Starting over....

Okay blog, it's been a super long time since we've last corresponded. I guess I've been experiencing a bit of a writer's block. And life with two kids, a husband and a part time has kept me pretty busy.

I took the kids to the park yesterday. It was a perfect fall day; the air was clean and crisp, the sky was a perfect blue and the leaves on the trees were a golden yellow. I had the best time with the kids. Besides playing on the swings and climbing the jungle gym, I was able to sit back and watch the kids play. I didn't have to supervise every step the kids took.

I remember a year ago when Angie was 5 months old and Christopher was nearly 18 months. I remember having to hold Angie in my arms while pushing Christopher on a swing or bfeeding Angie while watching Christopher run across the park into a neighbor's yard. I am thankful that times have changed and it's gotten a bit easier.
The first year with the kids was difficult, but I am a stronger person beacause of this.

Hiii!

It's been a little rough these last few weeks. We were all sick with the flu last week. The kids got it first, and then Alfonso and I were sick. We ended up calling off from work for a few days while we all recuperated. Then a few nights ago, Christopher woke up at 1:30am and vomited all over his crib. Poor Alfonso had to clean him up (I was working the next day). Christopher is doing ok now, it was probably something that he ate that didn't agree with him.

My mom is officially on her journey to Africa to see my sister Crystal. She flew from Traverse City-Detroit. And then from Detroit-Paris. They have a stop over in Paris for a day or two, and then from there they are flying to Niger (West Africa). She is going with a childhood friend of my sister. This is the first time that my mom has travelled outside of the US. I hope that she will be okay... Niger is very hot and windy, so I hope she doesn't have a flare up with her asthma.

We have Angela's 9 month appointment this week. She isn't crawling yet, but moves around by creeping. It's hilarious to see her moving around the house. :) She is eating very well; loves most foods with the exception of pears and applesauce (too sour?). She even eats her vegetables! I am still bfeeding her, but not nearly as often. I will be a little sad when she is weaned. I will not miss pumping while I am at work. I get so stressed when I can't pump (because I am too busy and such) so it will be nice to not have any additional stress while at work.

I plan on posting some more pics soon. I ended up dropping my Olympus digital camera (I've had it for almost 5.5 years) so it would cost too much to fix it. I am now using Alfonso's camera, but the camera doesn't take the best photos. I hope that once we have some extra money saved for our emergency fund, I can store a little extra for an entertainment fund. I have my eye set on the Canon Rebel. :)

I smell teething

So.. this may be a little odd. But I can tell when my children are teething by the smell of their breath. It reminds of blood, but a little more medicinal. I could tell when Christopher was teething (I was pregnant at the time with Angela) and since having Angela, I've been breastfeeding.. So maybe it's hormone related? I was asking my dentist about this, but she had never heard of it. But I googled "teething breath" and a few hits showed up, so I am not the only one.

The reason why I bring this up is because Angela is teething, and a tiny little bud is starting to pop on the lower left part of her gums. She's been gnawing on me a bit more than usual, and has been fussy this entire evening.

It's been a long (long) time!

Hi everyone, sorry for the tardiness with this blog. I figured I should put something out there, since it's been several months since my last update.

These last few months have been busy with the holidays and my return of going back to work. It's been quite an adjustment for everyone, especially for Alfonso. However, I think we are doing okay. Work has been going pretty well for me, despite the annoying politics and the layoffs that were going around the hospital. I think it has settled down for now, but for a couple of weeks it was pretty high strung. We are always hearing about "the budget" from the management, so it can be tiresome.

I am only work two days a week (12.5 hr shifts) but I am so tired on my days off. I don't usually sleep well (I sleep downstairs in the guest room) while Angela is upstairs with Alfonso. I always wake up during the night feeling uncomfortable (I am used to feeding her during the night at some point) and I can hear her crying upstairs for me.

I am still pumping while I am at work, (usually twice, sometimes three times) and we've been giving her solids for the last two months. She loves her meals.. she makes screeching noises when the spoon is not in her mouth. I can't give her the food fast enough. She is quite the piggy.

Christopher is doing well. We think he is going through a growth spurt, since he eats all of the time (literally two breakfasts in the am, lunch, snack, dinner, dinner snack). It's crazy... and think about how many diaper changes coincide with all of this eating.

I am turning 30 in two weeks! I am feeling pretty excited. I loved the second half of my twenties, so I hope my thirties are just as amazing. And this will be the first time Alfonso and I have been in the same decade with our ages. Haha!

Here are some recent photos of the kids: