Merry Christmas Gio!!!

Santa blessed Giovanni with tons of presents and love this Christmas! Our first Family Christmas was amazing! i guess I have some catching up to do with blogging, too much Christmas fun. We started off our week with Family pictures that I absolutely love and Gio finally cooperated. We got lots of cute toothy smiles and dimples, love him so much! Hubby and I worked till Thursday. Wednesday we went to our company party at Brady's Landing, Thursday night Danielle and Charlie hosted a secret santa party. Gio was a good sport but stayed up a lil late. Christmas Eve, Friday, we woke up and went to have breakfast at the Egg and I. Oh yes Gio is now eating whatever we eat, I might have mentioned that before or not and so it is alot easier going out to eat with him and letting him try new things. This couple came up to us while we were eating and complimented us on Gio and how cute he was. Gio has become such a people watcher and cranes his neck every which way to look at everyone, it is hilarious. We spent the rest of the day lounging and letting Gio take his naps before heading out to Luan's parents for their annual dinner. Gio was so handsome in his outfit and hammed it up for the cameras. Dinner usually doesn't start till 8 so I put Gio down for a nap or technically to sleep, but his schedule was off due to staying up the previous nite. I left him in deep sleep but all the visitors and family chatter woke him up and that was it for napping. He joined in on the family festivities and as much as I wanted him to sleep there was not going to be any of it. Well it's Christmas Eve and we celebrated with the family with games and caroling and then finally present opening. Gio got a pimp mobile the Step 2 Push Around Buggy. He immediately crawled to the box and kept looking as OngNoi assembled it. Gio got fussy and we finally left to go home. Gio finally slept but poor little man's schedule was thrown off the next day.



Christmas Day we finally woke up and I got all excited because Santa had finally delivered all of Gio's presents. I woke up Daddy because he was still trying to fit in a couple of more ZZZ's but I made sure Gio climbed on him to wake him up. I got the grandma's up and ready or Gio and I were going to start opening gifts by ourselves. Gio and I situated ourselves and we tore into all the presents. Gio gifted all his grandparents with personalized collage mugs with pictures of him throughout the year, everyone was in love with their mugs. Santa, family and friends blessed Gio with lots of love and gifts this year. He loved and cracked up with Tickle Me Elmo and stared at the books Santa brought for him. Santa also brought Gio a pony which he is hesitant about, but loves to play with it while standing next to it, instead of riding it. Gio got clothes, books, cars, a truck, movies, telephone, cups, santa dinnerset and an assortment of other gifts. It was hard for Santa not to go overboard, but who can blame Santa for being so generous. My mom made breakfast and we all sat down together and talked about Gio's presents. I then put Gio down for a nap and we chilled around the house while my mom cooked for Christmas Dinner. BaNoi, Christine, Toan, Carlos and Lee joined us for Christmas Dinner which my mom went all out. Gio looked so cute in his little red velvet outfit and right before dinner he was cruising in his pimp mobile around the house. Gio is styling and profiling in his little car. Gio made it halfway through dinner and then he was ready to go nite nite. He kissed everyone goodnight and then we were off to bed. Daddy got Wii for Xmas and we all played rounds of Wii sports as we attempted to digest an awesome meal. Sunday we all met up again for family flag football. Gio joined in on the fun as he cruised around in his car along the sidelines, lol. Daddy and Mommy would of course be the only ones to get sprained fingers while playing, jeez. I am so happy Gio is surrounded by loving family and friends that bless us daily with their presence in our lives.

Merry Christmas Sweetpea! Last year we dreamed about your first Christmas as you bounced around in mommy's tummy and to finally have you here playing and cuddling with us is a Merry Christmas indeed! Love you Baby G!

Blessed 31

Happy Birthday to me!! This week has been nice and relaxing. This was the last week of the Mod at school and I had 12 seniors ready to burst into the working world, or I hope. They planned a senior party and it ended up being a surprise bday party for me, I was very surprised and shocked. I received two cards signed by everyone, bday cake and cute presents. My students are on a very tight limited budget and it was very thoughtful for them to do that for me.
Saturday we chilled at home and rested. Gio is recovering from a bout of flu and fevers, but I think the fevers are related to teeth. Yea teeth! Sunday Gio woke up alot better, clear mucus and just a slight cough, but I wasn't ready for Gio to spend the day out and about just yet. I had given my boys hints about what Mommy might want and I got everything!

We started off with breakfast for Lunch at Denny's. I have been in a pancake mood and Daddy knew just where to take me. Our first real date was at Denny's over a piece of apple pie, it will always be a nice memory for us. Gio and I shared pancakes and OJ. He was very nice while we all talked over breakfast which my Mom joined us. Then we headed home since Gio needed to nap. My mom took Gio while Daddy and I ventured out. We ended up buying gifts for our nephews and then headed over to BN to peruse the books and magazines. I love celeb magazines and I would always go to BN to read mags and veg. Yes I am one of those people. This was preGio and I have not done that in a long time because Mr. Gio will not sit still anymore and I had asked Daddy for some mag time with Starbucks. I also got treated to a Happy Meal which we shared and got a chococat watch that I wanted, lol! Fun times. I called my mom to checkin on Gio, but he didn't get a good nap and was very frustrated so dinner plans were scratched. I put Gio to bed and then was surprised with dinner from my favorite Pappadeux. My bday dessert consisted of Sweet Potato Pecan Pie! OMG Yummy!!!! Daddy and Gio gifted me with a spa package!


I received so many messages from friends and family throughout the day! Thanks to everyone for blessing me with a great special loved day! I am very blessed with my boys, family and friends! I have the best gifts any girl can wish for: my loving husband, my gorgeous son Giovanni and puppy Louie! A very blessed 31!

December Fun!

Hello December! I love you so much! Well my birthday is coming up and this is Gio"s First Christmas and New Years! We put up the Xmas tree last weekend during our break and have contemplated what to buy Baby G for xmas. Still brainstorming. Well since we were spoiled with a 4 day weekend it was so hard to go back to work, but here we go. This weekend we went to Galveston for Dicken's on the Strand. It is located downtown and people dress up in the times of Charles Dickens.


So cute! We got there just in time for the Queen's parade. The outfits were gorgeous and I wished for a bit to have one, but where else would I wear it to? Anywhoo we walked around and enjoyed the festivities.

Santa Claus and Saint Nick!
Before we headed back home we stopped at Mario's Italian Restaurant which has great pizza. We ordered our pizza and also the Angel Hair Shrimp and Crawfish Pasta in a lobster sauce topped with lump crabmeat. Can I just tell you that it was amazing!! Will definitely be back for that pasta. Thankfully I have tons of leftovers for manana!
Sunday we woke up and hung around the house, tidied up a bit and then dressed Gio for Santa Pics!!! I love his outfit, we bought back in September and have saved it! We went to Memorial City Mall and waited in line for over an hour.


It was a madhouse, but we were already there and just waited it out. Gio's was an awesome sport until Santa. He was close to naptime since he woke up early from his last nap and then when Daddy placed Gio in Santa's lap he was disgruntled but then was ok. He kept looking back at Santa and then finally had enough and started crying. The photographer was trying to distract him with some feathers and bells and he was shocked at first because she grazed his face with it, semi smiled then started crying when he saw me. Looking at the pictures afterwards I know he wasn;t scared, he was crying because his hands were pinned down by santa on his lap. Never pin Gio down or he will throw a fit which he did. We got a package of a semi-smile and then of him looking back at Santa. Either way you can't beat taking pictures with Santa. We are going to take family pics (mommy wants!) next weekend, so lets see how that goes. I need to make an early appointment because we do not want to hit a naptime or serious Gio will come out in the pics! We walked around the mall because Gio fell asleep and used the time to eat at my fav Berryhill's and snagged some fish tacos. I bought two personalized christmas ornaments from one of the vendors. We then headed home. I cooked Gio's food stash: spaghetti squash, chicken and greenbeans and caldo de res. I also made another turkey meatloaf and greenbean casserole. Lunch and Dinner is complete for a bit. I am supposed to be creating christmas cards but I just can't decide on what I want. Ok off to bed because my lil one is waiting on me!

Happy Thanksgiving and Nesting...

Happy Thanksgiving to all!
This year was quite different since my mom isn't here and everyone comes over. This year we went to the in-laws and celebrated with vietnamese dishes. As much as I love viet food, I had to have my turkey for the big day and since we went over early and the food wasn't ready, we stopped by Boston Market to pick up traditional Turkey Meal. It wasn't my Mom's but it hit the spot and Gio got his first taste of turkey with his veggies. We chilled at the in-laws and my FIL helped me complete a blanket that I had been saving for Gio. He taught me how to use the sewing machine and I let him do the big part and I completed the pillows. I wasn't going to make pillows, but I had overestimated how much I really needed, so pillows it was. The pillows are more for my bed since it matches my chocolate brown comforter. LOL. I like when things work out in my favor!
I bought the paper to scope out all the Black Friday Deals and I wrote out what I wanted and needed. Was I planning to wake up at 4? Hell No! But my lil bundle of joy wakes up at 6 and we usually play in bed till 7 until I decide it is time to finally get up, lol! Anywhoo he usually wakes up early and I figured might as well use this to my advantage and peruse the sales if any are left. Well of all days Gio wakes up at 730. So I wake up Daddy and we get ready to leave, of course it takes us forever and we dont leave the house till 830, that is quick for us. Can't just walk out the door anymore and if you are a parent who does, lucky you! We went to HomeDepot, Target, BestBuy, CompUsa, Office Depot and Katy Mills throughtout the whole day. Our big loot includes a 7ft lighted x-mas tree, 1TB External Hard-drive, 2USB's, a bluetooth for mommy, mini vac,700 count sheets, and tons of movies including Punky Brewster Episodes. I was more excited about getting that one DVD for 1.99 and my external hard-drive. I know not anything exciting but just things we needed, well not really movies, but you know....=p Since we ran all our errands Thurs and Fri, we relaxed at home Saturday and Sunday. We cleaned up and organized our growing disorder, was able to make a donation pile that I vow to go donate this week!!! We ran to return some items on Saturday after Gio's 2nd nap and then picked up yummy fish tacos that we enjoyed after Gio went to sleep and had movie time for Daddy and Mommy. We also put up the Christmas tree and some decorations, my mom will have to do the rest!
Sunday we slept in again to 715, and then Gio and I went grocery shopping while Daddy went to go workout with Uncle Toan. We came back from the grocery store and I put everything away, then Gio fell asleep in my arms and when I went to put him down he woke up, ugggh! I tried relentlessly to put him down again but no such luck. Put him in his stroller and asked Grams to watch him while I got ready and started on the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Gio loves his Tita and played with her until it was lunch time. I was cooking the broccoli soup, making lunch for Gio and I-fish and sweetpotato for moi, fish and veggies for Gio with apples, and Chicken Broccoli soup for Gio's food stash. After lunch Gio played some more and then it was nap time again. This time it was perfect, he fell asleep, I put him in bed and off I went to finish my lunch and his food stash. I cleaned up the kitchen and some toys and then finally sat back to finish a movie and put my feet up! Whew! Daddy finally joined us and brought me a mango smoothie, yummy! Gio took a 1.5 hr nap and then we went out for a Starbucks run and drive. Well after lack of communication we ended up locking ourselves out! Luckily my cousins were available and bailed us out. While we waited for them we walked to Border's and read some magazines and children's books. When we got home Daddy fed Gio while I vacuumed the house and he successfully put Gio down to sleep with no need from Mommy! Thank you Daddy! I probably should have rested but I prepared a turkey meatloaf and stuck it in the oven and put a load in the washer. Hey I had free time and took advantage of it so that I can rest during the week and no cooking manana! Ok well I am going to make a greenbean casserole to accompany the meatloaf. I just took it out of the oven, clothes are in the dryer, baby sleeping and now mommy is off to bed! Great weekend and I am exhausted but very happy! So yea feels like I am nesting! Can you nest after you had the baby? I guess so and before you ask I am not pregnant! Hope you all had a great weekend! Can we please have more 4 day weekends??? My bday is in 2 weeks and then Xmas is right around the corner! Can't wait! Oh yea Gio scoped out the Xmas tree, tried touching it, it was probably rough on his hands and then he was over it. I give him some time, he has a whole month to discover it!
Agenda: Gio's birthday planning!! ASAP!

Nite nite! Love you lil sleeping pumpkin, meet you under the coconut tree!

12 years, 1-10 month old and Mr Louie the Boston Terrier!

Happy Anniversary to us! We celebrated our 12 year Anniv this past weekend with a trip to Austin. Here are the dates: Dating-Nov 20, 1998, Engaged-Nov 18, 2006 and Married-Nov 22, 2008. We kind of celebrate all of them on the 20th from the get go. So my hubby had this weekend all planned out and it was nice, not having to worry or plan or think of anything. I did overpack, hey really were you surprised? But to my defense I did not know of any activities and I wanted to be prepared. Well earlier in the week it was really cool in Houston, and it was always cooler in Austin so I packed very warm clothing for Gio and I. Guess what? We got to Austin Saturday morning and it is humid!!! Agggh! Thankfully I packed lighter clothing for Gio and changed him quickly. Thanks to my SIL Christine, we have come to know Austin pretty well after many visits while she she studied at UT. My favorite place to go to is South Congress. I love the shops, ambience and just the freedom to walk everywhere. There is a boutique hotel called the San Jose, that I have always wanted to stay at. It is so inviting and I always told Luan that one day we should stay there for something special, this has been about 4 years in the making... I looked it up once but it was out of our price range, who knew?

We arrive at SOCO and walk around, there are tons of events going on and the current it thing is the Food Truck Nation Vendors. It was a eating fest weekend, we started with pizza at HomeSlice, then a white chocolate mousse coconut pecan pie at Cutie Pies.
Then a Kalbi Crepe, snocones, and then munchies at Mightycone. This was throughout the day...lol. We were walking around and Hubby kept talking about moving the car, so we went along and he drove into the San Jose Parking lot which is next to Jo's Cafe, which we always go to.
I told him it was only for hotel guests and we couldn't park there, he insisted and then I followed him into the Hotel and couldn't get over the fact that we were actually staying there. Awesome surprise.
The courtyard and ambience of the hotel is gorgeous! We all rested for a while and then hit SoCo again for more walking. Man those little little hills were killer with a carrier or stroller, we sure got a workout. Gio took it all in stride and was enjoying being outdoors. Later that night we went to Mozart's on Lake Austin for drinks and dessert. They had all the x-mas lights up and live music on the patio. We hung around on the patio and talked while our lil one just enjoyed people watching. I wonder where he gets that from?

Sunday we woke up early-thank you Gio! We chilled around the hotel. While Daddy got ready I walked Gio out to Jo's next door and we watched as all the bikers went by, people watching again. Daddy joined us in the lounge area and we had some coffee and croissants as Gio tried to walk by holding on to each chair.

He is growing so fast and ready to explore the world. Christine had mentioned Oasis since our first visit to Austin but we kept putting it off everytime, so we finally went. If you are ever in Austin it is a must! It is Oasis on Lake Travis.

The restaurant has great views from every seat. We enjoyed brunch on the terrace with a gorgeous view of the lake. Gio is unfazed by all this but he sure did enjoy his cereal and fruit. We also celebrated Gio's 10 month's. Can time just slow down just a lil...por favor. My lil one sure doesn't look like a little baby anymore...but he sure does sound like one when its time for a nap...lol!


We finally left Oasis and made a pit stop at another landmark-San Marcos outlets. Daddy, Gio and I all got presents, hey it was celebration time and then we headed home! It wasn't the most relaxing weekend,but it was very memorable and enjoyable anniversary! As most people are, we are in our own little world and loving every minute of it! Enjoying 12 years of love and now family time with Baby G and Mr. Louie.

Ear Be Well!

So we were sick, we got Gio sick...remember that... Well Gio doesn't sleep throught the night and he was just waking up crying and screaming but crazy, not stirring...just full out crying. I thought molars or who knows what. Gio goes to bed just fine after our nite time routine by 8 he is out. 845/9 he is up and keeps it going every 45 to every hour and a half. He can't soothe himself or I find him sitting up and trying to fall asleep. He also pulls himself up or pops up on all 4 ready to crawl. I pick him up and he instantly falls back asleep and then we repeat the process. I had read a while ago that once they learn a new trick or crawl or walk, they want to practice it. They will wake up and practice...it's crazy. I feel so bad for him because he is so tired and just scratching his head as he is sitting in his crib, whining. Poor kid. Anywhoo I just had a feeling something was up, this sleeping behavior of crying was not normal. So I finally took him to Pedi sure enough he had an ear infection. Man do I feel like a loser. My mom had mentioned Gio tugging at his ear, but whenever Gio is sleepy he tugs on his ears and rubs his eyes and head, so I thought nothing of it. But since we got sick, it must have made it worse in the process. She perscribed antibiotics and of course we were on the fence whether to use them, because most ear infections are viral and not bacterial. But she said she saw fluid and possibly pus, so we went ahead and started antibiotics. I also started Ear Be Well by WishGardens which is a Ear oil to aid in healing. I also got my otoscope out to check his ear to compare for future possibilities.

Gio has been so clingy lately poor lil man, what my mom and daddy call mammaitis. So gio took his meds and instantly felt better. An exhausted mom and dad felt so relieved that there was something actually wrong with Gio and not just a crazy phase. I know that sounds crazy but we felt helpless because he was just crying and nothing we did could soothe him, especially when it's teeth..nothing. He slept so well that night and has been since. Yesterday he took a 3 hour nap with my mom in the morning and I kept him going throught the afternoon so that he wouldn't nap because it was too late. Lil man was asleep by 6:30...WOW!!! of course he woke up 30 min later at least 3 times, but then after that he was out. He was so exhausted. Overall he slept 12 hours last night, interrupted but he slept and woke up so happy. We will see what happens tonight.
(All my posts have something to do with sleeping, i know, but if you have a child you will one day understand and if you have a child that sleeps throught the nite, Lucky, otherwise, what we are going through is normal, every child is different and Gio is certainly makind his own rules here.)
Anywhoo...I made Gio a nosew Blanket that I love love love. It's his carseat blanket because it's small (bought too little fabric, lol) and I also have fabric for an awesome blanket waiting to be sewed. =p

I am supposed to be planning his birthday but yea no such luck. This past weekend we were visited by family and friends. My Aunt Elo, Cousin Jenny and her bf Patrick visited us. My friend Danette and my fav lil guy Pablo JR visisted as well. We had fun catching up with everybody and spent a relaxing weekend with family and friends.
I also signed up Gio for Baby Sign Language class, we went to one, skipped the second because he was sick and is going to his 3rd tomorrow. The class is fun and of course Mommy is learning her sign language. Gio loves music and instantly calms down when I start singing his favorite. At one point it was "You are my Sunshine" now its "Baby Bumblebee" He Loves it! I also found the best shoes for Gio for ShooFoo. I saw another kid in the class and asked his parents, lol. I went home and orderede them instantly. Can I just say that he loves his shoes. Every other shoe he takes them off, kicks his feet and cries. He can move and crawl around with these shoes. I am so happy to finally get him something that fits. We got him measured at Stride-Rite and he is a 6 ExtraWide. The shoes are cute, but still a little too hard to move about for a beginner walker. Did I just say walker? Sure did, lil G pulls himself up and then walks himself along the sofa as long as he is holding on. Lil G can easily side step but front step isn't quite there. He just jumps up and down like a lil spring. Hilarious. There are times when he lets go and forgets, uh oh! Anywhoo, thats us!



This weekend we are off to Austin to celebrate our Anniversary. We thought about leaving Gio for the night, but it's just not the right time. For one I have to pump 3x a day just to get enough milk and that's just not going to happen, because I am barely getting any out. I get 5-6 oz and that's it. Now when I am home I have to remind Gio to eat because he is play play play. Now when he is ready for nap or sleep he is ready to eat, but otherwise I have to pick him up and make him eat. I used to worry that Gio would never stop feeding, bc he would latch on every 2-3 hours and feed for hours (ok I am exaggerating but it was quite a while) Now I will go about my day and have to remind myself to feed him his milk, otherwise he is eating his solids. Crazy how fast it all goes and changes. He is an efficient eater and is done in less than 10 minutes. Ok yea back to leaving him, he is not sleeping through the nite and I don't want to put that on anyone other than us. Maybe when Gio is older we will venture out on our own for the weekend. Until then it's family time and honestly we enjoy it. Gio snuggled with us on the weekends is heaven and enjoying every minute of it.

Love you Lil Pumpkin!

to do...

so i have alot on my to do list, but have spent the last hour searching the web and becoming inspired by so many different venues....=p well somewhat productive right?
I am trying to plan some ideas for thanksgiving project, xmas presents, gio's birthday and how not to go overboard (too LATE)!
I have been wanting to sew for a while now and need to start asap, so many ideas.. so little time..=p
BIG PROJECT: GIo's Scrapbooks. I started off by making his first month photo album and yea thats where I stopped. I am almost 9 months behind and need to catch up, especially since I have all these free photobook coupons, what am i really waiting for?
Sleep...ughh same ol same ol. keeping gio to a schedule as much as possible and increase his sleep time by soothing and whatever I have up my sleeves. Daddy and I are running on fumes.

This past weekend we were all supposed to go to San Antonio, bc I won the Houston Alumni Rep for OLLU Alumni Exec Council. Well Tuesday came and I thought I was dying....lack of sleep, exhausted and any bug can take me down. Daddy and I were out for the count and then we contaminated poor Baby G. Well guess what we are feeling alot better but now he has a remaining cough and now the three of us passed it to my mom...woops. Speaking of my mom she has been under alot of stress with my grams care and health. My grams has been in the hospital 3x in the last month and a half. My mom has been shuffling her to so many dr's appts weekly, its getting out of hand..she is running out of steam. Even though we fight often, we love each other deeply and I couldn't have left Gio with anyone other than her to take care of him. He loves his Abuelita and smiles when he sees her each morning. Thanks Mom for all that you do!! FYI Grams is ok, she is out of the hospital and was misdiagnosed she did not have an infection in her heart valve but rather increased calcifications. My mom is also going to El Salvador for a week so I hope she gets some much needed rest, but she is visiting her ailing stepmother.

Anywhoo we decided to stay home and rest this past weekend and thank goodness we did, because Gio was a ruckus. He is certainly not feeling well on top of that he is teething and the damn time change. Saturday we went to BaNoi's. She took care of Gio while Mommy and Daddy went to see Due Date, hilarious. Did we go out for lunch, shopping, run errands...Nope. We went straight home to find Gio sleeping, so we joined him. We then went to dinner with BaNoi and headed home. Sunday Gio woke up at 7. Daddy and Mommy played the sleeping game, but it didn't work. We cleaned up around the house. Daddy and Gio watched football and napped while I went out for some errands and a manipedi. Thanks Daddy. I came home and made yummy enchiladas for everyone and experimented with spaghetti squash, my fave. Trying out some recipes soon! Love it!

Today Gio decided to wake up at 5, nothing would sway him to sleep again, so i let him play as I played "dead" next to him. In his playing his hand got too close to my eyesocket and I almost lost an eye which signaled the end of playtime and on to breakfast for all. Thanks for the timechange he was in bed by 730, lets hope that lasts and hopefully keep him sleeping in. Only time will tell. I'm off to bed folks, momma is tired and very sleep deprived. I am going back to the gym tomorrow because I have been out for a week due to this cold and I am aching to go back. We took a family walk today to help us get one foot forward...Nitey nite!

Happy Halloween

Hallow's Eve-
I took Gio to a farmer's market in search of some fresh veggies, but all they had were leafy veggies and organic meats, which are great for future trips. We walked around Rice Village and then headed home for an early lunch. We then got ready for the Motherhood Center's Halloween Bash and also registered for Baby Sign Language. The studio photographer had a special on portraits and we went ahead and had Gio take some shots. Well lil pumpkin wasn't having it, it was serious face all around. When we left, smile galore lol. We played around for a bit and then headed out to NASA. The annual Ballunar Festival was being held on NASA grounds and I was really excited to go, I love hot air balloons. We finally arrive and guess what no balloons except for one. The winds were too high and they had to take them down, boo! We waited around till 730 when the ballunar glow was to occur. They were going to blow up all the balloons again and light them up. It was worth the wait, pictures don't give it justice, it was gorgeous. We finally headed home and fell asleep quickly.


Halloween-
We woke up and treated ourselves to Dim Sum, love it. It was still early enough that we decided to watch a movie before the crowds come in and we become those parents. It was close to nap time, so it was great timing. Gio falls asleep but once the movie starts he wakes up and is ready for playtime. Well Mr. Crawler is ready for all sorts of fun and sitting in a theatre was not his cup of tea, the movie time is over for us, we will have to wait for when he gets older to sit through a movie. It was nice because we were the only ones in the theatre, but Gio wasn't having it. Daddy was enjoying the movie, but Mommy couldn't because Gio was getting restless. After bursts of frustration from Gio, Mommy made the decision to leave, Daddy wasn't ready but Gio needed out. Guess what once we were out and home, Happy Gio all around. =p. Spent the rest of the evening organizing, took a walk around the neighborhood, visited by Iliana and Lucy and finally put Gio down in his pumpkin pjs, while the door would not stop ringing from trick or treaters, who came late. Daddy and Mommy enjoyed pizza and wine with a movie at home, while our lil pumpkin started his slumber. All in all a good weekend with my boys as always.

Friday Waterworks

So today was a nice cool morning, gorgeous! It was Day 5 of GYM routine. I am exhausted, my whole body is sore and did I say exhausted but I am doing it. Is Gio sleeping thru the nite yet nope but I am working on it and still waking up at 6 to go to the gym so when I get off of work at 2pm I can come home straight to my little man. Yesterday I took Gio to the Children's Museum for family night. We had taken a long nap and I quickly dressed him in his skeleton PJ and went off to the museum. We had a great time he was still groggy from his nap but quickly snapped out of it and started playing around. He burned off some energy, we got home and he went straight to bed.

Well these last couple of weeks after a long week at work, we try to squeeze in an early family date night on Fridays. We both get off at 2 and come home to scoop Gio up and go to an early dinner all together. Gio usually falls asleep so the timing is great. Well lately he has pushed back his usual naps at 9am and 2/3pm to 11am and 4pm. He is definitely growing. He started crawling at 8 months and now is fully at it. He loves to pull-up and walk around his crib holding on. Wow slow it down Gio. Anywhoo back to our Friday. Well my friend is a beauty consultant at Estee Lauder and they were having a makeup trial, so I went to get a new makeover. My morning routine is go(TRY) to gym, come home, make/eat breakfast with Gio, shower, dress and run out the door...always a minute or two late to work...eek... So I needed help in makeup department just to awaken my fresh bright eyes just a tad bit. Well Daddy went to pick up Gio and met me at the mall. Gio saw me and I greeted him and was going back to get makeup done and he started the ugly wailing cry. What mommy I just saw you and you are leaving me...? So GIo sat in my lap until Daddy could lure him away for me to finish up. We finished and I met up with Gio and Daddy. Gio saw me again and came to me in the carrier. I fed him in the carrier as we walked around. It was close to naptime, but he wasn't having it. We went to eat anyways, ordered, I usually walk around until food comes in so that Gio can rest while we eat. We all win. Well not today, Gio wanted his mommy and was fighting his nap. So daddy ate, then he took over and Mommy ate, packed up food to go and off we went. Since we were at the Galleria, we decided to walk a little to distract Gio. Well he didnt want to be in stroller and he didnt want to be carried. We finally put Gio in the stroller and the wails started again. He calmed down because we gave him my cellphone his favorite to play with. Gio and I were both exhausted so time to go home!!! I put him in the carseat and the cries start again. Daddy sadly leaves us because he has to go to work, so I pack the car quickly and get on the road all while Gio is crying his heart out. Guess what....Houston traffic welcomed me along with Gio's crying in the back. I was personally breaking down, it was horrible. I am 15 min away from home, but Gio's crying wont stop, he starts the choking, he is desparetly reaching out for me and I am trying to console him from the front, I finally get off the highway and pull into a church, take him out and guess what I get...a huge SMILE and quiet sobbs and a huge breath of relief from his little mouth. We sit on the curb for a couple of minutes. I am debating whether to put him back into his seat or pull a Britney Spears and put him in my lap as I drive home. I attempted the seat, crying starts, so we chill out for a bit more.. He is smiling, laughing..lets do this again...him in my lap looks very tempting.... Safety first. I put him in his seat give him some expressed milk in his sippy cup..too late crying has started and so has the coughing and choking on spit. I drive home as fast as I can...Yes I was that crazed mommy you saw in the Mommy wagon, who probably honked and wished (probably) she flicked you off because you were driving so slow or didn't put the signal on. I was FRAZZLED!! Gio was crying, I was crying..oh yea makeover was really nice, but by this time it was running down my face. I finally pull into my driveway and practically yank Gio out of the carseat, who is still crying his heart out and is holding onto me for dear life. During one of his widemouth crying spell I see that his lower gums are swollen and I can see the beginning of molars. Yea more teeth....=/. We finally get inside and I try to calm him down. I give him a cold chewy toy, he can't because he is too busy crying. He sees his green balloon and mommy starts making crazy faces while playing with balloon...Gio stops crying and a laugh escapes...more funny faces later...and normal breathing has started again. Finally! Well guess what..I know a nap is strongly needed whether he wants one or not but a much needed diaper change is required. Waterworks commence. God give me strength!!!! We finish and mommy starts calming again. He latches on and within minutes he falls asleep. I hold him for a while and then place him in his crib. I am in the kitchen getting some water and I hear screaming. I pick him up start over again and lay down with him. 3 hours later I wake up, Gio is sleeping beside me and his nose is congested poor baby. I sneak out and Daddy finally gets home. Rough day he asks? I look at him as he hugs me while I am trying not to cry. He offers to take over night duty, which I usually deny because he has been working crazy hours and started getting sick. But tonight I need it. Why am I typing this instead of sleeping, because after laying out here for an hour and trying to sleep, I can't, Damn insomnia! I hope since I just ranted, I can rest.



I have a healthy and gorgeous son who I love dearly. Today was rough on both of us but you know what, tomorrow is a fresh start and the weekend. And even when days like this happen, the smile or snuggling I receive from Gio make it all worth it. Hey I am a Mom to Giovanni Nguyen and every minute is worth it. Nite baby G see you under the coconut tree!!!

Daddy's Carving Masterpiece 2010

Paul Frank Vampir

Good Job Daddy!

Baby Food Mania

We have been so busy during the week, that once Saturday comes we pack up in the car and are out for fun around town. This weekend we went to Petfest in Old Town Spring. Really cute, we were so tired afterwards and went to sleep early of course. Today we went for our regular walk and then brunch at Central Market then finished with grocery shopping. Luan and I eat whatever is available, but I go grocery shopping for Gio now, lol. I have resisted buying babyfood because I have so much fun making it so far. I did buy prunes babyfood this week because Gio is having a hard time pooping, we never had issues but with this new cereal and his digestive system maturing, everything is coming out too compact. Prunes will help for sure and Daddy is working on some acupuncture points for digestive help.

So today when we got home while Gio took a nap, mommy got busy in the kitchen. I made Butternut Squash, Carrots, Sweet Potato, Broccoli and Asparagus. We still have some Green Peas and Spinach left, so making more of a variety. When I talked to my pediatrician about introducing solids, she suggested we start with Rice Cereal --> Green Veggies --> Red/Orange Veggies
-->Yellow Veggies and Fruit Last. If we started with fruit or the lighter color veggies which are sweeter, we would have a harder time introducing stronger green veggies. Fruit is to be the last one to be introduced like a dessert, we liked this process so we have been following it so far...except I have introduced some fruit...=p

Gio's first veggie was actually Green Peas which are sweet but not as much as fruit and then Avocado. We then included Mexican squash, greenbeans, broccoli, spinach, butternut squash and sweet potato. I also made Caldo de Res and pureed it for Gio, man so far that has been his favorite so it's coming up on the menu soon. This past week i have introduced banana in his cereal, grapes and oranges here and there. By the looks of my lil pumpkin you would think I would be feeding him by the tons, but not so much. He is still primarily a breastmilk lover and will accept solids here and there. We are trying to be more consistent and make sure to pack a cooler with his food when we are out and about. So far so good. He is easily distracted and will refuse to eat and sometimes drink, therefore he likes to make it up towards the night, lol.

There are tons of babyfood making products out there, I almost went out and bought a babymill and some other fancy doodads, but so far I only bought storage containers. Yet I said...Today I bought the Munchkin freshfood feeder. I need to buy some portable placemats and more bibs because I had him looking crazy today, lol!


How I make my baby food:
Supplies:
Magic Bullet
Baby Cubes Storage Containers with Tray
OXO IceTray with Cover (LOVE IT)
Veggies Fresh/Frozen
Water
Chicken Broth

I either use fresh/frozen veggies. Thankfully there are so many veggies prewashed and cut for you to choose from or frozen works just as well. Boil veggies until soft or I follow bag instructions. Then drain about 75% of water. I use the Magic Bullet to puree all veggies and I add some of the boiled water and chicken broth (1-3oz). Add as much liquid as you need depending on how soft or chunky you want the food to be. I initially stored the veggies in the baby cubes, but some stopped sealing and opened up in the freezer. I found the OXO trays at RightStart and Bed Bath and Beyond. I now use 4 icetrays which I think I need more,because I am making alot more at one time instead of every other day. I wait for the food to cool down and then freeze. Once they are frozen I pop out the food from the icetrays and then store in freezer bags.

In the morning we take out what we need for lunch and dinner and leave in fridge to thaw out. I either warm the food in a container over hot water or if in a rush microwave. I add BM for flavor and to make it more smooth if veggies are to thick. Gio will eat 2-3 cubes of veggies at a time, sometimes on a good day, otherwise no such luck. Since we are introducing lighter colored veggies now, I make sure he gets a green veggie and colored at the same time, so we don't lose the love for his green veggies. Can I just say how much I love fresh spinach but not cooked and Gio just eats it all up, yea Gio! I am so proud of him and so happy to make him his food. This weekend I am hitting the local farmer's market to stock up on some fresh veggies and discover some new ones.


The Baby Cube Food Storage Containers

OXO IceCube Trays with Lid

Gio's Food Stash!!

Luan and I are trying be more consistent with our food choices and trying very hard to eliminate the fast food trend. We have to change our habits so that Gio will have good ones as he grows up. I got lazy through the years with my cooking skills but now trying to make more of an effort for all of us, because I can't feed Gio pureed veggies forever, lol. So I am digging out my cookbooks and going to start planning some future meals. Wish me luck and pray for the stomachs of my boys. Hahaha!

October Fun!

Hive Free and Fever Free! I can't stop being happy. Cereal out of the picture and everything went back to normal, thank you God! We started Gio back on peas, avocado, broccoli, green beans and squash with no issues. We have also introduced spinach, butternut squash, and grapes. I also bought a new cereal and started it Yesterday, everything good so far, any sign of hives and we are off the cereal. Oh yes test results for allergy and bloodwork.....Negative. Guess what? Gio is not allergic, it must have been a fluke who knows. Regardless we are careful with what Gio intakes. One last note regarding cereal, contacted HappyBellies through the website and got a rapid response. The QA supervisor emailed me and talked to me on the phone regarding the cereal in which his opinion, it's impossible that it could have provoked Hives. If i need to make sure I would have to reintroduce the cereal, but you know what, that's one test I rather avoid. Ill just switch products. Thanks!

Well October is here, somewhat cooler weather and fall festival fun. We started off with attending B.I.R.T.H. Fair held at the United Way. It provides information regarding Birth Choices, Breastfeeding, Babywearing, Health, Nutrition and so much more to expecting or new moms and everyone in between. It was great to see so many friends that we have made and all the moms wearing their babies. After the fair we went to eat at Zoe's Kitchen, yummy and very fresh, then we headed off to Midtown Festival which had live music. We stayed very shortly and zoomed over to Downtown Aquarium Restaurant where my cousins Carlos and Lee work. They hooked us up with tickets and enjoyed all the different activities: train ride, ferris wheel, carousel, aquarium, lions and lighthouse dive which was just for mommy and daddy. Gio chilled during the whole event and then his face lit up when we hit the Carousel. He was so happy the minute he got on the shark, laughing and smiling....except when it started moving, his face got serious and very concerned. Let's just say he was ready to get off. All in all it was a great day and weekend.


The first Tuesday of each month is free at the Zoo. We took advantage of this offer and took Gio for the first time. He chilled in his stroller and we pointed out all the animals which he could care less, he was with mommy and daddy and was enjoying his time. We were lucky to see the new Baby Elephant Baylor who is 3 months old and to hear that a new baby girl elephant Tupelo was just born the night before. I love Elephants and went back to the exhibit to listen to the Keeper's talk. I took Gio on the Zoo carousel let's just say he was not interested. lol. Gio fell asleep of course it was naptime for him and all the animals, so we enjoyed a quiet stroll thru the park while he slept. Great evening. We then met up with Abuelita Lety for dinner and then it was bedtime for all.



2nd weekend we started off with Shakira concert for Mommy and Daddy, Baby G stayed home with Abuelita. Shakira was amazing, great finally to see her live. Saturday we went to Dewberry Farm for their annual Pumpkin Patch. Of course Gio was the cutest Pumpkin there. We had a blast and BaNoi joined us for the fun. Daddy and Gio went down a rollerslide, which scared BaNoi and I but they survived. lol. We got lost in the cornmaze for a while and then Gio and I went on the cowtrain where we had fun but inhaled tons of dust. lol. I of course set up a mini photo session at the pumpkin patch, I was a litle disappointed with the patch, expected tons, but still got some photos in. You know what that means....I have to find another pumpkin patch, which I have...lol

Sunday we had the pleasure of attending Mely and JC's wedding. Gio wanted to come but opted to playing with BaNoi while Mommy and Daddy had grownup time. The wedding was gorgeous and we were very happy to be a part of their special day.

3rd weekend-When Daddy and I were in college we volunteered at San Antonio's ZooBoo. We had a great time and always wanted to take my child there once I had one. lol Well this weekend was the opening of ZOOBOO Houston and off we went. Gio was dressed in his Doctor in Training Scrubs. We of course visited the Elephant exhibit and got to see Baylor and Tupelo. So cute, I again listened to the keeper talk and and asked alot of questions. I love Elephants! It started off as cool day which quickly heated up. Gio was restless and he ended up in his tanktop and diapers. We cooled off with frozen yogurt before heading home. I have been on a hunt for a swing/slide set for Gio and searched craigslist for Gio's new treasure. Found a great one and luckily was contacted by the seller quickly.... I met her up and purchased it. Great condition and half the price you can't beat that. Needless to say...it was so worth it to see a Happy Gio swinging and his big ol teethy grin. We had such a great day that we all went to sleep at 8 and that is early for us. Sunday we woke up and went to brunch, walked around a quiet Rice Village and then headed home. Daddy went to go see the game with Uncle Toan while Mommy caught up on work at home. Gio and I played on his swing and had a great relaxing evening.



Can't wait for next weekend just to spend all day with my boys and enjoy the rest of fall and festivities. I have our calendar packed, of course and Gio is ready for all the fun! Love you lil Pumpkin!


Resources:
B.I.R.T.H.
http://www.houbirth.org/
Houston Zoo-Elephants
http://www.houstonzoo.org/babyelephants/
Dewberry Farm
http://www.dewberryfarm.com/
Downtown Aquarium
http://www.aquariumrestaurants.com/downtownaquariumhouston/default.asp
Zoe's Kitchen
http://www.zoeskitchen.com/