Reston Zoo

After our disappointing experience with the National Zoo, we decided to visit other zoos in the area. My sister recommended the Reston Zoo. She said the kids love it and it's so much fun riding the safari. It was great, no pushing or shoving to see the animals, no big groups of kids running unattended. We enjoyed our visit and highly recommend it to all our friends. Look at these fun shots...

Our Little Baseball Player

We are starting him young. Actually, the younger we start him the better. We are working on our retirement, can you tell?
Noli is so excited to finally being able to teach Alex to hit and throw the ball. It's just getting kinda tough since they have been playing ball inside the house. I can see a lot of broken things in the near future...
Our Little Baseball Player sporting a Nats jersey...

Alex's BooBoo

It's not hard to keep track of the times Alex had hit his head or face... It hurts me more when it happens, but hey... accidents happen and I expect to kiss many other booboos and hopefully make them better. That's what mommies are for!

Here are a few shots of my baby's booboo and his many adorable faces...

My Baby is So Cool…

He can give knuckles when you ask him to, he can also give you high-fives.
He can imitate “Baby Chewbacca” by rolling his RRRRR’s.
He lifts his pants and shows you his birthmark in his leg and says “hi” in a high-pitch voice.
He squats down when you ask him to be a “catcher”.
He walks to the pantry when you ask him if he wants dessert.
He dances when he listens to music.
He drinks his morning bottle wearing sunglasses…

Easter 2009 - Alex’s First Easter Hunt

On Saturday, we were invited to an egg hunt. Alex’s friends Mia, Max and Angelina Bezos were hosting this fun get together… the only thing, it rained all day. What a bummer!!! But kids and adults had a grand time nonetheless.

Let me tell you a story about Easter eggs… A few days before Easter, Noli wanted to teach Alex how to do “egg hunting”. So he bought a bag of plastic eggs, the ones that you can fill with chocolate. So he started showing Alex by placing the eggs around in the living room, behind the couch pillows, under the sofa, you get the idea. Then he would ask Alex to help him find them. It was all fun until Alex discovered that he can take them apart in half. So as anything else that is new, he was putting these half-egg pieces in his mouth… not a good idea. But of course he doesn’t know any better!!!

So Noli and I started our never-ending chant “Alex, no a la boca” - meaning “Not in your mouth” in Spanish. Being the sneaky-boy that he is, Alex went into the living room while Noli and I stayed in the kitchen cleaning dishes. After a little while of silence (watch out when it gets quite!!!), I saw him sitting in the middle of the hall struggling to get something out of his mouth. I jumped and went to help him. He had put the whole half of an egg inside his mouth and was having a hard time taking it out. As you can imagine, that kind of freaked me out, a lot of things went through my mind and I felt the adrenaline rush, I was shaking… Anyway, that was the end of those eggs.

So during the egg hunt at the Bezos’ Noli and I kept a close eye at this boy. Thank God there was a lot more to entertain him than just the Easter eggs. Considering this was his first egg hunt, he did very well. But he soon forgot about the eggs and went to play the piano.

Tia Olguita y Alex



So I put the eggs here?



Posing with all the kids...

Alex got a surprise box as well!

Alex and Abby comparing notes

Me and my Sweetheart...

My Little Beethoven...

Unblocking a Tear Duct

Alex needed surgery on his right eye after all… When we saw the ophthalmologist a few months ago, he said that by rubbing the corner of the eye several times a day, we could help open up the tear duct. But it didn’t (maybe we didn’t rub enough). Some days Alex’s eye was fine, some other days it was so red that it showed signs of infection. Poor Alex kept rubbing and rubbing and at the same time he was making it worse. We felt so bad for him.

Although the whole “surgery” thing made me very worried, I was much more nervous about putting Alex under general anesthesia. Both the pediatrician and the ophthalmologist said that they had never seen anyone have complications from anesthesia. So what do you do but to trust them, right? That was very, very hard… and like a lot of times I tried not to show that weak side of me… the side that is so scared I can’t even think straight. But Noli knows me so well. I bet he knew I wasn’t thinking very straight.

And the day came and went like nothing. I will admit - it seemed like we waited an eternity before they took us back to the Pediatric Ward. Once we got there, we saw so many other parents and young children. The kids were playing with toys in the waiting room oblivious to what really happens there. I could see the worry in those parents’ eyes. I wondered what sorts of problems they were dealing with. At the same time, I was very thankful to God that OUR problem was not too serious and we have a very healthy boy.

Alex looked SO cute when we changed him into his little gown. The nurse said “this is the smallest we have” and it was huge on him. He kept busy playing with toys and riding on a big wagon through the hallways. Once the doctors were ready for him, I also changed into full scrubs, hair was covered, face mask, the whole 9 yards… I looked like one of them!!! I carried him into the operating room. He was so curious looking at all the lights. As I laid him down, he looked at me as if to ask, “What is going on Mommy?” and started to cry. That was hard!!! It wasn’t very long before the cries stopped and he was asleep like a little angel…

We took a few pictures with our phones, sorry for the poor quality shots, but we wanted to capture this moment to share with you all.

"These toys are so much fun!!!"



"Woo hoo!!! Faster Daddy, faster!!!"



"OK, I'll pose for you one more time"



"Can I climb on top of the table? "



"Come on Mommy, let's leave now that no one is watching!!!"




Couple of shots with Mom and Dad...






Ready to rock and roll...

It’s Officially Spring!!!

The weather is starting to change and the days are getting warmer. Although on our first trip to the park, it was a little bit chilly. Still Alex had a great time. We decided to pack up lunch and eat at this very nice park in downtown Frederick. I couldn’t believe how many kids were running all over the place! I was a little overwhelmed looking at kids a little older than Alex climbing, jumping, falling, getting dirty… boy do I need to relax a bit! Alex really enjoyed watching bigger children. I think he was taking it all in so he could start doing all of those things as well… Noli says, “We are not raising a boy who is afraid of getting dirty”. “Of course not dear, of course not…” (I need to learn to relax!!!)
Another attraction at the park was all of the puppy dogs, and even though our main intention was to see some ducks, we did not get to see any. It was just a bit too cold to continue our walk in search of birds or “burr” like Alex calls them. Look at these cute pictures of my handsome boy…

13-Month Old Stats

We took Alex for his "supposedly" 12-month old check up and shots at 13 months old. This is because he had a cold that hang around for a while and also because the lovely Dr. M did not have any open spots to see him sooner. I was even a little concerned that he was not going to be getting his shots right at 12 months, but the Dr. assured me that he was going to be just fine as long as he did get the shots.
The funny thing is that the 2 previous times we had to visit the doctor's because of the cold, Alex knew exactly where we were and who that nice young lady was (the nurse) who usually gave him his shots. So as soon as we were in the room for the prep (weigh, temperature, etc) Alex started screaming for dear life!!! He sure knew that the young nice lady in the purple suit was up to something... OK, it's not funny to see him cry like that, but it's amazing to see how at such young age he realizes things!!! So he got 3 shots in his legs.
Anyway, here are his stats at 13 months old:

Weight: 20 lbs 9 oz

Height: 29 in

Head Circumference: 18.3 in

Alex is still in the small side, but his growth progress is normal and most important of all, he is a healthy and happy baby.

Here are a a few cute shots of Alex...

Look at this handsome boy!!!

Bad Hair Day... Maybe I'm Just Getting Sick Mommy!!!

Alex had a slow day on Monday after his birthday party. All because he was up all night!!! All he wanted to do was do come down to play with his new toys. Needless to say, Noli and I had a rough night. Sometimes, I just can't help it and I give in on all my little Angel's desires... I know it's not a good trend. I brought him down at 2:00 AM and we played for a while. He was giggling, happy and wide awake!!! Not a good idea on a Sunday night/Monday-really-early morning. What a rough day we had. Through out the day, Alex was not himself. And I thought it was because he was exhausted. During dinner we noticed that he was a little too hot, we took his temperature and it was up 100.7. First time that he's gotten his temperature that high. So I was very worried. We took his temperature again like around 2:00 AM and it had gone up to 102.7. That really shook me. I had never seen my baby so uncomfortable and miserable. It broke my heart. The next day I took him to the doctor's and she said that he might have a stomach virus, since he was also throwing up... No medicine needed... it had to run it's course. He hasn't been himself yet... but getting better and better everyday... slowly, but surely.

Here are some cute shots I took of him... look at that hair! If it wasn't for those cute cheecks!!!

My First Birthday Party

Mommy and Daddy are so creative and artistic! Check out my First Birthday Party invitation that went out to all my guests... Don't I look cute???



Mommy and Daddy worked so hard getting our house ready for the big day. Grandma came by to help out and keep me company while mom and dad were running around all over the place...





Hmmmmmm... YUMMY Elmo cupcakes!!!



During one of the breaks, I started walking trying to impress Grandma! Look at me going... holding my balloons just in case I tripped!!!



(Here is a video to catch the action...)

Here are some pictures of the party and my family and friends... (mom had fun playing around with the collages)

A Letter To My Son...

Dear Alex,

I’ve been thinking a lot about this past year and how our lives have changed by sharing it with you. First of all I’d like to thank God for giving us the precious gift of becoming parents to the most wonderful baby boy… YOU!!!

It’s been a year since you were born. It seems like yesterday when we brought you home from the hospital. You were so tiny and fragile. That night was cold and rainy, and having to drive on a highway transporting our most valuable treasure was nerve racking. Your Dad and I were so nervous but at the same time so excited to finally have you home with us.

This has been a big year for you. It is amazing how much you’ve grown and how much you’ve learned. Daddy has always been eager to teach you and show you things, even when you were only a few days old. Once you started spending more time awake, Daddy would show you the light in the kitchen ceiling. He used to point at it and say “light”. Very soon when we asked you “Alex, where is the light?” You would look up. Then Daddy started to teach you the names of the different things in the kitchen while we were feeding you. This would keep you entertained and distracted during your feeding times. By the age of 1 year, you can point to - or at least look at – many things when we ask you, “Alex – where is the (blank)”… window, chair, microwave, dishwasher, photos (on the fridge), pig or chancho (our little pig holding a blackboard in kitchen), tree or arbol, plantita (small plant), platano or banana, socks or medias, pajamas, hair (not Daddy’s), ear, hands, mouth, floor, Elmo (your bib), Ramon (your Cabbage Patch that Aunt Gianna gave you for Christmas), trash can, etc… Not a bad list for being 12 months… and even better, we practice these names in Spanish as well.

At age 9 months your Daddy taught you to make the sign for Touchdown, both arms up in the air. It took you a while, but when you finally got comfortable and saw our reaction, you kept doing it to make us laugh… you can entertain a room full of adults by doing touchdown!!! By now, you can sign “I don’t know” by turning your little hands palms up. You can clap and do “bravo” to celebrate anything you think is good, or when you hear us say ‘bravo”. You also stick you tongue out when Daddy asks “como hace el lobito?” (what does the little wolf do?). You play “topi-topi”, a slow and soft head butt with the forehead that is closest to you –a game that Grandma Yoyi started. You can do fist pump when we ask you to, can sign “please”, “more”, “bye-bye” and even do “ear muffs” and cover your ears. That will come in handy when Dad or I need to say something you are not suppose to hear.

By now you are able to take a few steps on your own, but still need Mommy and Daddy to catch you. You are being more vocal and can say “dada dada” (daddy), “cahk-cahk” when you want a cracker, “baba baba” when you are trying to say momma and can also say “caca”. How cute you are when you grab your little towel and put it near your nose and say “oiko-oiko-oiko”. We are not sure what it means, but it seems to bring you comfort. You even know how to imitate a little kitty, when we ask you “Como dice el gatito?” (What does the kitty say?), you make a high pitch sound, “meee meee”.

You are such a happy baby… always with a good disposition, always smiling, even when you hadn’t had a chance to take a nap because we’ve been running some errands. Or when I have to clean that teary eye because you still have a blocked tear duct and will need the procedure to fix it after all... Nothing can make us happier when we hold you and ask you “carino para mami/papi” (love for Mommy/Daddy) and you lay your head on our shoulder to show us affection. And what can I say about you beautiful eyes… when I ask you to do “ojitos” (little eyes) you close your eyes for a few seconds and look back at me with that sweet little smile.

This has been a big year for our little family, you brought so much happiness and meaning to our lives. Keep smiling Alex, you have an exciting future to look forward to!!!
We love you very very much…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BABY!!!

Alex's Birthday...

This is my Little Angel right when he woke up the day of his birthday...

I also took a video of the birthday boy. This is how he wakes up every morning... always smiling...

This is Maria, Alex's Nana. She's a wonderful lady who takes care of him during the day while Noli and I work. He loves Maria!!!

Everyday before lunch, Maria combs Alex hair and makes this curl up in the middle of his head. Grandma Yoyi calls it "Alex's kikiriki". He looks so handsome!!!

We celebrated Alex's first birthday and at exactly 6:40 PM on January 30th (the time when he was born) we sang Happy Birthday and blew a candle. Alex was just as thrilled as when he saw Elmo cake # 1. Carlos and Richie showed up a little later and we sang Happy Birthday for the second time and we all enjoyed the delicious cake.

Showing off his ONE toothie...

The Real Deal

OK, I think I'm just being a little bit obsessed with making the perfect cake for Alex. A few weeks ago, I had baked about 3 different types of cakes and after finding the "perfect" recipe, I decided to go ahead and practice the decorating part. So the "prototype" Elmo cake turned out almost perfect. As for the other cakes... well, Noli ate one and the other one went straight in the trash. Yeah, it was bad.

So the plan was to make the real cake for Alex's birthday party that was scheduled to take place on Sunday February 1st, but unfortunately had to be postponed a week. To celebrate his birthday on January 30th, I made my second Elmo cake. I must say, I think it turned out a little bit better than the first one! So here are some pictures of the process... "How To Make the Perfect Elmo Cake"

Bake a 6" round chocolate cake and freeze it (it helps during the decorating phase). Trace the Elmo face on wax paper and cut out.

Place the mold on top of the cake and trace it with a toothpick.

Cut out the top part and to get the round shape for the eyes.

Carve the eyes a bit to give room to the mini white donuts. Trace the mouth with black icing. Start filling out the face with red icing.

Place the white mini donuts in the eye sockets.

Use Hershey kissed for the pupils.

I used Cheddar cheese for the nose (yeah... cheese). Carve to give it its shape.



TA-DAAA!!!

Alex Turns 1!!!

Our Little Angel's year in pictures...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX!!!

My Very First Basketball Game (Up Close and Personal)

My Daddy is the biggest Maryland fan ever. He hopes that one day when I'm ready to go to college, I will follow in his footsteps and go to school there. On the other hand, my mommy doesn't want to even think about it... "Alex going to college... it's a very very long time from now", she says.

Let me tell you a story... Because Noli is such a good Terps fan, last year while I was in the delivery room about to have our first child, he kindly (and jokingly) asked me to have our baby soon so that he and the baby could enjoy the basketball game together! And so the baby was born, and before we knew it, Alex was in Daddy's arms watching the Maryland vs. Virginia game. I don't remember if we won or not, but watching my husband holding our baby and enjoying the game is an image that will last a life time...

So Noli waited all these months to take Alex to his first basketball game. It did not turn out as expected. Although Alex likes people and he is a good sport with loud noises, being at the Comcast Center with thousands of fans cheering was a bit too much. So Grandma and I had to wait in the concourse area where Alex was much more comfortable.

Even Testudo came around to see us!!!