And They Said I Couldn't Do It...

Dear Elijah,
We did it! I took my time and waited patiently to weigh myself again after seeing that I was so close to our goal of 100 pounds! All I wanted to do was break 100lbs, and guess what? I did last night!!! I was at a nice dinner party with some friends, and my sister (your auntie Maila) and they wanted to be a part of the big moment. They brought out the scale, your daddy grabbed the camera, and I got on. It read 103lbs... It was such a great moment! Everyone celebrated, and cheered me on. It was nice to have people there to share it with. hahaha I know it all sounds so funny, but we might as well celebrate even the little things in life ;) So much has been happening. Your dad and I have been discussing the move back to California so that you can be close to your loving extended family. We are praying and hoping God can work everything out for that time. I've been flying to Cali about once a month to see our California doctor. It's been busy, but nice to see family so often ;) Your dad has been working so hard lately and spends so much time at work gaining new clients every week, and maintaining a great clientele. He is so great at his job and he loves it so much which makes me happy. I have been keeping busy with cleaning, baking, crocheting , scrap booking, and dabbling in some photography! Mommy used to love photography but stopped doing it for a while. I'm starting to get back into it as a hobby and it's been a blast! I just took some Christmas photos for some friends of mine who just had a sweet little baby girl, and other friends who have a cute little boy about 4 years old! It was so much fun. You will have to meet baby Mia Garcia someday ;) heehee... Here are some pics of us breaking 100lbs, and some photos from mommy's Christmas photo shoot ;) Love you, you are just so active lately ;)

Good afternoon Eli,
I think you have had quite a week. By the looks of my tummy, you have grown a little bit ;) Also, mommy gets the joy of feeling you move around a little now which means that your daddy is jealous again... heehee. He always says he wants to feel you too, and it's not fair that I can feel you and he can't yet. I guess it's one of the perks of being the mommy ;) He is so excited for the moment he will be able to feel you too. We just have to be patient and wait for you to get a little bigger so that daddy can be apart of that experience too. Love you

Something Different...

Hi Elijah,
Today Your daddy and I talked about you so much. We are so curious about you, what you are going to be like, and what you will look like. We walked downtown today and were sitting at Seattle's Best playing cards, when out of the blue your daddy said "I wonder what he's going to be like?". I said, "charming" haha. We love talking about parenting, and the fun things we want to do. Can't wait to dress you up, take thousands of pictures of you, and take you on mini adventures! But anyways, the best thing that happened today was that I got to feel you!!! EEEEeeeeeeeps! It was so cool! I was kind of freaking out and telling your daddy that I haven't really been able to feel anything yet. :( As I was complaining about how the book says I should be feeling you about now, I collapsed onto your daddy on the couch, and he started playing with my hair. Since I was in a weird position and putting pressure on one part of my tummy unawares, I felt movement! I felt a couple pokes, and a few adjustments. It was so cool ;) It's as if you knew... haha Definitely unmistakable though. Well I'm going to go join your daddy now. We are watching The Princess Bride. Love you. Here are some pictures your dad and I took today. THE DAY I FELT YOU...

Use the good stuff...

Dearest Eli baby,
I can't even express sometimes how much your daddy means to me, and now you! I'm so blessed to be able to share my love with such wonderful people in my life, and now I get to have you to love! It's almost too much to take in at times. I was talking to my sister (your auntie) Melissa this morning explaining to her what I think about family, love and showing love and kindness to the people closest to you. Here is my theory Elijah... Your daddy and I were so blessed when we got married with wonderful presents! We got dishes for nicer occasions, and dishes for everyday use. wine glasses for when we have guests, and then apparently wine glasses that we can use. haha. We got beautiful candles that I suppose we are supposed to save for special occasions as well, and maybe for when guests come over... heehee, that's what some people think ;) Your daddy means the world to me, and is the most important person in my life. I respect him, I appreciate him, and I want him above everyone to know how highly I regard him, and how much I love just being around him. So why not make every moment a special moment. I remember hearing something that stuck with me so hard. It was burned into my soul! haha... I remember someone saying how they would freak out when they were getting ready for guests. They would yell at their own kids and treat them like crap the whole day before the gusts would arrive. She would nag her husband, and yell at him if he accidentally used the "good" dishes, or the "nice" towels meant for guests only. hahaha. It made me laugh because it's so true. People do that! I've done that!!! She finally realized one day that she was treating strangers better than she was treating the people she was supposed to care for the most. Her family was playing second fiddle to people who she was making more important than them. Now here is the thing, I am ALL ABOUT hospitality and using your best things for guests to show that you care. It's very nice to be able to entertain and treat people with respect and kindness. BUT, it's equally important to let your own family know that they too are worth the effort and the "nicer" dishes. haha... I don't know if I'm saying this right, but in simple terms, I love using our best stuff on your daddy, my loving husband. When he comes home, I have all our candles lit, the house is clean, the bed is made, and it looks the same for when my husband walks through the door, and when our guests walk through the door. :) OF COURSE there are times when you just can't keep up with house work, your using paper plates, and the bed could just be left alone since your just going to sleep in it again. hahaha. But I'm just saying, I won't yell at my honey for eating appetizers before guests arrive. hahaha I love using our nice wine glasses for sparkling apple cider while watching a movie in our P.J.'s with my love. ;) I love cooking dinner and making it look like a nice restaurant in our dinning room. I know I will still go out of my way for guests, since I think it's fun, and also important to treat others how we would want to be treated. Yet, that translates to your own family as well, and I personally would hate to be yelled at for drying my hands on the wrong towel, or for drinking out of the wrong cup. So Eli, mommy will try her best not to get mad at you when you leave your sippy cup on the couch for a guest to sit on, or when you are simply LIVING in your house while I'm trying to make it spotless for your grandparents coming to visit. hahaha Love you ;) Melissa, I love our conversations by the way. Thanks for calling me this morning for some good old sister talk ;)

Just a touch of love :)

If you have time. Which I have right now! haha

Startled...

Elijah,
Your daddy scared us today! I know that you must have been startled since I was completely overtaken with fear. I was relaxing with lit candles, crocheting a blanket, and watching the news when your daddy came home from work. I was excited to see him, so I got up to kiss and hug him :) We were deciding what we should do tonight, and your dad randomly said, "Hey, you should weigh yourself!" I got excited since it's been a while since I have, so I pulled out the scale to see if I had reached my goal of 100 pounds!!! I stepped onto the scale and waited for the result... All of the sudden your dad yelled as if he were at a football game... I mean, the WHOLE neighborhood could have heard him. "HEY" that's all I heard and it startled me so much that I screamed and jumped off the scale in fear. I was so mad at him because he robbed me of my moment of glory! I didn't even get to see the triple digits :(  He saw 100 and got so excited that he yelled... I started cry laughing hysterically, and repeated to him over and over that he stole my moment I've been waiting for all my life! hahahahahahaha. I'm laughing right now and it's hard to type because this is so ridiculous! hahahaha BUT... He did! He scared the wits out of me. Then he had the nerve to laugh so hard he could not speak. He tried to calm me down by telling me that the scale was wrong, and that was NOT my moment. :/  I was like... um... YES IT WAS! so he told me to take off my jacket and my shoes and to get back on. I was hesitant, but decided to do it. I got back on while covering his mouth, and it read 99 pounds. So I did it again just to be sure and it still read 99 pounds! Which means..... It was not my moment thankfully! haha it was the moment before the moment. I should hit the mark in a few days, and I can't wait to legitimately be 100 pounds!!! ;) Oh Eli, you are going to be so funny. With your daddy, you and I combined, I hope we all make each other laugh like this all the time... :)

Mine would read: Mike makes you cry! haha

thought this was funny

um... why does nothing fit?

So I went to H&M, Target, and some other great places to find some maternity pants. The problem was as follows. My butt and legs are the same size as they were and the only things growing are my belly, and well, other things. Therefore, in conclusion, I would like to say that all maternity pants are LAME! And do not fit at all. My friend Sancha gave me the idea of making my own. I was intrigued, and now think that my next endeavor will be to get a sewing machine ("hint, hint" oh husband of mine) and make my own! Sancha, please help ;) I will take normal jeans that are my size, cut the top off, and sew in an elastic band. This has to work! My belly is growing at a rapid pace, and my jeans are shrinking as well... ;) Oh Elijah, this is so fun! I never had a fun little belly like this! I flaunt it, and am super proud of it. haha... By the way, you had your first taste of cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory on Halloween. We were walking by after coming out of H&M in downtown Seattle and decided to go in and share some dessert. Hope you liked it. Do you want to see just how big you are making my belly at 17 weeks? Ok! Here are some pics. By the way when your dad and I were at Target looking for maternity pants for me, we walked by a super cute leather jacket for YOU! It had your name written all over it, and we could not pass it up. Granted you won't be able to wear it till your about 2 years old, but we just had to get it. You will appreciate it when you're older and we are showing your girlfriend baby pictures of you in your stylish clothes. haha Love ya ;)

You can have one of these when you are older ;)

Elijah's Jacket!!!

Love my beginners belly ;)

We can't wait to meet you :)

Midnight Prayers...

Well Elijah,

Your daddy and I pray for you all the time. But when we say our prayers at night as well, you are always in them. Your daddy falls asleep usually really fast while I stay awake for what seems like forever praying for you, and our family. Last night as I was praying for you I remembered all the times God was there for me. All the times he protected me from harm, corruption, negativity, and so much more. I told your daddy yesterday after reading 1 Corinthians in the bible, that even though there are people in this world that I do not like or care for ;) I know he would give me the strength to help them if they were in need, and to love them if they needed love.  I told him, "man babe, I could be so bitter, and such a pessimist right now if God had not been with me. It's crazy how positive God has kept me, and how much love he has filled me with! It blows my mind!!!" I read that above all, love is so important, and we are blessed to have it. So when I pray for you I'm filled with peace since I know that God has seen me through so many things that blow my mind each time I think about them. I prayed that you, your daddy and me would never put God in a little box, but that we would try to see and understand everything God is and can be to us. We are making so many decisions based on you right now :) But we pray that they are the ones God would have us make ;) Here are some pictures me and my siblings when I was a little girl. We didn't have much Eli, but we had love...