Merry Christmas!

 December 25, 2010

This was the most special (and longest) Christmas ever!  We started off with Christmas Eve lunch and migrated to a family friends house and celebrated into early Christmas morning.  Then we had the family over for breakfast and opened presents!  It was such a treat to watch Shane grab for all the Christmas decor and presents.  He needed a little help opening them all but wanted to play with each of his toys right away!  Shane was very "spoiled" this year and got lots of toys and clothes and my favorites -  really cute keepsake ornaments to celebrate his first Christmas.

White Elephant Gift Exchange, Ugly Outfit Contest, Secret Santa, Family Feud and Pictionary Games!

 

Everyone loved our little Reindeer!

Day after Christmas... enjoying all the presents!

Thanks...

As the year comes to an end...  I'd like to recap on the things of which I am grateful for, and think ahead about my New Years resolutions...

For:

God and his presence in our lives... his blessings, his love, and his guidance.

Our awesome son Shane, who is happy, healthy and the best thing ever!

My parents who give us their unconditional love and support.

My sisters - for loving our son (and shopping!) as much as I do.

My best friend Amy... who even though is thousands of miles away, is still the first friend I'd call.

 My other great friends who know me, accept me, and care for me.

Our lovely house we are making our home.

My job, the company I work for, and my super cool boss.

The food, clothes, and things we own.

For my health and the motivation to eat, live, and be healthy.

For the second chances we have to turn things around.

The opportunities to do more and be more.

For young children - who bless our lives with their innocence.

The soldiers and their families who sacrifice their lives.

My New Years Resolutions

1. Workout harder and eat healthier.

2. To accept (some) things for what they are.

3. To work harder to forgive and forget.

4. To learn how to relax.

5. To take a step back, even if I'm right.

6. To keep my closet organized!

7. To focus on buying things I need, and not just want.

8. Spend more time volunteering.

9. To leave my fingers alone and stop biting and picking at them.

10. To do a better job keeping in touch with friends.

Shane and his Great Grandma

On November 9th, my grandma Bautista came to meet Shane for the first time. She was very excited to meet one of her newest great-grandson.  She celebrated her 82nd birthday on Thanksgiving and looks great.  I'm really happy Shane got to finally meet her!

Our Christmas Card Picture

Last Saturday we asked my sister to take our picture for our Christmas cards again this year... she has taken the last three for us... announcing our engagement, then the news of our pregnancy with Shane, and now this one - our first family Christmas card!

Shane - 4 Months

November 8, 2010

Shane had his 4-month check up last week and his doctor said that he is doing well.  Everything looks good and he received the clearance for full "head control" to use the Bumbo and Exer-saucer!  His doctor recommends waiting to try baby foods until he is 6 months as he is growing well with his mama's milk.  He has been grabbing for things more and more and is practicing sitting up - he's growing so fast!

Measurements:
Height: 28 inches (90th percentile)
Weight 17.1 pounds (90th percentile)

Our First Home!

Home Sweet Home!

November 4, 2010

We closed escrow today!  The next couple of weeks are going to be busy cleaning, packing, and moving but we're ready to embark on the new adventure as a "home owner!" 

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2010

Even though this was Shane's first Halloween, we decided not to put him in a costume until next year... but thanks to Grandpa Tom and Grandma Bev - he was still very festive in his "Mommy's Little Pumpkin" outfit!

 

Baby Showers

I love baby showers!  I think it's so much fun looking at all of the little goodies... shoes, clothes, towels, toys and stuffed animals!  A girlfriend at work is due on November 1st so we threw her a baby shower last Friday.  This is my first diaper cake attempt... it wasn't as difficult to make as I thought and was actually pretty fun thinking of all the little things to add to it!

Cheesecake Factory Cheese!

On Saturday, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner with Shane and ended up at Cheesecake Factory and had a lovely time.  While waiting to be seated, we took a family photo - the first one with all three of us in it since after we took Shane home from the hospital.  Our poor little guy would get surprised by the flash that his eyes look startled in the pictures - but it was a pretty good attempt!

Chargers Opening Game!

September 19, 2010

On Thursday, I was chatting with our IT manager when one of the other EA's walked by looking for a co-worker.  I asked if she needed something from me and then she said "do you want to go to the Chargers game on Sunday?"  So without even thinking twice about it, I gladly said "yes!"  She brought back the tickets and they were Club Level and really great seats!  But before getting too excited, I had to make sure we had a babysitter to watch Shane.  I have to admit, now that I'm back to work... I felt a little guilty for taking a few more hours out of the weekend to enjoy the game... but knowing that he's in good hands with his Aunt always makes that transition a little easier and we had a really good time.

Shane - 11 weeks today!

 Shane with his alligator from Grandpa and Grandma Bridges

Shane and Mommy before going to a house-warming party

Shane and Daddy hanging out

Pleasant dreams!

September 3, 2010

We have been busy the last couple of days.  Over the past weekend, we attended a house-warming party and had a good time.  Mike started work on Wednesday (Sept. 1st) and has been busy prepping for the coming school year.  Shane and I got to visit his classroom and help him with a few things to make his classroom nice and neat!  

Shane also had his 2 month check up on September 1st and is measuring 24 1/2 inches and weighs 13 pounds and 11 ounces - almost double his weight at birth and is at the 90th percentile for both weight and height!  They say it's from his mommy's milk!  The doctor said that everything looks good, and that Shane has the head control of a 3 1/2 - 4 month old so he's ahead of his game!  Since Mike had already started work again, he had to meet us for Shane's appointment at the doctor's office.  As soon as he said "hello" to Shane who was in his cars seat, Shane immediately started cooing and all the nurses at the front desk stopped what they were doing and watched and were in absolute awe at how cute he is and how much he was trying to talk to his daddy!  Shane is 11 weeks today and is such a treat with his smiles, laughs, and coo's and still has his blue eyes :)

Burp-time with Daddy!

Smiles!

Shane smiling with his "Auntie Mommy!"

Shane and Auntie Joanne

All smiles in his bouncy seat!

Three Women and a Baby!

Grandpa Tom and Grandma Bev visit Aug 2010

Shane got a visit from Grandpa Tom and Grandma Bev so he's been busy!  We had such a blast and can't believe how fast time went.  During their visit, we were able to have a little family and friends BBQ by the pool and I got in the water for the first time in over a year!  We also did a crab and shrimp fest which was yummy!  We went to Sea Port Village, the Gliderport, Torrey Pines golf course where we had a nice lunch at the TP Lodge, Old Town for a nice dinner, and Sea World!  We miss them already and are looking forward to their next visit.

Our trip to Sea World while the Bautista family babysat Shane

Shane's first "hoodie sweater" from Grandma and Grandpa Bridges (at the pool)

a "Crab Hut" dinner! Shrimp, Crab, Sausages, Sweet Potato Fries - Yum!

View from the Gliderport (Torrey Pines)

The Three Generations of Bridges

My new favorite dessert...

Last week, when Mike's mom and John were here to visit Shane, my mom made some macaroni salad for a side dish for dinner.  She puts pineapples in it and ever since I was little, I always took them out because I have this thing about eating cooked fruit!  Mike's mom asked if there was pineapple in the salad and I said "yes," and I take them out!  So she asked me if I liked things like blueberry pies, or cobblers and I said "not particularly because I'd have a lot of scraping to do!"  I'm not the one who would eat a "Hawaiian burger" because I don't like the idea of crunching down on a hamburger patty and then getting a taste of a tangy but sweet pineapple slice - no thanks!  Every Thanksgiving when I get a slice of apple pie, I always take out the apples and maybe save one on the side and eat it with the melted sugar and buttery inside with the crust and a scoop of ice cream!

Well, last Wednesday, my family came over to greet Dad and Bev and brought over some yummy pizza, salad, and bread sticks and Bev baked a blueberry cobbler for dessert and served it with vanilla ice cream... it was DELICIOUS!  I would have skipped the entire dinner just to make room for more!  But it was the best thing I have had in a really, really long time.  It had just the right texture, it was soft with a pecan crunch and just the right amount of butter and sweetness to make it delightful!  So... after that treat, it turns out that I do like cobbler after all and I don't hate all cooked fruit - so long as it has the right balance!  I asked her for the recipe and can't wait to try making it!

Picture Project

I have been wanting to put more pictures up on our walls for a while now but could never make the time to do it.  On Tuesday, I finally got some pictures printed and picked out the frames I really like with the clear background and asked Mike to help me put my "picture project" on the wall and I'm really happy with the way it turned out!

Shane - 7 weeks

New Favorites

 Eating with Daddy

Asleep and content after a good feeding!

Cozy and comfy with Mommy

Kissy-face!

One Year Anniversary

July 25, 2010

It's amazing how fast a year flies by... especially after being pregnant and after the birth of Shane Mikey!  We celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary by asking the Bautista family to babysit Shane so that we could have some dinner at Top of the Market.  We were a little disappointed with our dinner because they changed the menu, but agreed that it was nice to go out - just the two of us and celebrate.

Mike got me some flowers to wish us a "Happy Anniversary!"

One month and One Week

Wake Time!

Our little Shane is changing quickly before our eyes... he is starting to have more and more "awake" time and is starting to respond to our voices and associate where the sounds are coming from - he's so amazing and we're truly enjoying every minute with him and watching him grow.

A Precious Month...

Happy One-Month Birthday Shane!

We celebrated Shane's one-month birthday with red velvet cupcakes, but because he's still too small to enjoy them, he got a bottle of mommy's-milk and some one-on-one daddy time!

Shane's Squeaks!

Since the day Shane was born, he's had the cutest breathing rhythms and made the cutest baby-noises that his Pediatrician said were all normal.  We could watch him sleep all day long and notice that he makes these "baby squeaks" sounds which earned him the nickname "Squeaks!"

Here are a couple of videos that I took earlier last week (press "pause" on the music box at the very end of the blog down below for optimum sound):

Milk Machine!!

June 18, 2010

Now that Shane is 4 weeks old, we have introduced the bottle (with mom's milk) to him and he goes back and forth between mommy feedings and the bottle.  After he went down for a nap this afternoon, I was putting some freshly squeezed milk in the freezer for storing and saw all of the "mommy's milk" we have built up and instantly felt like a "milk machine!"

A mini celebration a day early for Shane's 1 month!

June 17, 2010

Our complex threw a "Hawaiian BBQ" to appreciate their residents so Mike and I stopped by for some food.  It's been so hot in San Diego that we asked the family if they wanted to come over and swim and hang out to celebrate Shane's 1 month birthday a day early - as a new parent, you realize the value of every day, most especially the first month!  Mike put some hamburger meat together and mom and dad brought some fixtures and snacks and we enjoyed a day out by the pool.  I can't wait to shape-up and join them for a swim soon!

 The family enjoying the jaccuzzi!

 Mike hanging out with Shane so that I could dip my feet in the jaccuzi

Grandma and Grandpa Bautista brought red velvet cupcakes for Shane's 1 month birthday!

Father and Son Mohawks

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago.  It was after the first day-time nap I finally convinced myself I needed... Of course, when I woke up - Mike had shaved his head and gave himself a mohawk to mimic Shane's!  I can't say I "loved it" because I prefer Mike with a little more hair, but knew I had to capture the moment to one day be able to tell Shane that "his daddy wanted to be just like him!"

The "Animal"

I've always had some-what of a love-hate relationship with Mike's dog, Lucy. She's cute sometimes and can be fun to take to the park and play ball with, she is potty-trained and listens to Mike really well... at the same time, she can be a terror and need too much attention which, more often than not, gets really annoying. But, when I met Mike 4 years ago, she was already in the picture and I accepted the fact that being with Mike meant that I'd have to live with the dog too.

Soon after Shane was born, everyone started asking how the dog was acting with the new baby around. At first everything seemed fine. She would smell him and seemed a little curious but didn't take too much care into the new addition to our family. Only to find out in the last couple of weeks that dogs throw tantrums just like humans do - only they don't yell and scream about it, they mark their territory in your house! Yes!! As painful as this is for me to even write about, it's true. A couple of weeks ago, during Shane's first growth spurt and after a long night of feeding Shane in our living room, we finally made it to bed and somewhere between 5:30am and 8:30am, Lucy managed to pee on our couch! We knew it wasn't a potty-training issue because she is well trained and doesn't typically expel in our house but needless to say, it was frustrating and we had to take the covers off, wash them and replace the filling. Not fun!

To try to solve this issue, Mike has been diligent about spending time with his dog, who I now refer to as "the animal," I would even say, almost a little more time with her than he does with Shane and she was good for another week. Well, the other day, Shane was going through another growth spurt so I was up a good deal of the night feeding more often and sure enough, somewhere between 5:30am and 7:30am, Lucy managed to jump into Shane's crib and peed all over it! Thank goodness Shane is in our room sleeping in a bassinet or I would have personally dropped Lucy off at the dog pound that morning, but I was livid. Mike took everything out of the crib and threw it all in the washer and again, thankfully we had a mattress protector that kept the actual mattress from getting ruined, but it doesn't take away from the feelings the "animal" validates for me - I will never call her my own.

A small part of me felt a little like she was maybe "acting" up against me since I no longer pay attention to her now that my time is consumed with Mike and Shane and it seemed that it only happened when he was up during the night that she did it, but I still don't care and it's very frustrating. To resolve this issue, Lucy has given up her morning, afternoon, and evening freedom and is going to be locked in her kennel at night to prevent more disasters from happening again...

Summer Time!

It feels like the summer is finally upon us and it's getting HOT! When my parents were in the Philippines, they picked up a few outfits that tie to the side and are great for summer wear.  Shane was a little too small for them last week but continues to grow before our eyes and they fit him perfectly now - just in time for the heatwave!

Coconut M&M's

July 15, 2010

When my best friend Amy was in town, she told us about the new "coconut M&M's."  So today, when Mike and I were at the grocery store, I saw a package and with everything going on at home, I couldn't remember why I wanted to try them at the moment, but bought two packages anyway.  

After dinner, I was still trying to think of why they were so enticing then I remembered it's because Amy said that we had to try them!  So it was a mini-dessert for us and they are yummy.  Not to mention, they have the cutest imprints printed on them with little umbrella's on the M's and the package is super cute too - I couldn't resist but to take a picture.