Laughter

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"Take Zig out to the ball game"

Although it wasn't his first baseball game, it was a special one indeed. On Monday, June 29th, Isaiah joined the Valtier Boys for a night out at the ballpark. We had the opportunity to see Manny Ramirez in his rehab stint with the Inland Empire 66ers. With all the hype surrounding his rehab in the minors, it's no surprise that the game was sold out and crowded. On this given evening, the 66ers played our hometown team, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Who were we to cheer for? It was a tough call but we fell victim to the excitement surrounding Manny and cheered for him and the 66ers along with the rest of the crowd.

Isaiah had a blast and so did I. It was great to be out with my son, my dad, and my brother enjoying a "guys night out". Of course with the IE 66ers being the single A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, this allowed the perfect opportunity to dress up the baby in his Dodgers outfit. Thanks to Uncle Oscar and Auntie Yayo, Isaiah was the cutest Dodger baby in attendance.

Yes mommy was missed. The baby missed her and so did I. This was my first outing with the baby on my own without Annie's help. I wasn't so scared at first but as we got closer to the evening and I saw how sad and scared Annie was, I began to feel nervous. Annie's list of things to pack in his diaper bag could have easily filled a truck, but that's just how Annie is...prepared.

Long night for the boy, long night for the rest of us too. IE won the game that night in the bottom of the ninth inning with an RBI single into right field bringing in the winning run from second base.

As for Manny? Well much like the rest of his rehab stint in the minors, he went 1 for 3 with two strikeouts and left the game in the 5th inning. See what steroids do to ones game? Say no to drugs kids!

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Father Tony

Summer is here and I couldn't be happier. Not just because the end of the school year is here. Not just because I'm off from work til the end of August. More so because I get to spend my vacation with my little buddy, Isaiah. Just finished my first week taking care of the boy and I'm having a blast. He's so much fun right now. The boy just starting sitting up on his own this past week and his recognition of Mommy and Daddy is to die for. This is not to say I don't miss Annie being here with us and believe me, I am glad to see her walk through the door. Isaiah shows his delight as well with his killer smile.

My first Father's day was exactly the way I wanted it...relaxing, chill, and low key. Started off the morning with church. Had lunch at the Yard House. Took a nap with my boy. Finished off the night with a BBQ at the 'rents house. I really owe this love for fatherhood to my dad. His love and support through the years is all I know of dads. It's his time and energy, the sacrifices, and the support that's helped shape me to be the dad I am today. The careful notes I took have paid off well.

With that said, I'm already dreading the end of August when I return back to work. It will certainly be a day filled with tears. Ok, I'm off, the boy has awakened from his nap and he's hungry hungry.

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Isaiah the Catholic I Be

"He will then be reborn..."

On April 26, 2009, Isaiah Henry was baptized.

If you look at Anthony and myself, you wouldn’t believe we were too religious. We go out late at night, we drink, we (well, more me) have potty mouths, we are accepting and respectful of all lifestyles and beliefs; basically, we aren’t what you would call “old school” Roman Catholics.

Ever since I was born, my family and I have always gone to Church on Sundays. I’m always praying. I attend religious events, pray the Rosary and went through my share of CCD and Confirmation classes. I’ve completed all of my Sacraments, the latest one being Marriage. I can admit that through the years I hadn’t taken all of my Sacraments seriously, but I’d say about 10-12 years ago, everything all of a sudden started to make sense. Would it be corny to say that meeting Anthony changed my way of thinking? But not in the way you would think.

Anthony, too, had completed all of his Sacraments up until Confirmation when I met him. But his family stopped going to Church for personal reasons and because of that, Anthony wasn’t really motivated to go to Church anymore. I remember one of our first trips to Las Vegas with the family. Early Sunday morning, we all started waking up and getting dressed. Anthony went through the motions of getting ready, but didn’t really know why we were up so early and where we were going. He finally asked me what the plan was for the day. I said, “We’re going to Church.” He said, “How come you didn’t INFORM me of this?” This was funny to me for two reasons: First, it is assumed that we go to Church, even though we were on vacation, and even though we were in Sin City; Second, he was so upset in being forced to go to Church when he hadn’t gone in years.

When we began dating, our Saturday nights began with going to Mass because I worked Sundays. Later, it turned into him joining my family for Sunday Mass. Even later it turned into his family joining my family for Sunday Mass. And even later still, we became more involved in the church, with my brother, Anthony, and myself leading Children’s Liturgy every Sunday, and Anthony finding his calling as a teacher, more importantly, a teacher at a Catholic school.
We have so many reasons to be thankful. God, Our Lady, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and countless other Saints have been so good to our families. We have been witnesses to so many miracles and many blessings, and the latest one being the birth of our beautiful baby boy.

Which brings us to the point of this post. After much planning and re-planning, we were finally able to Baptize our amazing son and introduce him as a member of our Catholic community. It was a beautiful day and a very spiritual event for both of us. Isaiah slept through almost the whole thing; he was so angelic and beautiful. Godparents are my older sister and my younger brother, whom I hope will continue to guide him through the journey of his faith.

Even though we may not seem like it, Anthony and I are proud Catholics. Having faith in our lives is so important to us. It grounds us. It guides us. It gives us a deeper connection with God. It makes our marriage stronger. It makes our new little family stronger. We have a love for one another that is so deep and unbreakable. Anthony and I speak so freely of our faith now; it’s a part of our daily lives and I’m proud of who we have become. And we are proud of our little boy, who will now share in all the wonderful blessings of the Catholic Church.

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Noachella this year :(

So priorities have changed this year with the addition of Isaiah. Coachella has been an on again off again sort of tradition for the last several years. It looks like we're off again. Do we bring Isaiah, do we not bring Isaiah? After all, he was there last year :)As much of a hassle it may sound to bring such a young infant, Annie and I believe we could have done it. So then why opt out this year? Baby? Weak line-up on some days? Money issues? Well all might have influenced our decision in some way but the real reason has to do with his upcomimg Baptism. Long story there, but bottom line is I felt it wouldn't be right to go and have fun at the expense of my arents losing out on a night of fun.

In any case, I've been following Coachella this year via AT&T's webcast. So far the baby and I have seen the Courteneers, Aggrolites (to which Isaiah was rocking out to!), The Airborne Toxic Event, and currently playing is Alberta Cross (I'm liking them)

It's hard to watch the webcast and not witness the sights and sounds for myself. Looks like beautiful weather this week in Indio, CA. I've made a promise already though: We shall return next year! With Isaiah too!

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Spring Break with the boy

Well this week is drawing to a close and if you've been following on facebook or twitter then you're probably aware I'm on Spring Break. I thought I would share the highlights of my week with the Zig.

Monday Annie stayed home because the baby was sick (he had been sick for the past 5 days). We took him to the doctors and she ordered an x-ray for the little guy. I had to be tough in front of him and not show how scared I really was. We walked into a dimly lit room and put on these x-ray protector vests. They harnessed him in a contraption in what Annie describes as, "Some Hannibal Lecter looking thing." As scary as it was, it was over and we were out. RSV test, throat culture, and x-ray came back negative and Isaiah just has to get over his little cold.

Tuesday was fun. Annie went to work (Not the reason it was fun!) It was just the boy and I all day. Slept a lot that day because he was sick. Rest is what this boy needed because he woke up in a great mood and I managed to tape his laughing attack you might have seen by now on youtube. Who knew he would get such a kick out of hearing his daddy say "Go Boom!" Crazy kid!

Wednesday I had to make a pit stop at the dentist so I dropped off the baby at grandma's and papa's house. had lunch with them. Came home to spend more quality time with the Zig. Returned that night back at my parent's house for dinner.

We pretty much spent all day on Thursday staring at each other. Nowhere to go. wanted to go for a walk but remembered Annie had driven to work with the stroller in the back. Made dinner that night! Yes, I made dinner! Nothing fancy. Smoked sausage and potatoes. It's the only complete meal, if you call it a meal, I know how to make. It's the thought that counts right?!

Side note: He's decided these past two days to wake-up at between 2:30am and 3:00 am. Lucky me because I'm on spring break, I get to stay up with him and put him back to sleep. Very tired.

So here we are on Friday. Beautiful day. Annie left the stroller for me. Went on our walk. Sitting next to me as I type this. I had fun this week. Sure it was tough and it felt like Groundhogs Day every day (wake-up, feed, change diaper, play, sleep, wake-up, feed, change diaper, play, sleep...)One can imagine the excitement I felt at 7:00pm when I knew Annie would be walking through the door any minute. However, the quality time I got to spend with my son far outweighs the exhaustion I felt at the end of the day. I'll miss him next week when I return to work. I love my little dude and I hoped I showed it this week.

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Isaiah's first cold!

It was bound to happen one of these days. Isaiah has a cold. Suffy nose, chest congested, but still happy as a clam. Took him to the doctor today on day 1 of my Spring Break. Annie stayed home today as well (feels sorry for the little guy). X-rays are negative. Results of RSV test came back negative as well. Guess he needs to just tough it out. Time to crank up the vaporizer.

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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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