It's Been Awhile..

since I have had some free time to blog. You will just have to be patient with me because life is busy as a mom, wife, teacher, and student. I'm not complaining - I love my life!

Hector, Santiago and I had a great weekend together. I think we will enjoy our weekends so much more now that we both are back working. It makes us treasure the time spent with Santiago on a whole new level. We went to a birthday party at our friend's house on Saturday. They have two boys - one turned 2 recently and the other turned 4. I can't wait until Santiago's birthday parties to watch him open his gifts. Braylen, the 4 year old, was so excited to open his gifts that he tore through each one barely noticing what was inside until he got to a spiderman costume. He was so excited about this gift that he did not care about anything else he opened until his dad finally let him put his spiderman costume on. Then he was ready to open the rest of his gifts. I learned an important lesson by watching Braylen - save the gift you know your child will like the most until the very end and let it be the finale gift!

So I officially finished my first week back at work with the kids and have begun a new week. I have a great class - talkative, but I think they will be great once they learn my routines and procedures and what I expect from them. First graders surprise me every day and I enjoy listening to their "words of wisdom". Just today I learned that a dog turns into a statue when it no longer feels like living. I was told that sometimes they just say "I give up, I don't want to be a living thing anymore, I want to be a nonliving thing" and they become a statue! We are learning about living and nonliving things in science and when I asked if anyone could tell me the difference between the two today, that is what I heard when I called on a student to answer. Another student today told me to take my shoe to the shoe doctor because it looked sick. When I asked why my shoe looked sick, she told me because the shiny thing is falling off. I was wearing flip flops with gemstones on them. I'm sure I will get to hear many more funny things this year :)

Santiago finally decided after months that he wanted to flip all the way over today. He did it at his grandparents house on their bed and today when I brought him home he rolled from his back to his tummy then tummy to back three times in a row and ended up completely off the blanket on the floor I had him playing on.

6 Month Check Up

Today after work I picked up Santiago to take him to his 6 month well check up with his pediatrician. We are 3 weeks late for this appointment but I was unable to get an appointment for him around his half birthday because the doctors were so booked up with back to school appointments. All is well with Santiago - he is growing fast and changing every day. Our love is also growing fast for him! He is in the 95th percentile for height at 29 inches long and 90th percentile for weight at 21 pounds and 7 ounces. His head circumference is in the 50th percentile at 44.75 cm. We saw our regular pediatrician's partner today and I think I am going to start seeing her on a regular basis for well checks and sick visits if he gets sick. I like our regular pedi just fine but her partner is a little more personable and really takes time to talk to me and answer my questions. We saw her once before when Santiago had to be rechecked for his bili levels after birth due to a little jaundice. Anyways, she explained to me that Santiago has a little baby eczema - his little cheeks on his face break out sometimes because his skin gets irritated easily by saliva, sweat, spit up, etc. She said he will probably grow out of it and that this is a very common problem in babies. Looking back to before Santi's surgery, I think he must have had a bad case of baby eczema because his poor little face was so broken out, red and scaly. It was awful! Luckily the antibiotics he received with surgery cleared that problem right up and we haven't had that bad of a case again. Santiago received 4 vaccinations today - 3 shots and 1 oral.

You can see his bandaids in this picture. He was so tough - he didn't start to cry until the third shot was given to him and he stopped crying as soon as I picked him up. He quickly turned his head to the nurse and smiled at her right after he stopped crying. It was so funny! You would think he would be mad at her for sticking him.

Santiago has reached all his developmental milestones that the pedi asked for at his checkup. He can hold his head up well when we pull him into a sitting position, roll over, sit up unsupported, grasp things with his hands, recognize voices and tones, respond to different lighting, etc. She was impressed that I waited until 6 months to introduce solids and agrees with our other doctor that it was a good idea. He is doing well with the fruits and veggies he has tried although he doesn't just love them yet. The thing he likes to eat most is sweet potatoes. She encouraged me to breastfeed as long as possible and keep introducing more foods. She also said that the Super Baby Food book is an excellent resource to follow - she highly encouraged it. (Thanks Seester)

Santiago is doing better with his schedule with his grandparents during the day. He has gotten in two naps with them the last couple days and he sure is a lot happier for the rest of the evening. Thanks so much Hector and Linda for doing a great job taking care of our baby boy! Today Santiago babbled "da da da da" a couple of times. That sure makes his daddy proud!

Here's Santiago doing one of his favorite things - staring and talking to himself in the mirror. He knows he is cute stuff :)

1st Day of School

Today I started my 7th year teaching. I can't believe I have already taught 6 years. Time really flies by. I have a big class of 23 first graders this year. My school is over capacity and this is only our 3rd year open. This is the biggest class I have ever had. We may have to add another first grade class if a few more students are enrolled in first grade. Today was a crazy day - but it went pretty well considering I am out of practice! With maternity leave and summer combined, I have been out of the classroom for 6 months now. It will take me a few days, maybe weeks, to get back in the swing of things. All in all I think I am going to have a good class. They need a little training but with time they will have all my routines and procedures down. I have some "true" boys in my class and I think they are going to test me. They may be giving me a taste of my future with Santiago. They are sweet boys, just a little rambunctious! I know my Santi will be a sweet, well behaved boy because that is how we will raise him :)

I missed Santiago like crazy today again. I talked about him a lot with my students. One little girl in my class came up to me this morning and asked if she could hug me when she first got to school and then she asked if she could tell me something. I said "of course" and then she said: "You used to have a really big tummy but it's not big anymore!" Thank goodness she didn't say I still had a big tummy! haha Later in the day when we were discussing possible rewards they could earn, they asked me if I could bring my baby to school when they acted good. How cute is that?! Last night, Hector fixed Santiago's hair. Take a look from the front view and the side.

Busy Week

I just completed my first full week back at work since I had Santiago in February. It was hard to get up early, feed Santi, get myself and him ready and out the door but we survived. I have had to change my morning routine because now I have to put Santiago's needs first - I can no longer shower in the morning and accomplish everything else that needs to be done so I am now cleaning up at night and then touching up my hair in the mornings. That allows me to sleep until at least 6 am when I start feeding Santiago. I'm not willing to wake up at 5 to shower and get myself ready so I am going to have to learn to like showering at night. It's one of the many adjustments that life has handed me but I wouldn't change it for the world. I love my little boy so much! I also miss him so much during the day!

Today we had "Meet the Teacher" at work and I got to meet 21 of my 23 first graders and their parents. Seeing their cute excited faces made me a little more excited about starting to teach again. Monday is the first day of school for the kids and also the first day of my last grad school class! I'm excited to be on the last leg of my master's program. This semester will be a challenging one with my grad school work, job and home life but I am up for the challenge. Wish me luck!

Hector, Santiago and I went to Rockfish for dinner and had a good time. Santiago had to take a nap after I picked him up from his grandparent's house again today. He doesn't normally have to take a nap after his 3rd feeding of the day but he has been the last few days. Our evenings have not been the happiest lately because his napping routine has been off. I was thankful that he woke up happy in the restaurant and we were able to enjoy our meal! We also got about 20 minutes of play time in before he took his bath, ate and went to bed so we snapped a few pictures. And no matter how fussy he is, when I start his bath water, his mood automatically changes. He loves his bath!

Some Cute Pictures

Back to Work

Hector and I officially started back at work for our teacher inservice days. So far they have consisted of going over school policies and such, not the most fun, but it doesn't help that I'm missing Santiago like crazy. I am enjoying seeing my friends and coworkers at school but I hate being away from Santi all day long. Everyone says that it will get easier and I am hoping and praying that it will. I know being away all day from him will make me appreciate my time with him in the morning before work and the evenings and I know I will love my weekends the most now.

Here is my sleepy baby with crazy hair! His hair has really grown a lot on the top and it has also filled back in a lot after surgery and his helmet wear.

Santiago still doesn't really like to be on his tummy for long periods of time but he has figured out how to scoot himself backwards or rotate his body when he is on his tummy. It's quite funny to see him try to maneuver himself around. He mostly likes to sit up and play with toys in front of him. He is a good "swatter" and can hit just about anything. When he is sitting he can reach way out in front of him and pretty much lay down on his tummy while sitting on his bottom and then pull his body back into the sitting position after he has grabbed whatever he was reaching for.

Today he impressed me when we took a car ride to the grocery store after I got off work. When I was about to get him out of the car I asked him if he was ready to get out and he reached down to the car seat buckle with both hands like he was going to snap himself out of his car seat! It's amazing how much he understands - if only he could talk!

A Bit Fussy

I wish Santiago would always have this big of a smile on his face. He is usually a very happy baby so we see big smiles like this a lot but we have had some heightened fussiness the last two days. Both days it has been in the afternoons around his nap time and for whatever reason he fought going to sleep. It really breaks my heart to see him upset. I really have to count our blessings though because he hardly ever fusses and these spells weren't even that long.

I have also found out that he does not like the blow dryer or the food processor. He cried when I was trying to dry my hair yesterday and today I was pureeing some homemade baby food and he got upset when I turned on the food processor. I hope he gets used to loud noises like those. We have never kept things real quiet around the house in hopes that he wouldn't mind regular household noises. Up until now - he didn't mind these noises. All this will pass in time I am sure.

All Gone!

In addition to rice cereal, Santiago has also tried and loved oatmeal. He is so excited to eat from a spoon that he will grab the spoon from you and stick in his mouth. I can't get the food to him fast enough usually so he grunts and moans until I get a new spoonful. He loves to eat! We are going to be moving on to some fruits and veggies next!

Is it really gone?

Oh no it is! I guess I'll eat the bowl!

Santiago has mastered giving a high five! He can't really give your hand a good slap but he will touch your hand when you hold it up and ask for it. He's also gotten really good at giving me a kiss when I ask for one. He will grab my cheeks with both hands and lay a real wet one right on my lips. I love it!

Also, Santiago has been becoming a little more needy of us lately. We can't walk out of the room without him fussing or crying even for a minute. He will be smiling and having a great time playing on the floor or in his exersaucer and I will walk out and tell him I will be right back after I put something away or go get something and he will get upset. He wants to be able to see me at all times I guess.

The School Year is Approaching

The time is almost here where I have to go back to work. I have had a few days of workshops here and there but soon I will be starting a new school year and having to work full time again. This makes me a little sad! I love teaching with a passion but I love my Santiago so much more and I wish I could stay home with him. I think it will take both of us a little time getting used to me going back to work but we will both be ok. I know we will both being having fun. I'll be having fun with my first graders and my wonderful coworkers and Santiago will be having fun with his grandparents. Hector's parents are going to be providing the most loving care for him. They will be taking care of him while Hector and I are working. We are very blessed to have them. We bought a few things for Santiago to use at their house so we don't have to worry about forgetting things or hauling things back and forth. Hopefully the only thing that I will have to continually transport is breastmilk, changes of clothes and his food.

Here is a highchair that we bought at IKEA. It's cute and sturdy and Santiago will love eating his papita (food) in it. And here is a basket of goodies we put together and a diaper bag for them to carry. The basket has bottles, pacifiers, paci clip, bibs, spoons, bowls, bottle warmer, teething toy, bottle brush, blankets, burp rags, diaper rash cream, etc. It has a little of everything! Hopefully he will have everything he needs and more!

Cranio Check-Up: 6 Weeks Out of Helmet

Santiago had an appointment today with Dr. T. We have been out of the helmet for six weeks now and we are four and a half months past surgery. At the beginning of the appointment, they weighed and measured Santiago. We haven't been to our 6 month checkup yet so we were excited to find out his stats. He weighs 20 pounds 10 ounces and is 29 inches long. Santiago is just a little bit bigger than I was when I was 6 months old. I weighed 20 lbs 3 oz and was 28.5 in at 6 months. So far he has been just a little ahead of my baby measurements and Hector and I are hoping that means Santi will grow to be tall!

His appointment went well - we got a good report. We won't be back for another check up for 3 months. Dr. T is pleased that his bones are still opened and growing properly. He said his appearance will continue to improve and we will see more final results in the next 6-8 months. Santiago will be 12-14 months old at that time. At this age, the sutures in the skull are closing or may be closed completely as normal skull growth occurs. Santiago still has a little flatness above his right eyebrow but people who do not know about his history can't even see this flatness. It is most noticeable when Santiago is sitting in your lap and you look down on his head. Dr. T explained to us that Santiago's orbital rim did not come out exactly like he had hoped but that he was still content with the results. He said that it came outward when the surgery was done but it did not rotate forward. But like I said, we don't think anyone can notice this if they do not know Santiago's situation. The good news is that we definitely do not have to get another helmet and most likely will not have any more surgeries. We are thankful for a good checkup and for our happy little boy. We are so fortunate that craniosynostosis is a fixable condition and that the worst is definitely behind us. I know our future has many wonderful moments in store for us watching Santiago grow, develop and learn new things!

Some Santi Stuff

Santiago loves to see himself in the mirror....how do I know?

Just look at him kissing himself!!
Yesterday Hector and I took Santiago to Babies R Us to get a few things we needed for Santiago for the grandparents house where he will soon be spending his day while we are at work. We have some gift cards left from our baby showers that are coming in handy. They are so nice to have now as Santiago is quickly growing out of his clothes and his toys. We bought him a few new toys that are age appropriate for him. Here he is with one of them. He really likes it!

The other day I started playing around with Santiago asking him to give me five while I held up my hand. He, of course, had no idea what I was asking so I grabbed his hand and helped him tap my hand to give me five. I did that a few times and clapped and cheered after each time and he smiled and giggled. Then after awhile he started touching my hand on his own when I asked for a five. He is getting better at it every day! It's so cute and it made me so proud when he learned so quickly!!

Meet Mr. Pansa

Mr. Pansa was a gift Hector gave me for one of our first Christmas' together. I'm not sure if it was the very first - it may have been the second. 'Pansa' is the cute way to say tummy in Spanish and this teddy bear has a big one so we named him Mr. Pansa. He is bigger than Santiago and this is the first time Santiago got to play with him. He normally sits on top of a book shelf in Santiago's room up high because Roxie likes to play with him too if he is lower.

More cereal please!

Well it's official. We started Santiago on rice cereal yesterday. Everyone has been asking when we were going to do it and we finally did. We went with our pediatrician's advice as well as pretty much every book and website and waited until Santiago was 6 months old. He definitely has been getting plenty to eat for the last 6 months - you can tell that by looking at him so I was never worried that we were waiting too long. He is very healthy and a little chubby!

Santiago has been very interested in what we are eating and drinking for quite a few weeks now. He loves to suck on cold condensating cups and water bottles and he watches us intently as we use a fork or spoon to feed ourselves. So when I pulled out a little spoon and rice cereal mixed with breastmilk - Santiago knew it was for him. He was so excited! He had a huge smile on his face and he began making noises and flapping his arms up and down as he sat and waited in his high chair. Hector filmed the big event with our camcorder and we took many pictures. When I got the first bite ready, Santiago opened his mouth wide and grabbed my hand and pulled the tiny spoon straight in his mouth. He loved every bit of it! Today he ate his first serving of cereal quickly and began to fuss when it was all gone so I made a little more and he ate that too!

2 Weeks Away

I'm going to play a little catch up since we were away for almost two weeks with our trip to the lake and to Midland. We spent the majority of the time at the lake having fun in the water and relaxing as usual there. Here is Blake and Santiago taking a nap together in Grandma and Pappaw's bed one afternoon. Grandma Karen stayed inside with them and watched them sleep so Alli and I could float for awhile in the lake.

Here's Santiago wearing some shades because his future is so bright and then he is playing with a UT football because we all know he is a little longhorn!

Here he is all ready to go to bed in his lucky ducky jammies at the lake. He is sitting up real well now and can even lean forward on his hands and then pick himself back up to a sitting position.

We had to leave the lake and head to Midland because of my Grandpa Bob's passing. My Uncle Scott and cousin Olivia were in town visiting and were staying at my parent's house as well. Olivia brought her friend Talia and they had a lot of fun in Midland riding horses and going to the pool and other thing. Look what they caught - a horny toad! Santiago didn't really know what to think of it.

And here is a bunch of family all gathered at my Grandma Pebble's house. Everyone came in town for my grandpa Bob's funeral. Good things do come out of sad events. It was nice to see some extended family members that we don't get to see very often. Paula, Danielle and Uncle Mike got to meet Blake and Santiago for the first time.

6 Months Old

I cannot believe that Santiago is half a year old already! He is such a wonderful blessing to our family and it's hard to remember life before him. Here is what he is up to lately:

• Wears size 12 clothes and size 3 diapers.
• Can sit up all by himself.
• Sits with his ankles crossed.

• Squeals and grunts in happiness.
• Blows bubbles and raspberries.
• Gives kisses when you ask for them and when he wants to.
• Makes noises all the time - sometimes he actually sounds like he is talking. He makes two and three syllable noises and almost speaks in sentences! We can't wait to hear a real word come out..."mama" please or "daddy"!
• Wakes up and talks to himself and plays with his feet and even puts them in his mouth sometimes!
• Cuddles in bed with us.
• Reaches out to me when he wants me to hold him.

• Belly laughs at silly noises and songs.
• Can pull himself into a standing position by holding our hands.
• Beats his fists like he is playing the drums on things.
• Loves to hear people say "beep beep"
• Loves songs sung to him especially "Deep in the Heart of Texas" and the "Grand Ol Duke of York"
• Flaps his arms and legs when is excited.
• Jumps up and down in your lap.
• Puts everything in his mouth.

Santiago got to ride a horse for the first time today also with his Pappaw. He really was impressed with Gunsmoke the horse and Pappaw was very excited and proud!

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Good Bye Grandpa

It's been quite awhile since I have had the opportunity to make a post. Hector, Santiago and I went to the lakehouse to spend time with my family almost 2 weeks ago. We did not intend on being away so long, but now we are in Midland. The internet access is very weak at the lakehouse so it is not easy to blog there and also it is nice to just sit back and relax while we are there so I enjoy the break away from everything. After a fun week at the lake with my family we got news that my Grandpa Bob was sick and in the hospital. So instead of going back home to Spring, we made the trip to Midland. I don't want to write all the details on here but my Grandpa Bob received his angel wings on Sunday morning and flew home to heaven. It has been a hard few days but the love and support we have gotten from family and friends has been wonderful. The funeral was today and it was a beautiful celebration of my grandpa's life. We laughed and we cried. It was nice to laugh a little because that is something my grandpa always made everyone do - he always gave us a good laugh by telling jokes. Here is a picture of Grandpa Bob holding Santiago when he was 5 weeks old.

And here is my Grandpa Bob and my Grandma Pebble dancing at my wedding. My grandma told me that this is one of the few times that my grandpa ever danced. I love this picture of them!

And here is one more of my sister Allison, Grandma and Grandpa and me on my wedding day.
I love you Grandpa Bob and miss you so much already!