Don't forget me :(

This past weekend we drove out to Arizona. I've never been to Mesa & to be honest the only experience I've had with Arizona is Quartzite. Omg we all know how much I LOVE that place.

So needless to say I wasn't expecting too much. I tried not to expect anything so I wouldn't be too disappointed. I am definitely the pessimistic one in our relationship & even though I love Paul sometimes his "everything is sugar & spice & will work out in the end" speeches get a bit old. Especially when I'd rather wallow in self pity.

So early Saturday morning we got up, dressed, packed & kissed the poochies good-bye & told them to wish us luck. I think they might have wished more for themselves because what can I say? Arizona was pretty awesome.

On the drive there we saw a lot of this:

Now you can only play count the cactus for so long. :/

Thankfully the drive wasn't that bad. I drove from Cali to Quartzite & Paul drove the rest of the way (only 4 1/2 hrs. total, not too shabby). As soon as he hit civilization I noticed one thing right off the bat.

The freeway was bare....bare & free of any tagging!

I really wish I took pics but believe me I looked. Nothing on the ramps, street lights, stop signs....nothing. I didn't want to jinx anything so just kept an eye out. Little did I know Paul was noticing the same thing. If there's anything I hate is the awful look & aura of tagging. It's pointless & a disturbing reminder that there's a bunch of dumb asses in the area.

As we drove further into Az I noticed that the traffic was a lot calmer. There were cars on the road but no one was in a hurry, cutting in & out of lanes or riding our ass.

So far so good.

The city we'll be working out of is Mesa but we looked in the city of Gilbert (two exits away) for a place to live. As soon as we exited Power Rd. into Gilbert we were warmly welcomed by a huge sign glowing Super Target. If you know me, you know my love for Target. There was a grand opening for a 76 gas station. Full of free food, drinks, snacks, a jumper & a wall for rock climbing set up for kids to run around & play.

Just as I was settling down & getting rid of some anxiety the real pressure started.

Apartment hunting. BLAH! So after the first place I was already burnt (we arrived close to 1pm) & wanted to grab a bite to eat. New York Pizza Dept. was highly recommended & not a far drive so we headed out.

Cute right?

As soon as we went inside I noticed only one other family eating there. Maybe, they don't pick up until late afternoon? So I went to the bathroom to wash up & I'm not sure what hit me but I realized that this is it. When we go out to eat it's just going to be Paul & I. My aunt won't be waiting or meeting us anywhere. I won't be able to solve the child menu puzzles with my cousins & I can't grab sushi with Diana every time I'm sad.

I thought I was fine but reality hitting me out of nowhere really shook things.

So, I walked back to our table, sat down & cried. Paul held me & just reminded me of all the opportunities moving would give us & Cameron. I know he's right. I know this is the right thing to do. But moving still hurts my heart.

Before leaving the waitress gave us a welcome packet.

It was full of goodies. Menu, coupons & free dessert voucher. I don't know if she felt bad for us or was just truly nice but it did put a better light on the situation.

We went to a few more places. I didn't love any of them. Paul was still stuck on the first place which I liked but didn't love. Before leaving to Az I googled dog parks in Az & found Cosmo Park.

Wow! It was better than we imagined.

Full of dogs (most dog parks that we've been to have 5 or less) it had a man made lake for dogs to swim in or play fetch. There was even a ramp so the dogs could run off of it & jump into the water.
Obstacles through out the park to run over, under & through.

I couldn't help but get excited & look forward to bringing Oscar & Sadie back.


An Amphitheatre. Paul already envisioned Shakespeare being played. :)

There was even a kid area which I'm sure we'll visit plenty with Cameron.

To top it all off the restrooms were sparkling clean with no tagging! As you can see this "no tagging" feature is huge with me. When I asked an employee at one of the apt. complexes if they have somebody come out & paint over tagging she replied with, "what's tagging?" I had to explain that it's graffiti. She said, "we don't have that problem in Az." Music to my ears. Now I'm not naive. I'm sure it's somewhere but in the full two days we were there I didn't see it once.

But it's nice to know that if I do see some at Cosmo park there's a number I can call.

Oh, & I will. :)

We finally found (the last place we visited before heading home) an apt. I LOVE in an area that compliments our needs. But I'll save the stories & pics for another post.

We finally met Cameron Joaquin Jackson

I still can't believe it.

My appointment was yesterday at 10am. I took the whole day off in anticipation. My plan was to get ready & leave the house before 9:30 so I could drink my water & not have to worry about breaking a sweat in my bouncy car. Unfortunately, it didn't happen that way.

9:38 Still at home. Running around looking for camcorder, keys (mental note: they're in the bathroom), cell phone. WHERE THE HELL IS MY CELL PHONE?!

10 seconds later....

Cellphone rings!

Paul: I'm on my way to the dr's office.

Brandy: Uh-huh yeah...

Paul: Did you get my text?

Brandy: Wha? What are you talking about? Frantically making the dogs a treat

Paul: Because you didn't reply...

Brandy: WHAT?! No, no I didn't. I mean I couldn't find my cell. I mean ok, ok I'm on the verge of throwing up from being so damn nervous. I have to leave right now!

9:41 I close front door.......& as I hear it click I realize. I never went back for my keys. :(

So shortly afterward Paul picked me up & we were on our merry way. Merry as in I was chugging down bottle after bottle of water while trying not to throw up.

We finally arrive at the dr's office & as I go check in Paul stays behind in the car to let the camcorder charge. Yes be jealous. Our awesome car comes complete w/a 12v line. It's as if they had me & my camera/camcorder that's always dead in mind when they designed that beauty. :)

After I checked in Paul & I documented the day to Baby J. I assured him that yes his mommy is a dope that does tend to lock herself out of the house or other bizarre quirks especially when I'm nervous. After the mini interview we were off to our appt.

Holy cow I thought I was going to explode w/excitement & pee. Thankfully I kept it all together & we went off w/our U/S technician. Her name was Lori. Before we started the u/s we introduced her to baby J via camcorder & then the real excitement began. We saw our baby J!

It's so crazy. It felt as though only last week he was this big:

& now we were seeing actual arms, legs & mouth!

It took her awhile to determine if it was a baby boy or girl. He started off sound asleep facing toward the camera. :/ Stubborn like his mama. No bueno.

With a few pushes on my belly he plopped around long enough for us to see the goods. Well, long enough for Lori to see the goods. It all happened so fast I'm glad she was use to these situations.

If it looks like a huge blur to you......well, welcome to the club. If I really put my imagination to is I think I see a pee pee but for the most part I see a bunch of ink blots. :/ After the quick crotch shot he would only give us a side view. Which was fine by us. It was so surreal to see him waving & sucking away (I think he was eating the fruit leather I ate a few mins before our appt.) :)

Then he decided he had enough of our shenanigan's

..........& kicked me.

I didn't feel the kick but holy cow with a foot that huge how could I not right? After I expressed how huge I thought his foot was I expected Lori to say, "no, no that's normal." but instead she answered, "WHOA THAT IT IS BIG!" ha ha our little giraffe.

A few more shots later & our appt. was over. We stayed for a bit & chatted w/Lori. Her only child leaves for college this year. :( She was rather upset about it & said to enjoy our baby while we can because it all flys by so fast. Even though I know it's all true I can't wait for it to begin. :)

Lori gave Paul a little celebration gift.

I swear he still carries it around with him. Ok maybe not "carries" it but I know it's on his desk at work. ;)

We can't wait to meet & hold you Cameron!

Big hugs & kisses!

Happy Anniversary Handsome

A year ago today we invited our closest friends & family to be a part of the happiest day of our lives. Sounds corny but revisiting that day has brought nothing but smiles & laughter over every step of the way. I can't wait to celebrate the next 100 years full of memories that make us laugh & cringe at how our crazy tendencies complement each other.

I had a special delivery for Pauly at work. A bouquet of the same type of flowers we used for our wedding day: red Gerber Daisies.

Even boys love getting flowers. :)

Pills suck!

I've never been good at taking pills.

1. I forget to take them.

2. I'm a gagger.

I've come to find out being preggo doesn't make pill taking any easier. I'm usually nauseous & brushing my teeth w/out gagging has become a victory in itself. Since I found out I was with child my doctor immediately put me on Prenatal & Calcium pills. I'm a vegetarian (even though this baby is trying to turn my taste buds elsewhere) so since I don't drink milk she advised I take 1000 mg of calcium. Not too bad but that equals 2 pills. Then to top it off my prenatal pills stink. I don't know what that smell is but it makes me want to hurl. At first it reminded me of vanilla (which I love) but it was a weird rotting vanilla smell. Now it's turned into the stench of death. As if taking these 3 lovely pills wasn't enough I added Fish Oil to the mix. My friend took it while pregnant with her first baby. He's been tested by the Preschool he attends & has been said to have remarkable memory & is gifted in many other aspects. Say no more! I'm sold! Not that her personal experience guarantees a gifted child but hey it can't hurt. :)

Aren't they abnormaly large?! BLECH!

My lovely husband supports me so much. He's been my little cheerleader & yells out, "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" as I gag & try to swallow the juice I just threw back up into my mouth. Isn't that a delicious thought to process?

His constant support is rather sweet. :) This past week he even offered to take the pills with me. I thought he was joking so I agreed & handed him 4 pills. Together we chugged away & I was smitten. How he loves me & I love him so. :) Just for the record the fish oil pill was the worst for Pauly. For me the nasty stench of prenatal takes the cake every time!

Introducing Baby J!

Today was our 2nd appt. At the first one they ran a bunch of test. Blood, urine & pap. It was a very informative appt. but at the same time it was all very scary & new. Dr. Samudio has been phenomenal. She took the time to answer all our questions (whether they were silly or not) & even cracked a few jokes. By the end of our appt. I felt more at ease & couldn't wait to return.

Little did I know how nerve wracking the 2nd visit would be. I'm a very nervous person to begin with so it wasn't too uncommon for me to freak out a little. I just wanted to hear the heartbeat. I knew once I heard my baby everything would be fabulous.

And it was :)

On our way to the doctors office we began our first (of many) dvds for Baby J. We told him/her how much we loved him/her & how excited we were for this day & many days to come. :) It was a nice ice breaker before arriving to her office. We waited a short bit & then I was called in for another urine test & to check my . As soon as Dr. Samudio came into the office she remembered us. YAY! I'm sure she has many patients so you never know. She went over all my test (100% perfect), confirmed I'm 10 weeks pregnant w/a due date of January 6th & I finally learned my blood type. O positive. How I went 26 years never knowing this bit of personal information is beyond me.

After our quick update she said we were going to listen to the baby J's heart & next month we would get an ultrasound. I'm sure it didn't take long to find but WOW it felt like forever until we heard it. Baby J's perfect little heartbeat. I didn't cry but I could feel the relieve come over my whole body. We're having a baby!!!!

After the heartbeat she said, "let's do an ultrasound now!" YAY again! I was kind of sad when she said we'd have to wait but now we didn't. :) So we went to the next room, started up the camcorder & saw the cutest mini baby ever. Baby J was bouncing around like a gymnast! It all felt so surreal but very calming all at once. I can't describe it but after our appt. I started to cry.

We're having a baby. :)

So the larger version came out very blurry :/

The baby's head is on the left with his/her little arms crossing over. I swear w/all my might that I can make out an eye & little nose. Paul said I'm crazy but I'm the mama so I can see these crucial details!!!

Yay he loved it!

This past Sunday was Pauly's first Fathers Day. Even though Baby J hasn't arrived he's very proud of taking care of me & keeping up w/around the house. I have to say that Paul is the absolute best. When I first met Paul I loved how attentive & respectful he was to me. He'd open doors, get me a plate of food (gasp! the man serving the woman!) & even cooks. He cooks people! Thank you GOD for sending me a good man. :) Even before we found out I was preggo & was going through my weird sleeping phase (oh wait I'm still there :/) he would clean the house, take the dogs out & help out in any other way he could. I know he's going to make a terrific father & teach our baby EVERYTHING about sports. Oh help me.........touchdown? That's good? I thought that was illegal if you were underage? Oh my I have so much to learn.

The morning started off w/presents! I bought him The Expectant Father. He's been reading my pregnancy books so I thought one directed toward the daddy might help him understand why I'm psycho & cry all the time. :)

I was really excited to see his reaction of the photo w/his daddy but I didn't realize he'd be so shocked. After pulling away the wrapping he started to cry. :( awwwwwwwww it was so sweet. Oscar was so worried about his daddy he jumped up to give him lovings (lots of kisses). After awhile he finally just sat & stared at the picture. It's amazing how pictures can do that to you. You just want to stare & take in every little detail. Which of course he did. We talked about Bill, how cute baby pauly was & how much hair brother Jeff had. hee hee The ride also made some changes. It was all very nice & interesting to see his reaction & our reaction to the picture together. :)



After opening up gifts Paul made pancakes. MmmmmMmmmm I've never been a big fan of breakfast. It's always grossed me out. Apparently Baby J loves breakfast! Every morning I have to have either cereal, bagel, pancakes, you name it I want it. Doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary but a read meal before 11 a.m. is unheard of. The new craze is hash browns. Oh the glory of the fried potato. Mmmmmm



Then it was off to Barstow! Good lordy that was a long & HOT drive. We haven't been out there for so long I forgot about the miles & miles of desert scenery. We finally approached the cemetery which was actually pretty busy w/visitors. The last time I had been there was right after his headstone was placed. So that tells you quite a long time ago. I've mentioned to Paul that we should go visit but Bill was the first person (family-wise & that he was very close to) to have pass away. That's seems so un-real, lucky & truly sad all in one. So he wasn't too keen about visiting the cemetery. When we first arrived it was really sad because well it's a cemetery & two his headstone was covered in weeds & just looked a mess. :( Nobody had been there in awhile & you could tell. So what did we do? We headed to Wal-mart for gardening tools & a special surprise for Bill.

Pinwheels just ooze w/happiness don't you agree? It was nice to spend time w/Paul & "talk" to Bill. I told him since we made him look pretty he had to watch over Baby J. Deal? Deal ;)

Can't wait to visit soon Bill!

xoxoxoxo

Oh happy day!

First a recap on my b-day celebrations! My b-day weekend rocked! On Friday I had lunch w/a few of my absolute favorite people. :)

Then afterward my bestie Diana & I went to watch a little indy film. Not sure if you heard of it. It was opening day for Sex in the City. :) Call it what you want (hormones, being a sissy la) but I bawled my eyes out. From beginning (yes just hearing the music made me cry) to the wonderful end. I pictured myself in those same situations & just knew that I'd have someone to help me thought it all. I love being surrounded by wonderful & loving people. Even if some of them don't hug. ;)



The next day Paul had a surprise in store. What a wonderful surprise it turned out to be! We spent the day at the most wonderful place on earth Disneyland!!! Knowing that Paul chose this as a surprise truly shows how much he loves & adores (yes adores) me. Paul LOVES Magic Mountain & I LOVE Disneyland. We're both ehh about going to each others favorite park. Come to think of it since I'm preggo I can't go to M.M. for quite some time. oh darn...



Going to Disneyland while you're preggo certainly changes things up. We weren't able to go on rides that we normally do but at the same time we saw a few shows (the Tiki room & both parade showings) that we sometimes miss out on. The other change was I actually stared ALOT at all the kiddies & their parents. We spotted the good, the bad & the insanely cute. :) Paul said that every year we're taking our baby so that they knows all about Disneyland. Make my heart melt! Of course I'd love to come every year! Omg we're slowly turning into that insane couple that brings their newborn to Disneyland! FINALLY! hee hee

Here's a few pictures we took that day. :)

The ducks & various other birds are not camera shy. They walked up to anybody willing to share a fry! Must be that magical sugar goodness :)

Then shortly after we headed to City Hall to pick up my Birthday badge (hearing employees scream HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDY! Is the best!). On my way out of City Hall we saw Pluto. We were walking up to take a picture but he began to walk off :( I shoved my b-day badge in his snout & pleaded, "but Pluto it's my berfday!" Thankfully I got a hug AND a pic. Unfortunately Paul didn't get to pose in time. Hee hee this is my favorite picture by far.





On top of that we went on the kiddie rides (boo! Storybook land was closed :P). As we were waiting in line for Alice in Wonderland Paul told me that when he was younger he went on this w/this daddy. Bill passed away 2 years ago from Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). As strange as it might sound I'm glad he passed away. He's finally at peace. He was not himself & he was slowly disappearing before our eyes. There were times he would pretend to be sleeping to avoid our visits. To see someone you love so much in that type of pain & not have any control is horrible. Everyday we miss him more & more but at the same time it's comforting to know he's in heaven playing cards & enjoying a pain free afterlife. I know because of this man my Pauly is going to be a terrific father. We're going to share the stories of what a wonderful father, grandfather, friend & above all person he was to everyone that crossed his path. He treated me like a daughter & for that I'll always be grateful. :) After Paul told me that story I knew I had to get ahold of that picture!


As with every visit we arrived early for Fantasmic! & waited around for the firework Dreams Do Come True show. They just (or at least since I've last been) redid the whole firework show. It's amazing now! The music & all the colors are so fun. I loved every minute of it! Then afterward we window shopped & headed home. It was a wonderful birthday weekend.


To top it all off it gave me a good start to a future gift. Little did I know at that time it would be a perfect Fathers Day gift to Paul. Oh happy day!

We love & miss you Bill!!!

xoxoxoxoxo

I love Target & Target loves ME

Where else can you go intending to buy shaving cream but leave with 20 other items you didn't realize you couldn't live without?!

Ahhh the glory of Target. On my lunchbreak today I have to visit the Redlands location to refill my prenatal pills. Since the refill would take 30 mins I decided to "walk" around. First stop was the shampoo aisle "wait, I think I really need conditioner!" then I headed to the card section. I always stop at the card section just to see what's new & who I can send it to. It's usually my bestie Julia but on this occasion I began to look for Pauly. Fathers day is this weekend & I already have a gift set in mind (future blog to come). As I read over each card I felt as though a blank card would be a better choice. That way I could fill it will all the gushy I love you's & sentimental you're going to be a great daddy to our baby as I wanted! So I left the fathers day aisle & found this card.

Jackpot! Not only does it have the infamous giraffe but it was blank inside & out. So I was about to leave the card aisle when I was stopped by a survey representative. She was super nice & said it would only take a few mins so I didn't mind. We gabbed about our significant other & I told her why I was purchasing this card & why I felt it was perfect (giraffe duh). Then at the end of the survey I received a $10 Target giftcard! Oh happy day!

Who says shopping is a waste of time? ;) Probably a man :p

Prenatal Pills $9.00
Awesome Card $2.99
Granola Bars $2.04
Conditioner $1.99
Sunny D $2.44
Deposit (boo!) $0.40
Skintimate $1.89

Getting paid for finding the perfect first fathers day card : PRICELESS

You can't see too clearly but the giraffe is full of peach fuzzes. :)

Long weekends

I don't know why but this weekend felt extra long & I loved it! Even though it's part of the weekday Thursday after work we decided (ok I decided but then I help Paul decided he wanted to as well) hike up the mountain trail near our condo. I didn't take a pic of the actual mountain (ok really big hill) but you get the idea.

There's our condo! Well....if you squint really hard. :p

You can see the 210 freeway to the left.

On Friday we relaxed & cleaned the house. I love the smell of a clean house.

Then Saturday I headed out to the beach w/Diana (BFF!) to Balboa beach. Paul stayed home & played sports w/the boys. Crazy boys running in the sun. We went where our toes could dig into the sand. The weather was perfect!

Then on Sunday Paul & I went swimming. :) The water was freezing! We decided the best way to get over the shock...was to jump in. :/ It wasn't so bad after my internal organs started working again. After swimming a few laps the water turned warm & it was really nice. The day was super hot so a cool dip was just what we needed. Afterward we head to PinkBerry. I've heard so much (yays & nays) about the place we decided to check it out for ourselves. WOW. The line was out the door so it was obviously the trendy thing to do. I loved all the gadgets along the wall which, were also for sale. I played w/each one as we waited. When it was finally our turn we realized we had no idea what we wanted. :p Our cashier was really nice & patient w/us newbies. Paul had Original with Kiwis, Strawberries & chocolate chips & I finally decided on a original/green tea swirl with granola, Fruity Pebbles (they're after my own heart) & rice cake bits formed into a marshmallow goodness.

I checked online & they're not listed but believe you me they were FAB. Despite the sticky tables & neglected bathroom I can't wait for our next visit. I particularly loved that it stayed cold & kept it's form until the very last bite. Mmmm! Paul liked it but isn't sitting at the edge of his seat for another trip. Then we went off to Target to blow $100 plus on wonderful nothings that we never knew we wanted until we arrived at Target. :p The magic of the red clearance tag! If you're a sucker like myself never look at the original listed price. It's usually .50-.75 cents more :/ Oh well! A sale is a sale!

Lovely weekend. :)

Post full o'pics!

As I mentioned in the post below Paul LOVED & was super excited to drive in his tagged b-day car. hee hee :)

Last night was faaaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbbbbbb! Richard decorated the house & filled all the goodie bags.

Good job Richard!

We had a full house (our house isn't that big) full of friends, family & dogs! :) My Aunt was so excited to come over that she was early! That was a shocking moment for us all. She's NEVER early. Can you feel the love people?

Onto the party!

Party Pooper :/My tacos were a big hit (yay!). I made Mexican rice (ugh I can't make that for the life of me blah!) & my mac 'n' cheese. Paul LOVES my mac 'n' cheese (thanks jenn!). Everybody hung out talked, laughed, yelled at the dogs for surrounding the kids table. :/ & ate & ate & ate & then laughed some more after Paul revealed Dianas gift. HA! :D

Richards awesome find :D

*tear* *tear* His first Blu-Ray movie for his new Blu-Ray Dvd player thingy :/

He made out like a bandit!

The night ended with goody bags, American Idol worthy singing & yummy, yummy ice cream cake.

Happy Birthday Pauly Wally!