| Happy Birthday Big Boy! | Last Updated: Aug 26, 2008 |
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Christian Daniel Flores August 23, 2007 6:51pm 6lbs 2 oz. |
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Stories **July 16, 2008 - Immersed in Fun** Christian was playing in my office with his daddy a few weeks ago (while I was in the OC) when he decided that getting the toys out of his tub was too much work. He decided to climb in and play. (I couldn't help but share this...it was too cute!)
**July 15, 2008 - Surprises Around Each Corner** Today was my first day back to work after our vacation weekend and I was surprised consistantly all day. First a flower arrangement bigger than Christian came from my bosses Gary and Kristen.
(Isn't it gorgeous?! The picture doesn't do it justice!) Then my mother in law Debbie stopped by with a basket filled with lavendar bath products and a lavendar plant (which I adored...I LOVE lavendar!).
And then nearer to the end of the day an Edible Arrangement from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
I immediately took pictures and then went to town eating the arrangement until half was gone and I was a little more than sick on the delicious honeydew, cantalope, grapes and strawberries. WHAT FUN! Thank you to all for making my day! **July 15, 2008 - Lights, Cameras, Vegas!** July is a very busy month for the Flores and Meyer families. My birthday is the 13th, my dad's is the 14th, and my parents' anniversary is the 15th. Danny and his twin sister Dee were born ON their dad's birthday...the 28th. What does that all mean? Our credit card company looks forward to July and December. This year my parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary, and wanted to do so with their kids (and grandkid). We met somewhere between where we all live...in Las Vegas. My parents had a suite at the Wynn (FANCY!) that was about as big or bigger than our HOUSE.
We were able to hang out with them by their private pools (where my mom dunked christian under the water for the first time...much to my chagrin), eat yummy dinners, explore amazing hotels (Venetian, Bellagio, Mirage and Wynn) and we got to see the Cirque D' Soleil show : Beatles "Love". All I have to say is W - O - W. We had a phenomenal time. It was so wonderful, and went so darn fast.
Danny and I got to go out and have a date for my birthday on the 13th. We ate at the Venetian with operatic singers serenading us beside the grande canal and gondolas beneath a dusk looking sky (inside with air conditioning, of course). We were able to do some walking around and just enjoying each others company until my feet gave out on me. It was SO FUN.
Just before we left yesterday, we had a chance to visit my favorite hotel: Bellagio. The water show wasn't going (darn it) but we were able to visit the conservatory which was decorated with model trains and miniatures, among other things. We also got to see the world's largest chocolate fountain and my FAVORITE lobby with a canopy of handblown Chihuly glass. We had lunch (where Christian got to "enjoy" his first lemon) and then headed home. It was a wonderful and memorable trip. Happy anniversary, and thanks mom and dad!!! **July 4, 2008 - Happy Independence Day!** Ten Reasons I'm Glad I Live in the USA 1. Freedom of Speech -- As a somewhat "opinionated" female, I'm glad that I can "tell it like it is" without fear of being stoned on the streets. 2. Freedom of Religion -- After speaking with my friend "L" who has been ministering in East Asia, I realized how good it is to be able to openly discuss our God without fear of imprisonment, torture or even death. 3. The Right to Bear Arms -- Last week I had a security system salesman come to my door and proceed to tell me that my current security system gave me a false sense of security. I told him that I thought with my two guns, I doubted that I wasn't secure. He didn't really say much after that. 4. Indoor Plumbing -- My friend that lived in East Asia told me all kinds of stories about the lack of indoor plumbing. Goodness, I'm thankful for my island breeze smelling, germ-free bathroom. 5. The Obesity Epidemic -- I know this sounds funny, but the diet industry in our country is extremely lucrative. Why? We have access to so much calorie rich, tastey food that we have to just eat it all! 6. Missouri River Plastics -- This is the company my dad started from the ground up in Montana. Only in the USA can you have the kind of story my parents have had. (By the way, he has sold his business, and is semi-retired. He currently passes time by working on his new project: a cabin he and my mom recently purchased in Lincoln, Montana...their home away from home.) 7. The Small Town Parade -- Nuevo has an annual fourth of July Parade. This year was my first year attending it. I LOVED IT. There were LOTS of horses, that Christian loved by the way. Local bands played patriotic songs as well as ranchera music. Small towns in the US have such character...even NUEVO. :-)
8. Health Care -- Regardless of how you feel politically about the country's healthcare system, we have top notch care in the US. Christian is a result of that. 9. Education Availablity -- Danny and I both hold education at a high priority. He has a professional degree, spending 19 years total in school. I have a bachelor's degree. Access to education is invaluable, and everywhere you look. Public libraries, public schools, free museums...how rich! 10. Toby Keith, George Clooney, and Indiana Jones -- Um...if you need an explanation, you clearly haven't heard Toby Keith, seen Ocean's Eleven, or seen any of the three original Indiana Jones movies (and I'm not into Harrison Ford...my crush is on Indiana Jones, the character). If I had a number 11 it might be air conditioning. I love coming in from the oven outside to a cool, crisp home. Or perhaps it would be electricity. Or the internet. Or Baby Einstein and Christian's exersaucer. Man, we are so rich, aren't we? **July 3, 2008 -- My Cup Runneth Over ** My dear friend 'L' has been working in East Asia for the past years doing some very challenging and at times very dangerous missions work. She left right after my baby shower last year....a mere week and a half before Christian was born, so she met Christian for the first time tonight. She has a contagious laugh and unmistakable presence, and he LOVED her.
L used to be my roommate and we are very dear friends. I've always loved her vibrant personality, and her generosity and care for others is just priceless. I really had missed her over the year. However, as we talked over dinner about what has happened in our lives since last summer, I have to say, I felt honored just to be in her presence.
If you ever have a chance to host a missionary, do it. The heart that it takes to put your comfortable life in the US on hold while you go to live in less-than-desirable (sometimes downright dangerous) locations is admirable. I am blessed to know a few people like this, and I always feel like the richest person on the planet when I am in their presence. No, they are not perfect. They are just like you and me, but they are living a life where they are pretty much constantly challenged. Not only that, but they are changing the world as a result. These are true heroes. Pray for your missionaries, and if you don't support any, find one (or two, or ten). **July 3, 2008 - An Explosion and a Lesson Learned** This morning I decided to make Christian his favorite breakfast: Spinach Omelet. I put a hard boiled egg yolk, spinach, and cheddar cheese in a bowl and put it in the microwave. (A microwave I had just cleaned, mind you....you know where this story is going, don't you?) A few seconds later a huge "POP" came from the micro, and I reluctantly opened the door. I've NEVER seen such a mess in my life. There was spinach, cheese and cheese strings, and egg yolk particles everywhere in the microwave but in the bowl that they originated in. I knew that if you microwave an entire egg it can explode but didn't know that this could happen. Lesson learned: an egg yolk can explode too. Christian ate cereal for breakfast this morning. **July 2, 2008 - My Comedian of a Son** If you have yet to see Christian of late, you are missing out (says an unbiased mother). He has become such a character. He will laugh with you regardless of what you are laughing at, and if you are laughing at something he did, he will be sure to repeat it. Well about a month and a half ago, he started to do this crazy thing where he would tense up and make a face. It made us laugh, so we would do our best to get him to do it again. He now will do it on cue. Check out this video of the little dickens (he keeps his finger up his nose sometimes so that he doesn't forget where it is). **July 2, 2008 - The Great Wall of Flores Update** We had a scoop of sand delivered Monday and Danny did leveling for the wall. He has been working on the first course! Hooray! It is all downhill from here! (Easy for me to say when I am not lifting 85 lb blocks!)
**July 2, 2008 - You Know you Live In Nuevo When...** 1. On your way to work you swerve to miss a coyote crossing the street, and on your way home from work you have to slow down to let 3 sheep cross the same street. 2. When your son plays with his "See n' Say" you notice that he can visit any one of the animals imitated within a 1 mile radius (and many of them are at your in-law's house!) 3. When telling your childbirth story to other local women, they compare it to the birth of one of their colts. I really do LOVE living here! **July 1, 2008 - And She's Off!**
I took my mom to the airport this morning. What a tremendous blessing she is. Christian is feeling so much better, thanks a great deal to her help and care. When I got home from work last night, he was in a fantastic mood, and he has been singing much more (could be the influence of my mom, who tends to make up words as she goes). He is practicing standing without holding onto things, and is getting much better at it. My mom certainly didn't help matters, every time I turned around they were
running around...Christian holding onto 'Tana Nana's fingers and giggling as they ran. He even said "Nana" last week (sidenote: Christian said "Mama" for the first time over the weekend. He was sicky, and just wanted me to hold him, and he kept crying "maaaaa maaaa". It was sweet. I know it wasn't a fluke though, as he was doing it this morning in his crib too. Hooray!). Christian and my mom have a very special bond, and it warms my heart to watch them interact. **June 30, 2008 - Some Mighty Magic** Let me just tell you right now that being a mom / new homeowner I am thoroughly testing the claims of various makers of cleaners, etc. I am convinced that generic windex doesn't work as well as windex. I like using vinegar to clean for a variety of reasons. And I LOVE two new (to me) products: Mighty Putty and the Magic Eraser.
About a month ago, when Christian became really mobile, I got onto the ground on all fours and did an inspection. Among other things, I noticed marks on the walls and doors that were from the previous owner. They irritated me, but weren't at the top of my "to do list". I also noticed that we have lots of cabinets and drawers that I didn't want Christian to get into. When beginning the baby-proofing process, I realized that it takes a lot more time than I initially thought. Drilling holes into the drawers, doors and cabinets takes quite a bit of time, especially with a curious crawler circling. Then I saw an infomercial that changed my life. MIGHTY PUTTY. It sounded too good to be true, so I refrained from purchasing online. However, last Monday I found it at a local pharmacy, and decided to give it a try (note that Consumer reports gave it a fair review, though other products are on the market are cheaper and work as well). I used it to put baby latches on a couple of cabinets in the kitchen and hall. I waited until the next morning to really yank the doors open (Christian-style). Guess what? IT WORKED! Hooray! My mom and I finished the last of the latches last night and I am absolutely tickled about how easy it all was! Now, for those stubborn little marks. I have hard good reviews about the Magic Eraser but was a skeptic. I am a skeptic no longer. I used the wonderful little eraser last night on those marks I had noticed. POOF...they were gone! Oh hooray! I foresee an evening of hunting more marks just to watch them disappear. Wow have times changed. I just posted a blog about Mighty Putty and the Magic Eraser. I must be a mom... **June 30, 2008 - Fever, in the morning, Fever all through the night** Forgive me for not updating more recently. My beautiful mother is in town, and I've been soaking up every minute with her. She has been so helpful with Christian...she wears him out! They play and play until he grabs his moo-cow and lays down or starts to roll around with moo-cow. (Cute). I will post pics / video soon. This past weekend we had quite the experience. Christian was feeling warm when he woke up on Saturday morning...my mom had also noticed it. He was acting fussy and cuddly...just not himself at all. He didn't have much of an appetite either. I was so conflicted, as we had a wedding to go to in Newbury Park (over 2 hours away from our house), and I didn't want to leave my sick little baby. Just before leaving, we discovered that Christian's temperature was 103. Oh, my breaking heart. His first fever. Danny and I did go to the wedding however, as it was that of Tim Bagdanov, the first son of the other pastor at our church, who is like a brother to Danny. I knew Christian was in the best hands, as his Nana is a fantastic pediatric nurse. Sure enough, about an hour into our drive my mom called to tell me that Christian's fever broke. Whew. It was so difficult to focus while we were gone, but knowing my mom was taking care of him made all the difference. Sunday morning Christian was having a difficult time nursing, wouldn't eat and wouldn't take a bottle, which concerned both my mom and me, so I called his pediatrician. She told me she would come into her office (on a Sunday) just for us at 10am, so off we went. (Yes, a pastor's wife missed church to tend to her sick son. If you have an issue with that, we can "chat".) After looking him over the doctor determined that he has Hand/Foot/Mouth virus and there is nothing he can take for it. Bummer. The virus has to run its course. Tylenol is ok, and fluids. She also suggested popsicles, which, let me tell you, are the messiest, stickiest idea ever. If that is what it takes to get him better though, I'll deal with the mess. Christian is still having a hard time with taking medicine...and his sick cry is just heartwrenching, but he is improving. Slowly, albeit, but he is improving. Let's just hope he doesn't give Nana too hard of a time today while I am in OC. **June 23, 2008 - Something I've learned Recently** When I came into work last week I was talking to someone about how every time I filled up my momma car, it cost exactly $75 (sad, I know). I thought it was interesting that it wasn't $75.02 or $69.33, always exactly $75. What was weird was the fact that when I got into my car, the little needle didn't quite read the "F" part on the gas gauge. Hm...what a mystery....
Well, my co-worker told me that when paying with a credit card for gas, it will automatically stop at $75. You actually have to push the gas lever again to keep it going. Oh my goodness gracious...time for a hybrid! **June 21, 2008 - Baby Central** My dear friend Kelly Urena and her twins, Ava and Julia came over today for a visit. Jessica and Ethan also stopped in. It was so fun to have all the babies together, and to meet the twins for the first time. We talked about how the last time we were all together without babies was at my baby shower almost a year ago (my baby shower ended up being only about 1 1/2 weeks before I gave birth since Christian came a month early). Since that time, life has certainly changed for us all (which was evidenced by the various cries coming from the rooms the babies napped in...and the constant chasing of Christian as he crawled around.)
I think that both Jessica and Kelly have turned out to be such amazing moms. In Kelly's case, she has certainly had challenges: she has TWINS...one was considerably smaller than the other at birth, and has silent reflux which has made it difficult to eat. Jessica has made the transition between being a full-time worker-bee to a full-time momma in such an effortless and beautiful way. I'm proud of both my friends, and the women they continue to become. :-) **June 19, 2008 - MMM...My Snack was Moving!** I'm becoming accustomed to scouring the floor for small items likely to be found by Christian. I'm also getting pretty good at recognizing the signs that he has found something to put into his mouth, and I'm very quick about getting whatever it is OUT of his mouth in a ninja-like fashion. This crawling thing is overrated. This morning I noticed him chomping, and did a quick finger sweep of his mouth to find something new...a roly poly! Yes, it was dead....half of it somewhere in Christian's tummy. I didn't even know we have them in the house! Well, I guess some people have cats to eat mice around the house, and now I have a baby to get rid of our roly poly population! **June 18, 2008 - Gardening in the Dark** I'm thankful to be a 'Work-at-Home-Mom'. It affords me so many blessings and things that I wouldn't be able to do/participate in if I was simply a 'Working Mom'. However, sometimes I do think that I would enjoy just being a 'Stay-at-Home-Mom', so that I could do things like grocery shopping, gardening and cleaning while Christian naps...or at least while he is in a better mood during the day. Last night, when I got off work at 5, Christian and I headed to Wal-mart to pick up some flowers for a neglected flowerbed in our front yard. I was determined to make it pretty for Danny when he got home (he worked until midnight last night). Wal-mart is great...we picked up a ton of flowers/plants, mulch, and also got diapers and organizing stuff. Challenge - cranky baby done with his day trying to eat every plant that he could reach. After a hectic experience at Wal-mart it was time to head home to plant. First I fed Christian, bathed him and put him to bed. Then, before having dinner myself I decided I needed every second of sunlight possible in my planting endeavors, so I headed out front with a shovel, gloves and a "vision". I dug up old plants, tilled the bed, and planted. Somewhere during that time the sun went down. Still I worked my booty off...determined to make my hubby proud. As sweat ran down my brow I thought about how much I really loved Danny to be working like this in the dark. The plant bed was planted...I pruned the flowers in another bed, and weeded the best I could in the dark. Then it was time for mulch. I opened up a gigantic bag of mulch and began maneuvering it around my new plants to make the bed pretty. It was very dark, and the front porch lights didn't quite make things clear, but I could see enough to lay the mulch. The next step was to get down on all fours and spread the mulch between the plants. And THAT is where I nearly lost my life in a cartoonesque moment. As I moved the mulch around, I broke up clots of dirt and moved rocks. I saw a rock and moved the mulch near it in anticipation of moving the rock. However, it wasn't a rock at all....it was a FROG the size of my son! (Once upon a time I was a tom-boy...I picked up frogs, beetles, and chased lizards. I'm not that same tom-boy anymore, apparently.) I promptly screamed, took a few steps back, tripped over my shovel and plunked down on the grass, before popping back up and running to the sidewalk. I had to compose myself a few more minutes before going back to finish my mulch job. Whew...the things I do for love! **June 17, 2008 - The Problem of Evil** No, I'm not going to go too much into it. Danny touched on the problem of evil in his sermon on Sunday, and I was just thinking about it today. You see, six years ago my best friend lost her father...the day after Father's Day and 3 weeks before her wedding. It was sudden. It wasn't fair. After reading her blog today ( http://www.jesshekman.blogspot.com/) I mournfully wept. She recounted the event in vivid detail....some details I didn't even know about. Now that we have kids, I think we both see things even more differently. God didn't intend for us to experience death. He didn't intent for us to have to mourn, hurt, experience sickness or pain. God created Adam and Eve and dwelt among them in paradise. That was his intent. There are many theological explanations for what happened in the Garden of Eden, but essentially it was the shattering of God's desire for us. However, His Son insured that we would have paradise once again. And so, we can cling to that hope...we can cling to that promise. And we can cling to the fact that if Christ is our Savior we will again be with those who have entered paradise before us. Jess and Matt, Debbie and Jarrod: Danny and I mourn with you and are praying for you today. Your strength and perseverence have been inspiring. Your grace through the most difficult challenges of your lives has shown God's provision. We love you. **June 17, 2008 - Father's Day** This past weekend we celebrated Father's Day on Saturday, as Danny preached (an amazing sermon...you can catch it at www.nuevocommunitychurch.org ) on Sunday, and was going to be busy all day. When Danny got home from work Saturday afternoon, I gave him a slideshow / movie I made for him. I loved it. And then Saturday night Monica and Scott came over and watched Christian and Danny and I had dinner at our favorite restaurant in Temecula. The drive over was beautiful. The weather was perfect. Dinner was delicious. After that we went to a comedy show nearby. It was just a wonderful night. Sunday Danny preached and then we went out to lunch at Chili's. On our way home Christian fell asleep, and as Danny carried him in from the car he paused and I snapped a pic.
Danny is such and amazing father. It has been incredible to watch him and the way he cares for Christian, and for me. I am absolutely blessed to have such a patient, gentle, loving husband. **June 9, 2008 - Battle Wounds and a New Gray Hair** I'm sure I have a new gray hair somewhere in the craziness of my curls. This past weekend was a lovely one. I got the house clean from top to bottom. I finished the laundry. I got to enjoy my boys. Oh, and I got to comfort Christian after receiving his first "battle wound" of what I'm sure will be countless more in the years ahead. Baby-proofing sure is a good thing. I am glad that I have plugs in my electrical outlets and locks on a few drawers and cabinets. Especially since Christian has learned to open cabinets and drawers. I'm glad that I bought a gate to keep Christian corraled in the end of the house I so choose. However, with all the baby-proofing done thus far, I can't protect him from everything. There is still a tile floor, chords and buttons and bookshelves he has to contend with, and the latter is exactly what he battled with yesterday. There we were, just playing in his bedroom like normal. Like always, he grew tired of pulling toys out of his toybox and throwing them on the floor, so he made his way to his bookshelf, where he proceeded to push all the books from the bottom two shelves to the ground (like normal). All of the sudden though, things changed. I think what happened was he lost balance a little, and if the bookshelf wasn't there he would have fallen on his face. Instead he bounced his face off a shelf and fell backwards. The cry could break even coldest of hearts. His mouth was full of blood. It was not fun for him or his parents. I determined that he busted inside of his top lip, and it is swollen (looked for the camera but couldn't find it to take a pic yesterday...will do it tonight). It took about 4 hours to stop bleeding...he fell asleep after being consoled and awoke with dried blood all over his face. After that ordeal, I decided my heart couldn't take another event like that (at least in one day) so I was following him everywhere and trying to keep him from harm. Oh the joy of parenthood...I feel years older today. And to think, he isn't even walking yet! More fun to come! **June 6, 2008 - Sleep, Glorious Sleep!**
Crying it out has definately paid off. Christian may be adjusting his current napping schedule to make up for it, but he is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! And I'm not just talking 4 hours...I'm talking going to bed at 8pm and waking up at 7am! Hallelujah! Sleep, oh sleep, how I love you...let me count the ways! It is funny though, how having sleep after you haven't had it for far too long makes you realize how tired you really were. It has taken a few wonderful nights of rest for me to feel halfway normal again...but it has been pure heaven. My only fear is the reason he has slept is not because we've let him cry it out, but because he and I have been fighting a cold, and he is trying to get better. Oh well, I'm appreciating these nights while I have them!
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