Five Months

Guess who turns five months today!

THIS guy!

What he's been up to...

-- He is 15 lbs

-- Moved up a diaper size. We're only one size away from the number 3 "jean" diapers I got at my baby shower. I can't wait to get some cute shots of P J in those!

-- He started on rice cereal this month! Now he's getting some chunk on him, haha

-- Blowing raspberries CONSTANTLY. Brings his slobber factor to a maximum. Also, I think he knows exactly when to blow them too in order to add comic relief to conversations. 

-- He's starting to interact with everything around him and want to move towards it, touch it, eat it. 

-- He is getting his first tooth right now! Bring on the chill teethers and the Orajel!

-- Starting to sit up! Granted, he can only prop himself up for a couple seconds at a time, but he loves it! Now he hates to be on his back when he could be propped up.

-- To get ready for nap-time, I'll usually cuddle with a blanket and read from a fairy-tales book for 5 minutes or so before laying him down. Lately he's been chuckling and laughing when I turn the pages. It's a mystery to me!

-- Still flips to his side to sleep and he uses his arm to cover his eyes :) 

-- Bedtime is at 8:00 pm and he wakes up, usually, between 6:30 and 7:00 am. But lately he's been spoiling me and letting me sleep in until 7:30! He'll just play in his crib and eat his toes until I sneak up :)

Laughing with Daddy

Classic P J face :)

He's getting so curious about EVERYTHING! I love it!

Love my little boy :)

  All in all, I feel like the luckiest mother in the world. If I thought over people's kids grew up fast, my kid is changing before my eyes!  Slow down buddy! I am glad though that he'll be more interactive and playful when he eventually meets his Sattler cousins, aunts, and uncles:)  

Until next month Little Guy!

V Day

Oh Valentine's Day! What a great day to remember those you love and make them feel special :) This year marked five Valentine's days as a couple for Pablo and I. On the first day of February I started a fun countdown to the 14th with hearts on the wall. They said fun things like, "I love you more than...Dwight loves beet." or another day was "I love you more than...sumo wrestlers love all-you-can-eat buffets." Haha, they were fun to think of :)
To celebrate we hung out all day in our pajamas, watching The Office season 8 from beginning to end and playing with our babes. Then we cleaned ourselves up and went out for sushi. It was the most chill Valentine's day I think we've had together, and yet it was most definitely one of my favorites.  

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone :)

Parents of a Teenager

Ceasar has turned 2 years old this February! If my human-to-dog year conversion is correct, then I believe Pablo and I are now the parents to a 14 year-old teenager, haha. It has been a memorable two years with him in our lives. Pablo and I looked back through pictures from when was only weeks old and reminisced about his old habits, funny stories, and times of worry.
 After we moved to Texas and just before my trip to Nebraska in July of last year, our Ceasar got terribly sick. For days we watched him grow thinner and thinner as he refused to eat or drink. We nursed him as best we could, feeding him bits of rice and boiled meat when he would take it, covering him with blankets. We even slept next to him a couple of times. Yeah, we were THAT sure that he was leaving us. We were so relieved when, after a scary week and a half, his appetite returned and he stopped getting sick after every meal. Weight came back and he started playing and wagging his tail again.
That experience placed Ceasar in a particularly special place in our hearts. I think it made us realize just how important he had become to our little family. He was our first "child", haha. And he has been a trooper while we have been here. He has been moved to the backyard and away from our interaction, as well as being replaced with our little kid, and yet he still has so much love to show us when we step outside. I can't wait for us to be together under one roof again and for him and P J to get better acquainted. I have a feeling they are going to have a lot of fun together ;)
Our posts of...
...Ceasar's first weeks with us: http://pabloylauravelez.blogspot.com/2011/04/hail-ceasar.html
...First haircut: http://pabloylauravelez.blogspot.com/2011/06/ceasar-has-been-shaved.html
Happy Birthday Pups, we luv ya :)

The Mozart Effect

 How much cuter can you get than this little guy getting all excited over the piano? If you were to ask the Abuelos, they would tell you all about how this guy is the next great Amadeus. But I just love to see his face light up when he touches the keys and he realizes they make a sound. You know how little babies get excited; their eyes get big, their arms fling up and shake. Totally this guy in front of the piano. It lasts for about five minutes before he's finished with it, but it's an adorable five minutes :)

 

You'll have to forgive the slobber in this one, haha

Today

  Pablo has to work today and that leaves me and the babes at home together to play. Try as I might, I just can't find anything boring about being a momma:) We fill up our days with giggles and laughs between naps. Then momma has to get some chores done around the house. Somedays Pablito lays on his tummy or back and holds conversations with his monkey, elphant, mommy, or fingers while I fold laundry or catch up online. Then there are days that Pablito wants to be close to mommy while she does her sweeping and mopping, and so I walk around like this; singing and dancing with him on my chest and mop in hand :)

He's not so shy around the camera anymore and I can get more and more shots of his conversations without him getting suspicious. His happy disposition is already shining through his little four month old body. Boy is he going to be a talker when that time comes around, haha!

 Just a day like anyother day :)

Family Pictures!!

 A beautiful Sunday morning with time to spare:)

 L.O.V.E

Meeting the Fam'

It hardly seems fair that some states should be deep in the heart of winter while our little family is enjoying the bright sun and light breezes. After living in Idaho for 5 years however, I sort of feel like we've earned a couple of warm winters :)

Well, we just got back from taking a six-day road trip around Texas with the in-laws. First trip with a little one and I got to tell you, I'm pretty proud of myself. Haha. I had outfits for each day, diapers, pajamas, down to the lotion and butt paste. And I managed to keep everything organized throughout the trip- I'm either a supermom or my Father's daughter, haha. The Sattler children will understand ;) 

Austin was our first stop and where I had to say goodbye to my hubby. We dropped him off on Thursday at the airport and had to say goodbye until Saturday afternoon. Where he went is a bit of a secret for now ;)
Sans husband, I spent Friday with his parents and we took the time to visit the Texas capitol building. I was wearing P J on my chest in a carrier so he could view out. It has been neat to see how aware PJ is becoming to everything around him. He had our tour guide wrapped around his little finger, haha. I don't blame her, he only had eyes for her when she talked and waved her hands about.

 

This heart-breaker is Eduardo. He's Pablo's cousin, so PJ's second cousin. Eduardo played so well with PJ: peek-a-boo, silly faces, tickling, you name it. I couldn't understand everything he said a hundred percent of the time, but I still think we were pretty awesome friends despite a little language barrier:)
 
Saturday we picked up Pablo again and said goodbye to all the Austin in-laws with a big gathering that night. I had Pozole for the first time- a Mexican soup made with pork. I added salsa, shredded cabbage and it was yum-mum-my! Pablo got a pig's foot in his serving:) Of course he loved that. 

Then came Victoria, Texas on Sunday to see more family. I especially enjoy Victoria. It reminds me a bit more of home with it's green countryside and smaller-town feel. PJ's great-grandmother Velez lives there and that was a special treat.We stayed there Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday morning. On Monday Pablo bought me new glasses:) I still have to get used to them. As with any big change, it'll take some time to get comfortable with the "me" I see in the mirror when I wear them. But I am SOOO happy to have them! No more glasses held together with packaging tape! Pablo and I would joke that you could swing my lens back and forth and it would make a "squeak, squeak" sound.

 I wish I could say that PJ looked this cheerful the entire roadtrip, but he had his moments, haha. Can you blame him? Four and 1/2 hours is a long drive for a little guy! He's cute though and Pablo and I can't help but forgive him :) 
So here's to our first major trip with an extra little guy around to pack, feed, and entertain. I think it was a huge success and everyone we saw LOVED him. But c'mon, who wouldn't? :):):)