24 hour get-a-away & bubbles!

Beautiful flowers from Deona :)
In celebration of our 10th anniversay, Deona and I packed our bags and headed to Granbury.
Beforehand, we made a pitstop to Grammy's, as she would be watching Everett while we were away.

On our way to Granbury, we stopped for lunch at Fuddrucker's in Fort Worth . It's been a long time since Deona and I have been without child for longer than 8 hours. It actually felt wierd not having loads of stuff in our arms. We found ourselves looking around for SOMETHING to carry....a purse, a diaperbag, a child?

Our room at the Hilton, Garden Inn:

Beautiful view from our room:

The Lobby:

With so much to do in Granbury, we really enjoyed napping and catching up with sleep:

sunset:

As dusk drew near, we drove to the Brazos drive-in on Pearl St.:

Admission was $15 (per car), large bag of popcorn $5 and two sodas $3 ea.
We managed to park front and center for the movie Avatar.

The movie was phenominal; best movie I've seen. I can just imagine how awesome the show must be at the IMAX in 3D!

Sadly, our interal clocks didnt allow us to sleep in, so we packed up, checked out of our room at 9:30 a.m., then stopped at Mimi's Cafe in Fort Worth for breakfast.

No child at breakfast = getting an opportunity to play like a child yourself.

Deona and I play "table football" while we wait for breakfast. :) Deona wins 18 to 12 :(

After breakfast, we headed back to Arlington to pick up our Everett. Geez, we missed him so much. Thank you Grammy for taking such good care of Everett, he had so much fun with you.

Back at our place, Ev and Mama blow bubbles out on the patio. Thank you Ori for Everett's overalls, they fit and look adorable on him.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Tomorrow (February 26th) is our Anniversary. Deona and I have been a couple for 10 years! What is amazing to me is that we can spend every second of every day with eachother and not get bored or tired being together. I think it is freakishly cool. :)

This weekend, Deona and I have a date. Though we're not able to visit any of our special places in Austin this weekend, we're going to be staying on the lake in Granbury; then visiting the local drive-in in the evening. It's going to be a little strange not having diapers to change or any chores for a day.

Deona, I love you completely; I think we are perfect together. Looking forward to the next chapter of our book. XOXO!!

32 Weeks!

This week Deona continues to feel more Braxton Hicks contractions and is feeling lots of aches and pains. She's definitely moving at a slower pace; I'm guessing injuring and possibly breaking a toe (while getting into the tub) earlier in the week has made it even more challenging for her. :-(
Comparing pics from both pregnancies... I personally think she looks larger at this stage than she did with Everett. Beautiful belly, beautiful Deona.
Name update...we still have not picked one. Soon, I hope.

According to Babycenter.com baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

Baby E, Up Close

We had our 4D appointment at Window in the Womb in Southlake today. We decided to return to this location as we had Everett's 4D session there as well, and had a wonderful experience. Though I feel we captured a few acceptable shots, we were less than impressed with the sono tech. "KD" was harsh and unpolished. What could have been a very touching and exciting moment for us, felt cold, rushed and as though we were inconveniencing her. Even so, it was great to see our beautiful baby and happy that Grampy joined us.

Work in Progress-Ev's Room & Boy's Bathroom

Still needing to make the texture traffic signal, a few more wall decorations, sew his bedding and curtain tie backs.

We also completed the boy's, "Mickey Mouse" bathroom this week too.

Still need to sew one shower curtain panel, buy"Mickey" art work for red wall and a rug/mat for the tub.

Addressing our dear Australian friend's question: Sal, we are renting however most apartment communities allow you to paint with the understanding you will repaint to the original color before you leave, otherwise you will forfeit deposits and any additional fees.

No more crib nights

Everett slept his very last night in in his crib on Thursday. :o( He was super excited to have a mattress on his race car bed so he spent several hours playing on it, with all his toys.
Our bedtime routine was usual tonight....Ev grabbed Pooh, his blankie and headed to bed. We half expected to hear him playing with toys thoughout the night; after all, there are no more crib rails to keep him contained . We even considered he might fall alseep on the floor.
All things considered, we braced bookcases, installed childproof outlets, childproof door knobs, a baby gate and said a little prayer for his safety.
This morning at 6:30 a.m. we heard his "I'm up"calls. Much to our suprise, every toy was in place and our Everett was sitting up, waiting to be invited out of bed. Perfection.

Baby boy names

Recently I made this status post on Facebook:

"Monica Guajardo is in search of a new baby name. 32 weeks confirmed it's not a girl, as once thought. Thrilled as ever!"

I can't believe the number of responses; some had me folded over in laughter. Thought I'd share as it would also serve as a nice memory for our blog book.

"Noah, Robert, Isaac, Nathaniel, Gabriel, Elliot, Gavin, Evan, Dalton Michael, Elijah, Laurie, Barack, Emilio, Thomas (Jordan's suggestion as he loves Thomas the Train), Eduardo, Kobe Ginobili, Eduardo Ricardo, Ochocinco Manning Guajardo(for initials OMG), LeBron WhoDat Guajardo, Elmo (Kaitlyn's vote :), Ellison, Eeyore, Egbert, Eleron, Ellery, Elton, Elvis, Ezekiel, Ebenezer, Edison, Efraim, Elric and my sister's personal favorite, OBIDIAH....nick name Obie. Cousin Michael added "Juan" to Obi (LOL), James Tibirius, Magnus, Thor, Maximus, Rasputin, MOTU (Mother of the Universe)"

You may/may not be suprised with the chosen name. Stay tuned. :)

Updates - a must read!

From today's check-up: Blood pressure is normal and since our last appointment, Deona's gained two pounds. We met with the Ultrasound Technician for a better look with how things are going with Emilia.

We love our Doc. She likes for us to book her last appointment of the day so we can sit, chat and visit, without ever feeling rushed. :o) As I've said before....our Doc is the best OB/GYN around.

Getting ready for the ultrasound:

BIG NEWS....

IT'S A BOY!!! Emilia finally decided to fully show her "goods" and the goods contained groceries. :) We're now in search for a new "E" name. According to the sonogram, Baby E weighs 4 pounds, 2 ounces. Doc seems to think he too will arrive a week early (like Everett).

The sonogram was amazing. We could see all 4 heart chambers, his little mouth opening and closing, profile, spine....soooo cool. We're super excited and still look forward to naming our future daughter, Emilia Raye.

Fortunes from dinner tonight. Very relevant to our recent news.

While Deona makes calls...

Monica reworks the room colors/decor:

I guess it's time to start planning that beach trip.

Cousin Chad babysits Ev!

Chad came by this afternoon to babysit Everett. The last time all three of us went to a doctor's appointment, I swore I would find a babysitter. :) Thankfully, cousin Chad expressed a recent interest in spending more time with his little cousin.

Everett LOVES his Chad.

After dinner at the Mongolian Grill and heading back to Denton, Ev gives Chad a goodbye hug. :o(

Thank you Chad for taking such good care of Everett. We hope to see you again soo, we had a nice time.

"Bye bye Chad"

31 weeks, check-up & sonogram

We have a check-up today, stay tuned for updates and sonogram pics. :o)

Our due date is April 20th, which means we just entered the single-digit countdown (only nine weeks to go)! According to Babycenter.com, baby measures over 16 inches long this week. She weighs about 3.3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin.

Changes this week you ask? Deona's is experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. Many women feel these random contractions in preparation for delivery day. Hold on Emi, we still have so much to do before you arrive! :)

Changes

Since moving, Everett has been sleeping in his crib at night, which is currenly living in Emi's room. We also felt it was important that he feel comfortable sleeping in his own room, so he's been taking his afternoon naps in his Pack-n-Play, which resides in his room.

Thankfully, Ev has taken to all the changes like a champ; in fact I feel his sleeping and naps have improved since moving into our new home. We're keeping our fingers crossed Ev will feel completely at ease sleeping in his "big boy" bed, by the time Emi arrives in April.

Today, Everett took his first nap in his big boy (car) bed, minus the mattress. Our thought was to get him use to sleeping in his bed with the pack-n-play mattress so it felt familiar; especially with the higher sides (like the pack-n-play). HE DID GREAT! Well except his 3 hour nap was an abbreviated 1 hour nap. He knocked on his closed door to inform me he was awake. :)

I'll take it, Everett is doing a great job with all the changes in his life.

HAPPY? Valentines Day!

Our dear child woke up from his late afternoon nap, feeling refreshed and ready to open his Valentines goody bag. :o)

A little "Mommy snuggle time" is all Ev needed.

THOMAS the TRAIN DVD?!!!!

Thomas DVD's are Everett's new fav.

Thank you Grammy for volunteering to play with Ev, so Deona and I could enjoy a quiet, Valentines dinner together. :)