One year and all is well

Twenty-nine pounds and 31 inches of pure cuteness and delight. Ooy! No wonder my back hurts these days!

Yesterday I took Santiago in for his one year well visit. He loves these well visits. He loves to rip the paper off the examination table like a hero and charm the pants off all the nurses, though that didn't spare him from getting 4! Yes! 4 immunization shots! He looked up at me with this terrified look on his face, like, Pain! This hurts! Owwwwww!

The pediatrician asked plenty of questions. (Walking yet? Yes. Sociable? Very), she listened to his heart, inspected his ears and eyes, his muscular development, and then gave him a good squish on his tummy(can you blame her? santiago is pretty darn delicious these days) and she told me I was doing a good job no less than three times(what all moms like to hear as many times as possible, am I right?). She also told me I birthed the greatest specimen of manchild that ever existed on the earth! Ha! Ok, so, maybe she didn't say that last part.

After the trauma frozen yogurt was called for.

mommy's little helper?

Household tasks that are almost impossible to complete with an (almost!) one year old in the house:

1. Sweeping. Santiago seems to think this yellow stick with the fancy brush at the end is a toy.  His toy.  When we're not fighting over the broom, I'm chasing him away from the debris pile.

2.  Laundry.  The look of satisfaction on his face when he demolishes a pile of perfectly folded clothes.

3.  Toilets.  Do I need to explain?

4.  Dishes.  "What Mom? This fancy pull down door isn't my personal platform?  But there are all of these shiny toys inside."

5.  Vacuuming.  If vacuum chasing ever becomes an Olympic event, he totally would win a gold medal.

Baby mine. month eleven.

29 days from today and my baby will turn one. ONE. time is a cruel thing.
i'm actually hating it right now. today especially, i'm having a hard time with the thought of losing my baby to toddlerdom (and please no one tell me i can
"just have another". it's not the same).

i know what an incredible, wonderful and natural thing it is for Santiago to be developing and growing, and i am ever so grateful for it, but the thought of my sweet baby boy turning one. ONE. is making me nostalgic, and i'm getting weepy.

Santiago 15 days old.

when will somebody figure out how to pause time already?

can somebody please get on that?

Baby mine. month ten.

Have I mentioned how much I adore this little boy of mine?

My heart bursts with love every time I hold him, lay eyes upon him, think of him, smell him, hear him, sing to him, read to him, tickle him, bathe him, feed him.

at ten months Santiago is:

a grouchy- growly boy when he skips nap-time
really diggin broccoli 

giving big drooly open-mouth kisses
practically walking
blab-blabbing on the telephone with grandma
loves playing peek-a-boo
already getting into mischief
 happiest in the bathtub

has 8 teeth!

he is a handful
but, I love him so

A story about a boy and his favorite toy.

Once upon a time

there was a handsome little boy named Santiago.

Santiago was bored so he decided to play with his favorite toy.

{I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves}



A guessing game

5:30 a.m. The sun is up and so am I.

When I eat spaghetti I don't chew it.

I used to love bathtime, but now, not so much.

I like to be nakie.

I love to suck on my toes.

Do you know who I am yet?

I scream when I don't get my cheerios pronto.

I can't talk yet.

I poop a lot.

I like to arch my back when my mom puts me into my car seat so its really hard for her.

Do you know who I am?

SANTIAGO!!

Santiago's first Easter.

yesterday was the prettiest spring day. it was heavenly. we celebrated the RISING of Jesus Christ's by going to church and having an egg hunt at the park.

we love easter! we decided we're going to celebrate Jesus the rest of the week by eating lots of the chocolate bunnies, little yellow marshmallow chicks, jellybeans and carrot cupcakes with lots of cream cheese icing, just how we like them.

how was your easter, friends?

Well, we are now back in Las Vegas!

Hooray!

We landed late last night and immediately I started to feel . . .

what is that????? . . . . . Grandchild theft-related guilt?

These days there are all manner of technologies designed to keep us close together

in a world that is increasingly keeping us far apart. Unlimited cell phone minutes,

emails and text messages, Skype, Google Chat and FaceTime . . .

but sometimes that all just isn’t good enough.

Some days I long for my in-laws to live near us. I have always been, and will always be

one heck of a homebody. Weirdly, even though I am in my late twenties, and I have a

family of my own now, that home for my which my body still longs seems to be the

home of my dear old mom and dad and my in-laws cozy home.

And aren’t I getting a little too old for this already?

How old is too old to feel homesick? 90? 92?

Oh, good.

Santiago with grandpa Juvenal

We had to surgically remove the two from each other.

Oh! have you seen a leprechaun,

a leprechaun, a leprechaun? Oh! have you seen a sneaky little leprechaun that came from Ireland?

That sneaky Leprechaun was up to no good yesterday at my house. We woke up to green milk! Yes, GREEN MILK! Which Santiago thought was awesome! Did you know green milk turns your hair green? Lo and behold that sneaky Leprechaun used his magic and turned Santiago's hair green!! but by the time I grabbed my camera to take a picture it changed back to brown . . . . shoot!

Then for lunch that sneaky Leprechaun turned pureed sweet potatoes into pureed peas (which Santiago hates) Can you believe it? And turned my salad into Lucky Charms cereal? Oh, that darn Leprechaun.

that sneaky Leprechaun left shamrocks and gold coins for Santiago to play with.

he also left this book!

But by far the most mischievous thing that little Leprechaun did all day was leave delicious shamrock shake cupcakes.

Did a sneaky Leprechaun come by your house yesterday?