My New Pets

I've been dying for a puppy for some time now. But living with my parents has prohibited me from owning one. My daddy hates pets and won't let us bring a dog to the house. Even if I promise to take good care of it. So as we were walking out of the house two nights ago... my husband walked into the rocks in front of our house and caught me this!

I don't know how he saw it in the dark, in the rocks, and with him being sooooo tiny! He's no more than an inch and a half long including his tail! Growing up in Arizona we're used to these little lizards everywhere. Not a day goes by when we don't see a few. After he picked it up (Can you tell he grew up here in the desert? These suckers are quick and he's a pro at catching them.) he came over to me and said, "Baby, I got you a pet. He proceeded tp show it to me. I had no idea what he was even doing in the first place so I was scared at what he might show me. But it was a teeny tiny baby lizard.



I always have my camera on me so I immediately snapped the above picture!



We brought it into the house and remembering that my Brother-in-Law had an unopened brand new reptile tank... we went to his room and showed him my pet and he quickly got up to open the tank. My husband and his brother were like little kids putting the tank together and playing with the lizard... who I was calling "Tiny".



Soon my sister and nephew (my kids were in bed already) came over to see what all the commotion was about. My nephew was so curious to see what was in my husbands hand. So my husband holds out his hand to show him and the lizard jumps out of his hand and onto the floor. Panic broke out and my husband quickly picked up the lizard before we lost it under furniture. My nephew had us laughing so hard because he kept saying, "No I'm scared!" The best part was when he came over to me and said, "Tia, I'm scared... No! The dinosaur is gonna get me!" He had us in tears laughing so hard. So with that I decided to name him Dinosaur... Dino for short.

(This is Dino in his new habitat)

After he was all set up my husband decided that one was not enough and he went into the front yard and caught me another one. This one is regular sized and not as cute. But he did it for me and that's all that counts. Plus who finds so many lizards at 12:00 at night?

(This is T-rex... but I call him Rex for short)

So now I have two little pets courtesy of my husband Junior. I may not like creepy crawly things... but he sure does know how to make my day (or night in this case) because he thinks of me always. He said I wanted a pet and for now this was the best he could do. To go through all the trouble of setting up a home and catching them for me is incredible. I can't believe he he thought of me when he saw a baby lizard. He the best, more than I can ask for!

Baby Juan Jr Part II

I just can't get enough of this kid right now... so I'm sharing with you 2 of my favorite pictures from this weekend. WOW! Two posts in one day? I'm setting a personal record!

These are some little slippers I bought him while he was here this weekend. I LOVE them so much and he looked adorable in them!

A weekend with my nephew Juanito

This Juanito. The newest member of our family. He's 2 months old. And this weekend (yes the WHOLE weekend) we had the pleasure of babysitting him... along with his two older sisters, my nieces Brianna and Tallynna.

And let me tell you this was an experience. It was a joint effort put forth by my mom and I. We took turns with him. He put me into practice mode and made me remember what I'll be going through in a few months having a brand new baby. My kids are big now. They dress themselves, they're potty trained, and pretty much don't want my help with anything. So it was like WHOA! All of a sudden I was trying to figure out a baby I knew nothing about.

Throughout the weekend I guess that would be my favorite part. I got to know my nephew. Yes I'd seen him many times in the past two months but I didn't really know him. He likes to smile a lot! He loves to be talked to... and tries to talk back. Of course all I hear are funny baby noises... but he really was trying to have a conversation with me. Another thing is he likes to be held. OH NO! That was bad. I'm pregnant... and already have major back problems... and this baby wanted to be held. I'd say that was the hardest part.


The first night he was with us he didn't sleep very well. I think he was Mommy and Daddy sick. We tried a lot of different things but he just cried and cried. Until finally, my mom wrapped him up like a burrito and he fell asleep. He didn't have an easy night and my mom was tired. So at 6am she was knocking on my door and he was handed off. Luckily my husband is great with kids and he played with him and talked to him and even got him to laugh. A real laugh!


Another thing we learned is that he is indeed a boy! Yes we've seen male parts but that's not what I am talking about. When he would cry we'd prop him in front of the TV and put on sportscenter. It seems to be ALL my brother watches at home and Juanito definately takes after Daddy. He'd right away stop crying and go to sleep! Yeah I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes! So he layed for a long time on my orange body pillow with my daughter and watched sports.

My kids fell in LOVE with their baby cousin more than they already were.

Diego, my son, was so excited when I told him we were having another baby and he demanded that we bring home a boy! (He even told us to keep the reciept in case it was a girl) So for him bonding with a little boy was so much fun. He's such a great big brother already to his sister that I have no doubt in my mind he will be incredible again. All he talks about is that when his baby cousin and baby brother are bigger he is going to show them how to play sports.

My daughter Alayna, has shown me such a different side to her as well. She's very stubborn, rough, and always wants all the attention on her. She's used to being our princess and I have been very worried about how she would react to a new baby brother or sister. My husband and I have agreed to include her in everything so she never feels left out. But knowing her personality and suddenly being thrown into the middle child position might make her rebel. She's only 2 but she has such a strong personality. But she loves her baby cousin so much! She wants to help with everything and was so excited that I included her when I took him a bath, or changed his diaper, and she even helped me feed him. It's nice to see that she may just be able to be okay with having a new baby in her life. Of course I still have to watch her because she loves the baby so much that she wants to be on top of him kissing him! It's adorable to watch though.

So we had a busy weekend but it's fun bonding with a new baby!

We've been BOO-ED!

What is booed?


It's a Halloween take on "Secret Santa".

It originated when neigbors started secretly leaving small gift baskets, a BOO poem, BOO instructions and a BOO sign at a neighbor's door.

In turn, the neighbor is asked to BOO two others, leading to a chain reaction--and Halloween fun. You'd deliver the BOOs secretly to a friend's doorstep--and watch the BOO signs multiply.

People now incorporate this with family, friends, and even co-workers. It's takes a little creativity, a little work, but it's a whole lot of fun!

I have never been booed but I had heard of it before. But tonight, was our night! Out by a little bush in front of our house was a little package. I picked it up and brought it over. It was actually from my aunt but my kids didn't know that. So I showed them the package and they were so excited by the story I read to them.

So right away we got started on our 2 packages. We filled them with halloween goodies. Now we have 2 days to deliver them and I hope our recipients like them!

Kika's Spooky Halloween Party

My aunt Kika loves Halloween so this year she decided to throw a party! Last week we were delievered an invitation by the hostess herself. My son Diego was very excited because he was the one who accepted the invitation. He was honored when my aunt told him that he was invited. As soon as she left he was brainstorming ideas of what he wanted to be. So we came up with Dracula. Of course he's only 4 so he didn't really know who dracula was. I got on the internet and googled some pictures and started telling him stories about him. I told him that he was a vampire and vampires suck people's blood! Typical boy... he was so intigued by my stories. He also learned that vampire can turn into bats and they sleep in coffins. Boy was he ever excited for this party now!

So Saturday was the party. It was so much fun! Everyone was dressed up in costume and there was so much food! Pizza, chips, salsa, cookies, cupcakes, candy, and plenty of drinks! They kids played games to win prizes and they even had a dance party.

My aunt did a great job with her decorations! Her backyard was adorable... I mean spooky!

My Dracula and my Snow White had a good time.

Here's some pictures of the event:

My cousin's Mattew & Alexis... I mean Garth and Wayne

My Rocker uncle Edgar

My parental Unit - The pimp and his "hooker"

My nieces Brianna and Tallynna

I was the Bride of Frankenstein...

Aww me and my my Dracula!

Meet my other half, my husband: James

I am the reflection in his eyes... he only has eyes for me!"

So I got a survey sent to me on my myspace and I thought I'd post it here since I didn't have an idea for today's post.

Meet my other half, my husband: James

Whats his name?

James but we call him Junior. Actually his real name is James-Henry Udell (Last Name Here) Jr. (And trust me our last name is strange and funny)

His Birthday?

*March 7th

How long have you been together?

*Over 3 years

How long did you know each other before you got together?

*Well we'd known eachother like 10 years but hadn't seen eachother in like 3 years

What features attracted you to him first?

*He's skinny... lol. No I dunno he doesn't have like attractive features... maybe his eyes. He speaks through his eyes.

Hair style?

*Ummm not much of one! Usually I buzz him with a one all over

How did you meet?

*We went to school together when we were little

Do your parents like him?

*They didn't at first but I think they have grown to understand and respect him. He's a rough person to get to know. So maybe they'd be better at answering that question.

Does it matter?

*Umm to a point yes... but I was still making my own decision. Now that they know him... I definately value their opinions.

Do you trust him?

*With my life!

Does he let you wear his pants?

*I wear the pants in this relationship! LOL... But I wear his sweats.

Do you have a shirt of his that you sleep with?

*Not one specific... all I wear to sleep are his shirts

Can you picture having kids with him?

*I already have 2 with him... and another on the way!

Is there one thing that bothers you that he does?

*Smoking definately.

Does he have a temper?

*Yes, oh my yes, I haven't seen it in a long time but when you push him he gets super mad! He's definately learned to control it a little better.

Are you happy to be with him?

*Absolutely!

Does he embarrass you in public?

*He tries to. But I am not one to get embarrassed easily.

Does he have any piercings?

*Yes his tongue

Does he have any scars that you know of?

*On the back of his head he has one in the shape of an L... he's got a few.

Is he Outgoing or Shy?

*He's very outgoing! He makes friends with anyone anywhere! I'm like geez!

Does he love his mom?

*Truthfully, they have a Love/Hate relationship but of course he loves her! They just butt heads a lot!

Would he hang out with you and YOUR friends?

*He has to! He loves my friends since I don't have many.

Does he sing?

*No but I get serenaded at bedtime sometimes. Or when we're listening to the country station in the car and my song comes on he sings it me. Ha Ha! He's gonna hate that I just told everyone that!

Does he snore?

*No... I'm the snorer

Do you like his friends?

*He doesn't have any actually. He's like me we don't really hang out or trust too many people.

So in a nutshell that my Husband. He's boring and has no hobbies. But he loves me and my kids to death and never fails to show me or tell me that. And that's why I love him so much!

My Pregnancy

Ok so I am 17 weeks pregnant today. And I had a Dr's appointment.

4 weeks ago at my last appointment they sent me for an ultrasound because I look like I am a lot further along. I was 13 weeks at the time. They were trying to make sure I wasn't having twins or something. My ultrasound was fine and we got to see baby for the first time. So cute! But when we were all done the tech said that the baby was measuring at 11 weeks not 13.

Hmmm? How is the baby not further along when I look like a balloon?

See?

Oh and I haven't gained any weight at all. In fact I lost a lb.

So back to today. I go in and my Dr finds baby's heartbeat and everything sounds great! But he tells me that he's pushing my due date back! From March 24th to April 10th! What?! Yup he says I am 15 weeks pregnant according to my last ultrasound.

Great! Lovely! Fan-freakin-tastic!

I get to be pregnant LONGER! At leasts that's how the irrational part of me is thinking. OH! And I lost another pound! What? I feel myself expanding more and more every day... but baby is small and I am losing weight. Nothing makes sense.

But I have complete faith in my Dr. He delivered both of my previous babies and he's really quite plesant to be around. He says he's not worried because baby is growing beautifully, his/her heartbeat is strong and normal, and I have small babies anyways. My first two 6lbs 2 oz and 6lbs 12oz. So... everything is fine.

But what a weird day!

On the bright side: I have my next appointment Nov 8th where I will either have my BIG ultrasound or schedule it for later that week! (You know BIG as in we will find out the sex!)

My Poor Little Boy

I haven't blogged in a while... mostly due to being a little stressed and a lot tired!


Last Wednesday, my son Diego got sick with the flu. He had a fever but we were keeping it down with motrin. But on Thursday morning, he woke me up cuz I heard him coughing. He was standing next to my bed and saying that he couldn't breathe. I jusmped up right away! He was gasping for air and coughing and crying all at the same time. My husband woke up too and we both were in a panic. The first thing he did was swoop him up in his arms and held him. He tried to calm him down and get him to breathe in and out normally. He sounded like he was wheezing very hard and very loud. As they were doing this... I woke up my daughter, put her shoes on, and put my son's shoes on. All I could think of was that he needed to see a doctor.


In about 5 minutes we were in our car and out the door. Luckily their pediatrician is a 1 minute drive from our house. They have a "sick entrance" as they call it, somewhat like an urgent care attached to their main office. So we went in and signed him in. He was still breathing very heavy, almost wheezing, and you could hear that he was having a hard time breathing still. My husband sat with him keeping him calm as I talked to the receptionist.


She asked me if I had an appointment. I said no. She asked me what I was there for. So I proceeded to tell her what had happened in the last 10 minutes. She turned to me and said, "Well, we can only see him if he has an appointment." I was caught off guard... and thought in my head... "Did I walk through the right entrance?" as I glanced at the door and saw it indeed say "Sick Entrance". So I tell the receptionist... "Isn't this the sick entrance, why would you need an appointment?" She goes on to tell me that it was a new policy but I was welcome to wait a while and see if they could get a nurse to talk to me... blah blah blah. That made me furious! I turned to her and said, "That is ridiculous! If I knew my son was gonna get so sick to the point where he has trouble breathing, I would have made an appointment last week!" By this time my voice was no longer quiet. Call me a crazy lady, call me a hormal pregnant mad woman, call me what you wish but that was absurd! My husband quickly tried to get me to calm down and sit and wait, beacuse he knew it was unusual for me to get mad and start causing commotion. That was his forte. And rightfully true, I don't get angered quite easily, but when it comes to my babies, the mama tiger in me comes out.


So I walked out of the office vowing to never go back there again. I had my husband call his sister who works at another pediatrician's office. I went there the day my daughter was sick a few weeks ago with blisters in her mouth and I really liked the Doctor there. Her doctor wrote her off saying she had an ear infection... but I kept mentioning that she might have blisters in her mouth. He prescribed her with Anitbiotics for her "ear infection" and that was it. When I took her to my SIL's pediatrician. The doctor right away searched her mouth and discovered she indeed have blisters in her mouth and prescribed me with a medication that would make them go away.


So, he called her and she sqeezed us in. We drove straight over there and he was seen. Like I said, I really liked this place. The doctor listened to my account of what we had just went through. And she asked me if he had asthma. I told her to my knowledge he didn't but that ever since he was born I noticed that when he got sick, he'd always wheeze. Since he was 8 months old I asked his doctor if he had asthma and they always told me he was fine. Also I told that he was a very active boy but sometimes when he would run too much he would have coughing fits like he was out of breath. I always found it a little strange but again it was shrugged off.


This doctor found it quite strange so she did some tests... listenend to his lungs and indeed felt that he had a slight case of asthma and possibly allergies. His eyes were puffy and red and he did sneeze a lot. She started him on a breathing treatment and after 15 minutes we noticed a huge difference! His breathing sounded clearer. And he didn't look so strained. After that they prescribed him some medications and put in our order for our nebulizer (breathing machine) and sent him for some chest x-rays just in case.

I was relieved that he was taken care of so quickly and that they had answers to our questions. Being young parents most people look at us like idiots when it comes to our kids. And me and my husband ask a million questions. He, more than anyone, wants to be informed and educated on anything that pertains to our children. The doctor answered all of our questions no matter how silly they sounded. I made the decision to switch both of my babies to that doctor instead.

Now all I can say is that I have one very brave 4 year old boy! He went through so many scary tests that day I don't even know if I could do that. I know that his Daddy and I were more terrified for him then he was. He did freak out a little when he did that breathing treatment. He didn't like that mask. But Daddy was quickly there to hold him in his lap and whisper in his ear to keep on breathing normally.

On a side note: I love to see the way my husband interacts with our kids when they are vulnerable. I think it makes him vulnerable. He constantly has to have them in his arms or he wakes up 30 times a night to check on them. I think he needs to know what's going on with them at all times to feel like he's somehow protecting them. It's a wonderful side to see because my husband doesn't show his soft side very much.






Update: Diego is doing much better and should be able to go back to school tomorrow. He still going to be his breathing treatments 3-4 times a day and now taking Claratin for his allergies. It's something that we've all had to adjust to but it seems to be helping so we'll continue on!

Baptism Portraits

About a month ago I did some portraits for my husband's aunt. She was baptizing her younger son. He is too adorable! He was so easy to work with in the beginning. He's such a smiley happy baby and cooperated quite well. But after about half an hour in all those layers of clothing he had had enough!

We got plent of good shots though. It was a joy to work with him and his mom was thrilled with the pictures. She might be booking me again for some family pictures.

Here's some of my favorite of little Alejandro:

15 weeks and 4 days Pregnant

Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.





So according to my weekly e-mail that comes to my inbox... my little baby is the size of a Naval Orange. I love their comparison to fruits and vegetables. Last week, the baby was a lemon, and now an orange. Way to put things in perspective. I am a visual person so the comparisons help. Of course I look more like I am carrying a melon... but I feel like I am carrying a watermelon. I can't help but think, "When is this gonna be over?!" Oh yeah then reality sets in and I realize I'm not even halfway there yet. Great! I am extremely tired and since this is the third time around... things are getting old. I am done with nausea, back pain, headaches, I am done with all the fatigue, restless nights, and having to pee.

Don't get me wrong.

Being pregnant is a blessing and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I love knowing that my baby is in there and growing more every day. I love the anticipation and joy a new baby brings. But sometimes I feel so overwhelmed. Taking care of two kids at the same time is also no small task. Of course my husband thinks that I sit at home eating, watching tv, and probably have my 2 kids fanning me with giant palm leaves. Oh how I wish! I can't stand when he gets home and sleeps cuz he thinks his day was far worse than mine. Hello get a clue dear husband... live a day in my shoes (pregnancy and all) and you'll be begging to spend a day 9-5 selling cell phones again!

What I would give to have just one day off! Just one whole day to me...

Mike and Priscilla's Wedding

You may recognize this couple. I posted their engagement pictures a while back ago. Well Saturday they tied the knot! My friend Priscilla asked me to be the Matron of Honor... and let me tell you, it was quite an honor. I'd never been in a wedding before except my own. It was a special day and I am glad that I was chosen to spend it with them.

The Bride getting ready!

My daughter the flowergirl

Priscilla and her son Damien

My precious princess waiting patiently

Two beauties!

Me and the Bride

Here we go!

Just Married!

My daughter is in love with her shoes

Me and my little Angels

My kids slow danced throughout the whole reception. I got so many people coming up to me and telling me that they were adorable. Aww!

I just want to take a moment to wish Priscilla all the best! I love you so much and Mike is more than I could have ever hoped for you. Take care of eachother and Damien. I wish you all the happiness because you deserve it. Thanks for letting me such a major part of your special day.


**Sidenote: My hair rocked that day! It was done by Amber with Glamberous Hair and Makeup! Check out her blog.**

Field of Dreams

My Uncle Raul loves baseball. Actually to say he loves baseball is an understatement. Baseball is his life. He lives baseball. He breathes baseball. Heck, he might as well BE a baseball.

So anywho, he comes down here every year (he lives in California) to play in NABA (National Adult Baseball Association) tournament. And every year I have gone claiming to be his number one fan and cheering him on. For some reason I love to watch baseball games. It's the only sport that I will sit through and I actually understand it. Probably thanks to him. This year he could only play in a few games cuz he was only here Saturday and Sunday due to work. His first game was on Saturday and unfortunatly I couldn't make it because I was in my friend's wedding the same day. Well later that night I get a call from a heartbroken player saying that his number one fan wasn't there to cheer him on. So of course, I had to make it the next day to see him play.

My daddy, my 2 kids, and I all went to Tempe Diablo stadium to watch him play. It was so much fun! And I took a lot of pictures as always.

Here we are the adoring fans

My little photographer in training

My son really got into the game and trying to understand how it works

Batter up!

Woo! Base Hit! And now we're winning!