Happy 23rd Birthday Tia Diana

Today is Tia Diana's 23rd Birthday! We love you Tia!

Sleepy princess

I know...two posts in one day...what can I say. Jaycee is napping really well and I've already gotten things prepared for dinner and the dishes are clean so I'm playing on the computer. Yes, I have laundry I could be doing, but it can wait.

Jaycee still wakes up at least once every night and sometimes it can be really hard to put her back to sleep. But usually Dadda can get her back to sleep no problem, takes him like 10 minutes. I usually end up falling asleep next to her crib and wake up hours later on the floor:-( My aching back. Last night we had success....she slept from 7:30pm til 6am this morning. She did wake up at about 4:50am, but only fussed for about 2 mins and was back asleep. I hope it continues, we could really use a good night sleep. Currently we are testing things out and only dadda is getting up with her at night instead of me. So far so good and momma gets a break :-) Thanks amor, I love you!

The park

One of Jaycee's favorite things to do, is be outside. She is always asking....OUTSIDE? Here are some recent pics of a day at the park.

Baby hummingbird...no more

Monday was a sad day...came home from work and our little hummerbird friends are gone. The whole nest and the birds are gone, some bigger bird must have gotten a hold of them :-( The momma hummingbird was flying around looking for them, it was really sad. Above is one of the last pictures Tavo took of the momma feeding them. We are sad we are not going to get to see them grow there wings and fly away :-(

Shamu update

Above is a picture of Shamu. Jaycee thought he could use a baby and remote while sleeping on the couch. Silly girl. Shamu is such a good sport about it though.

Well, Shamu is home now and doing better. We still have the whole diabetes issue to deal with and keep under control. I feel so bad, Shamu probably wouldn't have gotten to the state he was last night if I did a better job taking care of him. Keeping up with checking his blood glucose that is. It's something you have to monitor all the time and I hadn't been once I thought we got his insulin dosage under control. We have a meter at home, it's just hard to get a good vein for blood and I need help doing it. Shamu's not too crazy about me poking at his ear with a needle. Especially since I'm already poking him twice a day with a needle to give him insulin. Tavo doesn't enjoy helping one bit which can make it hard also. If I'm not going to take the time to monitor his glucose then it's time for me to make a very hard decision. It's a decision I don't know I'm ready to make. Don't get me wrong I love my cats very much and want to do what is best for them both. I've always treated both my cats like my family and still feel like I do. It's just all getting very costly and draining. I feel like I would be giving up on him, if I didn't follow through with doing whatever I can to give him the best in his last years in life. I don't want Shamu to suffer or go through what happened last night again. Which means I need to be better about checking his glucose. I'm praying I can find the strength to keep going with it and give Shamu the best last years in life.

Shamu kitty

Just returned from an emergency vet visit for Shamu. Poor kitty. His blood sugar was way too low and he could have died tonight if I hadn't taken him. He couldn't walk and was a very sad kitty. I was on my way to take him to the ER vet and his regular vet doc called and meet me after hours at the hospital. I am so grateful. Shamu is in the care of the doc tonight and is doing well. His blood sugar is raising and he got some food in him. Hope to have much better news in the morning. Keep Shamu in your prayers. My sis is so awesome. She was able to come over tonight and help me with Shamu and even went with me to the vet. Thanks sis, I love you!

Hatched....

The little hummingbirds have finally hatched. They hatched this weekend. At first we only had one egg and a week later the momma laid another egg. So now we have two little hummingbirds in our backyard and we have been watching the momma feed them, it's so neat. We were finally able to get a couple pictures of them tonight and thought I would share. Enjoy!

O'applesauce

Jaycee has been showing interest in holding the spoon when feeding her. So last night we undressed her and gave her the bowl and spoon. The bowl had applesauce in it. She had big smiles and tired so hard, but every time she got it to her mouth it would fall in her lap. It was a sticky mess........which was followed by a bath, but I think she had fun :-) It was so cute and can't wait till she has mastered using a spoon all by herself. Not that I want her to grow up, but it would make things easier :-)

Happy 6th Birthday Aidan

Today my niece Aidan turned 6! Aidan we are so proud of you! You are such a wonderful big sissy, smart and beautiful little girl! Uncle Tavo, Jaycee and I were so happy that we got to celebrate your special day with you. We love you so much! Happy Birthday Princess!!!

The princess!

Another amazing birthday cake my sister made.

Big smiles while riding her new birthday bike.

Happy Easter!

Today was a good day! We spent the afternoon with Tavo's family! Good food and good times! Jaycee had a blast playing with Belita, Belito, Tio Kike, Christy, prima Ariana and Tia Diana. She was fast asleep on the drive home before we even got to the freeway. Happy Easter everyone!

Oh and today we felt an earthquake for the 1st time. I'm usually asleep and don't feel them, but this one was crazy. At first rated a 6.9 in Baja, upgraded to 7.2 tonight. We were all freaked out!

Cousins

Today was a great day hanging out with family! We went and hung out at my sister's all day. Colored eggs, hunted for eggs, played games and took Aidan and Conor shopping for hermit crabs! Aidan, Conor, Davis and Zerah are each a proud new owner of a small hermit crab pet. They are pretty cool! We went to Pet Kingdom, which is a really cool pet store with all kinds of fun fish, reptiles and small animals . Fun place to go and just look at all the animals. Jaycee says, "Thanks for the fun day cousins and Auntie". We love you all!

Our backyard buddy...

This little hummingbird is our latest little backyard friend. We watched her build the nest for days right out our kitchen window. Pretty cool!!! Now she is sitting and waiting and waiting is what we are doing also. Very exciting! Can't wait to see a little baby hummingbird :-)

Happy 7th Birthday Conor!

Today this little man is turning 7 today...wow where did the time go! Happy Birthday Conor! You are such a big boy, great big brother, a handsome little dude and super smart! We love you so much! We have missed you this last week, hopefully Jaycee and auntie get well soon so we can see you! Uncle Tavo and I can't wait to take you fishy shopping and pick out a new birthday fish :-)

Happy Birthday Dadda...

Today Dadda is turning 33! Saturday night we celebrated with friends at the house. I cooked dinner for everyone and we hung out late and had a great time! Tonight we are having a nice quite dinner at home. A nice steak with brown rice and asparagus....YUMMY! Happy 33rd birthday amor. I can't wait to celebrate many more with you, I love you mucho!

PS...last week was Tavo's 2nd week back at work. He had a good week and is enjoying the new job. The foreman said he made the cut and they will be keeping him :-) I had to stay home most of the week with Jaycee because my niece was sick the first part of the week and then Jaycee got sick the later part of the week. Now both Jaycee and I are sick :-( No fun! I have a feeling Jaycee got sick from the Quinceañera we went to last weekend and then she passed it on to momma. Who knows though. I've enjoyed our one on one time together this past week!

We made it...

Finally the work week is over and we made it through. I think I'm having a harder time than anyone adjusting to both of us working and all the running around we have to do. I'm so tired by the end of the day, I can't stand it. I know it will get better and it will just become a normal routine, but I'm not liking it so far. It was so much easier with Tavo home. I got up showered, gave out kisses and I was off to work. Tavo would even get my lunch together for me and make me a morning smoothie. Now I have to get up at 5:15am (Tavo needs to be out the door by 5:30am), make lunches for both Tavo and I, make our morning smoothie, get dinner prepared for the evening (makes it easier when I get home from work), shower, get both Jaycee and I dressed and out to the door. Sorry to be whining...I'm sure I'll adjust :-) Jaycee is adjusting very well and loves being at my sisters!

Last night we decided at the last minute to go have a nice family dinner out. We had a really nice time and Jaycee was such a good girl! We wanted to celebrate the new job!

Tonight we are going to a Quinceañera, which should be a lot of fun! They usually are :-) First time taking Jaycee to one though, so we will see how she does. I think the last one we went to, I was pregnant with Jaycee. Tavo went to the church part of things earlier and Jaycee and I stayed home. It was at noon (Jaycee's nap time) and since tonight will be a lot for her we thought it would be best not to skip nap. Especially since bed time will be late. I hope she does well.

Tomorrow starts the new season of softball. I'm not playing again this season, it's just hard for both of us to play :-( Maybe next season, I'll be able to.

I'll leave you all with some cute pics we have taken of Jaycee lately...
Playing with her kitchen...cookin like momma and dadda do!

Happy little girl!

Big smiles, can you see all her teeth? She has another one coming in right now.

Playing outside.


"Hi"

Casa de Reifer

Yesterday we went to visit Maria, Jake, Estella, Victoria and Wally. We had a great time catching up, it's been awhile since we have been able to get together. Estella is growing like a weed and beautiful as ever and the newest member to the Reifer home is just as beautiful as her sister. Victoria is so beautiful I cried when I first held her, she smiled at me and tears of joy just came down my face. I stopped by their home again today to drop something off, thinking I would get a peak at the little angel again today, but she was sound a sleep :-( We will get together soon! Thanks Maria for the lovely dinner!
Sweet baby Victoria!

Jaycee and Estella playing her Estellas' play kitchen. Estella just loves Jaycee :-)

The beautiful princess!

Happy mommy with her two babies :-)

Sweet Victoria!

The new job

This is going to be a quick post. Today was Tavo's first day at the job site, it was pretty chill. Just had to do some more orientation and take a drug test. Tomorrow the hard labor starts. Jaycee did really well with Tavo's cousin here at the casa. I was really nervous all day and had a hard time focusing at work, but it all turned out really well. I believe Jaycee had a great time and am happy she gets to spend time with family and be in her own home. Monday's, Tuesday's and Friday's she will be with my sister (more family-YEA), Wednesday's she gets to play over at Sani's again like the old days and on Thursday's Tavo's cousin is watching her at our casa. Thanks everyone for helping us out and making it possible for both of us to stay working. We know we could live off of one income, but it's smart for us to both continuing work so we can save money and be ready for the next baby :-)

Progress report #3, news and the weekend...

Lot's of exciting things going on with the Perez family and I'm just going to put it all in one post.

1st off...Jaycee is doing so well sleeping at night. Tonight is night 7 since we have been doing the new routine and it's working out well. She is only waking up once and it's usually not till 4am and the last couple nights it's only been because she needs her diaper changed. Way to go Jaycee! We love you princess.

2nd thing...Tavo goes in tomorrow for orientation for a new job. He got a call on Friday. We really don't know the details yet and will know more tomorrow. It's exciting but sad at the same time. He's been laid off since April 15th, 2009 and it's worked out well having him home with Jaycee.

3rd...we had a GREAT and busy weekend! On Saturday we got together with an old friend we had lost contact with and hadn't seen in years. It was so great to see her again and catch up on old times. Thanks to our friend Chris for getting us back in touch. And today we went to the zoo with our friend Misty and her son Hunter. Had a BLAST! Fun times!

I don't really have pictures from the weekend, we totally forgot about the camera. I do have one from today at the zoo with Hunter.

Progress Report #2

This is going to be a short post just to update you all. Jaycee did so well last night! We are so proud! She didn't wake up til 4:30am and the only reason I think she woke up at that time was because she had a poo poo diaper :-( I changed her diaper and gave her some mommy milk and laid her back down, but she didn't want to go back to sleep in her crib. She didn't cry too much, but played for about an hour before falling back asleep and by that point I had to get in the shower for work. And the shower woke her up :-(

She got thrown off a little at naptime today because we were having our carpets cleaned and Daddy needed to go to the store. So, they went for a little walk and she fall asleep and took a nap in the stroller.

Tonight she did really well again, she was asleep within 15 minutes again. She only fussed for about 30 seconds. Fall asleep standing again, silly little girl. Hopefully she sleeps well again tonight, last night we kept waking up though because

Progress report

We all made it through the 1st night, 1st nap, 2nd night of the new bedtime routine. It was rough, really rough!!! We have never liked the idea of letting her cry herself to sleep, but that is what we pretty much did. Nothing else was working. It truly was tough for all of us, probably more so for mommy and daddy. I cried the whole time with her last night, which was a total of 35 minutes :-( Her bedtime routine is now bath, jammies, mommy's milk, brush teeth, grab baby and then story. Then we kiss her nite nite, have her put baby in the crib and lay her down with her baby. She has a little dog that sings to her and we turned that on for 10 minutes. Last night she was so mad; she cried and cried. I sat outside her room so she could see me, I didn’t want her to think we had abandoned her. It was awful the way she fall asleep face up against her crib sitting up. She only woke up once during the night and I nursed her and again laid her in her crib before she fell asleep while nursing. She cried again for 35 minutes :-( She didn't wake up again till 6am and was happy as can be.

Naptime went well with Daddy today. She only cried for 15 minutes, but only slept for an hour:-( When I got home from work she was pretty tired, but ate a good dinner and we stayed consistent with yesterday and kept the same routine and she did so well. I'm so PROUD of her! She listened to her doggie sing to her, after the 10 minutes she let out one little cry and then laid her head against her crib and fall asleep. Poor baby she fall asleep standing up, you can tell all she wanted to do was cuddle. It was tough not to pick her up and cuddle her. I'm such a wimp, but am proud too of both of us, as we know this is going to work and she will sleep better. Love my little girl so much!!!!! Keeping my fingers crossed she sleeps well tonight. If she wakes up only once again, I'll be happy. Hopefully we won't have to hear her cry anymore though. We don't like that part at all!

This is the way she fall asleep last night :-(
And this is the way she fall asleep tonight :-(

Sleep...we could use some...

Our system of putting Jaycee to sleep has gone wrong. I feel we have done what is easy for us as parents not what is best for Jaycee. We have forgotten to step back and ask ourselves what does Jaycee need to help her sleep well and stay healthy. Now we are finding what we thought was easy for us, is not anymore. Jaycee wakes up so much at night and sometime it takes 45 minutes to put her back to sleep. She has no idea how to soothe herself back to sleep when she does wake up. I’ve always nursed her to sleep before bed then I lay her down in her crib. When she wakes up throughout the night one of us will at least rock her back to sleep. If it’s sometime after 2am I usually will nurse her back to sleep again. If she wakes up again around 5am Daddy usually will get her and bring her into our bed. During the week when she’s home with Daddy, during nap he lets her fall asleep in his arms and then he lays her down in her crib. On the weekends I usually nurse or rock her to sleep. All bad habits I know and it needs to stop or we are never going to get a good night sleep. We give her a baby to sleep with thinking having a cuddly in her crib will help, but she doesn’t even grab for it. It’s time to rethink our bedtime and naptime routine. Both Tavo and I have a lot of talking and thinking of the best plan for Jaycee. The next couple weeks are going to be hard I have a feeling. We both need to be on the same page, for the most part we usually are, but it can be tough to not give in and go into the old habits.

We are also starting to notice our system in getting her to eat is becoming harder and harder. We are not following through with having her sit in her chair at the table during breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner and that is becoming a problem. Anymore when you put her in her chair she doesn’t want to be in it. It’s because we give in and let her run around and eat a lot of the time. Especially when she is having a snack we give in and let her run around while eating. Bad I know, because she has figured out even if she gets down she will still be able to eat.

Not only do we have to work on getting her to sleep through the night we need to work on getting her to sit in her chair for breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner :-) I guess every parent screws up their child in some way or another. No one ever said parenting was going to be easy and it’s not. It can be a lot of work, but still the best job I’ve ever had :-)