Soaking Up the Sun

Today, May 31st, was what I would call, a very productive day.
So what had happened was...... ha just kidding!
It all started out with Brandon and I waking up late for Koda's "special" appointment, of course, as always. My alarm didn't ring. When all else fails blame the alarm. My poor little Koda bear had a big surprise in store for him and he had no idea. So as always he wakes up happy, jumping around and doing what I would compare to the "potty dance". Which is unnecessary because Koda ALWAYS has to go potty. We get up, get ourselves and Raquel ready as fast as possible allowing us little to no time to get to his appointment, however somehow we still make it there on time. Okay 10 minutes late, but who's counting? We drop our little man off, the vet tries to sell us more stuff, and next thing we know we are leaving our little man to get "chopped".

While waiting for our boy to be ready to come home we decide to run some errands on base.. forcefully by Brandon's "people". However, worked out great because we FINALLY got our princess set up with an appointment for her 8 week check-up... at 11 weeks. Ha. Sometimes you just have to love it. So next week, Monday, Raquel will be getting her very first set of shots. My poor girl. I already know that I WILL cry that day. I do not look forward to seeing my little princess in pain. I am supposed to be the one to prevent pain to her in any way possible and instead I am setting her up for it. I know she will be okay but what can I say? I am my moms' daughter, and to anyone who knows my mom, you know what I mean. My mom and I are one in the same when it comes to our emotional side. Love you momma!

After about 5 hours we go to pick our big boy up from the vet. They said he did really well and explained to us what we would have to do for him for the next couple of weeks. The ride home was... different. Koda was no longer this hyperactive, 'in your face' dog. He was calm, tired, chill or in other words... drugged. It was definitely a strange sight. I road in the back with him so he wouldn't get car sick, which he does often as you already know. When we got home we had to put him in the 'cone of shame' (vets orders). HE HATES IT!! He was the saddest I have ever seen him and it broke my heart. My poor little man. I know he will feel better in a few days but for the time being my heart is broken for my boy.

NOW!
On a happy note....
RAQUEL WENT SWIMMING FOR THE FIRST TIME!!

My little princess was such a big girl in the pool today! The weather was perfect, the pool was warm, and we still had some chicken to grill. Should we go swimming?! All signs pointed to... YES! So we bought some baby sun lotion, got our little one all ready, and headed to the pool with our friends Katy and Chaz. Chaz grilled and Raquel, Brandon, Katy and I swam. Raquel seemed to be okay, just okay, with it which is all we could have asked for from her. She got to spend some time with mommy and some time with daddy which was a great treat for Brandon and I getting to spend that special moment with her. Now obviously we couldn't expect much from her on her first trip to this giant tub of water, this foreign object that surrounds her with this weird wet stuff and makes her diaper super heavy, and that is when mommy and daddy's job kicks in to know when enough is enough. Our little one had definitely had enough. That is okay though because then we got to enjoy our chicken and time with friends.

 


BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

Thursday nights by the pier, there is a farmers market type set up where there is a lot of yummy, different kinds of food and all kinds of merchandise stands with a variety of fun things to look at. Raquel likes it because she gets ALL KINDS of attention. Who could pass up such a cute little face?!?! I could just be biased BUT she is the cutest dern thing I have ever seen in my life! If anything this farmers market is just a good excuse for a family night out on the town. Which is always enjoyed, and the time with my husband is much appreciated considering it is never promised. I love my little family more than words can express, but I will never stop trying. These awesome people are my life and I don't even care to wonder where I would be without them.

Daddy Picking Raquel's Nose- She doesn't like that very much.

Check out my friend Katy's blog. It's about a mixture of prepping for an apocalypse, and her everyday life. Somewhat of an inside view into the life of us military wives. :p She is good though, check it out!
www.prepperkat.blogspot.com

Boot Scootin' Boogy

Every now and then my little princess will come to the decision that mommy is not allowed to get anything done. Yesterday she made that decision around, I'd say, 4pm. My little mommas girl had to be, not next to, on momma every second of the day. Which I am mostly okay with. I love the time I get to spend with her, but then again, there was a lot for me to do around the house that I had procrastinated on long enough. However, of course, the time my girl wanted with me towered over the dishes and the laundry on my list of priorities. She isn't going to want me like that FOREVER, so I will cherish every bit of it at this point in her life.

Raquel recently started smiling a lot while she is awake and every now and then she will have the cutest attempt at a laugh I think I have ever seen. Her smile brightens up my days. Anything that is currently on my mind, everything that is wrong becomes right for that moment in time. The innocence of my baby girl, the honesty and love in her smile gets me every time. How this little being altered my life is such a large way, I will never be able to explain, but I will always be thankful for the opportunity I have been given to be her mom.
If I would have told myself 3 years ago that in 3 years I would be married, and have a baby, I would have told myself to get off whatever I am taking. But here I am, happily married with an amazing man, and an unbelievable daughter.
So now to what I really wanted to get to in this post.
LAST NIGHT MY LITTLE PRINCESS SCOOTED!!!
I didn't see it happen or I would have taken a video. I put Raquel in her crib when she fell asleep. About 5 minutes later i hear her fussing, which then turns into a cry. So I go into her room to check on her, and her head is up against the headboard of the crib! She has never moved from her spot before aside from the times she has rolled from belly to back. This little miss scooted! I was so proud. Proud mama! She really is growing up so fast it is unbelievable, and even though I want her to stay little forever, it is so hard not to fill with pride and joy as she continues down these milestones.
                                Start:                                                                           Finish:

I am not sure if you all know this but Raquel started rolling over from tummy to back at 2 WEEKS!! You could only imagine the amazement in mine and Brandon's faces when she appeared as if she was trying to roll over. So we grab our phones and start to take a video. She rolled over 3 times that night.

Raquel Emilyn- BATH TIME!! 5/29/2012

Beach Bum

 I would like to start this off by saying that our little man Koda has been absolutely amazing with our little girl since the day she came home. He was so curious of who this little person was. I'm positive by now he knows that she is his little sister. He knows that it is his job to protect, and how can i be so positive of this? She makes the slightest noise when hes around, a cough, sneeze, cry, anything and he is right there next to her sniffing or just staring. When she cries he goes into the room that she is in. Some people think dogs don't know. They're just animals. I say BS, Koda knows who his sister is just as he knows who his parents are. Our little man adores his sister.

Yesterday, Monday May 28th (Memorial Day), Brandon and I decided that a family beach trip was in order. We had a busy weekend and it was Brandon's day off. So we pack up some chicken salad (courtesy's of Abuelita Cecy), chips, fruit and some water all in our giant re-usable shopping bag. Get the kids (Raquel and Koda) ready for a day full of beach fun. We had towels, blankets, and a sun blocker for Raquel, got everyone in the car and we were off on our way to the dog beach. Our first family trip in our first family car. I have to admit, I was super excited. I probably looked like a little kid on her way to Disney Land. I was really most excited for Raquel's first trip to the beach, even though she obviously cannot get in the water yet.

Raquel did really well with the trip. She pretty much slept the whole way there (only 20 minutes). She has always done well in the car. Koda on the other hand, not much of a car dog.

He loves going places, don't get me wrong, just the car and Koda do not get along. He has always had a little problem with getting car sick. We made sure to cover the back seat with a blanket so he wouldn't get it dirty.

So of course, the entire ride, Koda is drooling all over the car and licking the seats. I look back because I start to smell something funky, just to find that he has puked on the back seat, that was expected. At least it was on the blanket. We show up to the beach, payed parking, and no cash. Strike one. I open the passenger door to check on Raquel and OH MY GOD, Koda puked ON Raquel. Her waist all the way down to her toes now looked like Koda's breakfast. I spent the next half hour stripping Raquel down and using the few wipes I had to wipe Koda's puke off of Raquel and her car seat. Strike two. On top of everything there was a car of ladies that pulled up behind us, and the ENTIRE time that I am handling puke, they are staring and smiling at me. I didn't realize I was doing something entertaining. Strike three.
So of course, I was livid. My dog had just puked on my daughter. My poor princess. She had no idea what happened and yet I felt so bad. However, even though I was furious, there was no way I could be mad at Koda. He got sick. What did I have to be mad about? It was hard to be mad at the fact that it happened, not be mad at Koda, and to not be mad at those crazy ladies who thought I was just so funny.
What was supposed to be a fun family beach trip. Turned into the trip from you know where.
Needless to say. We did not go to the beach that day.
But our princess did look super cute :)

Princess Roxy

Raquel Emilyn was born 7lbs 1 oz, 18.5 inches long, and absolutely perfect. My husband and I were, and still are, newlyweds and she was the perfect addition to our family. Holding her for the first time and the look in my husbands eyes holding our baby girl are pictures that will be carved into my memory for the rest of my life. She has exceeded anything and everything I could have ever hoped for in my baby girl. She's not only beautiful, energetic, and an all around goofball, she's our best friend. Waking up to her smiling face and beautiful blue eyes staring at you, is more than enough to melt your heart over and over again.

I am creating this blog because our little princess has family that doesn't get to see her nearly as much as they would like to, from here in California ALL the way to the sunny state of Florida where her aunt whom she has yet to meet lives. (Don't worry Aunt Amanda, not too much longer). Raquel has gotten so lucky to have two families (big families) who care for her so much. Not everyone is blessed with that,  and yet somehow my husband and I got so lucky to have parents and extended family who enjoy her as much as we do, and bring those two families together and make them one.

I was talking to one of my cousins the other day who is pregnant with another beautiful addition to our family, and she asked me "what is it like being a mom?". I can sit here for hours and explain what I feel everyday, every second that I see my beautiful girls face. The emotions that rush through me knowing that we will get to see her grow up and all the milestones that we get to share with one another. I could explain it all in the deepest detail possible, but you will still only be taking in a small percentage of what it really is. Knowing that I couldn't explain it completely without talking her into next week I just said "She really is the best thing ever and I cannot wait for you to feel what I feel. Which I know you already have a sense of it. The second you found out about her I'm sure you emptied a place in your heart for her forever, but the feeling when you hold her and start noticing the slightest changes, a smile, a laugh, even a fart will be the highlight of your day".


Now I know that I will not be able to address everything that happens day to day. So if I miss anything and a question runs across your mind just comment and I will make sure to address it in a following blog. I want Raquel's family and friends to be able to know her life like we do, and be as big a part of it as we are. So please do not be afraid to ask a question. I love talking about our little princess so you are just giving me more to talk about. I will cover daily activities and her progress. I will also make sure to cover family trips, we do have one coming up here in a couple months to Michigan. (WOOHOO)

As of this very moment our little one is passed out next to me in her Disney pajamas, fed, clean and looking oh so peaceful :)