Zayden: The Journey to 1 Month...and the Story of his birth

Why??? The days have gone by so quick and even if I am with you almost every second of every day I still feel like I missed everything!

Your daddy and I blinked and then you grew up on us! 

Zayden at 1 day and 1 month old!

Your facial features have changed so significantly! You definitely look so much like your Kuya (Older brother) Zenon and so much like your dad, too!

From Top L to R: Zayden, Mommy, Daddy and Kuya Zenon

I feel like there's some kind of parallel to the numbers coinciding with Zayden and Zenon's birthdays. 

I could also just be imagining it. Either way, we are just so happy you finally came.

The story of your birth

I was about to have you evicted early morning the day after I had you because you were already about 4 days late. I was scheduled to be induced the day after you were born. So you definitely got the eviction notice and left the womB as required. Good baby!

My water broke at around 11:30 a.m. and we finally made it to the hospital at 12:45 p.m. We had to make arrangements for your brother to stay with one of our co-workers. They admitted me and started the Potocin at around 2 p.m. I never had time to go on the liquid meal when I had your brother but I had to have it with you and boy, was Mommy hungry! I never got to have lunch that day. Thank goodness for beef broth and red jello! 

I had my epidural around 4 p.m. I've never had an epidural before either, and it was amazing! After a few hours at around 7 p.m., there you were!

We couldn't have skin-to-skin contact right away because they had to make sure you didn't ingest any of the nasty stuff since my water broke a while back. The nurses worked fast and they gave you to me as soon as they could. 

After that, they took you again to be checked, weighed, cleaned, etc. As soon as they took you, your dad left my side and followed you around like a puppy in love! 

The RN was concerned that you weren't a warm baby, literally. They wanted your temperature to be at 98 degrees but you were only just a little bit over 97 degrees which isn't bad. They just wanted you to be a little warmer, but because of that they couldn't give you a bath. They just wiped you down and got you as clean as they could.

Since you held your temperature consistently for more than 24 hours, they were satisfied and finally gave you a bath. I was so happy for you when they finally did! 

You were so cranky before that and the way you cried was so off. The timing was too random, too. I told your dad that if you're anything like me, you were feeling so icky at that time and that's why you've been a cry baby. Guess who was right all along??

You latched on quick and we didn't have any issues with breastfeeding. Although that didn't keep me from worrying that you weren't getting any milk. 

We stayed in the hospital for two nights. Your brother met you a couple of hours after you were born but he didn't stay with us that first night. 

Kuya Zenon stayed with us the second night at the hospital and we all left on the third day after you had passed your hearing test, getting your first set of vaccinations, and checking again to make sure we were both doing well with everything. The last thing was for the nurse to check to make sure we had a car seat installed in the car properly and then we were off! 

We didn't have any fancy pictures of you coming home. Sorry love. We were all just so exhausted and just so happy to be home with you!

Grandma comes to visit

Grandma came to meet you and spend time with you and your brother a couple of weeks after you were born. 

You loved being in grandma's arms and we finally got to sleep because of it! Thank you grandma! 

We celebrated Kuya Zenon's birthday early because he wanted Grandma to be there.

It was amazing having Grandma over because your Dad and I got some much needed sleep! Thank you!!!

We finally got to see Wichita Falls' claim to fame, The World's Littlest Skyscraper!

First Trip to Ohio 

Due to some complications with Dad at work, he couldn't take his paternity leave while grandma was here and had to go back to work. In the end, everything worked out for the best because when he finally was able to, a couple of weeks after grandma left, we were able to travel to be with dad's side of the family! 

It also helped to decide to go on a 14-hour drive divided into a 2-day trip, the fact that I was finally able to get my breast pump and that you had taken to formula feeding easily. We worried that you wouldn't like the bottle if I have it to you but that worry was pointless. As long as you were given your milk when you wanted it, everything was A-okay.

We had a little cooler with us so I could pump during the drive and I could give you formula while pumping, then on your next feeding give you the kill I had pumped. Every stop we made I made sure to hold you and cuddle you and give you time on the breast so you could get stretched out and I could comfort you. 

What completed the trifecta of making the decision to travel was that you had taken to the bottle so well.  We had decided to formula feed you because I wanted your dad to experience feeding you. 

It was amazing seeing your dad feed you. I know he fell so much more in love with you when he did, but he’ll never admit to that.

First stop for our 2 day travel.

Meeting family

We survived and made it to Ohio safely. With that experience we were able to plan our trip home better and decide where to stop for the night. 

Grandma invited everyone to a barbecue so everyone can meet you and to celebrate Kuya Zenon's birthday a second time! 

Summer is so nice there, especially when you're with family.

We celebrated your first month there, too! 

We wish we didn't have to leave but we had to and it was back to reality again. The good thing was we had a mother couple more months of summer to enjoy! 

Your first time at the pool! No swimming though, you didn't like the cold weather. You would've probably enjoyed it though if mom went into the water with you. Unfortunately I wasn't really up to it that time.

Your first bath!...and your photobombing brother!

You had a pretty bad case of cradle cap for a little while and I could not stop picking on your head! Your dad had to keep watch and ended up having to slap my hand whenever he catches me picking! 

Like every baby you lost some of your hair and you look like you have a bald spot. I'm hoping your hair grows back soon. Until now, I get to make fun of your grandpa and tell him this is his fault! 

Happy 1st Month baby boy! We love you!!!

Kuya Zenon has been waiting for you for so many years. He loves you so much!

Happy Veteran's Day! 2015

Today, I look back into a few months ago when I abruptly decided to end my military career. Two months later, I was honorably discharged from active duty service from the U.S. Air Force and received The Air Force Achievement Medal for Meritorious Service for the work I have done during my time in service. 

I am a very proud veteran because despite the very short time I was able to serve, I gave my whole heart and soul to my duties everyday. There are still days that I wish that I was still in. I have days when I look at my husband in his uniform and envy the fact that he gets to wear the uniform with pride. 

However, I am proud to say that I have joined yet another exclusive group -- the very proud, unconditionally loving and inexhaustibly supportive Air Force spouses. 

Happy Veteran's Day to all those serving and who have served. My famil and I are thankful for you and your family's sacrifice. 

I'm obviously a bad mother

So I removed the warning labels on my baby's car seat. Oh no! My car seat doesn't work right anymore!  I'm putting my son in so much danger! How dare she! What a bad, bad mother!

I don't know about any other parents but I do know myself. I will never do anything to put my child in any unnecessary risk. 

Let's just put it this way, I joined the military because I didn't trust anyone else to protect my then only son. I would have and I still will, without hesitation am ready to kill and be killed to protect my children. 

Aside from my killer instincts (see what I did there??) I am also not stupid. I never do anything without researching. I don't do anything without planning or preparing anything. I am a perfectionist. I was an event coordinator prior to joining the military. So attention to every single detail is second nature to me.

Lastly, I am not very personable to people who think with their asses. 

So to whoever this is. Yeah, you got to me...because I hate stupid people and I can only do so much to save myself from such a horrible experience. 

Therefore, for my amusement, this is dedicated to you! 

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER! ❤️

Update:

I had to make one last reply because the world is in deeper shit if we need warning signs to tell us not to put our children in harm's way. 

Food is beautiful

I love taking photos of food! Food has so many rich, vibrant colors and textures that are so unique. I love how you can change and manipulate these colors and textures even when you're just simply slicing it. 

I love to cook so I get to work with all different kinds of ingredients. I love how you're able to build up flavors as you go, especially when I'm experimenting. 

Here are some of my most favorite pictures of food that I've taken. I hope you like them and enjoy them as much I do. 

Pork lumpia that I made last night. I took a picture of it because I'm starting a little side business of selling them freshly made every week.

I was slicing up some strawberries to make strawberry flavored ginger ale when I looked down at the chopping board and fell in love with what I saw. Of course, I had to take a picture! 

Last night's dinner was one-pot pasta. I got the recipe from Pinterest. 

It's a Western tradition to keep the top layer of the wedding cake for the couple to eat on their first wedding anniversary. We did just that and I kept the sugar flower that adorned the roof our cake, too! It tasted as good as we remembered it from taste testing and our wedding!

Beautiful pesto pasta and chicken. The pesto is Giada de Laurentis' Lemon Parsley Pesto which I got from googling pesto recipes that do not use basil. I love the vibrant green and the sliced chicken just completes the look of the dish. Unfortunately I didn't like the flavor profile of the pesto because I realized I am not a fan of parsley. 

Zayden: The Journey to 5 months

Zayden turned 5 months on Thanksgiving day this year. Needless to say, this year all 3 of us and I think the puppies, too are all grateful for having Zayden in our family. 

This month he has become more mobile. He is rolling from back to belly and belly to back with so much ease. 

He would go on all fours and rock back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until he thinks he's gotten enough momentum to lunge himself far enough to get to things he wants to grab a hold of. 

A couple of weeks after that he started to use his head as a 5th appendage to help him crawl. So he's been doing the left hand forward, right hand forward, bonk head, drag left foot up, drag right foot up, bonk head, but in no particular order. He's been able to get himself to his destination doing this though. So whatever works right? 

He started to stick his tongue out at us, too. I'll admit, that's my fault. I always do that when I'm playing with him and he's finally able to imitate it! It's so cute when he does it! The cuteness factor just turns up so high it's so impossible to ever have a bad day with this little guy!

This month we moved from rice cereal and had him try boiled apples. I'm adamant on making his food. No bottled store-bought food for us because I want to know what is in my baby's food. It doesn't matter to me if the baby food is labeled organic, I'm sure there's some type of preservative in it and that's why it's able to keep in store shelves. 

Besides, my family and I do not have the healthiest eating habits but I know that when I cook, my 8-year old eats and he eats a lot. No matter where we go and whichever restaurant or fast food we go to, except if it's some kind of fried chicken, chicken strips or chicken nuggets, he enjoys my food so much more and devours it. I'm proud of that and I'm happy and secure knowing what is in my baby's food. 

In the end, it's not a big deal peeling and chopping up some fruits and veggies and putting it in a pot with water. Mash it or put it in a food processor or blender and you're done.

So far, Zayden has been introduced to boiled apple and ripe mashed bananas. He loves both of them. He has been enjoying his food adventures a lot. It's so wonderful watching his reactions when he tries  for the first time. 

Zayden has also been more vocal. He started making the "D". He also started blowing air through his lips that are pursed tightly together. We didn't realize his lips go so far out before this! Lucky, lucky we got in all on video! 

Happy 5 months baby love! ❤️❤️❤️

Zayden: The Journey to 2 months

My little booger has changed so much! He is now feeding on demand. He is also determined to not let Mom sleep. Hey, what's new?! 

The good thing is, I think the baby loves me! He started to smile this month and it is the sweetest and most beautiful sight to behold. His eyes seems to smile, too! There's a little twinkle in there and I think it's meant to say "I love you Mommy!". 

We finally immortalized that elusive smile! You're a such a beautiful gift Zayden! 

This month, we tried putting him in his swing again. This time the startle reflex he had the first time we put him in there wasn't crazy anymore so you being in there doesn't scare me anymore. 

He doesn't stay in his swing very long though. Just long enough for me to do my business in the bathroom, which is good as good as it gets! I do have to make sure to turn the white noise on. The owl sound especially captures his attention. To m

We noticed he's started to get more curious and fixating on things that capture his attention. So we decided to put a toy to hang in his car seat. 

This month is most special because this is the month of mimicking sounds and lip movement. We always say "Hi", "Hello" and "I love you" to Zayden. He has been focusing on how our lips move a lot. He tried and has successfully made sounds that unmistakably resemble "Hi!", "Hello!", and "I love you", too! 

Nicknames earned this month:

"Little Smiley Butt"

"Chunky Monkey" also "Chunka Monka"

 

Zayden: The Journey to 3 Months

Zayden has started to giggle! My heart jumps with joy and beats with more purpose every time he does! 

It's still quite a bit of a struggle to get him to giggle but when he finally does, oh my goodness it's the happiest, most beautiful sound in the world!

I really think he's ready for solid food but Daddy is still in denial and doesn't want him to. I'm fine with waiting either way. 

He's been lunging forward to get to our food or anything he wants to get to. He's quickly learning that he can get to something if he squirms and kicks enough. 

Zayden has learned to hold our fingers and pull them into his mouth to suck on. Recently, he has started to bite down hard on them, too. Ouch! When I noticed that he wasn't just sucking anymore, I gave him his elephant teether. He loves his elephant! The ears are his favorite part! It's a perfect fit for his little mouth. So now I guess he's teething, too!

He has started to sit up a little bit but he falls backward quick. 

Zayden has grown out of his 0-3 months clothes last month and started wearing 3-6 months clothes already so Zayden and I will have to ease Daddy into the solid food. 

We also finally got rid of his yeast infection. The rolls man! He sweats so much and his neck was the worst ever. We had thought it would last until around 6 months when he lifts his head more so it's exposed and the sweat dries up, but since he's been lifting his head since he was 2 months old, he's able to lift his head like pro now. He has even learned to use the weight of his head to help him topple over to move from his tummy to his back!

Two weeks into his 3rd month, Zayden learned to roll over from belly to back and lucky Mommy got to capture it on video! 

My little monster has begun to pull my hair out, too...hooray! See the evidence yourself.

I wonder if he's going to grow up liking girls with long hair like his brother. I think his brother likes girls with long hair because when he was a baby he used to love grabbing hold of my hair and pulling them out, just like he's doing now. 

We have the Texas-Oklahoma fair in September so we got to go to the fair with a 4th member to our family for the first time! 

Zayden enjoyed the bright lights and loud music. He has always been very alert and  observant so he was took in the experience of the sights and sounds very well.

While we were at Lowe's to get Daddy's new grill, Zayden started to play with the toys on his car seat. It's no longer just eye candy! It was amazing to see how how focused he was on trying to figure out the "thing" in front of him. His eyes would grow wider and wider as he played with his toys and discovering new sounds and movements his toys could do. Zenon was so happy seeing his brother start to play with toys. I think he took it as a sign that his brother will be capable of playing with him soon!

We started singing his name to him to the tune of "Ice, Ice Baby", for some weird reason and he loves it. He's quite the vain baby. 

Unfortunately, he has stopped copying us and has refused to say "Hi", "Hello" and especially "I love you" which took us so much longer to have him say. He has moved forward to his own version of baby rambling which is also very, very amusing. He responds to you when you talk to him and waits for you to be done before he "talks" again. I think he's understands how a conversation goes!

This month he has earned the following nicknames:

"Slobber Monster"

"Mr. Giggly Butt"

"Elephantvore"