his Navy Anniversary

Adorable frame from our friends Justin and Keirsten

Round Hamper (a steal at Burligton Coat Factory for only $9.99)

We Swim

When it is 108 in the Central Valley, we happily take our sweat-drenched bodies over to Mom and Dad's house for a dip in the pool. Emily likes to horse around with Uncle Tony and Daddy, but she toned it down a little this day so Jake could join us.

Jake's Two-Month Check-Up

So...our little man is 2 months old! Okay, this is a little delayed, as his 2-month birthday was the 25th of May. But he was finally seen for his Well Baby visit and things look good!

Weight: 13 lbs, 2 oz. (75th percentile...big boy!)

Height: 24 inches (90th percentile...getting so tall!)

Head Circumference: 16 inches (50th percentile)

Lifts head for a short time: Yes

Responds to sound: Yes

Stares at faces: Yes

Follows objects briefly: Yes

Smiles: Yes!

Immunizations: DTP, HiB, RotaVirus, Polio, and Pneumococcal Conjugate (thankfully they are finally combining the right ones, so he only got 2 shots and 1 orally)

Likes: nursing, watching Emily, ceiling fans, trying to mimic Mommy and Daddy, sucking on his fingers or a pacifier, baths, being swaddled

Dislikes: having his clothes changed or his face washed

Jake is sleeping mostly through the night, and only wakes up once (usually between 4 and 5) to nurse. He still takes a bottle every day (usually by Emily) for preparation for my return to work on July 1. He is FINALLY over Thrush, so he is a little happier. After consulting with the pediatrician for three visits now, we have decided to put him on Prevacid for acid reflux. So far, it seems to be making him more comfortable, but we'll fininsh out the remaining 10 days before we decide for sure whether to keep him on it or not. Other than that, all is good!

Wordless Wednesday: Picking Flowers and Bored with Tummy Time

Wordless Wednesday: Smiley Guy and Sliding in Sacramento

Faces of Our Little Man

Jake is becoming known as "the serious one," as he very rarely shows facial expressions. He has this thinking face that is constantly wearing him. Well, today he showed us his range:

Sleeps Like a Baby

My Mother's Day = Wonderful

Why My Mother's Day Was Amazing:

1. Sleep. I think it is what every mother of an infant desires most, and it is what I got. Ryan let me sleep until 8:00 on Sunday, which is wonderful. I feel like a million bucks now!

2. Mother's Day Tea with my mom, sister, and our escort, Jake. This lovely event was hosted by Latinas Unidas and held at the Vineyard Restaurant where we grubbed on sweet bread, chile rellanos, mango salsa, and enjoyed just one of Joel's Lemon Drops (please try this...it will knock your socks off!). There was a Sexy Shoe Contest, though I didn't dare enter with my comfort-based apparel choices. Jenn won a great original oil canvas by a local artist, Mom got a Grandma's Baking Kit, and I got a prize for being the mom with the youngest child (finally...all those sleepless nights paid off!). I also got to see two moms honored as Mothers of the Year (one of them had 16 children and over 50 great-grandchildren, and the other raised four girls after being abandoned by her husband when the youngest was just two).

3. Time with my mom, who is amazing and wonderful.

4. Time with my kiddos, who are fun and adorable.

5. Dinner with the Fam, but no cooking for me! Because it is so hard to share holidays with multiple families, we decided to celebrate Mother's Day on Saturday, where everyone could enjoy the day guilt-free. Dad made his fabulous Pappy's Chicken, Ryan made some non-lumpy mashed potatoes, and Evan and Jenn topped it all off with some amazing Strawberry Shortcakes. Yuuuuuuum!

6. Handmade gifts, like this one that Emily made for me.

Formally Announcing...

Out of the Mouths of Babes: It Wasn't Me

"She did it."

One Month!

Our little Jacob had his one-month Well Baby visit this last week and here's how it went:

Weight: 11 lbs, 3 oz. (75th percentile...big boy!)
Height: 22 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 15 1/2 inches (50th percentile)

Lifts head for a short time: Yes
Responds to sound: Yes
Stares at faces: Yes
Follows objects briefly: Yes
Smiles: Not yet :( We're waiting!

Immunizations: Hepatitis B #2 (OUCH!)

He's nursing well and now takes a bottle of expressed milk once a day. We are still battling Thrush, and the topical treatment we got a few weeks ago did not work. Jacob now is taking another medicine, and he is not very fond of it. Hopefully it clears up quickly!

Our Little Man was extra sleepy after his Hep B shot. See...

Sibling Love

Two reasons I love this picture:

1) Emily. She is absolutely thrilled to have a new baby brother. She gets so proud when she holds him, and loves having her picture taken right now. She'll even bring me a camera and ask me to take a picture. Crazy girl.

2) Jake. Apparently he doesn't share the same enthusiasm. He makes the best "grouchy old man" face around, double chin included. I keep telling him that the more he frowns, the more wrinkles he'll get later in life. I'm just trying to look out for him.

Easter

This year, our Easter was spent in Palm Springs in a very relaxed way. We got up, packed up our stuff, and had a little Easter Egg Hunt (all those eggs for just Emily!).

Uncle Tony helped Emily find ALL the eggs:

We stopped to take a picture to send to Daddy:

Jake couldn't participate in the Egg Hunt, but he was a good sport while being pushed in his stroller by Ga-Ga and being held by Pa-Pa ("Little Pa-Pa," as Emily calls him, since "Big Pa-Pa" is great-grandpa Mindt).

Then, Emily and Anthony fed the geese...candy. Emily wanted to give the birds some of the treats that fell on the ground during her high-speed hunt. So..We finally took some family photos, but it was a challange getting Emily to look at the camera while she held a bucket full of candy. Talk about temptation!

And after an Easter Brunch at Marie Callendar's, we said our good-byes and headed home. Before we left, though, Emily offered to drive Big Pa-Pa's RV home for him:

We finally started our long trip home. Yikes...7 hours in the car with a 2 1/2 year old, and a 3 week old on Easter Sunday. Don't be jealous.

Palm Springs

We took our first road trip! I headed down to Palm Springs with the kids for a little 4-day getaway. My parents and grandparents were so kind to share their timeshare and space with us. Unfortunately, Ryan had to work, but we decided to go anyway. Mom was our co-pilot on our drive, but she was mostly on Pacifier Duty, as the Jake-ster did not like being without his (thus, we've dubbed him the "Lazy Sucker").

Well, we had fun once we got there. Here are some pictures of what Emily did the entire time (swim!):

And here's what Jake did (talk and coo and stare at Ga-Ga and Pa-Pa):

We were so sad to leave, as it was wonderful watching Emily and Jacob spend time with their grandparents and great-grandparents. And thank goodness all those extra hands were happy to help, because there is no way I could have done it alone!

Pictures of Jake

Because Blogger has some size restrictions, we decided to post a link to pictures of his first week. Click below and enjoy!

Baby Jake

Meet our newest family member...

Jacob Steven Lopez

March 24, 2009 at 5:24 pm

8 lbs., 8 oz. - 21 inches

Name Debate Surges On

Despite all the input and discussion surrounding Baby No-Name Lopez, we are still stuck. BUT, here are the results from the poll. Thanks for all of you who are trying to help us out!

I'm not quite sure why naming babies seems to be such a complex issue for us. It could, perhaps, be due partly to the fact that Ryan and I are so different. There has been lots playful bantering going on between us, and it seems we are making progress. For example, we have both agreed to exclude such name suggestions as Xavier and Viper. In all seriousness, we have narrowed it down to Jacob, Quinn, and Hayden (but are not opposed to adding others to this list!).

Input is still welcome, for the next week and a half at least. We are not leaving the hospital without naming our little man, and I suppose we are both hoping that once we see him, his name will immediately become apparent. Wishful thinking never hurt anyone!

Baby Cake

Why My Workplace/Co-Workers Are So Awesome

Reason #1584: Baby Shower thrown on February 13

*Background: Email received on February 4: "Thought of you when I saw these...make sure you read the captions below the cakes. CakeWrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Horribly, Hilariously Wrong."

On that day, my co-workers found me at my desk, almost in tears, laughing. The email began to circulate, and those cakes became a source of many more laughs. These three were my favorites, all coming from a blog called CakeWrecks, a very witty, undeniably funny website where the worst of the worst of all cakes are highlighted:

Jen's Quotes (from CakeWrecks):

Sasha probably wasn't too happy when her colleagues gave her this

The plastic clone babies wearing naught but mohawks are bad enough, but then they're also riding carrots. What do you do with that? It looks like some kind of perverted vegetable rodeo, or maybe a bizarre clone military exercise, what with their little plastic fists raised high in identical salutes. And what kind of occasion calls for a "naked babies riding carrots" decor, anyway? No, wait, maybe I don't want to know.

...and this beauty:

And then there are the disturbing cakes. If you received this one, you'd have nightmares for years.

Bring on the nightmares, because my marvelous boss/baker extraordinaire brought this delicious dulce de leche goodness to the shower:

...and these were the remnants that were found on my desk afterwards:

I toted them home to share in some laughter with my mom and sister. Emily found them on the counter and was a little confused, repeatedly saying "Daddy fix baby." Sorry, honey.