HE'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         WOLF born August 26th 5lbs 9oz 18.5 inches

Our little boy arrived 5 weeks early. Thank you Lord that he was perfectly healthy and I still managed to have natural childbirth. So despite the scariness of the fact that he was so early we really had a great delivery. So Without further ado meet the new

est member of our family.

These are a few pictures of when we got home from the hospital. We got to cut his "birthday" cake. Well maybe it was our baby shower cake from the shower that we missed because well he had just been born.

Now three weeks later and many many night of little to no sleep I am starting to feel like this is the new normal. I am starting to get use to being a mother of two.

Let me tell you a little about mister Asher. His name mean blessing and rich in life. We wanted him to always know that although he was a surprise we always felt like he was a blessing to our lives. And after the miracle of his birth and his health we knew that it was a perfect name. He is adorable, LOVES to nurse and loves to be held a whole lot more that Elliott did which husband and I are loving. :) He's just a cuddle baby. He loves his swing only second to actually being held.

More to come now I'm off to spend some time with my husband while the babies are sleeping.

New baby right around the corner

I know that this time around on my pregnancy I am being exceptionally horrible at documenting . This baby is due about a month away and I noticed that I haven't really mentioned it on the blog. Maybe because I'm too busy being pregnant and taking care of a 13 month old. HA! That's life I guess I'm too busy living it that writting about it. Never the less we are sooooo excited for the newest member of the family to arrive.

So with that said let me tell you what pregnancy is like this time around.

We are having a boy. Name soon to be revealed

I am still craving peanut butter sandwiches like crazy this pregnancy although apples have not been as much of a hit as last time

Tart frozen yogurt? YES PLEASE!!!!

He seems way more active throughout the day. I mean I am constantly seeing my belly move. Does anyone else get a little freaked out by that too?

He has already hit his brother. HA! Not really but he does move a lot when Bear is nursing which makes him stop and look around as if saying "who did that?". I crack up every time!

We plan to have a natural birth again. Using THIS method. I am even taking a refresh course with my last instructor which is getting me excited for the process again.

I was having a major meltdown about labor again. I mean people always say that you will forget the pain by the next one. NOT TOTALLY TRUE! Although I don't remember the pain exactly I do remember the entire birth story as of it were yesterday. We were able to stick to our birth plan but still labor is... tough work. (hence the refresh courses)

We are so excited that we will have two little boys roaming our house soon.

And the best thing of all is that he will be here before all the major Holidays which makes the end of this year even more amazing.

I will try to post a little more on the pregnancy for this last month. We can't wait to meet him!!!

Bath time and a little peace

This little baby sure loves his baths. I mean REALLY loves water. And I have to admit that it is one of my favorite times of the day. Usually bath time happens right after dinner and before bed. AKA Elliott's about to have a melt down time and mommy too. He is not really fussy at this time or when ever he gets tired he more becomes the most crazy silly baby you will ever meet. Climbing on everything crawling around thinking your chasing him usually ending up in him bumping into something and then that's when the tears start. Don't get me wrong most of the time it's adorable but being 8 month pregnant on top of it makes this game a lot less fun for mommy. Especially late in the evening.

So instead of feeling like I'm fighting a losing battle we get his bath ready or a shower for the both of us if the day was really tough. Hop in and enjoy playing with his water trains and listening to some music. It's a time for me to slow down the pace and really reflect on the great memories made of that day. Usually I'll retell some of the highlights of our day together other times just sing along to the music. Either way it changes the pace of that time and makes both of us enjoy the last little while before bedtime.

I think one of the biggest lessons I have learned as a mommy is to redirect the pace of the day if I am feeling overwhelmed. I learned when working at the preschool that if I am not having fun the kids are probably having a lot less. It's not always easy to make that shift in the day and sometimes it's a matter of getting through it and pray that tomorrow will be different. But little shifts like bath time make me really be able to take a deep breath and really enjoy my baby all the way to the end of the day.

I love being a mom and would not change this time in my life for anything but sometimes it can be exhausting. And after reading THIS AMAZING POST (must read) I agree that we should shine a little light at the day to day struggles that mommies have and embrace the fact that not everyday is perfect and allow ourselves to accept that. Thank you Mandy for your honesty.

Summer time

Despite the very low tolerance to heat especially at 28 weeks pregnant. I am really trying to enjoy the summer and really soak up at much time with this little guys as I can before my time will be divided with the new baby. I was struggling with the idea of having to say Elliott was the "big brother and the big boy" now that there is a new brother on the way especially because he will only be 15 months old when the baby is born. But I read Rubyellen's post on calling her youngest baby and the newborn baby baby and I thought that was perfect! It really brought me a lot of peace to not have him grow up so fast.

Back to the summer. We have been enjoying going to the park where we discovered that Bear loves the swing and going down the slide. He is enjoying eating dinner outside and pointing to the birds flying by. And is really loving going for walks before breakfast.

Like I said at the beginning I really dislike heat but it has been so much fun being able to see this baby Bear explore more of his world and really loving it! Here's to some "pleasantly warm" (positive thinking) summer days.

Happy Birthday America

Okay so I know I'm a few days late with the whole posting of the 4th of July but "hey I'm trying" We decided to not to go anywhere and just keep it easy and stay home with the family. We had a BBQ and then the boys lit fireworks until their hearts content. Our across the street neighbors were out of town so my mother in law decided to pull up a seat on their driveway and take be a spectator. It was so much fun we had all the fun of the fireworks without the yuckiness of the smoke. To make the show even better one of the neighbors had mortars so we even got a real firework show in our backyard. Although I wish Elliott would have seen some of this it was way past his bedtime and I would rather have a sleepy baby than a super cranky baby that would not have enjoyed himself. There is always next year.

Someone is one!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it? This little guy is already one year old. These are pictures of his actual birthday. He had two birthday parties I will be posting those pictures soon. But this was just a simple little treat (also his first real sugary treat) with just mami and papi. I went to a local bakery and bought this cute little cupcake just for him.

This is him at first just trying the icing. It took him a while to even do that. He is a very cautious boy so he really has to study something before digging in. I broke the bottom of the cake off so he would get the idea of eating it. At that point he seemed to start liking it.
And it's a hit!!!! once he realized that that big mountain of blue frosting was edible he was sold. Look at those eyes. Considering that the only sugar he had ever had came from fruit this was a real treat. Don't get use to it buddy :)

It's so weird it feels like this month has been such a huge milestone for him. Not just because of his birthday but things are just clicking. He has started...

-cruising on furniture. Although not thrilled about the idea of falling on his bottom to get down. He uses the scream for mama technique more. Resisting trying to pick him up all the time.

-talking (baby talk) a lot more. This kid wakes up telling a story. I think it runs in the family. We are all chatter boxes

-says "moo" when he sees a cow

-gives kisses when you say "besito"

-points to head when you say "la cabeza"

It has been so awesome seeing this baby grow. I am soooo in love with him. And I can't wait for his baby brother to meet him. With all this birthday planning out of the way I feel like I can just enjoy being a mama and being pregnant. *sigh* life all in all has been good.

Planning a little Bears Birthday

That's right I cannot believe that it was almost one year ago that I was being rushed to the hospital thinking I was going to deliver this baby in the car. (let's hear it for Bradley Birth) It was the most amazing experience and I in a weird way enjoyed it. And of course the end result just makes all the pain so worth it. This Baby Bear (as my two year old class has endearingly named him) has turned my life upside down and made me love the little things about life all over again. I mean who knew that you would be cheering your heart out at two syllable words "maaa maaa, paa, paa" But these little things are what make this job so rewarding and literally melt your heart.

With all that said obviously a birthday party is at hand and I have a few ideas for a fun little party just right for my little bear.

I think this book will be the inspiration

I couldn't think of a better more festive books that combined the two things i wanted. A bear theme and his love for books. I am gathering a few inspirations picturing a country picnic type party. Red checkred table cloths, mason jars, daisies. I will try to remember to post some images that I have collected to inspire this theme. Let's see how it turns out.

swimming Bear

We signed Elli up for swim lessons as he seems to love water. ( I know, I know every mom says that... but it's true) He seemed to like it okay despite the 65 degree non California weather that surprised us this morning. But he was a trooper and looked like he was having fun towards the end.

This little guy is 10 and half months old and I am in shock at how fast the time has gone. I mean he is almost A YEAR OLD!!!!!! WHAT??????

It's the day before my first official mothers day and I cannot believe how blessed I am to have this baby boy in my life. It's weird I know people always say that kids change your whole perspective on life. I always thought it was pretty mellow dramatic... but you know what? It's true. I am a better person because of him and know the true meaning of unconditional love and putting someone else' need before you. AT ALL TIMES by the way :) And now with a new little boy on the way only God knows what lessons I am going to learn with him. All I know is that I am so lucky to be a mother and a daughter of a mother who always showed me what it was to sacrifice for your children and love every minute of it.

Happy Mothers Day

a tale of a horrible blogger

I love his face in this picture. About to have a melt down.

Once upon a time there was a mommy who set her heart on documenting the little triumphs and bumps on the road from married to prego to mommyhood. She disappeared for what seemed like am eternity only to come back to her blog to find her baby so little. Ashamed and wanting to make thing right she quickly posted a few pictures and wrote a cheesy story as a hopeful and apologetic mend to get things back on the road.
So after too many months out to lunch let me present my growing boy Elliott who is now 7 months old. He loves standing, dancing to music. (he shakes his head) loves his crinkle books and having baby jabber conversations with you. He's eating solids and does he love to eat especially carrots. Still HATES being on his belly and is more amazing and lovable each and every day. He sleeps pretty well at night only waking up once to eat and I think we got this nap thing in control. At least for now.
These months have been the hardest and most amazing months of my life. Elliott is such a blessing from the Lord and I can't even remember what life was like before him. (i think more sleep but not as fun) I hope I can commit to really documenting this awesome journey with this little guy.