8:30pm

So this is what 8:30pm looks like at latitude 47. (Seattle-ish, for those who don't comprendo the lat n long-o).
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Washington Days 0,1 and 2

Holy Moly we've had a blast thus far. I can't believe how alert Jarem has been during this trip. I'm guessing that there is just so much for him to see, hear and smell, that he's just loving life.

First let me start by saying that our son is an AMAZING travel partner! He was awake for takeoff and offered not a single peep. And as soon as we leveled out, he passed out for 2 hours! After that we hung out in the back with the flight attendants until it was time to descend, and he passed right back out. Not a single cry the entire 3 hour flight. I hope that it will be as smooth on the way home.

Yesterday (well now two days ago since it took me over an hour to get the photos loaded properly) ... Yesterday we started pretty casual, Jamie got her teeth cleaned by the best dental hygienist in the country (props to Cuz/Auntie Kacia!), then she got a one hour massage! The problem is that her back was so tight before the massage, she feels WORSE now. hmmm, I don't think that was the intention.

Anyway, after she had hers I let her take a nap with Jarem while I got my massage. It didn't compare to the ones that Jamie gives me when she wants me to do something for her, but I did fall asleep a few times.

The funny thing is that when I came back upstairs, I found her passed out and Jarem lying next to her... but instead of sleeping, our little boy was having a deep conversation with the vent on the ceiling. He was really getting into it... his arms were flailing and his legs were kicking... I can only assume that they were discussing the rising cost of oil and the immense impact it has had to steer our country into an economic downturn. Either that or he had gas... but I am sure it had something to do with gas.

Anyway, my mom came in just behind me and joined Jarem on the bed and started to read him a story. Apparently she didn't think that his choice of discussion topics suited his age, so she picked up "Here Comes Grandma". He stared at the book while she was reading, then at her when she was looking at him, then back to the book. It was incredible. It was as if he was reading along with her.

After story time we went over to Great-Aunt Linda's house for some fresh salmon BBQ... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (yeah, it was that good!)
Well it was the first time that Great-Grandma Haruko got to meet Jarem, and boy did she have a blast. In fact, Jarem smiled bigger than I've EVER seen him smile when she was speaking Japanese to him. It was wonderful. I tried to take a video, but I'm not sure how well it turned out. When I get home, I'll try to post it.

After dinner Linda and I went on a cruise in her 350z mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (yeah, it was that good!)
She took me to the newest golf course in Washington which is currently home to one of the most spectacular views I've ever seen, and well play host to the US Open in a few years. (That's a REALLY Big Deal). I tried to get a photo as soon as we got there because the sun was going down, but somehow I was pocket dialing someone and then my phone froze up, and it was a mess. Anyway, I did get a shot, but it's a little dark. I'll make sure that I come back and get a better one the next time we're in town.

Day 2
(I'll bet you're getting board huh?)
I'll wrap it up quickly to give Jamie something to blog about (And so that I can go to bed). We went to Pike Place Market in Seattle and had a BLAST! We also did a BUNCH more as you can tel by the photos below. Oh man, I almost slammed my head into the desk doing the "sleepy head-banger" (you know when you get tired, try to fight it, and end up jerking your heavy head back and forth on your neck?). Okay, I'm going to retire for the night, you'll get more post later I promise... in the mean time... enjoy the pics.

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Baby's 1st flight

Its so cute. Let's see how takeoff goes... Oops, we're pushing back. Gotta turn off the cell!

E

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Our little boy!

I couldn't resist posting this picture from dinner tonight. He's so cute.
We had a great weekend with Grandma in town! I'll write more later and share more fun pix.
E ... Full Post...

What an amazing year!

On Monday we celebrated our one year anniversary. Like Eric said, it may not have been what we expected but it sure has been full of love and blessings. Not many people get to celebrate their first anniversary with their new baby. It was an awesome day and I appreciate Eric so much. He's such a great husband and the nicest person in the whole world. LITERALLY! I've never felt so loved and appreciated by another person. He's my partner and my teammate. Life is so much better with him and that's because he chooses to make life great. He wakes up everyday with a huge smile and so energetic for life. He gives me so much confidence in myself and protection from negativity. He kisses me everyday and most importantly, he tells me he loves me all the time. He prays with me and helps me with my relationship with God. I never doubt his love and it's crazy to think that he loves me even more than I thought possible. Standing on the altar on our wedding day I thought that was the best that life could get. But that was only the beginning. I love Eric more today that I did on our wedding day and can't imagine how much more I will love him over the next 84 years. He was so supportive and encouraging during the pregnancy. He truly is my mate and does just as much for Jarem if not more that I do. He wakes up at night and holds Jarem at dinnertime so I can eat first. He changes diapers, pee or poop. He doesn't flinch when Jarem spits up all over him. He doesn't get embarrassed or shy and isn't too cool to carry the diaper bag or my purse. I love him more than I can ever express on this little blog here but hopefully you all can appreciate him and all he does. He keeps me going in life and keeps me happy. My life and Jarem's life are both so much better because of him. I love you Eric!!

As for Monday, I woke up to my favorite present of all... Eric shaved his head, completely bald! I know most people say his hair is always short but I love it when he shaves his head bald. So handsome!! He took a picture of himself and made a cute photo card for me. Your first anniversary is paper so most of our presents revolved around that theme. Eric went to work for the day and I stayed him with Jarem and babysat my nephew Braden. I'd been having some problems throughout the weekend and decided to call my doctor on Monday morning. It turned out that they wanted me to come in for an appointment. Eric was planning to get off work early to hang out with us at home but those plans changed a little. Instead he came home and went with my to my doctor's appointment. Everything turned out fine but it was good to get checked and make sure.

After my doctor appointment we both had to finish a little shopping so Eric went to Target and I went to Wal-Mart. We came back home and went in separate rooms to finish our presents. No shame in admitting it because we both knew that we had no time to prepare with how the day had taken a weird change in events with my doctor's appointment and all. When we came back together my part of the present exchange began. I loaded the car with goodies and had Eric close his eyes. I drove him to our neighborhood park and we had a family picnic. I know that may not sound so nice when it's 108 degrees out but it was so awesome! We laid in the shade on a blanket and ate dinner on paper plates. Jarem was awake and playing with us. He smiles a lot now so we played with him and really enjoyed our first family picnic together.

Afterwards we came home and Eric changed a poopy diaper. :) While he was changing Jarem's diaper I was setting the stage for the next present. I set the dinner table with some goodies for Eric to commemorate some wedding memories. I played our song "Somos Novios" on the computer and Eric came into the dining room. The table was set with our wedding cake, decorated with our cake topper and all. I had set out our knives that we got as a present. They are engraved and we also have the matching goblets also engraved. We danced to our song with Jarem between us and then enjoyed dessert. It's funny cause at the wedding the only cake we ate is the one bite we fed to each other for pictures. It was AMAZING getting to eat such yummy cake and enjoy every bite. I don't usually eat cake but this cake tasted fantastic! We made a good choice.


The next thing I had planned was for us to have a movie night. I had the movie already prompted and ready to go. I pushed play and we watched our wedding video. The ceremony gave both of us chills and even a few tears for me. We sang all the songs and cuddled while we watched our wedding day all over again. Eric was so handsome in his tux and his smile was HUGE! Watching him cry as I came down the aisle brought back so many memories. The best day of my life. That day began the biggest year in my life. We got married, bought a house, bought a car, both got new jobs, got kitties, and the biggest and best change, we had Jarem.

Whew!

After the video Eric gave me my presents. The first present is a picture to hang in our house. The words on the picture are almost exactly quoted from our second reading that we used at our wedding. Very special. He wrote a special message on the back of the picture so we will never forget where it came from. It's fun to think that each time we move or redecorate we'll find that message and smile. The second present I got from Eric was a book full of all kinds of puzzles. He knew that I get bored while feeding Jarem so he got me a book to keep me occupied and also to help keep my brain growing. It helps expand parts of your brain that you don't usually use. It's so addicting! I've stayed up the past two nights doing puzzles until way too late. But it's very fun! Eric also got me some clear mascara which may sound silly but it's the only piece of make-up (other than chapstick) that I wear everyday. My crazy curly hair always needs taming and it's the only thing that works.

The night ended with one last present from me. I got us a journal to start writing in. It's not an everyday journal, it's an Anniversary Journal. We'll write in it each year on our anniversary and describe what we did and what we got each other. It's a cool way for us to remember all the special years and memories that we share. Every anniversary is special and we don't want to forget one single year. So we'll write in our journal and then we will never forget. It's a cool tradition to start on our first anniversary.

Well, I'll definitely be writing more soon. I have tons more that I want to write. But Rose is about to get here and I can't wait to see her! Night...


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It's Our Anniversary

WOW, One year down, Eighty-four more to go!

What an amazing annivesary... Very different than what we planned, but amazing none the less. When it all boils down, if I get to spend the day with my beautiful wife and son, what else can I wish for?

Jamie will probably write a lot more about it later, I just wanted you to know how happy I am! Happy anniversary Mia.

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Family Fun

We had another great weekend. We spent Saturday morning and afternoon getting stuff done and running a couple errands. Then Saturday evening we went to Dale and Stef's for a swim party. Very fun! It's awesome spending time with family and sharing time together. The "kids" went swimming which included me and Eric. No swimming for Jarem yet, he's not quite old enough. Sunday we went to the Baby Expo at the Convention Center with Karen, Uriel and Raf. Although the Expo wasn't quite as exciting or grand as we'd hoped it would be, we still had fun. We walked around and saw the scariest Elmo ever. I guess that's what a downtown Phoenix Elmo looks like. Scary!! We went to church that evening and then came home and moved our furniture around. I really like our new living room set up. It's much better and will be great for when Jarem starts being more mobile.

As for the Jarem update, he's probably 14 pounds by now. I weighed him on Friday and he weighed 13-9! So big and yet so small. It's weird with him being so big cause I expect him to talk already. :) Well, not quite yet I guess. He's been sleeping pretty good. He starts off the night with about a 4-6 hour stretch of solid sleep. After that he wakes up every hour to two hours until the morning when Eric leaves. Lately he's been falling back into a solid sleep until 8 or 9am. He stays awake for about an hour and is totally happy and alert. He will just lay there and smile and explore the world around him. Then comes the difficult part. He doesn't really nap anymore so he'll only sleep for about 20-30 minute intervals and usually needs to be held in order to stay asleep. The only alternative is his swing and sometimes the car seat. He's too cool for naps already. Bummer! My mom got him a totally fitting outfit that reads, "Sleep is for the weak". Too funny... Jarem gets back into a good sleep cycle around the time that Eric gets home. He'll usually zonk out for daddy. He's definitely a daddy's boy. In the evenings he'll sleep for about 1-2 hour intervals again until bed time. He's eating like a champ and gaining weight though so whatever his sleep cycles, he's doing good at growing.

Today it finally hit me that I have to go back to work soon. So sad! I can't imagine not spending all day with Jarem and knowing every detail of his day. It's going to be so hard to leave him and go back to work. I have to go back on July 21st. Before then we're going to do some good travelling. Grandma and Gary and coming to visit for the 4th of July. They'll be here July 2nd-7th. YAY! Auntie Joanna will also be here for the 4th. Then we're planning a trip up to Washington from the 8th through the 15th. Rose and Gary are going to get two full weeks of Jarem love. We're so excited to get to spend some time with them. Very exciting!!!

Well, other than that, our one year anniversary is next Monday. It's amazing how fast time flies. We'll write more about that later though. For now I'm going to go back to bed and join Eric and Jarem for some good dreams. Night...

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Cool Dude

Yeah, it's like that. Let's do lunch. I'm on a milk only diet, it's an Arizona thing. Do you do milk? Cool, have your mommy call my mommy.
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Curly Hair

We've been trying to tell people that Jarem's hair is curly. Here is proof! After bath time every night we marvel at his cute curly hair. Tonight I decided that we just had to take a picture of his curly hair. I know it doesn't stay curly for long and that it gets pretty crazy once he lays on it, but here it is. Proof that he has curly hair. SO HANDSOME!!

This last picture is a pre-bath picture. Grammy took this awesome shot of him smiling. Very cute...thanks Grammy!


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Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads out there. I especially want to wish a Happy Father's Day to the best dad I know, Eric. He is so great with Jarem. The priest gave an amazing homily at church tonight. He talked about being grateful for all the fathers in our lives. He also talked about a father not only being there and stimulating his son through playing ball together and quality time. But also encouraging your son and teaching him about God, prayer and leading a Christian life. It made me smile so much because although Eric and I can't wait to see what sports Jarem might like to play, we also can't wait to hear him pray and talk to God. We feel so incredibly blessed everyday that we have shared with this little baby boy. He's such a reminder of God's amazing power. We truly are blessed.

Eric spent his first Father's Day doing something pretty typical for dads, golfing! He hadn't been in over four years so he leaped at the chance to get to play. He had SO MUCH FUN out there in the sun. (Plus, it was free which is definitely an added bonus.) He played at this amazing course in Encanterra. They also hosted a brunch in the clubhouse so my mom, Jarem and I joined him halfway through the course for lunch. Then he went back to finish the last couple holes of golf and wrap up his golfing excursion. The evening we went to church and then came back home for dinner. Karen, Uriel and Raf joined us for dinner and Eric BBQ'd some burgers for us all. YUMMY! Overall it was an awesome day and Eric has definitely enjoyed his first Father's Day. Right now he's talking to his dad on the phone, holding Jarem and has a huge smile on his face. I guess life doesn't get much better than this...

These are just a few random pictures from this week.
Holding his head up all on his own and sitting like a big boy. SO HANDSOME!
Guitar Hero ROCK STAR in training. He can't wait to jam with the big boys.

Catching a quick nap with daddy on the couch. I wonder if they're both dreaming about me.
FUNNIEST PICTURE! It was cute until Jarem decided to punch Grammy. Not really, but doesn't it look like he's punching her?!? Poor Grammy.
Jarem with his Godfather, Uncle Dale. Too cute...


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Strong Boy

It's been quite a while since I've blogged hasn't it? I suppose all of those posts from the hospital couch made my thumbs a little bitter. Anyway, I'm back to share some of our wonderful life with you.

So we've been saying that Jarem is way strong for his age since he was born. And I must say that the 'subtle' eye-rolls that all but scream ''ROOKIE! All first time parents say that.'' Have been duly noted.

I asked Jarem what we could do to prove to the naysayers once-and-for-all that he's the bestest baby out there. Here's what he said to me...

'Father, I think that it would be quite appropriate if you were to photograph a segment of our semi-weekly vascular development routi- (bleh) pardon me, spit-up happens... development routine. Then, and only then would those who frequent your weblog understand that I have a certain je ne sais quoi''

At first I was shocked, but then I realized that he's been recovering quickly from spit-ups for a week or two now.

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Big and strong

Jarem continues to amaze us with how big he is getting and how strong he is. People regularly comment on his neck control. Since the hospital he has been lifting up his own head. He now holds his head up when you hold him on your shoulder and maintains control as you move. He rarely lets his head bang down on your shoulder. He usually gently lays it down when his neck gets tired. It's so amazing! We love how alert and aware he is becoming. He can follow things as they move with his eyes and loves staring at ceiling fans. Our living room ceiling fan is one of his best friends, after mommy and daddy. We can't believe how old he is and how fast time flies. He'll be starting school before we know it.

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This weekend

We had a great weekend! Jen came to visit with Braden and Emma this past weekend. It was so much fun to see the kids together. Braden and Emma were so soft and gentle with Jarem. It was adorable the way they would start at him and react to every sound he made. They would gently kiss his head and feet and stared at him throughout their time together. They're such great cousins and already look after Jarem. I'm sad to say that I didn't take any pictures of them together this past weekend. I'll have to get some pictures from my sister's camera.

On top of having Jen and the kids in town, Eric's aunt Linda and cousin Kacia also visited us this weekend. They brought Chris, Kacia's boyfriend, too. We had such a fun weekend with them here. It's so nice having family in town and getting to spend time together. On Saturday we went swimming. Although the water felt amazing and quite refreshing to get out of the heat, I'm regretting going swimming now. Something about treading water five weeks after a C-section just wasn't smart. I've been in so much pain since we went swimming. My stomach muscles haven't quite healed so my incision in incredibly sore as a result of my swimming adventures. At least my good friend Advil has been taking care of me. hehe


Jarem started out in his stroller with clothes on but it was just too hot. He ended up in only a diaper with daddy in the shade.
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Sleeping Boys

Eric is such an amazing daddy! On the weekends he will usually take Jarem at somewhere between 5am and 7am. He will take him in the living room to hang out and lets me get solid sleep for a couple of hours. It's so nice because when Jarem is in the room I don't quite get into a deep sleep. But when Eric takes him I know Jarem's in good hands so I can relax and get some good rest. I swear that Eric has the touch when it comes to calming Jarem, burping Jarem and putting Jarem to sleep. (Which makes him one amazing guy in my book!)
Jarem definitely loves his daddy and especially loves cuddling with Eric. They are so cute together! I love waking up in the middle of the night with my boys on either side of me. I'm so incredibly blessed! It's fun waiting for Eric to come home. It's definitely the best part of my day. ... Full Post...

Prayers for Tito

Well, sorry it has been so long. Life sure gets busy with a baby. It's hard to find time to blog since all I want to do is hold him and cuddle. But I'm going to try and get back on track with more regular blog entries. Today I'll update you on the past two weeks.

Tito had open heart surgery two weeks ago. It was a quintuple bypass. He's doing much better now although he's very weak and has lost quite a bit of weight. He's super strong though and is fighting hard. He had to be admitted at the hospital again over the weekend when he started having some chest pains and shortness of breath. But after staying the weekend at the hospital, he's back home now. We all got a good scare but everything seems to be okay. They're not completely sure what the pains were in his chest but they think it is just related to the surgery and not a heart attack or anything more serious.

One good thing to come from Tito being in the hospital is that our family got to spend lots of time together while in the waiting room at the hospital. In fact, my uncles were all in town to visit Tito so Jarem got lots of time with his great uncles. It was fun to see all the boys together.

Please keep Tito and Tita in your prayers. We're praying for strength for both of them and faith in God's plan. We're all hoping that once Tito is fully recovered from his surgery he'll be able to be more active and have a renewed energy. Tita takes great care of Tito and it's becoming a full time job lately. We pray for patience for her and strength of mind and spirit. They're an amazing couple and will only be stronger in the end. We love you, Tito!

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