Dear baby, ask yourself "am I spending time with the right people?"

There are over seven billion people in the world right now; don’t let a handful of negative ones ruin your happiness. No, you can’t choose every person you meet in life, but you can choose who you spend your time with. So be thankful for the people who walk into your life and make it better, but also be thankful for freedom to walk away from the ones who don’t.

Dear baby, ask yourself "What do I appreciate about my life?@

Think of how you are going about your life as a diet: the choices you make will be the fuel that's going to keep you performing at a high level. Supplementing your daily routine with positivity will only make you stronger. If you replace negative thoughts (or people) with positive ones, you will start having more positive results. Over time, this habit will help you to reduce stress, release your hurt, and not take things so personally. When you become a teenager, you should read The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin.

Wisdom

Wisdom is not about knowing all the answers; it’s about asking the right questions. In the long run, the simple questions you ask yourself on a regular basis will determine the type of person you become.

Dear baby, ten days of thanksgiving: day five, six, seven!

Baby baby baby!
It's been one hell of a ride with you. Since day one we've experienced what contractions felt like. IVF is not a fun process at all. I wonder if my body would have spit you out naturally if not for all the drugs they've given me. With that in mind, I'm so thankful for medical technology!!

Your dad and I sat in the hospital the other night waiting to see if you were going to continue pushing your little way out. The contractions, the doctors say, were intense. I, on the other hand, barely felt most of them. I could feel you wiggling down and pushing your head lower, but it wasn't as painful as people say. Uncomfortable at times? Yes. Mostly because of the hospital bed that I was forced to lay on and the constant monitoring that they strapped to my belly.

From the research I've done, I'm not going to put up with any of this on our actual delivery day. I truly can't stand how some doctors speak to patients like they're idiots and have no idea how this system works! I'm going to reverse and return that treatment if another midwife gets smart with me.

Our midwife the other night in the ER was a male. Two words: NEVER again. To make sure you weren't coming sooner than expected, he had to do an internal check. My real midwife is soft, and gentle, and has smaller hands. This guy though, was very large and rough. I saw stars (in a bad way), when that jerk checked me. I will refuse a male midwife from now on. I will blame it on all the reasons I can think of, just to make sure no man doctor ever touches me again. I will deliver you with my own hands if need be hahaha

So, contractions. Where are we? They're still happening, that's for sure. Some are intense and others are just little blips on the map. I'd really like for you to stay in 6 more weeks so that I can continue going to work, but I seem to have most of my contractions when I'm there! It's funny, when we first felt you, I'd only get morning sickness at work. One if my co-workers said it was because work made me sick. I think it was just all the smells there (kids
wearing strong cologne/perfume, food preparation, coffee from the lounge, copy machine toner, etc).

Well, babe, let's get those lungs developed so that you can breathe free of a ventilator if you are born early. Be the little over achiever that I know you're going to be a rock this out.

Buying the last of what we want.

Your dad thinks he's a doctor

He's telling me "you had a really big one!" [contraction]

Dear baby, you're 34 weeks today!

And... You decided that you want to arrive early!! I'm been mentioning to family that I could feel you wiggle your head, and that I was sure that my cervix was starting to open. Turns out I was right!!

At our usual check up, the doctor checked me and said I was starting to dilate and that she could feel your head. This was not the best news to hear since we need you to stay in at least two more weeks so that your lungs can mature.

So... We're at the ER waiting to hear what you're going to decide to do. Mami and Papi haven't ate since noon and it's close to 8:30 now. We're starving! And your pops is looney. He's playing with motion censors.

Dear baby: ten days of thanksgiving- day 3 and 4

These past two days have been eventful baby. Your grandpop is back home! Surgery went well, and he is able to eat soup now. Your Welo isn't that old yet, so all these ailments are super crazy.... Then again, he has not always taken good care of himself.

I can't wait for you two to bond. You're going to be thick as thieves when you're together. He's going to be able to teach you all these things, like how to build stuff and fix cars, and all about history. Pay close attention to all that he says.

I am thankful, again, for family.
Family is everything

Dear Baby, today is Veteran's Day!

On Veteran's Day, there is no school, and no work: Fact.
On Veteran's Day, we honor those who fought for our country: Semi-true.

It's unfortunate that not too many people really realize what today is all about, baby. Your Welo is a Vietnam vet. In the future, he'll be able to tell you tons of Marine stories, and what it was like when he was a teenager.
On this Veteran's day though, your Welo had surgery to remove his gall bladder. This is one of the longest times that he hasn't been at home! He seems to be doing well, so hopefully he'll be using his bionic knee in the near future to chase after you.

Dear baby: ten days of thanksgiving, day two!

I am thankful for our family (immediate and extended).

Immediate:
Baby, I'm going to teach you something your Welo has always stressed to me and my brothers: when push comes to shove, you only have your siblings. Fighting and bickering over the little things here and there are understandable when you live in close quarters, but allowing it to break up your relationship is unacceptable. I know I can count on your Tio Marcos and Tio Danny to be there, if anything, at least emotionally. We always pull together. Your Welo and Wela will not always be here for us to talk to and learn from, but they've done their best to teach us everything we need to know to make you, and your one day siblings the brightest monsters alive.

Extended family:
Baby, you have a WHOLE lot of cousins. And these cousins will fight fiercely for (and WITH) each other. You are so loved, that it is truly amazing. At least that has been my experience over the years. You are going to have so many people to play with that are all about your age: Sophia, Vinny, Fiona, little Jonathan, and Ezra. (Your cousins Jeremiah, Jackson, Abby, Alexa, and Elijah are the next age group up... but they might be too old to play with. We'll see.)

No matter what, you always have people to help you. Trust in your family (immediate, and then extended). Mami and Papi are always here for you, ready to listen, and help however we can.

Dear baby, ten days of thanksgiving: Day one

Last night you woke me up right on schedule: 1:30am. As I walked to the bathroom with my eyes half closed, I thought to myself how thankful I am for your father... always remembering to put the seat down hehehe.

There's been only one time where he forgot, and my butt totally got wet. Not to mention it hurt like the dickens falling in. He's never done it again.

It's the little things that count, and make me love him like crazy.

Like this morning: he brought me a single blueberry waffle (no napkin or plate) and said, "waffle?"

Your pops is a silly one. I think you will be too (especially with him and I as your parents!).

Dear Baby, It's been another hard night for us!

Lately, I've been super tired, having small contractions here and there, and can't sleep through the night. You seem to want to party in my stomach at the most inconvenient times... like 1:30 in the morning. On top of the partying, you like to push your head down on my bladder. Not a nice feeling, baby.


Last night, I went to bed fairly early, since I haven't been able to sleep well these past few days. At 12:30am, your Welo called and asked if your Papi could take him back to the ER. Your Welo had knee surgery a few months back, and seemed to be healing just fine, but all of a sudden, he's been experiencing some weird side effects. Your Papi got up, groggy, but willingly and took your Welo and Wela to the hospital.

Welo had to be admitted. We're not sure what's wrong with him, but it might be a gallbladder infection (which hurts like crazy!). I'm leaving working now to go see him and pick up your Wela. You'll be here in a few short weeks, but your grandpop is already giving me the run down for what it's going to be like when you're here and I have to rush you to the doctor.

I pray you're more like me, and are a healthy baby and don't get sick as often as your dad.
(He's had a cold for the past 3 weeks, that booger head!)

Dear Baby, history was made today! (For the 2nd time)

Today was Election Day baby. Barack Obama was our very first bi-racial (black and white) President that our nation ever had, and was elected back in 2008. Today, on November 6th, 2012 he was re-elected for four more years! It's a pretty big deal. Not too many people have been happy with the job that he has done, and feel like he has taken way too long to make change happen.

Baby, you have to understand the conditions our country was in when he came into office. Bush had placed us in a war, and he had overspent much of our nation's money. Jobs were at an all time low. When Obama came in, our nation nearly went bankrupt (think of the Great Depression happening again). Slowly, things have gotten better, but lasting change takes time.

You, baby, will be nearly 4 years old when our next election happens. My hopes for you, is that Obama does a really great job over these next 4 years, and allows you to have a comfortable life.

Thank God, Mitt Romney didn't win.

Dear baby, just look at your daddy!

A few weeks ago, your Welo wasn't feeling well. I got a call at 2:30am, asking if your Papi and I could take him to the ER. We got up right away, put on shoes and jackets and raced him to Northwestern hospital. We spent close to 15 hours there! I asked your Papi to ask the nurses how to raise the volume on the TV, but he refused, saying that he didn't want to bother them. So.... He got up on a chair (that happened to be on wheels...) and tried raising the volume.

Needless to say, he didn't crack his head open, but he also did not succeed in raising the volume. We sat in silence, in the dark, while your Welo slept, watching horrible talk show people, while trying to guess what they were saying.

Eventually a nurse came in, and I ended up asking.

Dear baby, it's almost time!

I can't believe how fast this whole thing has been. In no time at all you'll be here crying, pooping, eating, sleeping, spitting up, crawling, walking, arguing with us, trying to take our cars, and then starting your own family! Of course, all of these things won't happen right away.

Today we had our baby shower. We asked the guests to fill out cards detailing advice they have for you. We saved all the cards to give to you in a few years.

Your Papi and I didn't fill out cards of our own, but this is what I would have said:

Dear baby,
I hope you learn: to take chances and push yourself to the edge. There is no way to be successful in life by always playing it safe. Now, I don't want you to take this piece of advice and become a wreckless daredevil.

I hope you love: to try new things and meet new people. Speaking for your Papi and I, we're both outgoing at times, but also very shy. There are times when your dad can captivate a whole crowd of people and other times where he is very reserved. I feel the same way about myself. My dream for you is to be more outgoing and pleasant when meeting strangers. (Just don't jump into the car with them!)

I hope you never forget: your roots baby! Know who you are, where you came from, and how you got to where you wanted to be, along with the people who helped you get there. Your identity is something we will work strongly for you to be sure of.

I hope you respect: the rules. Understand that you can't always change every rule to suit your needs. Sometimes, you just need to learn to play the game. One day you'll be making the rules, and others will need to follow them. Be patient.

I hope you ignore: rude and stupid people (in all sense of the word). I know how hard it is, but you're coming from two hot headed parents. Your Papi may try to deny it, but sometimes people get under his skin too. For you, I hope that you are kind, and patient with everyone. This is a skill that I've had to learn over the years.

Our Family Tree! Max and Champ love you already

We're 8 months here, little chickadee!