Tick, tick, tick goes the clock

When I found out that I was pregnant there were enough questions, concerns, emotions to figure out. Then came the doozy....I had to find a new Dr.

I cried over finding a new Dr. I've had the same Dr. since before I met Paul & now I had to start fresh. Then to top if off I only had two Drs to chose from....after I stopped crying on the phone w/my provider I finally decided on Dr. Samudio.

She has been nothing but heaven sent. Not only does she answer all of our questions/concerns but when we talk to her it's more like spending time with a close friend or family then a Dr. Throughout my pregnancy Paul missed one appt. & she made it clear that was a no-no. ;) I think that made us closer to her. Just knowing that she cared enough to be honest with us & help us in any way she could. She even snuck us in for an extra ultrasound to see our Cameron & hugged us on each visit.

I'll miss a lot when we leave Cali but Dr. Samudio will always be in my top 5. She even requested that we keep in touch (as if she got rid of us that quickly!) & wanted to stay in the know about Cameron.

Jeremy & Nikita

This past Wednesday Jeremy & Nikita renewed their vows. Last year after returning from his first tour to Iraq they eloped on May 31, 2007. Needless to say I wasn't too thrilled about missing my brothers own wedding (court or not). :(

I was beyond happy when they not only announced they would marry at The Flamingo in Las Vegas but I was asked to be a part of the bridal party as well. Over the past few years I've had a chance to get to know Nikita & we became closer after his second tour. It was fun helping & being a part of the planning. A dress was finally agreed on for the bridal party & I ordered it online 2 sizes bigger than what I normally wore pre-pregnancy. All I have to say is thank goodness the wedding was NOW. I thought I'd have to take it in.....nope my belly took up all the room it could.

You couldn't tell but she was nervous. :)

Thankfully we were able to convince her daddy to take off his darn blue tooth.

Gorgeous.

They did a great job picking the color blue.

Picture perfect.

Not only was it an honor to be asked but I had the best seat in the house. As my brother recited his vows I could see how much he truly loves Nikita.

They make a wonderful couple & compliment each other really well. It's fun to see people you're close to grow not only as individuals but as a couple.

First dance

The Power Of Love by Celine Dion

I bawled like a baby. Now when I hear this song I get teary eyed.

Paul was nice enough to step in as Galvan's girlfriend (who couldn't make it).

Cameron started moving around. He wanted all eyes on the belly.

Handsome

For fun, we gave them big balla' cups that said Bride & Groom in Rhinestones.

Aunt Rachel kept her cup up for about 5 mins after the toast. hee hee

The Army has made him too serious.

My beautiful grandma

Before

After.

They weren't very nice. ;)

Jeremy put in a special request for Paul & Ramirez to battle in a dance off.

I don't know what's more funnier (yes that's a word).

That they did it or that Jeremy requested it. Either way it got the party started!

It all happened to fast I didn't get a shot of Paul pretending to pee like a dog on Ramirez's leg.

After the wedding we headed to the strip. I've never watched the Bellagio water show. It's actually pretty nice. :)

We saw this......

But the store was closed & I couldn't get it for Cameron. :(
Next time...

Good times, good times

Even through the stress of moving, packing & mentally preparing for what's to come with the baby & our move out of state it helps to reflect on how I've been very blessed these last few weeks.

September 17th I received a text message from my sister in law Nikita:

He came home early this morning!!!!

My brother Jeremy was finally home. We weren't expecting him until the 27th so this was an awesome surprise. This was his second tour of Iraq & I still can't comprehend how he made it mentally through his first. I've heard & watched documentaries on soldiers who come back not quite the "same" & deal with drinking & drug addictions to fight off the stress of being over seas.

I didn't know what to expect the first time he made it home but after a few days back into the states I finally got to talk & see him. He seemed ok. Not 100% ok but ok in the sense that he wasn't picking up a bottle or pills. He talked a lot. About what he saw, what he did & had to do. The stories seem to horrific to be real but they were & here my (at the time) 19 year old brother was retelling everything he went through.

Now back from his second tour he's changed.......but honestly for the better. He seems more mature, more sure of himself & not afraid to crack a smile or joke around. :)

Nikita set up a surprise welcome home party for that Saturday but he found out the night before. :( Oh well, I'm sure it was still a nice surprise that she put the time & thought into putting everything together.

As we drove onto the base we were flooded with welcome home banners.

Since Jeremy found out that people were coming over he bought a grill & Bar-B-Que chicken, ribs & veggie dogs for me. :) They were delicious!

It was nice to catch up with each other & just spend quality time. Quality time meaning kicking ass in Pictionary. Seriously, who draws a broom that looks like it was made out of hot dog links?

Nikita & Jeremy will be renewing their vows later this month. My cousin Joseph who joined the Army last year was on his first tour in Iraq. He surprised everybody by coming home early to celebrate his 21st b-day in the states & be a part of the wedding. :)

Happy thoughts all around.

WOO HOO!

Maybe the whole "pregnancy brain" myth is true. I swear before I got pregnant I thought that cravings were made up so people could pig out & not hear a peep about it. Then I ate meat...

Now this! My darn cord that connects from my camera to the computer was...........in my top desk drawer at work.

Oy.

My wonderful friend Noel. She was kind enough to not only drive down from San Diego for the big day but she came down early so we could have some alone time & catch up.

My awesome diaper cake. Diana is so creative. ;)
That little bundle of joy is my Cooper. He helped me become less paranoid about becoming a good mommy. He cried, I swaddled & we fell in love.
I am not a fan of carrot cake but my god that was a bomb cake!

My little helper for the day. He was in charge of keeping the guest entertained. Ummmm, I'm thinking of an object & it starts with M.

My brother attempting to guess the baby food.

Little did he know Paul picked out hard ones! Turkey with peas & chicken. Who the heck would guess that?

The fabulous Diana. Who took the time to plan the best baby shower. :)

xoxoxoxooxo

Say what you need to say

Every time I hear this song by John Mayer I can't help but sing along. I never really paid too much attention to the lyrics, I just love his voice.

With the anniversary of 9/11 & being in a somber mood I listened more & sang less.

Take all of your wasted honor.

Every little past frustration.

Take all of your so called problems, Better put 'em in quotations.

Say what you need to say (x8)

Walkin' like a one man army,

Fightin' with the shadows in your head.

Livin' up the same old moment Knowin' you'd be better off instead If you could only...

Say what you need to say (x8)

Have no fear for givin' in.

Have no fear for giving over.

You better know that in the end It's better to say too much,

than never to say what you need to say again.

Even if your hands are shaking,

And your faith is broken.

Even as the eyes are closin',

Do it with a heart wide open.

Say what you need to say (x7)

Say what you need to,

Say what you need to...

There's an old saying (which I do not know word for word) but the essence is it only takes one rock to start a trickle. Beyond corny, I agree, but for the moment it's eerily close to the truth.

Little did I know that the call I made to my mother (who lived in L.a. at the time) warning her to take my brothers out of school (due to alerts that L.A. was next) that my little brother would now be a Military man.

He's out on his second tour right now. Jeremy pictured far right

Jeremy pictured far left

Thankfully, he's scheduled to come home this month on the 27th.

I don't have much to say. I don't know how to make his life easier, to ease the pain around the world or to even make sense about a tragedy that still hurts as if it happened this very morning but sometimes just remembering & honoring those who passed is doing far more than any words ever could.

I love my grandma

As far back as I can remember I've always adored my Grandma. We hit a rough patch in my early teens, that went deeper than rebellion, but at the end of the day she's always been there for me.



I've always been grandmas favorite. Even though most people say, "oh I love you all the same" that wasn't the case for me. Grandma let it know when I was a baby that I was her favorite grandchild & I've even been donned with the nickname Precious. Now, that may not seem like a big deal to you but I'm the only grandchild w/a nickname. This of course has also made other family members loathe me a little but eh. I'll take my grandmas love any day.

I remember her telling me to, "put on your walking shoes!" which meant we were going out for a day of glorious shopping (see! blame her for my shopaholic ways), singing On The Road Again when we headed out to visit family & playing 4 corner king. Ah, those were the care free days.




Even though I haven't blogged about it most of my family/friends know that Paul & I will be moving to Mesa, Az. Yes, it's far & yes it's crazy but since we started dating Paul & I would always talk about how we felt California wasn't the right place (for us) to raise children & how we're sick of the hussle & bussle that's the heart of California. We've talked seriously about moving to Phoenix, Az (where he was born & raised for 4 years) & Denver, Co. When our company approached us (after announcing the closing of our store location) they would like for us to move out & work at the Mesa, Az location.



This decision was not made overnight nor was it easy. I avoided this talk like the plague & when Paul finally sat me down for a real discussion I fought like a bat out of hell. In the end our decision came down to moving & taking the opportunity that's been given to us.



This past Wednesday I met my Aunt Rachel & her two younger children Kira & Jacob at a skating rink. The bonus was getting to see my Grandma. She lives in L.A. so our visits aren't as often as I'd like. :(



We were sitting at a small table talking about the latest family drama (yes, my family is special) & going through magazines when she pointed out a small article for me to read.



The article read, the best way to reduce stress is through a heart felt hug. Not only does it reduce stress but it also feels good!



As I read the last part out loud my grandma wrapped her arms around me & gave a tight squeeze. Thinking about it now I want to cry but at the moment I laughed & said, "aww thank you! I needed that!" Don't you just love how grandmas just know how to make everything all better? :)

I love my grandma.

Two down one to go!

My middle brother Phillip graduated on Thursday from Pioneer High. I can't believe that they're growing up so fast. *tear* Actually, I did cry alot at the graduation. I cried when they started to walk & we weren't seated yet (this is a happy post so I won't go further into why that happened). I cried when I thought I saw Phillip. I cried when I saw Richard playing the intro song. How cool is that? My brother was graduating AND my other brother was performing their graduation music? Too cool.

My two strong men!

I called Phillip & asked him what he wanted for graduation. Yes, I'm ghetto like that. I'd rather get you what you want unless you spark a huge hint or I get all creative. None of these wonderful things happened (at the moment) so I had to make the call. What did he ask for you wonder? A Wii? A card full of cash? Oh no, no he wanted boxers. Yes, boxers. Stocking stuffer I understand but grad present? OMG. Ok, my little orphan I'll get you boxers. Hee hee I bought him only the best.


While Paul & I were going through the racks I saw an Ipod case.


*Light of awesome gift goes off*


Oooo! I'll get him an Ipod Nano! He's never had one. About a year ago he found one on the public bus & within that day was approached by some punks (with a knife no less) threatening his life for a stupid Ipod.

*sigh* Ahhh the ghetto thug life.

After the ceremony we made a mad dash out to the field. It took us quite awhile to find the graduate but when we did we were all full of happy tears. Congrats Phillip!!! We're all so proud. :)

This was a sweet moment. Of course I had to interrupt with my flash. Paul was giving him a manly pep talk filled with tears. :) You're #1 in our books Phillip & we're so proud of what you've already accomplished. All our love & support!

Thankfully he doesn't live in the ghetto neighborhood any longer. So I though an Ipod would be a surprise he would love. :)
And believe it or not..........he did :)

xoxoxoxo