Spring Pics = Spring Crying

Well We tried it! Our first professional pictures with Isaiah. Disaster as expected. Cute outfit, we matched, sweet poses, lots of crying. We even took a break for awhile to feed and that didn't help. So then the photographer asked if she could get another family in while she gives him more time to relax. Sure! That didn't work either. Saturday was just not his day and he was in no mood to smile for a picture. Did get a few shots in though. Somehow managed to buy this insane photo package. Got home and he was all smiles. Woke up this morning in the greatest of moods. That's it we now schedule his next photo shoot at 7:00 am.

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Back to work :(

Annie said goodbye to her co-workers in late November and life was great. Her return to work seemed so far away and the thought of being home with our baby gave her great joy. For three months work was never mentioned nor thought of. My return back to work in January complicated things a bit and Annie would no longer have me around to tag team. Although I was missed, my absence around the house during the day actually helped create a special bond between Annie and Isaiah.

Annie's greatest fear of going back to work is Isaiah forgetting who she is. The way he looks at her, the way he smiles at her, the way he "agu's" with her, the way he stops crying in her arms, it's not possible that he could ever forget her. I've tried to explain this whole mother/son bond to her. My mom and I have always been close and I can still go to my mom to talk about things. In similar fashion, Annie's brother, DJ, also has a closeness with his mom. Many people will love Isaiah, but no one will love Isaiah more than his mom. Many people will hug, kiss, and hold Isaiah, but no one will comfort him better than his mom. Isaiah loves his mommy. A son's love for his mother goes unmatched.

With that said, on March 2nd Annie returned back to work and our life has been turned upside down. One can imagine the hurt Annie feels inside every morning as she kisses Isaiah goodbye. Lots of crying, lots of sadness. 5:00 can't come sooner these days and Annie can't wait to get home each night. Long days at work for the both of us and each of us tired for good reason. However, as tired as Annie is when she gets home, seeing her baby boy helps her forget all reasons. She makes every minute count now because her time is so limited.

One week down and never have I seen Annie as happy as I did on Friday night. The weekend was finally here. Exausted and lazy we made the most of spending time with our baby boy. Sunday night is here again...it starts all over.

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So much to do

Although I have been on maternity leave since mid-November, I haven't been able to do all the things I wanted to do. There were so many variables: doctor's appointments and fatigue during pregnancy, and then the fact that Isaiah came 2 weeks early.

So here's my To Do list in no particular order.

Look into re-financing
I just pay my mortgage; I am nowhere near really understanding what all of it means. I want to understand it and also find a lower rate.

Bring out my spring clothes
I want to bring out all my space bags and switch my winter and pregnancy clothes for my spring wardrobe. I also want to go on a major shopping spree (as much as budget will allow) as a special treat to myself.

Bring out Isaiah's spring clothes
I need to store all of his newborn clothes and stock his drawers with his 3 month stuff.

Paperwork
There is paperwork everywhere in this house. I need to file and store all of it, and also get rid of receipts and bill stubs from 2-3 years back.

Exercise
I want to do my yoga, kick-boxing, and running again. Although I've pretty much lost all my pregnancy weight, I want to get back into shape and tone up all the flab!

Cook
I want to cook again. I want to make homemade pasta with my pasta maker, ice cream in my ice cream machine, and cupcakes with my Kitchen Aid. I also want to do Spanikopita and other things with phyllo dough.

Read
I have so many baby books to read. I fear that if i don't start reading them, Anthony and I will have a hard time establishing a system for Isaiah.

Will I ever get around to doing any of these things?

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My Baby's Daddy

All of a sudden I realized that the world dd not revolve around this baby. I've been holed up in our condo tending only to the baby's needs and haven't really been in touch with the outside world. But now, everything around me is reminding me that Isaiah and I are not the center of the universe and that life goes on.

After five weeks of time off, my husband is going back to work. During those five weeks, Anthony and I experienced so much, learning about our new bundle of fun. We have been such a team (the a-team, haha). I couldn't have asked for anything more in a father and a husband. Anthony's been a handyman (putting together cribs, rocking chairs, swings, mobiles, play gyms, you name it), a chef (not really...he was just really good at getting us some take-out), and of course, feeder, burper, soother, and diaper changer. Most of all, he was my support: When I was frustrated and in pain from breast-feeding, he would drive, me in the rain to the breast-feeding clinic; when I couldn't figure out why our cute little angel was screaming as if we were torturing him, he would take him and soothe him, even if it took 5 hours; when I was so sleep-deprived, he would take over in taking care of the baby while I slept, even though he was exhausted, too. But most of all, when I just wanted to cry because I was overwhelmed with the thought of a little person being so dependent on me, he was there to listen and hold me and make me feel like I was a superhero with all that I had accomplished already.

It's not like Anthony's going away, it's just that I've been so used to our late nights, early mornings, naps in the afternoon while the baby slept, and weird eating times. I've been used to finally getting enough rest when the sun went down, and quick trips to the store to pick up groceries and for speedy Christmas shopping while my parents took care of Isaiah. I've been just so used to it just being us.

I know that eventually our lives will get back to normal, but for now, I am saddened at the thought that Anthony won't be here when I need him. I know, though, that his class needs him and that his school and kids miss him, too.

Isaiah will miss his Daddy, but he and his mommy will be waiting for him when he gets home!

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Santa Rocks! / New Year, New Family

Ok so a month has passed and our baby boy is growing! Annie and I are growing into our new roles as parents and if you ask me, I think we're doing a great job. Sure our precious sleep has been stripped away from us and our schedule is all messed up but it's so worth it. He doesn't do much right now but he's so much fun.

Isaiah was the best Christmas present this year and celebrating with our bundle of joy brought new meaning for us in Christmas. We thank everyone for thinking of him on his first Christmas and showering him with many thoughtful gifts. Although he didn't open any of them, he was very excited...or as excited as he could be. At some point during the christmas week Annie and I became ill and were not in the mood to do much. However, this being Isaiah's first Christmas, we knew we had to tough it out and celebrate with friends and family. Good times were had at Midnight Mass (yes Midnight Mass...he's up anyways), Isaiah's first Noche Buena, Christmas at Tita Baby's, and Christmas at my mom and dad's house (had a blast with phase 10!)

We rang in the new year in a very chill form. We didn't feel like packing up the baby and going anywhere so we decided to just stay home and enjoy our little family. At midnight Annie and I toasted for a hopeful and prosperous new year, kissed our baby and said goodnight. It may not be the wildest and craziest new year celebration but it's exactly the way we wanted it. It's our new family and it's our new year. Happy New Years!

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Isaiah's Magic Kingdom!

Thanks Celeste!
(Don't forget to press pause or stop on the music player on the right!)

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Britney Spears

So I provided my baby with the worst misfortune, or maybe he did it to himself. Either way, he now shares a birthday with Britney Spears. Poor Isaiah. All joking aside, I am so in love with our new baby boy. He is beautiful and perfect and he's ours!

Motherhood is fun! Breast-feeding is not. It hurts so much that I cry sometimes, but I am determined. I don't care that I feel like I am being tortured; I just want my baby to eat. Luckily, Ziggy is a good latcher, so I hope things will get easier. No more details!

Isaiah had quite an eventful head start into this world. My due date was on December 19. We were procrastinating like crazy, thinking that this baby would be on time, if not later. The nursery was not completed, we didn't have my suitcase packed, and all the baby laundry I wanted to do were in piles on the floor.

Last Monday, December 1, at about 5:00 am, I felt what I thought were Braxton-Hicks contractions, or the false alarm kind. I breathed through them as Anthony went to take his shower. I kept thinking, "How can I deal with this pain for the rest of the week or until the 19th?" So as Anthony's shower finished, the pain had gotten worse.

Let's backtrack and tell you what Anthony had going on this week. It would have been his busiest right before Christmas, with play rehearsals (he was co-directing the school Christmas play), class presentations, and parent-teacher conferences the rest of the week.

Knowing that, I asked him, "How much would you hate me if we had the baby this week?" I can't remember his answer, but it wasn't a very positive response. No one should take that as Anthony not looking forward to finally meeting his son, but more of his overwhelming responsibility to teaching and to me.

So he left for work, and I promised to call if anything was wrong. I had a doctor's appointment to check if my gestational diabetes affected the baby's size or development in any way. This was with a specialist, so it wasn't my regular ob/gyn. I went through the motions of getting ready, pausing every few minutes to ride out the contractions that weren't lessening, and hurried to pick up my mom, who was going with me.

I made my way to the left turn lane. All of a sudden, I felt a bump behind me as someone rear-ended me. To make a longer story short, I don't think the car accident alone induced my labor, but I think it contributed to raising my blood pressure and making me have the baby sooner. The doctor referred me back to the hospital for monitoring, and they in turn admitted me, telling me that I was going to have this baby within the next day or so. All I kept thinking was, my bag wasn't packed. I hated the thought of sending Anthony home with a list of things to bring. I wanted new slippers for my hospital stay. I wanted time to pick the baby's going-home outfit. I wanted to make a check list of everything I needed and more. My travelling instinct of bringing more than needed was on overdrive and I was pissed that I didn't have more time to prepare.

And yes, I had the epidural. Yes, I took painkillers. I'm a wuss, I know. I was in labor for 28 hours. I think my biggest fear was that the pain was going to get worse. Also, I was kind of trying to ride it out as much as possible, since my regular ob/gyn would not be in until the morning.

It all worked out in the end. I managed to be in labor for the whole day and night, my water broke right after the nurses announced that my doctor was on her way, and the epidural was wearing off. The delivery literally took like 10 minutes max, and was the LEAST painful part of my ordeal.

So here's to Isaiah Henry Paraiso Valtier. He was born on December 2, 2008 at 7:57 am. He weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and was 17 1/2 inches in length. He was born beautiful and healthy. I know we keep saying this, but I mean it with all my heart when I say I truly believe we are blessed to have our healthy son, no matter how early he came, no matter how unprepared we were. It could easily have been another story, with the diabetes affecting his development and in turn, his introduction into this world. But he's our amazing little dude and we are looking forward to this new chapter in our already blessed life.

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Say Hello to Isaiah Henry Paraiso Valtier A.K.A. "Ziggy"

On Tuesday, December 2, 2008 at 7:57am Isaiah was brought into this world and into our lives. God has blessed Annie and me with a beautiful baby boy and we are now enjoying every minute of parenthood. It’s not easy and the sleepless nights have been long, but looking into his eyes reminds us how wonderful and lucky we are to have a healthy son. We can't wait for everyone to meet him.



Isaiah was brought into our lives with an interesting story that only Annie can re-tell. Story time will come when she can break away from Ziggy. Or rather, when Ziggy can break away from her!

The Christmas season is upon us and we are truly blessed with this gift from God.
Hope the holiday season is treating everyone well.

God Bless,

Anthony and Annie

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Where did the time go??????

Where to begin? Sorry it's been so long since we've blogged, but we've been so busy lately!

Our Friends, The Termites
Back in September, we had some rain and then hot weather. With that came the best gift ever! Another swarm of termites that took over the second bedroom! Our building is about 18 years old, and we've had about three incidents of termites invading that room. Yech. So with the baby in mind, I generated a strongly worded email to our HOA to get this whole building fumigated. We had to move out and move into Hotel Paraiso for three days. The circus was in town, or that's what it looked like as we drove by our building during the fumigation. It was fun living with my parents and brother again, as they accomodated so much. Although it was insanely hot that weekend, and I couldn't sleep comfortably to save my life, it reminded Anthony and I that we always have a place to stay in time of need, whether it be with my family or with his family. We are lucky.

Annie the Klutz
If anyone knows me, they know that Annie does not equal graceful. Even before the pregnancy, I am always knocking things over or tripping over nothing. I wish I could blame it on me being pregnant but it just wouldn't be true. With the pregnancy, I'm even worse. On the first night we came back to our house, our little condo was still unliveable. Our eyes stung from the fumes and we could still smell whatever they used to fumigate. So, even after airing out the place for a few hours, we still thought it was unsafe to breath in all the fumes. As we made our way back to the parking lot, I saw Anthony trying to unload some things from the car. I walked down a short set of stairs (4 steps, to be exact) to try to help him, but ended up tripping on the last step. I twisted my ankle and grabbed for the railing and kinda swung around and sat on my butt. But I was in pain. And then I called for Anthony, who missed the whole thing because his back was still turned to me. I think I scared him and I was scared myself. I thought I might have hurt the baby somehow. Luckily, I didn't feel any pain anywhere near the baby, but it was still scary. I cried, he cried. I think it was just a mix of stress that we couldn't sleep in our own house and the scare I just gave us. My ankle is still tender to this day and I keep forgetting and continue to land on it and make it sore again. Thanks to my sis-in-law, Rosie, I try to do some exercises to help the pain and swelling, which helps a lot.

Frodo Annie Baggins and Her Hobbit Feet
I have to say I love my salt. I've always been more of a savory and salty girl versus craving sweets and desserts. Even though I've been trying to stay off the salt (please forget my lemon-salt stint a few months ago), my feet are tellling me I'm not doing enough. Anthony hasn't really made any negative comments about my changing body, but when it comes to my swollen feet, all of his courtesy goes out the window. He has made a lot of Lord of the Rings comments, which I do not appreciate, but must admit that it is true. I had been resigned to wearing flip-flops everywhere I go: work, church, nice places, etc. I'd show pictures but I'd rather not.

Baby Shower(s)
Lots of baby showers! Anthony and I didn't realize we knew so many people! We had a total of 4 baby showers, one with family and close friends, one "surprise" one with my current co-workers, one "surprise" one with Anthony's 5th grade class, and one with my old co-workers. The biggest one was organized by my sister and our families (with the help of Oscar and Leana), and while it was hectic and crazy, it was a great day with my favorite baby shower games and lots of food. All in all, we got so many great gifts and the greatest gift of all: the realization that we are blessed with the love and support of so many people.

Mi Familia
The biggest surprise of all was the arrival of my cousins and families from far away. My cousin Frances made the trip out from Chicago to sunny Arizona and then to California for the shower to represent my Chi-town family! It was great to see her and happy that she could share the great weather and party with us. My biggest regret was that we couldn't show her around LA and Hollywood, which I know she would have loved. But there will always be another time! My cousins and aunt and uncle from Arizona also came. It made me happy that they made the trip just for us. My aunt, who is my mom's sister, was a huge help in cooking and setting up the favors. Another nice surprise was my Lola Elma, who I hadn't seen in forever, and surprised me at the party. It was wonderful to see my grandfather's sister, and nice to know that she wanted to wish us and the baby the best!

Spring Awakening--Again!
Ever since seeing the play in San Diego, we had been looking forward to seeing it again once they came to LA. The cast was again amazing and we had a nice night, just the two of us. It is becoming one of our favorites as far as musicals go. Maybe we can squeeze in another performance before the baby comes????

Lamaze Classes
For five weeks, our Saturdays had been taken over by Lamaze classes. My only experience with the classes were what I saw on TV, with preggo lady sitting on a mat, closing her eyes and breathing, and the husband/support person sitting behind her, breathing with her. Nope, that's not what we got. We had a retired nurse with knee replacement surgery who drew stick figures on the board of what we "should" do once the time comes and read out of a book most of the time. Yes, I had some mat time, but it was just for me to lay down and relax while we discussed different scenarios of being in different places (grocery stores, a mall, a friend's houses) and going into labor.

Next blog will come in the next day or so. We have to talk about my maternity leave, getstational diabetes, monitoring twice a week and the baby room! Hopefully I can post some pictures soon. My waist is now 44 inches and as uncomfortable as I am, I know I will be sad to not be pregnant anymore. But within in the next three weeks, the Ziggy will arrive and Anthony and I will be officially parents!

Love you all. Hope you are still reading this even after we haven't updated in so long!

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Updating soon!

Just a quick note to apologize for not updating the blog in such a long time. We have been so busy and hectic...but we have lots to report: termites, sprained ankles and hobbit feet, baby shower, family visiting, Spring Awakening again (yay), prepping the baby room, Lamaze class, and so much more! We love you all and hope you keep reading our blog as we continue to figure out all of the baby stuff as we go along!

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Blessed

God has a plan for us all and we are definitley not in charge. Recent weeks have not been so kind to the Valtier's and those close to them. Another test? Were we not showing enough apprectiation and feeling blessed for what we have? Not sure, but if this was the case, it worked. Our eyes are open. Our ears are listening. Our hearts are full of love.

A personal loss for some dear friends of ours came with such shock and a great feeling of sadness. The loss of a baby, and testicular cancer plaugued St. George's sister school in Chino, St. Margaret Mary's. The loss of my grandfather, whom I regret not being closer to. A train crash that just as easily could have been a train Annie was on. Although all of these directly affected us in some way or another, God seemed to leave us alone.

The power of prayer. Our love and devotion to our Mother Mary. We firmly believe our faith guided us and pulled us through this difficult time. It didn't come without guilt though. Annie and I can't help but feel guilty for how our pregnancy has turned out thus far. At the same time, we've realized how blessed we are and simply need to embrace it. We are not in charge. God has a plan for us all and right now this is where we are supposed to be.

This past Saturday Annie and I were given a gift that truly opened our eyes. Our
3D/4D ultrasound was amazing! Joy and love filled our hearts when we got our first opportunity to see our little boy. "Ziggy" is truly a gift from God and is our beautiful baby boy. Annie's nose? My lips? You decide.

No name yet, but for now we're just enjoying pictures and video of our baby "Ziggy"

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Master of the Universe

I received word late Sunday evening (9/7/08) that I passed my comprehensive exam and I now officially have my masters in Educational Counseling! Words can’t describe the feeling. This blog entry won’t do it justice, but I’ll try.

I’ve been lucky enough these past three years to be given all the love and support from my wife, my family, and my friends, that I would ever need. It goes without saying that I would not be here today with a Masters degree if it weren’t for these wonderful people in my life.

Although everyone played a role in my achievement, my biggest gratitude goes out to my wife. Annie has been there for me through thick and thin. Our Catholic faith is strong and I truly believe God worked through her to help me achieve my goal. It wasn’t ceive my degree just as I’m ready to receive my baby boy. I’m hopeful that a better life lies ahead for the Valtier’s #3. I can’t say when it will happen but I do know it’s in the cards. We’ve waited our turn for our big break. Our time is here.

Life without school will be new and exciting, but I’ve learned to never rule out furthering my education. Six years ago I didn’t think I would get out of Mt. SAC. I was on academic probation twice in my five year career there and I was sure I would get kicked out or drop out. Luckily I passed and moved on to CSUSB. Finally school meant something to me and I received my Bachelors in two years. I was certain I was done and getting my Masters was last on my list. A year later I found myself applying for grad school and this would begin a long three year program. Dropping out when times got tough was on my mind quite a few times. Being a first year grad student, getting married that year, and being a first year teacher was no easy task, but Annie pushed and cheered me on.

Ti-na-na would not let me drop out and she practically dragged me across the stage to receive my degree. My friendship with Tina has grown tremendously these past three years and she will forever be in my thoughts. A great friend indeed!
I will miss school in a weird way, but I’m done for now. I’m exhausted and for once I want to enjoy just being a husband and soon-to-be daddy! Annie deserves my love and time more than anyone else for the sacrafices she had to go through while I was in school.



More relieved it’s over than anything else, The counselor in me just wants to move on and now be a source of inspiration for my past, current, and future students in my counseling profession.

Bye bye!

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The summer is over...back to work

I long for the first days of summer when I would wake up to drive Annie to the train station and then come back home and go back to sleep. Wake up again between 10-11. Eat, shower, and then play on the internet until Annie calls me to tell me she's on her way home.

Midway through the summer I was given an opportunity to complete my filedwork at Sequoia middle school in Fontana. Although I hated having to get up again at 5am I was very appreciative to be working at a school with such an awesome program and reputation. At the same time, with the help from Ti-na-na, I kicked my studying for the comps into high gear.

Fieldwork ended just in time for my back to school meetings at St. George. It was also around this time I wondered where my summer break went. Plans to visit old friends went nowhere. Still, I had the big comp exam staring in my face.

To take my mind off things, Annie and I took off to San Diego to see Spring Awakening! Amazing show! I can't stop listening to the cast recording. Best part of our mini trip was spending down time with my best friend. We have fun together.


Back to work. Enjoyed seeing the St. George family. Comp Exam day came and drained the hell out of me. Didn't feel as confident as I wanted to feel coming out of that exhausting 4 hour test but I do believe I passed. Said results won't come back for two weeks. One week has come and gone. The wait continues.

School started and I'm looking most forward to teaching and not juggling school at the same time. More time for my students. More time for Annie. More time for our baby. Class is great. Good kids. Fun. Off to a great start.

I miss the olympics though!

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24 weeks

I haven't had too many symptoms, and everybody says that I'm lucky! I feel lucky. All I really get is heartburn, hip pain late at night, and the moody blues.

I think this is what concerns me the most are the bouts of sadness that come and go in seconds. It took me a long time to figure out what makes me sad, but I think Anthony and I figured out what it is. I am not adjusting to change very well. I know I can handle taking care of a newborn and being a mom..it's not that I regret anything (I definitely don't-we've wanted the baby for so long now!)...it's more that my life is changing. The strong voice inside me says that it's changing for the better, but the little whiny voice is what is taking over my feelings. This is now my family, and there is a new life that Anthony and I have created. It's just a wierd feeling that is hard to put into words. But the feeling goes away pretty fast, and I keep reading that this is normal, so I won't worry. I'd say 95% of the time, I am in a fabulous mood! I'm having the best pregnancy anyone could ask for, I seriously am. Very blessed.

So what else is new? Anthony and I went on a nice weekend getaway to the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego to see the musical, Spring Awakening. We have been so freakin' excited about seeing this play since we found out it is touring on the West Coast. Anthony heard about it a while ago, and we've been listening to the soundtrack for a while now. People are comparing it to Rent, which drew us in, but it's really nothing like it. There's lots going on, like teenage pregnancy and suicide, all sent in Germany in the 1900's. We had great seats, with no one in front of me (I can never see). I loved it and loved the songs and can't wait to see it again!

Our hotel was about 1 minute walking distance to the theater, and 5-10 minutes walking distance to everything else: a mall, a Longs Drugs, restaurants, a Church-everything we needed! After the play, we had dinner at our favorite Spanish tapas restaurant (no Sangria for Annie *sniff sniff*), and for some reason, got the same table we had the last time we were in San Diego! It was a great night and a great weekend of relaxing, watching the Olympics, eating, and just enjoying each other's company.

Speaking of the Olympics, we are going through withdrawls still. Anthony is a huge fan of the Olympics and I just love to have something to watch for 24 hours straight. Now, we have nothing to watch. The Hills are back on, but it's beginning to piss me off (I hate She-Pratt and Lo) and other than that, TV is just not the same.

Anthony took the biggest test of his life yesterday-his cumulative exam for his whole Educational Counseling program that gets him his credentials-and even though he says he's not confident that he aced it, I know he did well because he put in a lot of time studying and reading. He'll get his results in a few weeks. He also goes back to work for the new school year at St. George beginning the day after Labor Day. I'm brief because I'm hoping Anthony will elaborate on his accomplishments and the goings-on in his life in his own entry!

The baby is kicking up a storm. He reacts to Anthony's voice by kicking or moving towards the sound of his voice, as indicated by my baby heart monitor and me feeling him moving around. He seems to be active in the early afternoon, early evening (when I'm on the train going home...I know Ziggy will love train rides), and then again at midnight. I can't wait to schedule the 3D/4D ultrasound because I am anxious to have a glimpse of what he looks like! We'll be taking a tour of the Maternity wing next week, and starting Lamaze classes soon after. The baby shower is in the planning stages; looks like we'll be having the party in October. Lots going on in the next couple of months and I'm so excited!

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Ziggy Stardust is a boy!

Whenever someone would ask me what I want to have, I would reply that I want both for different reasons. I want a girl who I can hold and love as my little princess. I’m a sucker for adorable baby girls. However, I want a boy for one reason only…to carry on the Valtier name!

Being that my brother, Mike and sis-in-law, Kerri, are just about done having kids of their own, I knew it was up to me to have the boy in the family. My sister, Rosie may have a boy one day but if everything goes the way things are shaping up, Rosie will be a Martin and no longer a Valtier.

It was never a “macho” male thing for me to have a boy. I’ve been attacked by people who really don’t know me at all and think I only want a boy to fulfill my life and give me a sense of “machismo” pride. I simply wanted a boy to honor my dad and my family. I want my boy to grow up being proud of his last name and remember all the other great Valtier men before him, including my dad, his “papa”. Valtier isn’t the most common last name out there and in the most serious scenario the Valtier name could die out if future generations aren’t brought into this world.

Annie and I are so blessed just to have a healthy baby. Gender was never a concern for us. I believe if it’s God’s will, he will give us our baby girl next time. This way our daughter could have an older brother to protect her!

Listening to our baby boy at night has taken on a whole new meaning for me. I feel more connected to our baby now knowing the sex. Our boy moves around like crazy and makes weird noises on the heart monitor when I speak into Annie’s tummy.



Annie continues to make a beautiful pregnant wife. She glows more and more everyday and I can’t help but want to do everything there is to make her life a little easier. She’s amazing and I know our son will look at her the same way. Suddenly I see a great relationship building between our son and his mom. Much like my relationship with my “super” mom and DJ’s with his mom.

Time to pick a name!

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We found out!

Today I had my third ultrasound and we were hoping that we would find out the sex of the baby. I kept hearing advice to drink juice right before the ultrasound , and that makes the baby turn in the right position to see their private partisans enough to guess the gender.

Well, the baby was turned in the right position and we found out and we are so thrilled! But now we are faced with the task of telling everyone. We have been able to tell my mom and dad and Anthony's mom and dad, but we don't know how we should tell everyone else. My main thing is to be able to tell our loved ones in person rather than as a text message or a Myspace headline, which all seems so impersonal. Another reason is that we're already getting a kick out of asking people to guess just based on the ultrasound pics, which are always blurry and unrecognizable.

First up, my mom. Since my doctor is close to the hospital where my mom works, we stopped by and she was the first one to know. It made me feel proud and excited when I felt my mom shaking as she hugged me after she found out.

Next, Anthony's parents, which is also on the way home. We again had them guess, and they both guessed correctly. Anthony's dad is always up for a challenge, so he really got into looking at all the pics carefully. Anthony's mom said her heart was beating so hard, and when we confirmed the news, the tears came! That made us happy. Hugs all around.

Last for the day were my dad and brother. My dad was just like Anthony's dad, looking carefully at each picture. DJ was less patient, just scratching his head and telling us to hurry up already and just tell them. When we told them, my dad was wiping his face...I said, "Dad, are you crying?" and he said, "No. I'm just happy." And then he gave Anthony one of those cool guy handshakes and slapped my cheek as always, his sign of affection.

So next up, I need to call my sister, because who knows when I'll see her in person again, since she lives far away. I don't want everyone to know and not her! After that, we see the rest of the Valtier clan and we'll tell all of them at the same time. And whenever we see Oscar and Leana in person, they are next up, too!

So please keep praying for a healthy baby and for Anthony and I, that we will become good parents.

Now we can plan the room colors and a name for our baby Ziggy! Yay!!!!!

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Live Mega Doppler 7000 HD

As I've stated before, I've been kinda neurotic about wanting the worst pregnancy symptoms; any sign that the baby continues to be healthy and growing. And for the past few weeks, I've been feeling lots of movement and that gives me the peace of mind that I need. At work, man, our baby goes to town, kicking me and moving around like it's redecorating. At home, from 7:00 PM on until 12:30 am-ish, that baby is already warning us that he/she will be entertaining us late into the evening/early morning.

But there are days when I DON'T feel any movement, and I understand that it may be because the baby is sleeping or just not at a place where I can feel it moving. If any of you have seen the ultrasound, though, you will see that this baby does not sit still.

Needless to say, I remain neurotic and try to find new ways to ease my worries. So I came across the perfect solution: a fetal doppler!

This is the same device that doctors use to hear the baby's heartbeat. It's pretty much a microphone and speakers, but it's the best thing ever to us! We have been renting one for the past month and will continue to rent it until a) I can physically see and feel kicking and b) my mom decides she will not fund this anymore, although she finds it very necessary for us to keep it through the whole term and has offered to pay for the remaining months. Like mother, like daughter, she is as obsessive about this as I am.

The first few days we rented it, we brought it over for the families to hear. It didn't work so well at the Valtier house, and as the minutes passed, the fam lost interest. But I hope to bring it over again soon so they can hear how strong our little Ziggy's heartbeat is! Emily, our youngest niece, seems to be most fascinated by her Auntie Annie being pregnant and I want her to be able to hear it. Then we went over to the Paraiso household, and lucky for us, Ziggy was ready to entertain! The heart beat loud and strong.

So you can't give Anthony and I a new toy for long until we abuse it and find other uses for it. Aside from turning off the lights at night and listening to our baby's heartbeat in the dark, we also use it to check if Anthony's alive and if I'm alive. We have yet to put it on Bennie, but that will be our next activity for sure!

So every day, our baby continues to grow and I am comforted by the fact that I am able to hear he/she whenever I want to. I love that Anthony amuses me and wants me to have everything I need so I can feel comfortable that we have a healthy pregnancy. And I love our new tradition of listening to our baby before we go to sleep. :)

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Cramp of the Century

I am always proud to brag about my high tolerance for pain. I'm usually the one to tell people to "suck it up" or "it doesn't sound that bad". But this morning when I woke up, I had the world's worst leg cramp. I'd never had leg cramps before being pregnant, so I wonder why I get them so frequently now. But this morning was the worst. It was my usual routine: after Anthony gets out of the shower, he wakes me up so I can take my shower. I cry for a little bit (I absolutely hate waking up early in the morning), then realize that I can stall no longer, so I stretch and get up. But this time, the cramp from demon-land stopped me. It was like someone was pulling my leg muscle with all their strength and as the seconds went by, the pain worsened. I started sweating and tears started forming. Anthony tried to help by stretching my foot and massaging my calf, but nothing was working. Finally it went away, but with the pain subsiding came a realization:

If I can't even survive a leg cramp, how the hell am I going to go through labor pains?

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I feel the earth move under my feet. I feel the sky tumbling down.

Never has Carole King's song ring more true than it did today!

An earthquake rumbled across the Southern California today registering 5.4 on the Richter scale. The shaker was centered in Chino hills, about 20 miles from Rancho Cucamonga. Although it wasn't the biggest rocker in history, Kate Hutton (seismologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California) dreams about days like these.

Annie was at work in Universal and felt the tremble of her building hard enough for her to wonder if she should get under her desk or not. She didn't, but if needed, she was prepared. Sure the emergency disaster team was nowhere to be found until one man made a quick walk through to ask if everyone was ok. Sure people in her building were getting conflicting reports whether to evacuate or not. Rest assure, Universal Studios is on top of things. On a side note, Ziggy rode out his/her first seismic activity without any worries :)

I was enjoying my day interning at Sequoia Middle school in Fontana and felt the earth thrust beneath my feat with such force and intensity. We all looked at each other for confirmation that what we felt was indeed an earthquake. All agreed it was and continued our task to pull schedules for students. Some old teacher in the office had to make his joke loud enough for all to hear. "Well this is a great way to start this school year with a bang!" I did not laugh.

All families have been accounted for and everyone seems to be ok! Word has it that Bennie heard the rattle of bottles and instinctively ran to his safe zone...under the computer desk.

The slip in plate tectonics appeared to have hit some places far worse than others. As one eyewitness described on the news, "It was anarchy in the office." Not sure what he meant by that, but it sounds scary!

The aftermath of such a catastrophic event is always the toughest part. I came home to a substantial amount of damage. It's amazing they didn't condemn the building. I think my pictures speak for themselves.

Ok maybe this last picture wasn't caused by the earthquake. Truth be told, the babies room is still under construction. However, now I can blame the mess on the devastating rupture of the fault.

Notice the vast array of words and phrases I've used to describe today's earthquake. All taken from the over dramatic news reports for the day.

Just another day in California. It may take weeks, it may take years, but we will overcome! The clean up begins!

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Fieldwork begins!

So I just finished my first week of fieldwork at Sequoia Middle School in Fontana and I must say I had a blast. At times it was a little boring stuffing folders for their AB1802 students who are in danger of not passing, but the training on their computer system was well worth it. I got to do my first scheduling for some students and learned more about Zangle. Everyone complains about the new computer system, but I like it. Looking forward to next week when school starts.

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