How Does She Do It?

I'll just start off by saying that this week is going SOOOOOO much better than last week, as far as taking care of Baby V solo goes.  She and I finally fell into a routine by last Friday (and I figured out that she just wanted to eat more than I was feeding her...amongst other things).  Needless to say, she is eating more and sleeping more and I have been less stressed.  The frantic phone calls to the hubby at Airborne School are long gone and have been replaced with good news!  Not only that, with the diminished fussiness, we've been afforded more time to play and have fun.  And she's a blast!

At 3+ weeks old and enjoying her swing...finally

In any case, a lot of the reading material that I've perused online and from the pediatrician talk a lot about finding ways to develop the baby's muscle strength and coordination.  I'm proud to say that Baby V hasn't needed our help with this from the start.  The day after she was born, she was already holding her head up from the stomach down position.  And she continues to do it now, although she's at about a half push-up position with her head perched up high.  She already tries to stand on her feet when I place her on them and she does a little bit of crawling already.  She's amazing.

In any case...some more evidence that this girl is strong:

For the past three nights, I've gone into her room in the wee hours of the morning to wake her to feed.  Normally, when I put her in her crib, I swaddle her in a receiving blanket, then place her in her "Sassy Perfect Position" sleep pad, like so:

And then go in to find her like this:

(Note: These pictures are reenactments. Seriously, Baby V and I took them this afternoon)

So, somehow she wiggles her way out of her swaddle blanket (which I normally have bundled up pretty snug--not like in the picture) and then rolls off the pad completely and onto the mattress.  One time, I found her up against the bumper pads, kicking her feet, and oops...she had peed all over herself.  It's a little scary that she has the strength to maneuver herself this way, but I am impressed by how active she is.  She definitely gets this from her daddy.

Speaking of daddy...he's in tower week of Airborne School.  He'll actually have a chance (if he's lucky) to practice jumping off the 250-foot tower and has been practicing his parachute landing falls from a swing-load apparatus (as I believe it's called.  I can't remember).  Here, he's basically hooked up to a swing that is about 8-10 feet off the ground and then gets dropped.  It sounds crazy, but it's a lot of fun.  And can you believe that the school is actually giving them the Labor Day weekend off?  Seriously, what is the world coming to?  The Army has definitely gone soft :)  But who cares...he'll be home in just over a week!

Anyway, Happy Tuesday everyone!

Friday Photo Flashback: Mini-Me

OMG...I finally got Baby V to fall asleep in her swing!  So you know when I have free time, I must update my blog!  Anyway, if you haven't participated in Alicia's Friday Photo Flashback yet, you should.  It's a chance for you to break out your old hard copy photos and share them with all of us!

Anyway, I did jinx us because Baby V's sleepfull nights are long gone.  The day after Malu left, she decided to do away with them and keep me awake in the wee hours of the morning.  Now, the problem isn't so much that she doesn't sleep.  She does....the problem for me is getting her back to sleep once I've fed her.  Sometimes, she'll immediately go back to sleep once she's been changed and fed.  Other nights, she's like, "I want to stay awake for a couple of hours.  Oh, and cry a lot while I'm at it."

So needless to say, I've been at my wit's end a few of these last couple days.  I've called Malu crying saying that I'm not sure I can do this for two more weeks.  Luckily, I've got great friends in the area who are willing to lend their support, but I don't like to bother them too much.  They've got their own problems and families to support.  But I'm taking it all in stride and am still very much enjoying our time together. 

So today, I'm posting a picture that my mom found of me, taken on the day I was born.  All of my family can't get over how much Baby V looks so much like me and I thought it'd be cool to show you guys too!

So...the swing thing didn't last long and now I'm typing this singlehandedly while Baby V is in my arms. Better get going!  Happy Friday everyone!  Have a great weekend!

~First Bath~

Guess who got her first bath last night? Yup, Baby V did!  She put up a fight at first, but calmed down for the rest of it.  She just loves getting her hair washed too.  We wish daddy was here for all of it too!  But there will be many more baths to come!

Wednesday Randomness

Today, I'd set out to the hospital to pick up some vitamins that had been prescribed for Baby V when she had her two-week appointment.  That was last Friday.  It wasn't until I got to the hospital access gate that I had left my ID card in the outfit that I had worn to that appointment last Friday.  So I couldn't even get into the hospital parking lot, let alone pick up her vitamins.  And darn it, I was supposed to schedule my OB follow up. 

Oh well...I'll go back tomorrow.  In any case, I went back to the old workplace to show Sina to my old shop (since they hadn't seen her yet) and to see if any of my lady friends had time to go out to lunch with me.  Luckily, they were.  And while we were visiting, I was able to catch a picture of Baby V with my friend, Laura! 

Laura is the lone survivor left in our "maternity ward" trio.  At one point, it was my other friend (and my assistant), Leah, Laura and myself in this group.  The name was so aptly given to us by our bosses (both male), whom I must say, had to be intimidated by the thought of having three pregnant ladies in the workplace--and one that is predominantly male! 

Leah, had her baby in May.  I just had mine.  And Laura hits her 8 month mark on Monday.  Her baby is due on October!  I can't believe we're almost there.  And I'm so glad that we'll still be here to see her baby born! 

Anyway, Baby V was such a great visitor today.  She was wide awake and well-behaved!

Now we're back at home, and all is at peace because she is sleeping!  I must say that every day is getting easier.  We've gotten into somewhat of a routine at night and I'm better able to get her back to sleep after every feeding as opposed to staying up all hours of the morning trying to get her comfortable and back to sleep.

Tonight...she'll be taking her first bath! 

In any case, I finally posted the recipe for the Simply Sensational Strawberry Shortcake dessert I mentioned the other day.  So head on over to my cooking blog if you want to try it out!

Enjoy the rest of your hump day guys!  I've got 16 days until Malu heads back from Fort Benning!

Update:  ten minutes after posting this, I went back to look for my ID card.  Turns out it was in my wallet the entire time, it was just hidden behind one of my pictures and I couldn't see it. Figures.  But I still got to see my friends!

Ten on Tuesday

Wow...I haven't done Tuesday Ten in a long, LONG time.  So why waste any more time? Here we go:

1.  Talked to Malu last night about his first day at Airborne School.  Not surprisingly, he maxed his PT test out at over 300 points (which is the first thing they did...at like, 0400 in the morning).  When I went to the school (way back when), the school had eliminated the PT test, so I had a freebie.  Not surprisingly again, Malu had so much fun his first day.  Me?  Way back when, I was sick my entire first week of school.  It was nasty.  I had diarrhea and didn't know why.  It was extremely hot and humid.  By the weekend, I had admitted myself to the hospital and was found to be completely dehydrated.  I was given 3 IV bags.  Amazingly, I still made it through the first week.  Malu? He never has to worry or stress out about Army schools.  He's just a natural at everything, it seems.  Me? I'm always freaking out about everything.  But it was great hearing from him and knowing that he's having fun.

2.  Sina woke up at around 0130 this morning, so I fed her.  But I couldn't get her to go back to sleep until around 0430 this morning.  Needless to say...I'm exhausted.  Any pointers from you moms out there on how to easily get your baby back to sleep at o-dark thirty in the morning?

3.  Lucy hates thunder and lightning, so around 0530, she was whining and freaking out...and almost woke Baby V up.  I had a conniption.  I almost lost it actually, and gave her a good yelling (in whispers).  I felt bad.  Luckily, Baby V didn't wake up until 0645...and I fed her again.

4.  In an attempt to stay sane and not get cooped up in this house, I'm making it a point to get out of the house with Baby V at least once a day--whether it be to run an errand or just to go somewhere to look around.  Yesterday, I had lunch with my girlfriends from work.  We celebrated a birthday for our friend, Shelly, who is actually my boss' (or now my former boss) wife. 

We had such a great time.  And isn't her daughter, Phoebe, just the cutest thing? I have yet to see this baby not smile.  It's so adorable.

Anyway, sometimes I just want some adult interaction too.  And staying home all day, glued to a TV and talking baby talk to Baby V and sometimes dog talk to Lucy gets old.  Is that bad?

5.  Today, Baby V's got a hearing screen--hence our outing for the day.  We were referred to an off-post physician because the Army hospital is over capacity.  The place we're going to is downtown and about a half-hour drive.  Oy vey.  Yesterday, Baby V cried all the way from the house to the golf course where we went for the birthday lunch.  Let's hope she sleeps the whole way this time. 

6.  I miss work.  And I've only been away for a little over 2 weeks.  The mark of a workaholic.  Is this bad?

7.  This past Saturday, I had my lady friends from work at the house for dinner.  We had pizza and I made this dessert...a hyped-up version of strawberry shortcake.  I'm going to post the recipe to my cooking blog here soon.

8.  I've been participating in Kimberly's Snail Mail Swap for the last few weeks.  Next week is the final week and I'm so sad to see it end.  I've been partnered up with A.J. and she's been sending me the coolest stuff.  I'll be posting about it soon, but it's been so nice to have a sweet pen pal!

9.  Baby V's newborn professional photos are complete.  Now, if I can just find some time to sort through which ones I like and place an order.  I'll be sure to post some for you guys once I do!

10.  Here's a not-so-pretty picture of Baby V...but her belly button stump fell off yesterday afternoon. 

Kinda gross.  Malu asked me if I kept the stump.  Yuck!  I put it in the trash.  But this means I can start giving Baby V regular baths!  Yeah!  But through the craziness, frustration and sleep deprivation...I love her more and more each day...

Love you, sweet girl.  Happy Tuesday everyone!  Now off to take my girls for a walk!

Getting to Know You Sunday

I finally have a free moment to participate in Keely's Getting to Know You Sunday!  Let me tell you, taking care of Baby V the last three days has been no joke.  I've been struggling, but slowly getting the hang of everything with Malu being gone.  It's crazy...I'm counting down the days over the next three weeks until he gets back.  I'd always do that when he was deployed and you'd think 3 weeks is a piece of cake, but not with a newborn!  Heck no!  And we're at 20 days and a wake up.

This is my first time doing GTKY Sunday in weeks!  You all know what to do!  Copy, paste and answer these questions in your own blog post and then head on over to Keely's blog to get linked!

Here we go!

 1. If you could host a Reality TV show, which one would it be?

The only reality show I watch on a semi-regular basis is The Real Housewives of New Jersey and you can't really host that show. But if I could, I'd host or be a judge on American Idol.

2. Do you put your seatbelt on before or after you start the car?

Always before!

3. Shave or hair removal cream?

Shave. I only use hair removal cream on my face.

4. What's your favorite feature in a house?

Spacious kitchen is a must.

5. What is your favorite "Fall" scent?

Anything vanilla, cinnamon, or apple.

6. What tv show are you looking forward to seeing the most this Fall??

Again, I don't watch TV regularly, so I don't have one. This, however, may change with me being home with the baby for the next two months.

7. Personal Shopper or Personal Chef?

Chef!

8. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of "Fall"?

Leaves!  Too bad there aren't any trees here in El Paso.

Well, the baby calls now. I knew it wouldn't be quiet for long!

Flashback Photo Friday & Baby V's 2 Week Appt

Malu left for Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia yesterday.  He actually signed in this morning and training will officially begin on Monday morning, so he's got the weekend free.  Wonder what he's going to be doing while he's there, as there isn't that much to do in Columbus, Georgia. 

How do I know this?  Because I was there.  Over eight years ago!  Yeah, I can't believe it either.  That's just about how long I've been in the Army and I went to the school after my officer basic course, and on my way to my first assignment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 2002. 

I'm so excited for Malu...he's going to have a great time.  Jumping out of airplanes is such a rush and I miss it!  But yeah...way back when, when I went...

...I was still a "butterbar" or Second Lieutenant and we still wore BDUs (Battle Dress Uniforms, the precursor to today's ACUs)...

...and I was thin.  Really thin.  As a matter of fact, I went to the course in April of 2002 and it was still freakin' hot those three weeks.  I lost about ten pounds during that training.  And this picture was taken with a Samoan lady (whose name I don't remember) who worked at the lodging office and was just so sweet to me.

And oh yeah...during the training, you get to practice jumping off the 250-foot towers...

I was the first in the class to get dropped. And my landing was perfect.  I wish I could say the same about all of my landings during jump week (the week where you really jump out of the airplanes).

And again...best of luck to my hubby out there.  It's going to be great.  And I'm counting down the days until he returns. My first day alone with Baby V was pretty hectic.  She didn't sleep much and cried a lot.  So much, that I had to call some of my friends in for some back up.  And this is surprising, because that was the first time she'd been that fussy and I suspect that it's a bad case of gas.  But could she be missing her daddy?  I mean, the guy hardly puts her down...and let's face it, he's definitely more fun than mommy.

In any case, our little angel is exactly two weeks old today and I can't believe how fast the time is flying.  I took her to her two-week check up today and hate myself for not writing down all of her stats today.  However, I do know that she's as healthy as can be and is now 8 pounds...half a pound heavier than her last appointment.  So I know I've been making progress with her feedings.  And she does have quite an appetite!

Now I hope I'm not jinxing us for later on down the road, but Baby V is just the sweetest baby ever.  We've been so lucky that she sleeps through the days and nights so well.  We have to wake her up to feed her and even that is a feat at times.  And she cries when she needs to...like when she's hungry, needs to be changed, or just wants to be held.  She's such a cutie and we just love her so much!  Her next doctor's appointment will be at the two-month mark...and I don't want that day to come!

Anyway, you guys have a great weekend!  I'll be chillin' at home with my baby!

Just the Two of Us

For the next three weeks, our happy trio...

...is down to two.  My sweet hubby will be at Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia.  I know I haven't shared the details of my birth story yet, but I will tell you that when Baby V came out, like most babies, she came out screaming (and covered in her own poop...but that's another story).  After they got her all cleaned up, they tried to hand her over to me (still screaming), but I was too shaky from the epidural that I didn't want to take her and risk dropping her.  So Malu reached out for her and immediately started singing to her.  She instantly stopped crying and looked up at him.  It was truly love at first sight.

And they've been inseparable ever since. Baby V will truly miss her daddy and napping partner in crime.

And I'm going to miss my sweet love and wonder how I'm going to make it with the baby all by myself for three weeks.  I mean, Malu's done practically everything for me before the baby and everything for us (and mainly the baby) since we got home from the hospital.  The one thing that keeps me optimistic is knowing that he'll actually be coming back...and I can do three weeks--no problem!  So yeah...it's just the two of us...Baby V and me.  And we're going to have a fun time!

Best of luck to you at school sweetheart!  We'll be here waiting for you!

First Visit to Grandma's

I think a lot of our friends thought we were crazy to travel 9 hours north (driving, of course) with a newborn baby (only a week old).  Trust me, I did too.  But my parents weren't able to be here for Baby V's birth and it's hard for them to take off from work and we didn't want them to miss seeing her at this age.  And I'm so glad we made the trip.  We had so much fun showing her around and having her meet her family and our close family friends.  And the times spent with Grandma, Grandpa and even her Great-Grandma...priceless.

I took so many pictures, but these are my favorites.  We strutted from house to house with paparazzi in tow--it's almost second nature to Baby V strike a pose because she's seen camera flashes for the last five days in a row.  And I didn't know this, but it's Filipino tradition for newborn babies to receive  money from family and friends when you stop by their houses for the first time.  So people were so generous and Baby V made out like a bandit for the entire weekend!

 Baby V with Uncle Jon and Auntie Jolene

 Four Generations of Rosete Women

(with Grandma Ruby and Great Grandma Ines--Baby V is her 5th Great Grandchild)

 With Auntie Rosalynn (Baby V's middle name, Rose, came from her)

Proud Grandpa Mati

Our last morning there

(with Jon, Grandma, Rosalynn, Uncle Ray & Auntie Jeannie, Jolene and Cousin Ray)

Thanks so much to our family and friends for making the weekend so enjoyable.  We miss you all so much already!

Baby V slept pretty much the entire trip both up there and back, although she was a little more fussy on the way back (her car seat is not that comfy).  And woke only to eat and be changed.  We could not have asked for a smoother trip, but won't be doing it again for at least a little bit.  I'm taking the next few weeks to continue getting her into some kind of routine/schedule.  She has her two-week follow up appointment on Friday (I can't believe it's already been two weeks!) and I'm going about it solo.  My hubby is going to Airborne School for the next three weeks.  He's been such a super-dad around here, I don't quite know how I'm going to make it!

Blogging has been difficult to do with a newborn around.  Not that I didn't expect it, but I miss doing it on a regular basis and apologize to many of my bloggy buddies out there for not commenting lately.  I promise to catch up soon!

Flashback Photo Friday & Breastfeeding

Before we head out to Colorado Springs for the weekend, I thought I'd participate in Alicia's Friday Photo Flashback!  If you want to participate and get linked in...head on over to her blog!

Anyway, I scanned this photo from the mid 1980's...

In it (clockwise from left) are my cousin Kathleen, my sister Rosalynn (making the funny face), my mommy, and me (standing).  We were stationed at Fort Shafter, Hawaii at the time.  The good old days!

Anyway, when I saw this picture years back (I was probably in high school), I thought, man, my mom has big boobies and  what happened to mine?  Did the big boobie gene skip a generation?  Which brings me to my next topic of breastfeeding.  It took my baby girl to get my boobies almost as big as mom's in this picture.  But you know what?  I've been enjoying breastfeeding, as crazy as that sounds.  It's been such a great bonding experience for Baby V and I and it just feels nice knowning that she's getting the nutrients she needs in the early stages of her life.

I only felt the pain of engorgement for about a day.  I went and bought a breast pump and have been pumping on a regular basis (every 2-3 hours).  And who says that you have to go out and buy the expensive, almost $300 Medela breast pump?!?  For you expectant or new mothers out there...I bought about an $80 Evenflo brand breast pump at Target the other day and it works like a charm. My only recommendation is that you find a breast pump that operates both on batteries and with an electric charger/AC adapter so that you can easily pump on the go.

And that's my two cents on breastfeeding.  We're heading out in about an hour or two.  We decided last night that we're just going to leave when we're ready and not stress out about waking up early and rushing to get there.  I'm dreading the drive.  We'll see how Baby V does for about 9 hours in a car.  But we're going to visit Grandma and Grandpa and tons of our family and friends in a little bit.  How exciting!

~One Week Old~

I honestly don't know where the time has gone.  Our baby girl will be one week old tomorrow.  Three days ago, I was holding her and I looked over at Malu with tears in my eyes and said, "She's three days old today.  I wish she could stay this way forever!"  And I do.  Although we've been extremely exhausted getting into a new routine and really just "figuring her out", we have been having so much fun with her.  This particular photo was taken during her first photo shoot--but I'll get to that in a little bit.  Baby V has had a pretty busy week!

On Tuesday, we took her back to the hospital for her 48-hour check up.  Dr. Howze was impressed by how quickly she had returned to her birth weight.  Apparently, some children take several weeks to a month to do that.  But Baby V is as healthy as a horse.  While I was there, I scheduled her two week follow-up!

The next day, we returned to the hospital to get her birth certificate request in and then went on post to get her into the Army's dependent system.  So now she's an official military child! For some reason, I thought that she was going to get issued a military ID card, but that won't happen until she's 10 years old--which makes sense, because I didn't get mine until that age.  It brought back some memories about how excited I was to have my own card.  Funny.

Oh, and the nightly dinners from friends continued.  Yesterday the Rawlings Family brought us pasta for dinner.  But see, I consider this a real Italian meal because Laura is actually Italian and her pasta dishes are fantastic and authentic.  The dinner was delicious!  She brought a salad with a delicious, sweet vinaigarette dressing (with basil and grape tomatoes) as well as garlic bread, and a pasta with bacon, mushrooms, and peas.  Yum!  I'm hoping she'll want to share the recipes for the salad dressing as well as the pasta.  Oh, and of course, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for dessert!  We love you Laura, Matt and Joey!  Thanks so much for a fabulous Wednesday dinner! 

The dinners will be halting for the rest of the week because we decided, at the last minute, to make the drive up to Colorado Springs to visit my parents.  But thanks so much, again, to all of our El Paso friends for being so gracious and making our first week with Baby V worry and hassle-free!

Today, Baby V had her first professional photo session.  A few months ago, I'd met Theresa at the spring bazaar on Fort Bliss and immediately knew that she was going to be the one to take our baby's first pictures.  Malu and I had such a wonderful time watching both Theresa and Baby V at work. 

Oh, I can't wait for the proofs to come out and to share the final ones with  you guys!  I was just lucky enough to capture the picture above myself as a kinda-sneak peek.  For those of you in the El Paso area (and I know there are some having babies in the near future!), check Theresa out at her Creative Flair Photography website and blog.  She's so sweet, has a beautiful portfolio and was so very patient with Baby V and with Malu and I.  I'm sure she'd do beautiful photos for you and your families!

And that pretty much wraps up our first week!  So yeah, we're heading up to Colorado Springs tomorrow.  We gave into my mom's guilt-tripping (which is extremely easy to do) and are going to spend tonight packing up for it.  Let's hope Malu's able to get enough sleep throughout the night to make the 9-hour drive without difficulty tomorrow!

Great Friends

Baby V with Maddie and her daughter, Madisen

Malu and I have been so blessed with friends in this area who have supported us throughout this entire journey into parenthood.  This week, my girlfriends from work have arranged to bring dinner to us every night just so he and I can focus on nothing else but bonding with our new bundle of joy.  Last night, our friend Joy brought us a fantastic chicken dinner--only, I was an idiot and forgot to take pictures.  Malu and I felt entirely too spoiled. 

Tonight, the Finch Family came over and the spoiling continued.  They literally brought over a feast--a salmon with strawberry salsa dish (which I'm waiting on the recipe--it was sooooooo delicious!) with salad, bread, wine and juice, and a cookie cake for Baby V.  They even brought over fruit and streusel for tomorrow's breakfast. 

As if that wasn't enough, she got us picnic plates and cups, beautiful pink roses, a comfy outfit for me to wear, and toys for Baby V and Lucy!  We visited for a short while and Baby V surprisingly stayed awake to socialize the entire time (we were so proud!).  When they left, we enjoyed our wonderfully prepared meal and just talked about how fortunate we are to have true and generous friends.  We also took a picture of Baby V enjoying her new toy...it's one of the cutest pics we have of her yet.  Looks like she's giving the Finches a thumbs up!

I still have to make my 'birth story' post, I know.  And I will!  But all is going well and we are having so much fun with our girl.  She and Malu are inseperable and I have the best time watching them together.  I am recovering very well, and breastfeeding was a breeze until I started feeling the pain of engorgement a few minutes ago.  Yikes!  And with that, I bid you guys farewell for the evening.

I promise I'll give you guys more details here soon!

Finally...

...and the reason why I haven't blogged in a while...

...she's finally here!

Vaiosina Rose A'etonu

7 pounds 7.7 ounces

19 inches long

We are so thankful to God for giving us our little angel.  She's as perfect as perfect can be.  It was a lot of work--blood, sweat, and tears--but ALL worth it.

I'll give you guys the details once we've completely settled in!

Love,

Another Blog Award!

Happy Tuesday you guys!  Still no new news on our baby girl.  I guess if I were her, I'd love hanging out inside this tummy too.  I mean, she gets a lot of good eats and good sleep in here!  In any case, and on a completely random note before I start on this blog award business, yesterday morning I told Malu that I'm getting a little tired of hearing Jack Johnson's "Better Together" song every time I open our blog.  The song was the inspiration for the new title of our blog and one of the songs I love to hear Malu play and sing.  So he says (jokingly, of course), "yeah, we're together now so you should take it off."  I think he's getting tired of hearing it too :)  What do you guys think?  Should I take it off?  I won't be hurt if you tell me yes.

Anyway, I'm amazed that people find me cool enough to keep sending blog awards my way.  I was actually given this award by two people--Nicole from Life in the Boys' Locker Room and Mrs. Gambizzle from Life as a Sailor's Girl.  So what you're supposed to do is tell everyone 7 random things about yourself.  Since I'm honestly not great at coming up with stuff on my own, I'm going to use 7 of the 8 questions from this past weekend's Getting to Know You Sunday, which is hosted by Keely at Mannland5.  I didn't get to answer this week's questions, so it works out quite well, don't you think?  So here we go:

1. If you were to win an award today, what would it be for?


Probably for being in pretty good spirits with Baby V still hanging out inside me.  We're at 40 1/2 weeks!

2. What is your shoe style?


I'm very casual.  I don't like heels at all, although I own tons of pairs (some with the price tags still on) just in case I need them later on down the road.  And I have flat feet, so the more comfortable the better.  I like ballet flats and flip flops best.

3.  Does your car reflect your personality?


We have a Jeep Commander which is big and rugged.  I don't think those describe me too well, but I love it!

4. If you could take over someones body for a day..whose would you choose?


Probably any body that isn't pregnant!  And one that's in shape too!

5. If you were on death row, what last meal would you choose?


This is a very difficult question...I think I'd like to eat something from Paula Deen's restaurant in Georgia--everything from appetizer to dessert!

6. Have you been on vacation this Summer, if so where?


Unfortunately, we've just been hanging around El Paso.  Hard to go places when we're about to have this baby and all.
7. What is your favorite food related guilty pleasure?


OMG...anything chocolate.  Right now it's Oreo cookies.  I even have the Oreo ice cream sandwiches in the freezer!

So there are 7 random things about me!  I'm also supposed to pass this on to 9 other blogs, but honestly, I'm not going to do that.  Every time I get an award, I'm in danger of passing them on to the same people and that's no fun to me.  So I'm just going to pass it on to one person!


I've recently become a follower on Nicole's blog, The Bingham Tribe.  She has the most darling little family and great stories to tell.  So check her out!


Thanks to Nicole and Mrs. Gambizzle for spreading the award love to me!

~Still Waiting, Hoping & Wishing~

Well, this is probably the most unflattering photo you'll ever see of me, and I'm sure I'll be getting comments from my mom on how bad (and huge) I look.  I made the photo small on purpose so as to minimize the gross "cottage cheese" in my big thighs. Boy, do I have my work cut out for me post-partum, trying to burn all these pounds off!

Honestly, though, this picture totally speaks volumes of the 40 1/2 week benchmark that we have reached as of today!  I am exhausted and so ready to have this child!

Because it's so uncomfortable for me to walk or stand for long periods of time anywhere, Malu and I have pretty much been confined to our house.  The Red Box has become our best friend and we've been renting about two movies everyday.  But it has been so nice relaxing and he is just the best company.  When we're not in the house, we're outside walking, walking, and doing more walking.  And my friend, Jennifer, gave me her medicine ball last night hoping that it'll help induce labor.  We have an appointment on Wednesday and I'll most likely be induced then.  So, it won't be much longer now...we hope!

Still, we're all in good spirits in the A'etonu household!  I'm finding excuses to indulge on a few more sweet treats before Baby V comes into the world (i.e. Oreo cookies) and napping like crazy.  I'm sure going to miss these naps when she's here.

No worries everyone...I'll be sure to post the play by play on the labor and delivery once it actually happens!

Have a great week!