President Barack Obama!

LJ and I woke up today at 8am to start watching the festivities. My mom actually called and woke us up. They wanted to come over and make breakfast and watch the Inauguration on a "Big" TV.

So I got up made LJ a bottle, changed his diaper and sat him in the living room while I quickly washed last nights dishes before my parents got here. My dad can't cook if there's dishes in the sink so I had to do them so he would cook! I then fed LJ his breakfast, he had yogurt and pears today. By the time he was done they were starting to swear in Vice President Joe Biden. I quickly cleaned up LJ because I wanted to get a picture of LJ and I as they were swearing in President Barack Obama!

So I got a picture of the 2 of us with our new President being sworn in on the TV in the background. I look like crap, but it's ok I'll be able to show LJ when he gets older our pic of the historic day!

I'm excited for what President Obama is gonna bring to this country! I can only hope and pray that we will be better and stronger because of him. CHANGE has come and I am THANKFUL and PROUD to be an AMERICAN and that my son will get to witness our first African American President as he grows up!

Baby Food 101

My friend PreggerTJ asked me to do a post about making LJ's food. So here it is. I decided to make LJ's food instead of buying the regular baby food because:

1. I can use organic foods and it's still cheaper.

2. I believe it's healthier because I'm not adding all the preservatives to it so it can last on a shelf for who knows how long.

3. There are sooo many more stage 1 foods that baby's can eat than the manufacturer's produce.

They say you can start solids between 4 months and 6 months. I waited till a week before LJ was 6 months. They say you should hold off till 6 months if baby is exclusively breast fed so that's what I tried to do. The only thing is breast milk is not very filling! It was great at the beginning because I knew he had to eat every 3 hrs but by the time he was 5 months old I could tell it just wasn't doing it for him. He was still waking up every 3-4 hrs at night to eat. Luckily I wouldn't go to bed till his 11pm-midnight feeding that way I only had to wake up once between 3am-4am to feed him. It didn't seem that bad at first to me because technically I was only waking up once, but in reality LJ was going to bed at 6pm so he would wake up 2 sometimes 3 times at night. My baby wasn't sleeping through the night yet! And he was almost 6 months old!

So I knew I needed to get him on solids to get his little tummy full at night so my boy can sleep!

So anyway, I did my research and I got this great book at my baby shower from Auntie Louie. It's called Baby 411. It has been my life line since the day LJ was born. It literally has everything to expect from your little one and advice on what to do. Great book, I totally recommend it!

So stage 1 foods are the least allergenic and that's why they are stage one foods. You can feed these to your baby in any order they say. I started out with vegetables, then fruits now we are at beans. I plan on doing stage 1 dairy and meats probably starting next week.

Once you introduce a food to your baby, you want to feed that same food to them for about 3-4 days to make sure they are not allergic. Makes it easy because you don't have to decide what to serve them.

Ok so here are the stage 1 foods:

Stage 1 Fruits and Vegetables: Applesauce, Apricots, Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Carrots, Green Beans, Guava, Mashed potatoes, Mango, Melons, Nectarines, Papaya, Peaches, Peas, Plums, Prunes, Pumpkin, Squash, Sweet Potatoes

Stage 1 Grains: Rice cereal, Barley cereal, Oatmeal cereal, Wheat cereal, Millet cereal, Quinoa cereal

Stage 1 Meats and Beans: Beans: red, kidney, white, black-eyed, navy, ect., Beef, Chicken, Garbanzo bean (hummus spread), lamb, lentils, pork, split peas, tofu, turkey

Here are stage 2 foods:

Stage 2 Fruits and Vegetables: Bell peppers, blueberries, grapefruit, kale and other greens, kiwi, oranges, pineapple, rhubarb-cooked, spinach-cooked, strawberries, tomatoes

Stage 2 Grains: Cherrios/Oatios or generic, cornmeal: polenta, cornbread, corn tortillas, oat bran cereal/muffins, pasta, puffed kashi, rice cakes, whole grain pancakes, whole grain waffles, whole wheat crackers

Stage 2 Meats and Beans: Edamame, egg yolks (no egg whites until after 1st bday), sunflower seed butter

That's a variety huh? Just for stage one foods! Baby food only comes in like 4-5 choices for stage 1 foods. I didn't go through all the stage one foods yet. We've had Sweet potatoes, yams (I know it's not listed but I figure it's the same as a potato), carrots, peas, green beans, butternut squash, apples, pears, bananas, we just started garbanzo beans, and I have tried whole grain pasta and whole grain pancakes just to see how he'd do and he did pretty well. I just had to make sure that it was really really small pieces.

So my method is easy:

1. Peel and cut up vegetable or fruit into equal size pieces. Pretty small so it cooks quickly.

2. Boil until fork tender

3. Drain but save a little of the water

4. Puree' in food processor with a little water. At first you want it kinda soupy, almost liquid when your introducing and then you can make the puree' thicker as baby adjusts and gets used to it.

Now to the storage. Here's where it gets interesting. I like to store it 2 different ways. Canning jars because they are glass and you can sanitize them and ice cube trays, you can't sanitize them but it does make for easy storage and transport at first.

You might want to do the ice cube trays at first because they don't eat very much at first. It's basically a treat and practice so you can work your way up on how many ice cubes to defrost and serve as baby gets used to.

1. Fill the ice cube trays with the puree'.

2. Cover it with foil or plastic wrap and freeze over night.

3. The next day I remove it from the ice cube tray then store it the small freezer bags and label them. It makes it easy if you have to go somewhere and bring the food with you. And you avoid freezer burn.

For the canning jars, here's where it gets tricky. I use the small jars, I believe they are the 4 oz jars. The timing is key if you want to make your jar seal and pop so you know it's canned correctly and sterile.

1. Wash all jars before you get started.

2. After you boil the food, put it in the food processor hot.

3. As you puree', fill the jar 3/4 full with water.

4. Place jars in microwave for at least 5 min. You want the water to boil.

5. As soon as the food is pureed to your consistency and the jars are done in the micro immediately empty the water out of the jar and fill the jar with the food.

6. Cover immediately. Lids will pop and seal as the food cools down.

Now you can either store it in the fridge or freezer. I like this way because you know it's sterilized. As your baby starts to eat more you could switch to just using the jars because he/she will eat a whole jar in one sitting.

How much to make? I try to make enough for 2 weeks. That way I avoid freezer burn and I'm not spending all day making baby food. It usually takes me about 2 hrs to do.

Well there it is...it's not hard at all. Just takes to time to get your routine down and get in the swing of things. (Tanya if you need help, I'll come over and show you when you're ready. Just let me know!) So that's my Baby Food 101. Happy Baby Food making!

A Little Randomness...

On my Facebook profile I was tagged to do this 16 Random Things About Me. I really liked it because it made me really have to think of things to share with people. I thought I would post it here just to share. I'm not going to tag anyone but maybe it'll inspire you to think outside the box and share random facts about yourself.

Here's my list:

1. I'm an athlete at heart. I started sports when I was 5, I mainly played basketball and volleyball. I played up until my first year of college then just decided to stop one day and haven't played since. I think I was burnt out after all those years. I really do miss it now though.

2. I'm super competitive and I hate to lose!

3. I still sleep with my baby blanket and am not ashamed of it! I bring it on every trip we go on.

4. I've danced hula since I was 10. I still watch old hula videos and competition videos.

5. I fell in love when I was 13.

6. I love wearing sweats!

7. I eat my food in a specific order, meat, rice, vegetable until I'm done. If it's not portioned right I make it so I can finish in that order.

8. I pride myself in being able to help others. I'll do almost anything for almost anybody, if you just ask.

9. I sleep with a pillow between my legs because I like to sleep on my side and I can't stand my legs touching each other.

10. I love to cook. I watch the food network all the time. I've even have 2 sets of Emeril's cookware and I just got Rachel Rays oval saute pan, her knives, and Big Orange Book for Christmas!

11. I make all LJ's baby food.

12. Gary Payton is my all time favorite basketball player,since I was in elementary. I finally got to meet him when I worked at Wells Fargo in Factoria. I saw him on a weekly basis. He even invited me and Dante to be his guest in his suite at the Key. I met his younger brother and his brothers girlfriend at that game. It was a dream come true for me! So much fun.

13. I believe that I'm destined to win the lottery. I just have that feeling.

14. I played volleyball in Norway when I was 19. It was the greatest experience ever!

15. I hate cleaning! Absolutely hate it! I would hire a maid if I could afford one.

16. I coached club volleyball for 1 year and would love to start coaching again some day.

Happy New Year!!! Feelin fine in 2009!

Happy New Year everyone! I know I'm late but better late than never I guess. Our New Years was quite. We just went to Dante's Uncle Tracy's and hung out with them. They had their two little ones plus the twins Kiara and Mikayla. We ate steak and shrimp and watched the movie Step Brothers once all the kids went to bed. It was fricken hillarious! I was dying laughing! So funny. LJ went to bed at 8pm so he didn't really get to join in on the midnight festivities but oh well. There will be many more to come! So our New Years was nice, quite and relaxing.

On Saturday, Jan 3rd we went to engagement party of Clyde and Yvonne our friends and also LJ's Godparents. They got engaged on Saturday, Dec. 27th in New Jersey. Clyde flew out there to surprise her and also to ask her hand in marriage. They are the sweetest couple and I'm so happy for Clyde that he found and fell in love with her! Yvonne is the greatest. They are so cute together! It was a small get together but it was fun. My god daughter Roanne and god son Aaron were there, so it was fun to see and play with them. So CONGRATS to them! I can't wait to go to New Jersey in 2010 for their wedding! I've never been there so I can't wait!

2009! Wow, I can't believe it's 2009! My high school 10 year reunion is this year. I'm excited to see everyone and I really hope everyone shows up. It'll be interesting to see how everyone's lives are.

I'm not sure what to expect with this year. I haven't really made any resolutions. It kind of snuck up on me so I dunno. I definitely want to get back to work...I can honestly say that I'm not really trying but I guess I should start trying harder. I'm being really picky with the positions that I apply for so I'm going to start being more open to different positions, locations, and specialties.

LJ is doing well! I'm definitely enjoying my time with him because I know I'll be returning to work soon. He's growing too fast. I've already started planning his 1st birthday luau. I've set the date, it'll be June 27th at Kennedy High School. They have a really big hall. So I really wanted to use that place. A lot of the Hawaiian functions are held there so it was first on my list. I'm not sure what I'm gonna have yet. I think we're gonna have face painting, some games, and a pinata so far. Not sure on the games yet. I don't want to have to organize and run that during the party. My Aunt who did the food for the baptism/wedding will be here for his luau as well. YAY! I have 5 months to plan so I think I'll be ok.

So our 2009 so far has been good. Not up to much, with the weather and all we've just been staying home. I hate going out in the snow/rain. I know it's only January but I can't wait for Spring! SUNSHINE!!

SURPRISE!!!!

So I can finally let it all out! Some of you might have noticed the blog name change but if not just to let ya'll know...We got MARRIED!!!
Dante and I surprised our family and close friends on Saturday before LJ's Baptism. It was sooo fun and so hard to pull it off! I almost slipped up so many times and spilled the beans. It couldn't have been any more perfect. Everyone was so shocked and so happy for us. It was crazy! You should have heard the gasps that everyone let out when we told them. It was sooo funny!

Rewind back to October...Dante and I were talking about getting married. He would just tell me it's coming, it's coming like forever. So we finally had a serious discussion about what each other wanted and what we didn't want. I told him I really didn't care if he proposed or not. It wasn't like I would say no or not expect it. Obviously with LJ here we were gonna get married at some point. We talked about everything...how big of a wedding or small in our case, our money situation, the rings, reception everything. To be honest, we were gonna elope to the court house and not tell anyone, and just pretend we weren't married yet. Till we could afford the big lavish wedding, but then we decided that wasn't right. We knew that we had to baptize LJ soon, so I mentioned to him "wouldn't it be funny if we surprised everyone before the baptism and got married?" Dante immediately said no but then a couple days later he said "lets do it!" So that began the planning of the "Surprise Wedding/LJ's Baptism!"

Dante's Uncle Fred is the Deacon at Immaculate Conception Church in Seattle. He is also the founder of the Filipino Youth Activities Drill Team which Dante and I were both a part of and met. We actually met at that church because that's where our drill team practice was. How cute is that right? Dante called him up and asked if he would be willing to baptize LJ. So we met with him that first week of November. At that meeting we told him of our plans to surprise everyone before hand and get married! He immediately was thrilled and just as excited. The only thing is that he had to speak with the church and convince them to allow us to get married! The Catholic church requires a 6 month notice on all marriages because you have to go through classes and counseling to make sure that this is what you want. I'm so thankful they made an exception for us! We did have to go to classes every Wednesday up until the event. It was a lot of sneaking around and making up stories where we were so people didn't catch on.

We did need to tell a few people because we needed some help. My Aunt Sarah volunteered her house for LJ's reception so I had to tell her what was going on, I also wanted her to be my Sponsor for the wedding. I am so thankful for her!!! She is so creative and thrifty!!! She opened her home to all these people and it was beautiful! She decorated everything so nicely and made a wedding cake for us!!! It was so gorgeous! I can't say enough about what she did for us! It means the world to me and I'm so thankful that she moved back from Hawaii and was here to help me pull all this together.

My Auntie Flo which is my Aunt Sarah's mom flew in from Hawaii on Monday the 15th. She did all the cooking, (except for the Kalua pig and cabbage which Dante's Uncle Tracy made) brought the leis, and made sure everything was in order. She's so good at that! She didn't come to the church which I was kinda a sad about but she assured me that she needed to stay back and get all the food ready. Like I said in the blog before, she's the best cook ever!!! I love her cooking and when I ate on Saturday all the memories from my childhood overwhelmed me a little. Man I've missed her!!! I kept thanking her all day and night and what she said to me is that we need to thank god for her gift and boy is she right!!! I am sooooo Thankful to him for her!!!

I told my Best friend Candace because I wanted her to be my Made of Honor and I needed someone to help me and keep me sane. Which she did. She was always on top of things, reminding me what I needed to do or what I still needed to get! She gave me my something borrowed, something blue, something old, and something new! So she took care of that by letting me "Borrow" her "Old" Hawaiian heirloom earrings and she bought me a "New" "Blue" pantie!!! LOL! It even had "Newlywed" on the butt in Rhinestones. It was super cute! I love her so much and am so happy that she was a part of it!

Dante's brother Jon Frederic was the Best Man. When we told him he was really excited and happy for us. At first he thought we were just telling him we were getting married, he didn't realize it was in just a few short weeks. He was down for the surprise and contributed many ideas on how we should tell or not tell everyone what was going on. Even though we didn't use them, it was nice to see him just as excited as we were.

Dante chose his Uncle Tracy as his sponsor so he had to tell him as well. He and his wife Sandy were also going to be LJ's primary God Parents. So he had a double duty that day. Well that led to his wife Sandy knowing, because Dante doesn't explain things so well. When Dante called to tell him the way he explained it led Uncle Tracy to believe that we were getting married the next day and that he needed to be there. So when he hung up the phone he told Sandy. Me, knowing how Dante is made Dante call him back and explain things better. By then it was too late and he already told Sandy so she had to be in on it too. I asked Uncle Tracy to make the Kalua Pig and Cabbage. He said he would be was nervous cooking that Hawaiian dish for a bunch of Hawaiians! I just laughed at him and told him I wouldn't have asked if he didn't make it good. Well everyone loved it! I knew he had nothing to worry about.

My Dad was the last to know. I really wanted to surprise him but Dante felt it was only right to ask his permission first. So he did. I was there at it was funny to see my Dad's reaction. He was happy and said it was about time. He too thought it was a good idea to do it before LJ got baptized. That way he was baptized with his parents married.

So the day finally came. The weather was so bad and everyone thought we were gonna cancel but Dante's Uncle said "no way the show must go on!" Plus our marriage license was gonna expire at the end of December so we had to do it. Everyone thought we were crazy, his mom even sent an email to both of us Friday @ 6am asking us to cancel but we said no! So anyways, once everyone arrived we stood at the front of the church and called both of our parents up. So Dante started out by thanking everyone for coming and braving the treacherous weather and so forth. He explained that before the baptism could be performed that there was another sacrament that needed to be completed first to make LJ's baptism complete. Then I chimed in and told everyone that they were not only here today for LJ's baptism but they were also here for our WEDDING! And then you here everyone gasping! It was so funny. I knew that Dante's mom would burst into tears but I didn't expect my mother to start crying soooo hard! Her mouth literally hit the ground I think! She had to take a minute to gain her composure! I gave my parents a hug and Dante's parents a hug and he did the same then we immediately started the ceremony.

It was short, sweet and to the point! It was soo much fun and I was so excited to finally have this day come. It was so worth surprising everyone. Now that I look back it was perfect and I wouldn't have it any other way! It was the perfect way for Dante and I to get married.

After the wedding ceremony we took a little break to sign all the marriage documents, then we went straight into the baptism ceremony.

The baptism was a quick ceremony, probably only 20 min or so. I was so worried that LJ would be cranky because it was soooo cold in there and plus it was right in the middle of his nap time! He did amazing! He was sooo good! He didn't even cry when Uncle Fred poured the water over his head! In fact after they were done he was reaching for the bowl of water. They anointed him with 2 different oils, I forget the names of them but to this day and after 3 baths I can still smell it on him. My dad says he smells like Christmas. It does smell a little pine-y, but it's stinky.

LJ has 4 sets of God Parents. His primary God Parents are Dante's Uncle Tracy and his fiance' Sandy. The other 3 sets are our friend Clyde Bautista and his girlfriend Yvonne Turla, Dante's best friend Bobby Manalang and my best friend Candace Marticio, and the last set is Dante's cousin Brent Koslosky and our friend Sinamon Consego. It's not in any particular order that's just how I said it. Almost all them were there, but Brent couldn't make because he had to go into work and Yvonne goes to Temple University in Philly and is not coming here to visit till January.

The day was great! All the planning, sneaking around, and secrets paid off! It couldn't have went any smoother and I'm just so Thankful to everyone who helped us pull it off, especially Uncle Fred for taking the time to put this all together in the 2 months that he did! So we did it! We got a 2 for 1! LJ is baptized and we are Married! YAY!

I've been TAGGED!!!!

I know I said I probably wouldn't post till after the Baptism on Saturday but I've been tagged! It's my first time being tagged so I feel I have to get it done. The lovely Tanya (PreggerTJ) tagged me. I would have made a link if I knew how but since I don't you can just look to the right of my page to see who's blogs I read and then click the link there! LOL!

So the topic is 6 things that make me happy! So here we go:

1. Dante- We've been together for 14 years now and I couldn't see myself with anyone else. I truly believe that he is my soul mate and that he was put on earth for me and I for him. He is the best and gives me everything I want and need. He's the ultimate supporter, partner, best friend, and father! My life is blessed because of him! He's always making me laugh and he brings out the best in me.

2. LJ- I've waited for him to come for a long time. And boy was it worth the wait. When I look at him it's a joy that I can't explain. It's a love like no other and he too puts a smile on my face multiple times throughout my day. I'm so happy to be a mommy and I would do anything for him.

3. My Parents- My parents are my rock. They've supported me through everything. Good and Bad. They've never judged me and let me make the hard decisions in my life with no contest. They are truly the greatest parents and I'm happy for their health and strength. I see the happiness that LJ brings to them and that makes me soooo happy!

4. My Dogs- Louie, Juicy, Brady, & Coke! They are all so different but yet I couldn't live without any of them. They are so much fun to be around, yet can drive me crazy too! I never thought that at any point in my life would I ever have 4 dogs but now there's no going back. They are silly, crazy, needy, and oh so lovable. It's honestly like having 4 other children.

5. My Latte Machine- It's a new kitchen "toy" we just got but I'm already addicted. Even though I'm still only drinking de-caf it's still gets me going for the day. And like PreggerTJ said that first sip is pure heaven! LOL! I was against getting one at first but boy am I glad Dante went and got one. It saves us money since were not going to Starbucks all the time and it taste way better! So Yes! I am happy for my Latte machine!

6. Blogging and my Blackberry (they go hand in hand)- My new found love and addiction. I love it! My nightly routine when I go to sleep is to hop in bed with my Blackberry and I read the blogs that I follow! It's just like reading a book in bed. It's helps me get to sleep. Blogging has reconnected me with so many people and I love reading what everyone is up to. So without my Blackberry I wouldn't be able to hop in bed at night and catch up with all you lovely folks!

OK so who to tag? So I since I'm so nosey I'm gonna tag Malinda, Kate (The Perkes Family), Mindy (Parry Update), & Jennifer (Simeona Fam). I'm excited to read all of your blogs!

Gone for too long...

I've been away for a long time...and oh how I have missed it. I've been busy and honestly haven't had the motivation or energy to blog about anything. So to catch everyone up I'll start with LJ.

LJ is just about a week away from being 6 months old! WOW has time flown by. We are currently planning his baptism which will be Dec. 20th at Immaculate Conception Church in Seattle. I wanted it to be small and simple but like with any event in this family it is far from it. My Auntie Flo will be here from Hawaii so naturally she has taken over most of the cooking! I love her cooking! I have memories from when I was little of all the parties/luau's they had at there house. Good times! The reception will be at my Aunt Sarah's house. (which is Auntie Flo's oldest daughter) Her house is soooo nice. The layout is perfect. I love it! I would buy it in an instant if I could. They are actually moving and looking for a buyer but Dante said Ya right! We have LJ's outfit all ready...he's gonna be so cute. He's wearing an all white aloha shirt and white pants. I tried it on already and it's super adorable. So the baptism has been taking up most of my time trying to get everything ready to go.

Some milestones that LJ has conquered are sitting up. He took his first professional picture sitting up and it turned out so good. He's now started eating solids. I started him on the Brown rice cereal and he was kinda not sure what to make of it. But I've decided to make his food. So I went to the little organic market here in Kent and bought Apples, Pears, Bananas, Peas, Carrots, and Yams. He loves all of them. He's so funny, he now knows his high chair and what treat he's in for when you put him in it. He's starting to scoot but only backwards. He does this thing when he's on his back. He arches his back and kicks himself back. It scares me because I'm worried he's gonna hurt his neck, but he does it all the time, especially in bed at night when he wakes up. He'll end up at the top of the bed hitting the wall. OH we bought him one of those jumper things and he loves it. He jumps and jumps and cracks himself up. He's too cute! It's amazing how fast he's growing. Dante and I are bracing ourselves because we know it's only a matter of time before he's really mobile and getting into everything.

Dante is busy busting his butt at work. Like always. He's the relief driver for Franz Bakery for ya'll who didn't know. He likes to be called "The Breadman." LOL! They added the new Costco in Covington to there depot so it was basically a raise for him so he was excited. More work, but he is now the only relief driver with a CDL so he'll be the only one to get the big routes when those drivers go on vacation or on sick leave. So he was pretty amped about that.

He's pretty bummed about the Seahawks. Who isn't right? I have to hear about on a daily plus out of the 2 of us he was the only one to make it to the playoffs in our fantasy football league. He just nudged me out of the playoffs that punk. But I believe after yesterdays games he lost! So that means we'll have to actually pay for our league this year. Last year I came in 3rd and Dante came in 2nd so with our winnings it paid for all of our fees. Bummer! He spends most of his free time with us or running around with us. It's been a major adjustment for him, he can't just leave on a dime anymore to go off and "play" or whatever. He doesn't mind though, or at least he doesn't let on that it bothers him.

As for me, I'm still at home taking care of LJ. I really want to start the daycare, but I've realized it's gonna take some time and money. The rules and regulations are pretty strict so everything has to be just right. I've started looking at going back to work just in the mean time, for extra money to get things going. With the way the economy is it's tough though. Even in the medical field it's tough. I thought that I chose a field that wouldn't be affected, but I guess not. I've just started my search so hopefully come the new year I will find something.

Well we're all just busy, and getting ready for the holidays like everyone else. It's gonna be a small one since I'm not working and all, but we'll make the most of it. With the baptism less than 2 weeks away. I may not post till after, but there will be lots to talk about and I'll have tons of pics from that day.