Pics and Anniversary Update

Our anniversary was wonderful! We went to have brunch at The Madison Bar and Grill. This is our favorite spot and haven't been there in about two years. When Dan thought of it, we immediately changed our mind about dinner. The unfortunate thing about our day was the weather. There were thunderstorms all day long, which cut our outing short. It was way too dreary to be out. Also, the roads were dangerous to be driving around in.

We went home and knocked out. At around 8:30, Sal and Guy made us dinner and dessert. We had a great time and stuffed our brains once again. Even though the weather sucked, our day was perfect. We spent plenty of quality time together and shared it with our friends. It was great!

On to a different subject, I have pictures of baby Cal. He's so yummy, wonderful, and precious. I can't wait for Will and him to become best buds. So here he is:

Isn't he adorable?

Happy Anniversary!

Seven years ago today, Dan and I exchanged wedding vows! My how the years have gone by. It's amazing. Every year on this day, I get super excited because it means we're adding another year to our relationship. I love telling people how long we've been married. Besides, we have a great relationship. We're loving, honest, and respectful towards each other.

We're having a nice, quiet day followed by dinner. As long as we hang out with each other, I don't mind what we do. Wish us the best!!!

I Finished!

As much as I wanted to take my time reading the last Harry Potter book, I devoured over 500 pages in the last two days. I loved the entire book from start to end. Her writing has a way of sucking you in. So much happened in this book that I'm not sure how it will translate once they make it into a movie. Either way, I highly recommend you reading all of the 7 books.

I'm sad it is over and won't have anything like this again. While growing up and even now, I've always spent my time reading. I live through the characters I read as if I were part of the story. One thing I have to say is that I never read a series of books that caused so much emotion in me. The author has a way of writing that doesn't allow you to think of anything else. If I had wanted to, I could have read the book in a day. This book has 759 pages! That's a whole lot of reading.

Now, I could devour any book at anytime, but not the way I've done with these books. I wish there was anything remotely close to this while I was growing up. I read the vampire chronicles by Anne Rice and even those don't compare to the Harry Potter series. They didn't inspire as much emotion in me. I hope that she comes up with some other wonderful series. I'll be the first one to buy her book.

Louie's and Other Updates

Louie is miserable. Last night, he had a difficult time sleeping. He would get up from his pillow, to his bed, to his rug, and tried putting his head under our bed (of course that wasn't successful). All you heard was a loud thump. I tried comforting him as much as possible, but I don't think I was successful. My poor baby began crying. He broke my heart. Dan stayed home with him just to make sure he would be okay. Louie was crying with him, too. Dan gave him the Claritin and the antibiotic and that knocked him out. At least, he got some sleep.

Today, I had an appointment with my doctor. Everything is fine and I even lost 1/2 a pound. To be honest, I haven't been very hungry lately. I also get full faster. Anyway, now I'm down to going every two weeks to the doctor. Tomorrow, I enter my 32nd week (8 months)! Time is really going rather fast. I could have the baby in as little as 5 to 6 weeks. Wow! I can't wait to meet him.

Well, there you have it. Keep wishing my pooch a fast recovery. I hate seeing him like this. I don't want him to suffer anymore.

Poor Louie!

My poor pooch! We had to take him to the vet this morning. After spending practically three hours and $300, we found out that he has skin allergies that lead to an infection. Poor baby has been chewing his back area and tail. We bathed him yesterday to see if it would alleviate the problem, but this morning his back was completely wet with his saliva.

He has to take Claritin/Benadryl, antiobiotics, and bathe with a medicated shampoo and conditioner for the next few weeks. Of course, he has to sport the Elizabethan Collar that I know makes him miserable. He keeps on bumping into things.

Once in a while, he'll start crying. I imagine since he can't scratch where it itches that it must be driving him mad. I hope the meds make him feel better fast. At least he's been sleeping, which he actually hasn't done much of lately. I'm sure the allergy medicine will help out in that department.

He has to go back in two weeks to make sure the infection has gone away. We do have to give him a cleaning because he has tartar (he has doggy breath), but that will have to wait a bit. If we do it in two weeks, it will be an additional $200. I'm not one to be cheep, but spending an additional $500 in a month is a bit too much. We'll probably wait until next month for that.

Please keep Louie on your mind and send many well wishes his way. He needs to feel better fast!

New Family Member!

Last night at around 8 pm, Dan's cousin, Estrella, had an emergency C-section. Everything went well and we welcome Cal David Gonzalez. He weighs 6 lbs. and 15 ounces and measures 19 1/2 inches. Mom and baby are doing well. Baby Cal is absolutely beautiful.

We went to see them at the hospital today and snapped some pictures.

Baby Cal:















Mom and Baby:















Dad and baby:















Dan practicing:















Now, all we have to do is wait for William to be born and the two cousins will have plenty of photos together!

Harry Potter

I love Harry Potter! I have sat down and read this series for hours. When I was growing up, there was nothing like this out there. I've always been the one to read books that have to deal with mystery, witches, vampires, and etc. You get the picture. I LOVE IT! When I first got my hands on Harry Potter, I was a bit envious for not having this while growing up. I would have devoured each and every single book and bought everything that had to do with it.

I purposely waited to read the sixth book up until this past week. I actually finished reading it yesterday. Dan and I saw the Order of the Phoenix about two weeks ago. So, this epic is fresh in my mind. I get so into the book that if I wanted to (or had the time), I could read it in a day. Mind you these books have anywhere from 600 to 800 something pages.

I didn't pre-order my seventh book. I figured I'd get it when I get it, but the kid in me set in yesterday. Many bookstores were opening up at midnight to release it. I told Dan that I wanted to go. Now, I wasn't going to camp out either like I saw people do at the Toys "R" Us in Times Square do, but I wanted my hands on it.

It was around 11 pm and I was falling asleep. I seriously doubted that I would go, but then I began thinking. This is the last book in a series I've been reading for years and when would be the next time that I could just get up and go to an event like this? We got up and went to the nearest Barnes & Nobles. Of course the line was huge. Cops were threatening to shut the place down because everyone was crowding the entrance. Teenagers were dressed up as witches and wizards. Those that bought the book got cheered when leaving the store. It was just a lot of fun.

I had found out that this particular bookstore had 20,000 copies of the book. I knew if I waited patiently, I would get my hands on it. Then my tiredness set in. I had only been standing on line for about half an hour. Going back home was sounding very sweet, but then I remembered something. About two weeks ago, I stood in line for 2 1/2 hours to watch the press release of the movie Superbad, which you should go and see when it comes out. If I could hold out for that, I could do the same for Harry Potter.

Luckily, we found out that the Path Mark in the complex was also selling the book. I figured it would be more expensive than at B&N. It turned out that if you spent $25 on groceries and had the Path Mark card, you would get the book for $17. That's two dollars cheaper than at B&N where you had to be a member to receive it at that price. Since we needed to buy some groceries anyway, Dan told me to get off the line and drive over. There was no wait, either. So, I got my book!!

I read about a good 25 pages before I could barely keep my eyes open. Now, the trick is to pace myself. I don't want to devour this last book so quickly, but I know myself. It'll probably happen anyway.

I've Been Tagged

By Sal!

Here are the rules:

First the housekeeping. The rules of this meme are:
1. Let others know who tagged you.
2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

Here we go:

1. I'm the girliest tomboy I've ever met. I love make-up, having my hair done, looking good, and shopping. I also love getting down and dirty playing sports, rough housing, and kicking boys' asses.

2. I truly believe we create our own reality.

3. Stupid people use to annoy me, now I just ignore them.

4. I cry at almost every movie, even if there's really no need for it.

5. When I was fourteen, I was able to bench press 100 lbs. and maxed 150 lbs.

6. I have always (and still do) want to become a cop.

7. If I hadn't found my true love, I probably would have become an archaeologist and traveled the world excavating sites.

8. If I hadn't been such an angry teenager, I would have gotten straight A's. I guess I got over my anger in college because I graduated with honors.

And, you're all tagged!!!

Eating

Now that it's super hot, I hate eating. In the mornings, I'm always hungry and that's when I do most of my eating. Once I get home from work, I'm fine with a bowl of cereal or a chocolate shake. I have to food shop this weekend and I will buy some salad mix so that at least I get my veggies in. It's just too damn hot to cook or eat. Luckily for me, Dan doesn't bitch much about food. As long as he eats something, he's fine.

We're bad about cooking, too. I took out ground beef to make picadillo (Cuban), but we ended up out and about for a few days and I had to throw it out (like I'm rich or something). I think my best bet is buying plenty of salad mix, add some spinach, craisins, and maybe chicken, and we'll have ourselves a healthy dinner. Tonight, I might make fried eggs with white rice (maybe). I need the protein and I did already have a bowl of cereal for breakfast. If I only had the energy to get my ass to McDonald's or some place similar to that, I would have a shake. What I do miss are those wheat shakes my mother-in-law would make for me in Miami. I so need to buy wheat puffed cereal (it's easy to make: wheat puffed cereal, milk, sugar, and ice). They are nutritious and delicious!

Normally, I wouldn't care about what or how much I was eating, but we know that little Will needs to get fed. He definitely lets me know when he's hungry and I abide by his rules. I just hope I'm eating enough. Well, I'm gaining weight (18 lbs). I can't be doing that bad. I do make sure to drink plenty of milk. My servings have also gotten bigger. So, I shouldn't worry so much about it. I think if I get the apartment cool enough, I'll make the rice and eggs (and I'll add a bit of corn--yum). See you later!

I Know it's Summer and All

But does it have to feel like I live in Miami? I'm surprised I made it to work and back home without collapsing. It's a perfect day to be in the water!! Unfortunately, my vacation won't come until I give birth (and that won't be a vacation). We had no choice but to leave the air conditioner on all day for the dog. Poor baby! I was worried all day about him. I'm afraid there will be another blackout and he'll roast.

I can't wait for autumn. It's my favorite season! That's when I get into hiking, exercising, crocheting, and knitting. Of course this year we'll have an added bonus! At least we'll be able to take the baby out since the weather will be nice and crisp. Ahhhhh......

For now, I'll hibernate in my apartment and daydream.

Ramblings

What should I do about my lack of sleep? I've been up since about 4:00am. Of course, I'll probably crash in about an hour or so and wake up late. At least I wasn't the only one with sleeping problems. Dan was up all night, too. He finally fell asleep around 20 minutes ago.

I do spend a lot of time thinking about the baby. Maybe I'm driving myself crazy. I'm so anxious to meet him that I probably can't relax because of it. When I do manage to fall asleep, I dream about him. The last dream I had about him, I was changing his clothes constantly. He looked so cute in all the outfits I put him in.

How long should I work for? I'm working in an office where the stress levels are minimal. If I stay until the end of August, I'll be 37 1/2 weeks. Is that pushing it? I probably should be asking my doctor about this (I will on my next visit). Am I going to regret not taking any time for myself before the baby is born? Or will I be so miserable by then that it won't matter? Better yet, what if I go into labor at work? I am in the middle of Times Square. Well, I'll worry about this next month. There's nothing I could do about this now, anyway.

I need to get into the water. I've been dying to go to a pool or a lake for the longest time. The last time I was in any water was Memorial day week of last year that Dan and I were in Miami. I've been asking Dan to take me to a pool, but I don't think he understands how much I need it. I feel bad being a pain about this, but I just want to float in the water and relax. If he doesn't take me soon, I will go nuts. It's going to be 96 degrees today. I should be at some pool somewhere.

That is all for my ramblings. Nothing else is really going on. I'm taking it day by day trying to enjoy as much of my pregnancy as possible. So far, I've been able to tolerate the heat, which is a blessing. As long as I'm able to, I see the end of my pregnancy being fine. I'll keep you posted!

How Was Your Fourth?

Mine was uneventful. I lounged all day. I couldn't help it. The day was very gloomy and rainy. Dan and I hung out in bed watching tv. We didn't even muster the energy to watch the fireworks later on that night. It also kind of sucks that we have to go back to work today. Oh well, I'll be on maternity leave soon enough.

Other than that, there hasn't been much going on with me. I've gained another five pounds (in three weeks), which I'm not happy about. My hunger has become more and more as the days go by. I try to watch what I eat, but it's difficult when I'm all of a sudden smacked with hunger. I found out that the next time they do a sonogram will be on my 37th week. I won't get to see the baby until then. Who knows, I might be in labor by then! Well that's it! Chat with you soon!