Brandon's Puppy

Yo, Bro!

Welcome to the world, Matthew Dylan Dufau!

Dear Matthew,

This is your Uncle Val writing to welcome you to this world and to let you know that you were born on January 30, 2007 at 1:27 pm to the most wonderful mother and father any baby could ask for. All of us, your Titi Maura and Uncle Alain, your grandmothers and grandfathers, assorted aunts and uncle and great aunts and uncles and great grandmas and grandpas are overjoyed. Your big brother, Brandon, is still a little shook up, but Im sure youll always have him to play ball with, run around the yard with, play toy soldiers with and always have him to look up to. He'll be your Big Bro who will protect you from all those schoolyard bullies and icky girls.

You have been gifted with the most wonderful and loving family imaginable, who will cherish you and pray for you and do their darndest to make sure you are healthy and happy and never be want of anything. And let me let you in on a little secret before you find out on your own: you have the absolute best Mommie in the world. I know because I feel like her father and can tell you from firsthand experience. I know she is and always will be as proud of you as I am of her.

As for me, your Great Uncle Val, Ill always be here for you when you need me, just like Ive always tried to be here for your Mommie. Im ready to teach you how to fish, how to play football, how to pick up chicks and one day, when youre ready, how to cook lechon.

Welcome into our hearts, Matthew Dylan. Make yourself at home. We all made plenty of room for you.

Besos,

Uncle Val

Because I'm bored...and still waiting...

One Word Only, swiped from CalTechGirl:

This Moment: anxious

Your Shoes: none

Craving: sleep

The State of Your Home: cluttery

Annoyed By: impatience

Noise In the Background: TV

Really Want To: hold

Thinking about: labor

Smelling: corn

Favorite Product In Office Supply Aisle: ???

Don't Ever Want To: die

Your Eye Color: hazel

The Weather: cold!

Have Never Tried: bungee-jumping

Think Everyone Should Try: Hubby's-churrasco

Last Vacation Destination: Mexico

The Last Thing You Had to Drink: fruit-punch

Your Bad Habit: scratching

What You're Going To Do Now: eat

TAG: Claudia, Lilli, and Tere.

OOPS...I was tagged and forgot!

Rachel tagged me last week, and with what I like to refer to as "pregnancy brain" plaguing me lately, I completely forgot. So here goes:

This one’s easy, since it’s all about you and since it requires you to write the very first answer that comes to mind. Simply copy and paste the following three questions then answer them on your blog or, if you don’t have a blog of your own, answer them in the comments here. Bloggers should then tag three other people to answer the questions as well, and be sure they know who to blame (Me!).

1. My: You’ve heard the saying “I’d give my right arm for”. So, what would you give your right arm for?
2. Me: What’s one word that describes how you want people to see you?
3. Meme: If you could be any blogger, which blogger would you be? and why?

My answers:
1. My: You’ve heard the saying “I’d give my right arm for”. So, what would you give your right arm for?
My children, without a doubt. Plus I'm left handed...I'd miss it, but no big loss if it means the welfare of my kids.

2. Me: What’s one word that describes how you want people to see you?
Objective

3. Meme: If you could be any blogger, which blogger would you be? and why?
Not sure...anyone that makes money off this hobby, I suppose.

Three bloggers to tag: I'm not tagging anyone since this is an old meme, but feel free to answer in the comments.

Maybe today...but maybe not... (UPDATED)

I didn't sleep past 4:30 AM last night. Tossed and turned for a couple of hours, until my alarm rang and I got up to get ready for work. I dropped off Brandon at school, but instead of the usual route to work, I turned right back and came home. Eric and I will be going to the ER in a bit, I have a tightening in my pelvis that I can't quite describe as contractions, but I'd rather get checked out than go to work 25 miles away and have to drive myself back. So I'll keep y'all posted as best I can, if in fact I'm admitted and have this little one soon.

UPDATE:
Alright, so as you can imagine, if I'm sitting here at my desk, typing away, that means the baby has not arrived yet. We arrived at the hospital and filled out the necessary paperwork. I was taken to a labor and delivery room, asked to change to one of those horrendous bare-back robes, and was hooked up to the fetal monitor. Turns out yes, I am having contractions, about every 5-7 minutes. However, the midwife on-call examined me and I am still only dilated 2.5 cm, so they basically told me, in as nice a way as possible, to come back when I'm in pain.
I'm sure if we lived further they would have admitted me, but we live about 5 miles from the hospital, and my bag is already in the car, so the second I feel pain, we're on our way again, It could be later tonight, or tomorrow, or even the next day. In the meantime, I am to stay home and get some R&R, so no more work for me...YAY!

I'll be around until it's time to go to the hospital again, so see ya later!!

Still nothing...

Spent the day washing the baby's things and organizing his drawers. This nesting thing has no end, does it?!
I have to do the "grown up" laundry now, since it looks like I'll be going to work tomorrow.

=/

Waiting...

Nothing yet, We spent the day running errands for a couple of hours, then watched "Mr. and Mrs. Smith". We're about to have dinner, then shower and go to bed. But in the meantime, here's a glance at the newly organized closet. The left side is Brandon's, as are the first two drawers. The right side is the baby's, along with the following three drawers. The two last drawers are baby's shoes, and Brandon's shoes, respectively. The storage area on top needs to be organized a bit more, but I just wanted to get everything in there and remove the clutter all over the rest of the house.
Not bad, huh?

Baby may be here sooner than expected...

I just got back from the doctor, and I'm 2.5 cm dilated.

I hope none of you locals have any plans for this weekend...

The Long-Awaited Birthday Party Post

Now that my To-Do list is just about complete, I can proceed to tell you all about Brandon's absolutely fantabulous 4th birthday party!
His new favorite cartoon character is Lightning McQueen from Cars, which made the party theme a very easy choice. It took me a few days, but I found the perfect bouncehouse for the little guy's party.
Guests began to arrive at about 12:30, which is not bad since it was scheduled for Noon. (remember...we live in Miami, everybody runs on Cuban time!). The first guests included Tere, Ben, and of course little Max. We know that these three were in the middle of their move, so it was awesome that they took a break and came by to celebrate with us!
The kids had loads of fun, splitting their time between the bouncehouse and their bikes and scooters. Ti Lou and Tio Gonz (his Godfather) bought Brandon a very cool Spiderman scooter, which we had to open and build right then and there. He had a blast riding the thing!
At about 3:30, we decided to sing Happy Birthday, blow out the candles, and cut the cake. After that, a completely unexpected surprise awaited the kids. Both my brother-in-law and Tio Val and Titi Maggie had spotted a pony rental guy at a nearby party, just waiting for his booked gig to start at 5. So they hired the man for the remainder of our party (which was scheduled to end at 5...coincidence? I think not!). Brandon and the rest of the kids loved it, each taking two or three turns riding the two ponies. And we learned that ponies like Coke just as much as humans do!
Once we got home, Brandon was eager to unwrap all his gifts and that's exactly what he did. He got plenty of clothes as well as lots of new toys. He was happy, and mommy was happy. All I wanted was for him to have a wonderful time, and I think this face proves just that!

Ultrasound results-UPDATED

Baby is in position, and weighs six pounds.

More tomorrow, after doctor's appointment.

Have a great day! =)

UPDATE:

This was the best of the three U/S pictures we were given...can you make it out?

Baby's Birth Day?

Let's have a little fun with this "waiting for baby to arrive" business, shall we?!
When do you think I'll be having the little one? Leave a comment, and we'll see who was right in a few weeks.

Here are a couple of items that might influence your choice of date:

-My official due date is February 22nd (29 days away)
-I will be 36 weeks tomorrow, which means baby is considered full-term next week.
-Brandon was born at 36 weeks and 1 day, weighing 5 lbs, 3 oz.
-An ultrasound tomorrow will confirm if baby is in position already, and his estimated weight.

I can't promise a prize to the winner because, well, I'll be a bit busy giving birth and all that, but go ahead, give me your best guess!

For those keeping track...(Updated)

Baby Registry.
Guest List for Baby Shower.
Assist in Baby Shower organization.
Paint Room.
Re-organize closet and dresser.Not yet done, but closet organizing system was purchased last night, and will be installed this weekend. Done!
Remove carpet and put laminate flooring in boys' room and playroom. Laminate has been picked, and hubby is setting up appointment. UPDATE: Carpet will be pulled this weekend!!
Purchase crib. Thanks, dad and stepmommy!
Once crib is purchased, reorganize room/furniture. See above. Room has been reorganized, except everything needs to be moved again once the flooring is done.
Clear area in Master Bedroom for cradle.
Pack for my hospital stay, and prepare Brandon's things.

p.s. I have not forgotten about Brandon's party post, just have to get everything off the to-do list first. =/

Te estas poniendo viejo...

It's my Uncle Val's birthday today. Stop by and wish him a good one, will you?!

Brandon's Birthday Post

Since the site was down, I posted this over at Babalu on Brandon's 4th Birthday, January 11th. I still can't believe he's 4...

My little boy turns 4 today.
I remember the first time we saw him. That is the moment when reality hit: We've created a little being and he's growing inside me at this very moment. There is no greater, scarier feeling. Except for when that little being is born. That feeling intensifies ten-fold.
It's amazing to watch this beautiful little boy grown from a tiny little infant to the independent little boy he has become. In the blink of an eye, our little man turned One, then Two, then Three. Today he's Four. Four! What happened to my baby?!
I can do nothing to stop the time from passing, but I know that I can cherish every moment he is learning, growing, loving, caring, playing, exploring, and smiling.

Happy birthday my gordo. I love you! I hope that someday you can experience as a parent the magic, wonder, excitement and endless unconditional love you have brought to our lives.

While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

Baby Update-Anxiety Edition

I had a doctor's appointment a couple of hours ago, so here's the latest:

I've gained 10 pounds total (I still can't get over this...I might actually "lose" weight when I give birth?! AWESOME!)
No swelling
Baby's heartrate is great, as is my blood pressure.
Had a GBS culture, results pending until my next appointment.
Scheduled for an ultrasound next Thursday, and then Friday my next visit.

AND:
I am currently 1.5 centimeters dialated!

Seems that this little guy is eager to come out, so as a result, I am updating my little To-Do list.

Baby Registry.
Guest List for Baby Shower.
Assist in Baby Shower organization.
Paint Room.
Re-organize closet and dresser. Not yet done, but closet organizing system was purchased last night, and will be installed this weekend.
Remove carpet and put laminate flooring in boys' room and playroom. Laminate has been picked, and hubby is setting up appointment
Purchase crib. Thanks, dad and stepmommy!
Once crib is purchased, reorganize room/furniture. See above. Room has been reorganized, except everything needs to be moved again once the flooring is done!
Clear area in Master Bedroom for cradle. Tonight's task
Pack for my hospital stay, and prepare Brandon's things. This weekend's task

Not bad, but I'm still a bit anxious about what's still left on the list...

We're Back!!

Hi folks, it's been a while! Thanks to T-Steel, this blog is not just back, but upgraded, improved, and better than ever with a new layout in honor of Brandon and his baby brother! T, you are THE BEST!!!

I owe you many, many updates, so let's begin with my baby shower, held on January 7th. I wrote this post the day the site crashed. Thankfully, I copy and pasted it somewhere for safekeeping, so here you go:
(stay tuned for Brandon's birthday post, and a baby update)

In spite of all the stressful preparations, my baby shower was a huge success!

We received tons of goodies for the baby, but the best gift of all did not come in a box, or cute baby theme wrapping paper. My mother and father were in the very same room together. My dad said hi to my mom's side of the family, and my mom did the same for my dad's side. They did not say hello to each other, but people: I have not seen my parents in the same room for as long as I can remember! They divorced when I was five, and until my dad found me through my employer seven years ago, I did not even know that his side of the family existed! That was the most amazing gift I could have received. Both Brandon and this little one are mending my broken family tree, and I could not be more grateful.

Now, on to the baby goodies!!

(Disclaimer: If you are not one to "ooh" and "aah" at baby goodies, then stop reading here.
For those of you that love all things baby, continue reading in the extended entry.)

For traveling, Baby received the infant carrier and the matching stroller, as well as this very roomy Diaper Bag backpack.

The Kick and Crawl Aquarium should result in many hours of playtime fun.

Bathtime will be a blast with this tub full of goodies and he'll smell wonderful thanks to this.

Some very practical things included the Diaper Dekor+ and Healthcare Kit, and the microwave sterilizer.

Outfits, outfits, and more outfits!!

Tia Claudia gifted us with these really cute bibs and onesies, and Ti Lou got very creative with her gift!

All of baby's keepsakes will go in here. Also in the picture is baby's Easter outfit!

These will come in handy to keep baby warm.

Tia Lilli got him all sorts of things, and Titi went a little crazy as well.

Tata and Bela, also known as my dad and stepmom, purchased the crib, which should be arriving by the end of the week.

We also got several Babies R Us gift cards and monetary gifts for anything else we may need.

Looks like we're all set for baby's arrival! =)

A PSA from Uncle Val

Hi all. This is Uncle Val here. Just a quick note to thank you all for your patience while we worked out some serious kinks with Brandon's Puppy. You'll notice the obvious change in the layout, which is just a byproduct of the issues we were having with the blog software and the web server, and which has yet to be given the stamp of approval by the Mom in charge of this blog.

I know Amanda has been itching to post on Brandon's big fourth birthday bash - with ponies and everything! - and Im sure she'll be posting away soon. We lost about a week's worth of posts unfortunately, but better a few days than the entire three years of archives.

A huge thanks to Tyrone Steel of Palm Trees in the Ghetto for hours of work and frustration trying to get Brandon's Puppy back online. A box of Pastelitos is on its way up to him as we speak.