| 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 December 4, 2007 GLORY GLORY HALLELUJAH! The night before last, I put Christian in "magical pajamas" and he slept from 11pm until 5:30am! He slept through the night! Hallelujah! I would have been really very rested if I hadn't been so concerned that he wasn't waking up...I awoke at 3am and after checking to make sure he was still breathing, had a difficult time sleeping until finally going in an waking the baby up at 5:30 to eat (fellow mommy's might understand why I did this...my body told me to wake him). WHAT AN AMAZING NIGHT THOUGH! Last night went well too...he only awoke once. I know I am taking a chance of jinxing myself, but I had to share the amazing news! I was absolutely giddy! After over 3 months of sleep spells averaging only 2 hours, the past two nights have been the biggest blessing! Christian will be sleeping in the same pj's until they split at the seams...nevermind that they are Christmas pj's...it is like he is sleeping in a blanket, and he LOVES them! November 26, 2007 Tonight Danny and I decorated our 9' Christmas tree in the formal living room, with baby Christian "helping" (more like watching and then hanging out in mommy's arms). With Christmas being our favorite holiday, we are definately set up to celebrate now! The mantle that Danny built looks beautiful, with our stockings hung with care. We have beautiful garlands hung around the house, and the lights put up outside. Now all we need is the smell of freshly baked cookies, fudge and candy, and the feel of Christmas will be complete! Last week we were blessed to go down to San Diego for Family Day at MCRD, to watch my brother Jake officially become a Marine. It was an experience unmatched. We were all overflowing with pride, and he looked fantastic. After his Moto run (motivational 4 mile run), he did some marching and then was presented to us as a Marine. Tears flowed freely all around the area. We spent the night in San Diego (after eating a delicious dinner at Ruth's Chris) and then attended the ceremonial Marine graduation. Unreal. My brother is a Marine. He is not just a US Marine, but a MAN. My parents and brother stayed with us Wednesday and Thursday nights, and we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving altogether in our new home with our new baby. I made my first turkey, which was quite tastey. Danny loved my sweet potatoes too. Matt, Jessica and baby Ethan stopped by that evening and the men smoked stogies to celebrate all the things to be thankful for that day. All in all, it was a lovely day...one that won't be forgotten anytime soon. I think Christian is slowly starting to adjust to a schedule...thank goodness. I know it isn't perfect, but I hope we have some sort of routine down before I start back at work in a month. Love to you all...we are so thankful for you! November 15, 2007 The routine that I thought we were on has been obliterated. It may be attributed to a couple of days of running errands (which changed the daytime schedule he had been on), or perhaps he is growing, but he is once again avoiding sleep at night at all costs. As we are going to have my brother and parents visit us for Thanksgiving, that means when Christian sleeps during the day, instead of napping I am cleaning / organizing / decorating in preparation. I am once again feeling like a walking zombie, and I am definately a little more emotional as a result. Poor, poor Danny. Christian is now holding his head up extremely well, smiles, coos and squeals with delight, and straightens his legs into a standing position whenever possible. However, he still dislikes tummy time, and really dislikes it when I want to get anything done other than hold him. He likes to cuddle, and melts my heart when he puts both arms around my neck when I hold him. We have a little piggy and cow rattle toy that wraps around the handle of his carseat, and he absolutely LOVES it. Whenever we get ready to go, he will just sit in his carseat and coo, smile and squeal as he looks at that little piggy. It is absolutely precious! Danny makes animal sounds with Christian, explaining his grandparents' home to him. Christian is especially fond of the horsey sounds and the doggy barks. He likes the meow of the kitty too. November 9, 2007 We are back on track! Out of the past 7 days, Christian only had one night that was rough. I think he actually is on a sleeping schedule now! Thank you God!!!! Goes to bed at 10:30pm, wakes at 3:30am or 4am, and then at 6:30am or 7am. I almost feel like a normal person! Now for that pregnancy weight.... Christian is getting cuter by the day. He is smiling in response to things we do. He especially likes it when we make animal sounds (his favorite sounds are cats, dogs and horses). He is noticing more complicated objects, and spends lots of time looking at and studying things. His eyes are still blue...seem to be lightening rather than darkening. He has been really into mommy lately. It is going to break my heart to go back to work next month...this time I haved had with him has been invaluable and the most precious time of my life. November 7, 2007 Shouldn't have spoken so soon...Christian was up about every hour last night. Me thinks he is going through a growth spurt. We visited Matt and Jessica and baby Ethan tonight and had fun hanging out with them. It is hard to believe that Christian was even smaller than Ethan (Ethan is currently just over 7 pounds...Christian was 6lbs 2 oz). Check out the pictures....Christian looks like a giant compared to sweet little Ethan! November 6, 2007 HALLELUJAH! Christian has now slept in his own crib (in his own room) 4 nights in a row, and woken up only TWICE (3am and 6am). Thank you for your prayers and encouragement, it has been a long 2 1/2 months until this point. Now if only he would just wake up today (he has been sleeping ALL DAY today). Our dear friends Jessica and Matt Hekman had their beautiful son five days ago, on November 1st. We were blessed enough to get to see him that day, and I think that perhaps Christian is sleeping so well now because his "cousin" Ethan is finally in the world, and he is now at ease. Will upload pictures soon. October 31, 2007 Happy Halloween / Reformation Day! Christian wore his "Spooky" pajamas last night, and then got dressed into his comfy and cute cow costume. When daddy got home from work, he told Christian what a cow sounds like, and Christian smiled and squealed with delight at the sounds his daddy made! I can't ever pass up a chance to dress up, though I hadn't purchased a costume this year. Instead, I pulled out old costumes and was a body-builder when Danny got home from work. Needless to say he didn't expect to see what he did when he came in the door! I later changed into a Greek goddess costume (much cooler and more comfy). Never before have I had so many trick-or-treaters! Going from the apartment life for 10 years and not seeing a single trick-or-treater on Halloween to what we saw tonight was quite extreme! Hundreds of children came to our door....at times we had a single-file line out to the curb waiting for candy! The costco bag and the FLAT of candy we had went fast...it only took about an hour and a half! Quite amazing, but fun for sure. I think I'll start buying candy now for Halloween next year! Now we are waiting to hear about Matt and Jessica's newest addition....she goes in to be induced tonight! Very soon I'll post a pic of baby Ethan! October 27, 2007 Christian is now two months and four days old. He had his immunizations this past Wednesday, and did so well! Yes, he cried when needles as long as his thigh were inserted into his little legs, one after the next, but the moment the nurse was done, I picked him up and he was silent. He did so well...I was so proud. I honestly was very anxious about the day...I was afraid that my heart would break with the cries omitted from his lips. However, he has cried harder on various days at home, so I took it all in stride too. It seems we are making progress! Also, Christian is 13lbs and in the 90 percentile for weight, and at 24 inches he is in the 75th percentile for height. The doctor said he is healthy and "a perfect baby". I would agree with her, except I think a perfect baby would sleep all night...so he is ALMOST perfect. ;-) Sorry I don't keep up on this blog as much as I would like...it is quite difficult managing a baby and house right now. I will do my best to type more regularly though. October 17, 2007 In 5 days Christian will be two months old, and will be getting his immunizations. Yesterday we had his first doctor's appointment since we were in the hospital. He is now 23 1/2 inches long, and 12 lbs. 2 oz! He has almost doubled his weight! I know it shouldn't surprise me...after all he eats like a crazy boy, but I was pleasantly surprised. Today my mother-in-law came over and cuddled and napped with Christian while I got the paint brushes out yet again to tackle the nursery. I am beyond happy to say that not only did I get the painting DONE but I also set up his furniture in such a way that it actually LOOKS like a nursery! Hooray! Next step: moving Christian from sleeping in his cradle in our bedroom to his crib in his nursery. I forgot to mention the fact that I spoke with the doctor about Christian's fussiness. She confirmed my (and my mom's) suspicions: he has acid reflux. I have a prescription (which I spilled most of today) and orders to put him to sleep at a 30 degree incline. I sure hope it helps...these sleepless nights are wearing on me. I've taken video of Christian talking and cooing, and will attempt to upload it (along with more recent pictures) tomorrow. Now it is time to feed the child again and pray that he sleeps. October 2, 2007 Christian is 6 weeks old in a couple of days and growing like a week. I suspect he is nearly 10 lbs and eating his way to 11! We went to Orange yesterday and gave 30 day notice for our apartment, so technically we have a home in Nuevo and "a place in the city" for a month. We hope to visit Orange a few more times (and take Christian to Disneyland) this month. I am finding out that it is very difficult getting things done with my little fussy fellow lately. Between the wireless router at our house failing, my laptop battery failing, and my Christian crying, I tried all day long to get online and write emails / conduct pressing business to no avail. I apologize to any of you that might feel neglected right now. I honestly don't mean to neglect...I just am learning right now. It doesn't help that I slept an entire 3 hours last night...perhaps my brain is starting to fail me now. We bought a bed for the guest apartment at our house yesterday, and Danny is heading to OC to pick it up tomorrow. I desperately want to paint the apartment before it gets here, but found that was a lofty goal today. I set everything up though, so hopefully I can do it tomorrow. Christian is growing like a weed. I will post more pictures soon...but can't tonight as I need to get him to bed. He smiles more and more, and today (or was it last night...time passes faster than I can keep up with) he smiled and did a little coo/sigh that was absolutely precious. I think he is nearing a laugh. He also took a bath in the "big boy bathtub" (instead of the little tubs that we got from the hospital) and didn't even cry tonight! I was so proud. The icing on the cake would be 4-5 hours in a row of sleep tonight. (High hopes, I know). Thank youfor your patience as I try to update this blog. I'll get beter, I promise! September 27, 2007 - Christian is 5 weeks old today, and what a month it has been! We moved into our new home in Nuevo, and have been settling into parenthood and homeownership since. Montana Nana just left after a much appreciated stay with the Flores family (she helped incredibly with the packing and unpacking, since I have been pretty much unable to do anything with this scarred belly of mine). Christian is growing like a weed, feeding at an incredible pace. He averages 3 hours of sleep at night, and then will sleep off an on for an hour or two after that. My days are running into each other, now that they are more on a 24 hour clock rather than a 18 hour clock. As challenging as it has been being the mother of a newborn, his coos, his touch and his smile make it all worth it. I am in love with the little guy, and woudn't trade this time for anything! God is so good. August 28, 2007 - Christian is here! I had a doctor appointment on August 22nd in which my doctor told me I was 2 cm dialated and "effaced". She said Christian would most likely come within the next couple of weeks, which shocked me. I came home, a little shaky, to tell Danny the news. He responded with action: he put the carseat into my car, put together the pack n' play, and made sure I had my bags for the hospital packed (complete with phone numbers for our contacts). I thought it was cute that he was so concerned, but thought we still had plenty of time. Boy was I wrong! The morning of August 23rd Danny took a picture of my belly. Little did we know that would be the last pregnant picture of me! We both went to work, like normal: Danny to Nuevo and I to my Santa Ana office. By 9am, I noticed that I was having regular "pains" also known as contractions. I told Danny that they were 20 minutes apart, and everyone at his office sent him back home. I thought that was silly, and insisted on staying at work. After I told Kristen about my contractions, she insisted I leave too, but I wasn't having it. I decided I needed to stay to at least finish a few things. However, by about 1:30pm, I decided to just humor her by going home (both Danny and Kristen were upset that I wasn't going home), stopping for gas on the way and noticing my contractions were getting a bit stronger. By the time I arrived home, my contractions were 10 minutes apart. Figuring I'd be laboring for a while still, I watched TV, sat on an exercise ball, took a warm bath, and walked around. Once contractions were 4 minutes apart, Danny told me it was time. After arriving at the hospital, I was assessed and told that I was 6cm dialated and 100% effaced. I breathed through contractions (strengthening by the minute) with Danny's help. At about 5:30pm the doctors did an sonogram to establish the baby's position to find that he was breech (to our surprise...I was told he was head down the day before!). Immediately everyone went into urgent mode: wheeling me into the operating room and preping me for surgery. In the midst of the contractions I was having, I was signing consent forms and getting an epideral (sans the the deramorph that was supposed to help me off the epideral later). Daddy was was prepped too, and just after he came into the room they began the C-Section. (I was 7 cm dialated just before they started and moving fast). At 6:51pm Christian was officially in the world and when daddy held him for the first time, mommy wept. It wasn't until 11:30pm that I was able to hold and nurse Christian for the first time, as they had to get my pain managed (coming off the epideral was worse than the contractions). Ever since our 6lb 2 oz little boy came into the world, Danny and I have both been absolutely smitten. Danny is a great daddy, and he has taken such good care of me now that I am so limited (I HATE limitations, and having a C-Section certainly limits me). We are hoping to close escrow on our new home on September 10th, and we will officially have a nursery for our little fellow, which is exciting for us all. Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging words! August 22, 2007 -- Just about 37 weeks I suscribe to a pregnancy website and this is what it had to say about where I'm at in my pregnancy right now:
Just great. At a time where I am trying to tread water with getting our escrow closed on time, packing and preparing for our move, getting work ready for my maternity leave, not to mention regular life activities, my brain is actually SHRINKING! Leaving written reminders is a good idea, except when you forget where you leave them! The next couple of weeks should be quite interesting! :-) August 20, 2007 - 36 weeks By the way, had my first "official" leg cramp at 3am on Saturday morning...it woke me from a deep REM sleep and felt as if my muscle had twisted all the way around and was trying to crawl off my leg. My wimpering woke up Danny and after a few minutes of his massaging said muscle, the pain passed (though I was thoroughly sore the entire day Saturday). Yesterday after the auction I had some good Braxton Hicks contractions too. All these coupled with my difficulty sleeping, exhaustion and stuffy (sometimes bloody) nose helps me prove that pregnancy at this point is completely glamorous and absolutely a hoot! ;-) August 20, 2007 - 36 1/2 weeks This past weekend has been just plain overwhleming. On Friday my generous friends at work had a baby shower for me, and I was again showered with gifts for Christian. I now need NOTHING for his arrival. I don't have words to thank everyone for their kindness and generosity! My younger brother Jake came out Friday night and stayed with Danny and me until Saturday afternoon. He is taking his physical exam for the Marines today, and will find out his boot camp schedule then. It was so good to spend time with him, and he is so happy and excited about his future as a Marine. Semper Fi! Sunday I spent the entire day (from 7:30am to 5:30pm) at a foreclosure auction for homes and properties at the Ontario Convention Center. It took about 6 1/2 hours, but when the Nuevo property I was there to bid on came up, I was ready with my bidding card in hand! Thanks to divine intervention, we won the bid! Danny and I are now in escrow on a beautiful 5 bedroom 3 bathroom home in Nuevo (five minutes from the church that Danny is working at). Hallelujah! We went to the house last night to take a peek and took some pictures. A few I included here. Now, everyone, please pray that everything goes smoothly until the close of escrow (estimated September 10th). It is vital that we close on time. God is so good, and so faithful. This past year has certainly been filled with its own setbacks and frustrations. I can't believe that only a couple of months ago I was whining to Danny about how I have all these desires that it seems like God just chooses to ignore time and again. Little did I know what would happen around the corner! Thank you for your prayers, and may God get all glory for the tremendous blessings He has bestowed upon us. Praise God for the trials that cause us to be patient and faithful, and praise Him for the blessings that cause our cup to run over! FYI - Though one might think it is "cute", calling a nearly 9 month pregnant woman "HUGE" is NOT a compliment. Feeling like a cow isn't helped all too much when a fellow woman hollers across a crowded room, "Wow, you are HUGE momma!" I miss my waist. August 15, 2007 - Just about 36 weeks I was blessed beyond words this weekend with the opportunity to be showered with gifts for Christian by my dear friends. It was wonderful to see old friends that seem to be more like family than simple acquaintences. Christian's library of children's books was kicked off with a bang, as everyone brought us a book instead of a card! He got lots of fun outfits, toys, and a diaper cake! (Pictures to come....still need to upload from camera) August 10, 2007 - 35 weeks
I had one of my bi-weekly doctor's appointments yesterday, where it was determined that I am right on track with my growth, and the baby is head down (which might explain the kicks to my ribs). I found a picture on a website of the approximate size of the baby at this point. He is approximately 5 1/2 lbs. and about 20 inches head to toes. He's almost fully developed and just plumping up at this point! (That is all, of course, according to books. After all, we can't really tell this information until he is out!) I had a surge of excitement (I will only be working for one more month before materity leave kicks in) and anxiety (the baby is going to have to come out of where?!) today. I have to admit though, I'm getting more excited about meeting him, and being able to get up off the floor, comfy chair, couch, bed without help will be nice too. :-) August 7, 2007 - 34 1/2 weeks The day in the life of an 8 1/2 month pregnant girl: Awaking groggy after an only semi-restless night of sleep, Jolene rolls (literally) out of bed, thankful her legs were awake enough to support her upon impact with the ground. Hobbling to the restroom, she catches a glimpse of her sillouette in the mirror and can't help but giggle at the site of the oddity of her big belly and waddling body...she looks like a momma duck! After her hot shower (and a very careful balancing production of shaving her legs), Jolene emerges from the bathroom an almost fully awake soul. Getting ready should be no problem...she is decisive on what she will wear (not having a ton of options helps) and so she attempts to get dressed. Remembering an article she read about avoiding swelling of the legs, Jolene pulls out her "support hose". Now, putting these on just a couple of weeks ago proved to be a feat, but nothing like this! The big belly that seperates her upper and lower body makes it nearly impossible to reach her feet to put these on! After a few minutes (and an show worthy of an I Love Lucy episode), she succeeds and pulls up her less-than-attractive hose. The rest of her morning seems to be uneventful, thankfully, until she gets to her car. Now, Jolene bought a newer "momma" vehicle a few months ago to help aid in her pregnancy and beyond (try getting out of a little Honda Civic with a big belly is no easy task). However, since her belly has grown more, she has been trapped a time or two between the driver's side door and that of the car parked next to her that parked just a a hair too close. This morning, Jolene found that it was absolutely impossible to get into her car...so into the trunk she climbed....over the backseat, and into the front seat (in a dress, nonethless) where she plopped down and wiped the sweat from her brow. Her drive to work went smooth as silk, and she even multi-tasked (speaking with her bank, her husband, and her father...whilst taking notes and avoiding angering fellow road warriors). Other than the fact that she forgot her jewelry and some paperwork she was going to work on at lunch, the momma-to-be thinks she pulled off the morning in a most graceful way (or as graceful as she can be with a belly the size of a basketball in front of her). Now, she wonders...what sorts of things might the coming weeks hold?! August 6, 2007 - Week 34 God is so faithful and good! After nearly a year of waiting on the Lord, He provided a great job for Danny...right back where Danny and Jolene started from in Nuevo! As baby Christian grows and slowly jabs his elbows into mommy's side, and kicks her from inside her rib cage, his future home and life are starting to take shape in the Inland Empire. It is such an exciting time for the Flores family! Momma Jolene's belly is growing every day, and her nights are not nearly as restful as they were in her second trimester. With the combination of heartburn and a little fella in her belly dancing on her bladder, she has to get up every few hours. Today Danny suggested that this is just practice for her. Lucky Jolene! However, even with the nights getting a little more restless, and her back acting up occassionally, Jolene is so thankful that her pregnancy has been healthy and uneventful. Danny and Jolene are getting excited and anxious about finally meeting their little boy!
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