Random Post-- Couldn't think of a title

Carter doubled his birth weight!! Monte and I weighed him on our scale last night, and he weighed a little over 15 pounds. He was 7 1/2 when he was born. Good boy Carter!! This picture doesn't show it, but when he stands up he has rolls all the way down his legs. Fat is so cute on babies!! (He loves to be naked.)


Carter "talks" constantly. He is telling Lexie a funny story. He LOVES her!! She makes him smile, and he gets very excited when he sees her. She was a big help tonight. I was trying to cook dinner, and Carter wanted to be held. Without me even asking, she started playing with him. What a great big sister!!

Product Recommendation

I have found the most awesome baby bottle in the world!! It is the Adiri Nurser. It is awesome. (It is also pricey, but fortunately I only needed 2.) Carter is a breast man!! Before I went back to work, he took a couple of bottles, but not very well. When I went back to work, he refused the bottle. Luckily I get to go and feed him at lunch, so he was getting milk during the day. I found out the bottle I was trying to give him was not BPA free, so I decided to find a safe alternative that he might like. (I tried many!!) The Adiri is great. The actual bottle part is one piece, and the top half is soft. When you fill it with milk, it warms the soft part. So the bottle is actually warm against the baby's cheek like a real breast. Carter actually doesn't mind this bottle, and it is free of the harmful chemicals.

Another tip for my moms out there who have babies that won't take a bottle: The nanny asked me for one of my shirts that was not washed yet. She holds it against her chest while she feeds Carter. This, along with the Adiri, has been a life saver!

Check the bottle out at www.adiri.com.

Yes, I beat Christina!! (We are not mentioning Nicole.)

Okay, I am going to take a few minutes to brag on myself. I promise I am not a conceited person. Monte and I were in the grocery store yesterday, and on the cover of a magazine was a picture of Christina Aguilera. The cover said she lost 40 pounds on 4 months. BAM, I lost 50!!! (Her baby is 4 days younger than Carter.) She was sharing her diet secrets. (I didn't actually read it.) Here's mine: breastfeeding a baby with a sensitive tummy. I love breastfeeding, I finally have a decent metabolism. I think I will continue to pump for the rest of my life.

No, I am not skinny-- but I hope to be there some day. I gained 38 pounds when I was pregnant, and I had just joined Weight Watchers when I found out I was pregnant. I still need to lose 6 more pounds to get back to where I was when we got married.

Why do I own an SUV?

This is crazy!! (Safeway is actually the cheapest place to buy gas around here.) When I was a teenager, I could get 1/2 a tank of gas for what a gallon costs now. (I am officially old..."When I was young...") Luckily the pump automatically shuts off at $75, so I don't actually know how much it costs to fill up my car.

WOOHOO!!

This is the first time I have watched every episode of American Idol from beginning to end. I usually watch the really bad people in the beginning and then the final few episodes. I have loved David Cook since the beginning. Tonight he won; I am so excited!! We will be buying his CD when it comes out. Of course Lexie was wanting Archuleta to win, so I guess we will buy that CD also.

A Day at the Beach

It has been a HOT week here. The temperature has got up to around 100 degrees every day. (Keep in mind we don't have humidity, so it is not as bad as it sounds. But, it was still very hot.) On Saturday, we decided to cool off at the beach. We went to Santa Cruz to the Beach Boardwalk. We had so much fun!! It was Carter's first trip to the ocean. Unfortunately the water on the west coast is not warm, so he did not like the water too much. He preferred to sit on the beach with mom. Lexie and Monte didn't mind the cold water, they got in and played. Lexie was really tough. She stayed in for a long time. After we played on the beach, we got dressed and went up to the boardwalk to ride rides. It was a wonderful way to spend the day!!




Carter's swimming attire.




Carter liked to watch the water moving on the sand.


He didn't like the cold water on his body at all!! He prefers to splash in a warm bath.


Lexie and Monte: the brave ones!




"I prefer to sit on the beach and suck my thumb."








Lexie and Monte rode the log ride. I got splashed with the water, and it was COLD. (I am a sissy.)




My first ride in over a year. WOOHOO!! Lexie and I had a blast on this. She was trying really hard not to slide over to me, but the force was too great. We laughed so much my cheeks hurt when we got off the ride.


"I love you daddy. Thanks for taking me to the beach!"
I know, I know. Carter is using a pink fairy beach towel. But hey, it is the Bay Area. It's okay here.

Pretty Picture

The best pictures are usually accidental. Monte took this picture of Lexie a couple of months ago. We showed my parents the beach where Monte and I got engaged. I love this picture of Lexie.

Carter finally gets food!!

The doctor said Carter could start eating cereal. I got him Earth's Best Organic Whole Grain Rice. (He's a California baby.) He LOVES it!! After he eats, I give him an ounce of water in a cup. He also loves that. He prefers his water at room temperature, but he will drink it cold.

Since I have been the one feeding Carter until now, I let Monte feed him his cereal first. Then Lexie got to feed him. Lexie videoed (sp?) and I took pictures. I will put the video on here when we find the cord. (It is in storage.) It is really funny because Carter was so excited, he was kicking like crazy.

I don't know. Do you really think I'm ready?


Mmm!!


I like it!!


More please!!


Is it over? I want more!

Greek Day

To celebrate the end of learning about the ancient Greeks, Lexie's class had "Greek Day". No, they didn't wear togas, but I am sure some people wanted to. I volunteered to help, and I had so much fun! I helped with the Olympics. I measured (not precisely) the distance the kids threw the shot put. I didn't take my real camera because I didn't want to embarrass Lex, so I used my phone. The pictures I took are not great because of the distance, but hopefully you can get some kind of idea of what was going on. The event took place in the courtyard at her school. Her school has a beautiful campus. I will definitely miss the way the schools are set up when we move. I love the open campuses.

Lexie throwing the shot put (a wadded up piece of paper with tape around it).

Try #2 on the shot put.

Waiting for them to measure how far she threw the discus (a flour tortilla). She threw it 57 feet!!! A future Olympian?

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!
I had a great Mother's Day (dia de la Madre). Monte, Lexie, and Carter really surprised me. You know the saying, it is the thought that counts. Well, my wonderful family really put a lot of thought into it. After church they took me to my favorite restaurant in San Francisco, The Slanted Door. This was a huge surprise because for a normal day, you have to make reservations months in advance. I just knew we wouldn't go there because I figured for Mother's Day, they would have to have made reservations a long time ago. Well, they did (hence--they put a lot of thought into it in advance). I was so excited!! Then for Mother's Day, they got me the Rosetta Stone Language Learning Software. This is so cool!! I only mentioned one time that I wanted it. Monte really listens to me!! I can't believe they are supporting my Spanish speaking habit, they must really love me!

Cupcake time again!!

Carter turned 4 months old. I can't believe he is already 4 months!! He is getting very vocal. He "talks" constantly, and he likes to do a loud, high pitched scream right in my ear. Lovely! His hand-eye coordination is getting better. He reaches for his toys, and if they are small enough he picks them up and puts them in his mouth.

We had his checkup today :-) and shots :-( The doctor said he is doing great. He weighs 14 pounds and is 23 inches long. He is in the 40th percentile for weight. I know... when you look at his many fat rolls you think, "Omigosh, he looks a lot chubbier than 40th percentile." Then we find out his ranking for height... wait for it... wait for it... 3rd percentile!! No, I didn't forget a zero. That's right 3rd. Sorry honey, mommy's short. Personally, I think he is trying to stay little for me for as long as possible. Lexie was also a short baby, and now she is not short. I am sure Carter will hit a growth spurt at some point... hopefully.


Mmm! CAKE!!


Daddy, can we eat the cake now?!


Dear Lord, Please let the doctor tell me I can eat food. I am tired of just getting to look at the cupcakes. Love, Carter


I love sushi. Yellow Tail is my favorite!

Happy baby

Always smilin'

This is one of his favorite toys right now. He LOVES it!! The songs that play are always stuck in my head. I find myself singing, "Five little lady bugs meet for lunch..." UGH!

Unfortunately, I didn't have the video camera, but I did have the regular camera. Here is Carter rolling over. I know people don't believe us because every time we say, "Look what Carter can do." He just puts his head down. He really has been rolling over since 2 months!







Lexie goes to the gym!

"Um, mom. I don't really feel like I am getting a workout!"

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!! We are celebrating tonight by eating Mexican food (like I need an excuse to eat Mexican food) and reading Skippjon Jones. Ana, the nanny, is teaching me Spanish. I have had several classes, but I haven't used it in a couple of years. I was amazed at how quickly it came back to me. Monte said hanging around me is like being in a bad Spanish class. Not because my Spanish is bad, but because I smile really big every time I speak it. :-)

Fun Weekend

We had a fun weekend. Friday night I ate Salsa!! I know that probably doesn't sound exciting, but I haven't had any in 4 months (I was used to eating it daily). I have decided to try a new food every Friday to see what will agree with Carter's tummy now that he is getting older. (I am still on soy instead of dairy. I don't think I will ever try that again!!)

Saturday, Lexie and I had a girls' day. We had mani-pedis and shopped. Carter and Monte played at home. (Carter must have had fun because he was cracking up in his sleep Saturday night. He was laughing so hard.) I am jealous of Lexie's nails. She gets the French Manicure with colored tips. She chose a hot pink. It looked very cool. I like my salmony pink color, but I think I will take more of a risk next time.

We had an open house at our house on Sunday, so we had to stay away for the day. It was nice to hang out together away from the house. We have been working so hard lately getting the house ready (mainly Monte has been working on the house), it was nice to not have to worry about it for a while. The open house went really well. We got a lot of positive feedback. Hopefully it will sell quickly!

Then when I got to school this morning, the kids (room mom) had decorated my door. It was such a nice way to start the week.

Congratulations Matt and Lynn

My little brother got married on April 26th. He married a wonderful girl named Lynn. The wedding was beautiful!! They got married outside in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was a gorgeous view, and the weather was perfect

Lynn and Matt: Just Married!

Lynn and her son Colin. He looked very handsome in his suit.

She was a beautiful bride.

My parents with the newlyweds.

Lynn's parents

You all know Lexie.

The ladies... Me, my sister Angie, and my sister-in-law Ofelia. Ofelia is also a wonderful sister-in-law. I am very lucky that my brothers married nice women. We all have so much fun!

The men... My brother-in-law Jared, my brothers Matt and Dan, and Monte.