The Nguyen Family- Sacramento California

New Adventures!!!!

2010-04-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

We Are In Business!!!! Mom and I were pondering on the idea of starting a little business selling handmade baby blankets, burp cloths, quilts, and embroidery items... and now it is finally coming true. I just finished our website http://www.cuddlybeginnings.com/ and we can't wait to spread the word! We have a ton of fabric to choose from and we are going to be getting some soft and colorful minky fabrics soon too.

Did I mention that we just got a new embroidery machine!!! This thing is amazing! I've been looking around all over the house wondering what I can add embroidery to. Its so much fun and we have a ton of different patterns. Now I just need to start a nice baby quilt and see what I can come up with. :)

Jude is doing wonderful. Growing like a weed. Grandpa still wants him to grow some legs so he can ride his little trike and pedal plane though. I just don't want him to grow too fast. :( He is running all over the house getting into EVERYTHING!!! He loves going to the park and running around. I can't wait to see him in the pool this summer. He still loves the water and has started to realize that he can get mommy wet too by splashing her. Oh what fun that is.

Here are some pictures of Jude and his Easter basket!

My baby is ONE!

2010-01-30T23:11:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my little baby is already one! All day I was proud, happy and having a great time while also crying a little inside because he seems to be growing so fast and it still feels like only yesterday I brought him home.

For some reason today was the day of all days that I attempted a new gel in Jude's hair and it turned out horrible. So most of the pictures before the cake and bath afterward show Jude's hair doing some wild things. Anyway... here are some photos of my "baby" on his 1st Birthday. :(

Christmas Surprise!

2009-12-23T21:39:00.000-08:00

I can't wait to go down to Bakersfield this weekend. I really wish Christmas was tomorrow and I would be that much closer to the four hour drive down south. Kris and Dave had a little Christmas Surprise on Tuesday. They had their first baby boy yesterday... two weeks early! His name is Riley James Harvey, born at 1:50pm, and he was 6lbs. 13oz. 20''. I can't wait to see him! If only Benny was able to come. Thats one thing I hate about the retail business. You have to work the holidays... no matter what.

Well, I'll have pictures of Christmas up before I take off on Saturday. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Where in the world has the time gone?

2009-12-14T23:43:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we are only eleven days away from Christmas! I have been scolded several times by my mom and dad for not updating my blog. Apparently more people than I realized actually read this thing. :) Just kidding. I know I've been pretty bad at updating my photos of Jude and everyone thinks I lost my camera or something. Well here is his latest picture with the man of the month... SANTA CLAUSE!!! Now I know he looks a little funny... but give him a break. He tends to shy away from strangers now and looks really confused by the fact that I am standing in front of him waving. These two pictures were taken right before he realized a strange man was holding him. After realizing this he looked back at me and started crying. It was so funny.

Jude's new playpen...

2009-11-21T20:58:00.001-08:00

is wonderful and large enough for all of his toys and has even enough room for mommy to get in and play with him. I love the fact that I can walk him in and out of it through one of the two doors it has. The first time I put him in it he didn't throw the usual fuss because it didn't look anything like his little playpen and it wasn't as confining. Give it two or three more times and I'm sure he will catch on and dislike this playpen just as much as his other one. :)

Here are a few pictures of his new play area.

Update on the H1N1 shot...

2009-11-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

Well... yesterday morning I decided to call the doctors office to make sure that they had Jude's H1N1 shot still and luckily I did before waking him up at eight thirty to get him there by nine. They still did not have the shot available for him. I would have got all the way down there and would have been turned away. I figure it can wait until we go to get his second regular flu shot in three weeks. Hopefully they will have it by then.

H1N1

2009-11-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

I know its probably a bunch of hoopla and what not... but Jude is still getting his H1N1 vaccine just in case. I always watch The Dr.s on T.V. and they actually said around seventy eight kids have died from the H1N1 virus in October alone. I haven't checked to see if these statistics are correct... but it did make me a little nervous. Everyone is California is going crazy with this news. We have had two vaccine clinics in the past two weeks that have had two thousand people or more waiting for these shots and sprays.

Needless to say. At Jude's pediatricians appointment on Friday they said they did not have the vaccine and I would have to continue calling on Mondays to see if they had gotten it in that day. So I called today and they said they had the vaccine available and would get me in tomorrow at nine. I just wish there was a clinic or place I could go to get the vaccine too. I guess the regular flu shot will have to do for myself. Lets just say I'm not looking forward to tomorrow though. Jude does well with getting the shot... but horrible with the after pain from the injection.

A LONG week with the cold. :(

2009-11-15T00:02:00.000-08:00

I have had the worst cold this last week. We went down to Bakersfield last Friday for Kris and Dave's Baby shower... which was fantastic. But on the way home I could just feel myself falling into a sickness. Sure enough by the time we pulled into the driveway my throat was killing me, nose was running, and my head felt like it was about to explode. Needless to say I wasn't feeling good at all.

Monday was even worse. I still had to run a few errands in the morning and took Jude with me. When we got home I was exhausted. Jude thankfully took a nap and I was just about to slip back into my pj's when my friend Bri came over to give me some soup and tea. What a sweetheart. She even offered to stay a few hours to watch Jude once he woke so I could sleep a little longer. I was so thankful.

After THREE HOURS I woke up and found Bri putting the stroller away with Jude no where to be found. She had taken him for a walk and called my mom to see if she could bring Jude over to their house for the afternoon. She had dropped him off and was heading out. So I decided to have the soup she had brought and take lay down again. I couldn't believe how horrible I felt. I didn't even wake up until midnight and completely freaked out! I didn't know WHERE Jude was and whether or not Benny had picked him up at my mom and dads, if they still had him over there, what was going on. Thankfully Benny had went and got him at eight, fed him, and had him in bed.

I slept from 1p.m. to 5p.m.--- 5:30p.m. to 12:00a.m.---- 12:30a.m. to 8:00a.m. and still felt horrible on Tuesday. Another piece of my self destruction was the fact that I didn't really breastfeed Jude at all Monday evening and Tuesday morning he was fussing while being fed. I could tell something was wrong. By Wednesday morning I had a LARGE lump in my breast accompanied by a rather large red discoloration on my breast as well. I had given myself Mastitis again. Great. So then I felt the FLU like symptoms of body aches and chills. It took all of Wednesday and Thursday... complete with breast pumping and trying to get Jude to eat until it finally passed.

Today was rather good. I am still not healthy by far. Very tired and congested with a horrible head ache. Anyhow. Dave is over and so is Benny's dad and little sister Tonya. Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow I will feel 100%. Tomorrow Tonya has a Cheer leading competition at the Sacramento Convention Center at one and I would really like to go see. But if I still feel fatigued I think I will stay home with Jude and try to rest up.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T23:33:00.000-07:00

Jude looked like he had a wonderful time getting ready for Halloween. We were over at Grammy and Papa's house yesterday to help decorate for today's festivities. There was an alien, a werewolf, spiders, a bat, and eery smoke to set the spooky mood for our little trick or treaters. Benny and I carved a few pumpkins. Mine of course was simple and traditional as Benny's was a little more artistic. Benny took a funny picture of Jude and turned it into a Frankenstein/Jude pumpkin. Here are a bunch of pictures of us getting ready for Halloween yesterday and some from today. Hope everyone had a Wonderful Halloween! woohahahaha. :)

Shopping with Grammy...

2009-10-29T00:17:00.000-07:00

Today my mom and I got Jude's Halloween Pictures!!! He did so well this time and smiled in every photo. We think that these might be the best pictures of him thus far but who knows... every mother thinks their babies are absolutely adorable. I'll let you decide if these photos of Jude are as cute as my mom and I believe they are.

Side note... Benny, Jude, and I are going down to Bakersfield for Kris and Dave's baby shower next Saturday. Although I'm excited to go see them and drop by Aunt Lisa and Uncle Dave's house I'm a little nervous because Jude's pediatrician has been soooo booked up that Jude hasn't received his Flu shot yet. I'm so nervous my little man might come in contact with someone with the flu, so I plan on being the overprotective mother for the entire weekend... purell in hand and mandatory for anyone who wishes to hold or play with Jude... I just hope anyone with the flu or slightest inclination that they might have the flu decide to stay home and get well instead of going out and infecting us all. :) Sorry, I know that might sound harsh, but things change when you have kids.

Back to happier thoughts... I found some cool prints for Kris and Dave's baby blankets that I think they will love. Dave really wanted something cool and modern instead of the traditional baby prints, so I went to Joanns and found one fabric with guitars and musical drum sets on it and another with bright musical notes that look great together. I just hope Kris likes it too. Dave will definitely not be embarrassed taking his baby boy out with these blankies.

:0 I just forgot what happened last weekend. My mom and I were at Joanns together looking for a few baby prints for my good friend Brianas baby blankets and I actually had someone look at Jude... look at me, and then ask me... "Hi... oh how cute...what is he mixed with?" That had to be the strangest question I had ever been asked. I know he looks nothing like me, but wow. I kind of stuttered a little before stating that his father was Vietnamese. I thought I was being weird about it, the girl did look pretty young, but I thought it was kind of rude, don't you think?

Thank you Jude...

2009-10-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday might have been the first day I felt balanced in my life since I lost my job and delivered Jude. I don't know why I would say that but that just seems perfect to say for the way I felt yesterday.

The day started off with a wonderfully happy baby who laughed within minutes of me picking him up. What did he laugh at... the entourage of dogs at my feet as I entered the nursery. (He loves to watch them run around and play with each other) Another plus was the fact that he actually stayed still while I changed his diaper. This in itself has been a challenge here lately... my little monkey loves to toss himself on his tummy and try to crawl away from me in order to explore... while I have a diaper literally in my mouth ready to throw on while still cleaning his cute little butt with one hand and holding him down with the other. :) It was wonderful.

The rest of the day was just as wonderful. He ate all of his breakfast without a peep, played in his playpen for a few minutes while I put away laundry, and the cute way he told me he was tired made me a little teary eyed. I was sitting on the floor across from him watching him play when he all of a sudden rubbed his eyes, looked at me, and while softly crying crawled to me and buried his face in my blouse. I love when he does this. It happens more and more often now when he will crawl to mommy for loves or to tell me hes tired and want a nap.

Our day ended with Jude happily playing in the floor while Benny, my mom, and myself watched The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and ate dinner. It was one of the first times I didn't have to wait for Jude to go to bed before eating or eating while chasing him down in order to intervene when seeing a potentially fretful fall. It was an overall wonderful day.

I KNOW... I KNOW....

2009-10-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

it has been a LONG time since I have updated my blog.... but for good reason. My GRANDPARENTS were here. I tried to spend every waking minute with them since I knew it would be a while since I would get the chance to spend time with them again. I must say that I miss them sooooo much and cherish every minute I get to spend with them. Next year I really want to plan a trip out to see their home and beautiful view that my Grandpa raves about. Its so hard to get a visual from just pictures alone. Hopefully Benny and I can hitch a ride with my parents or something next spring.

Now for the updates and wonderful pictures that I have gotten throughout the last few weeks. The got to stay with us for about three weeks... which was wonderful. Granted, Jude and I did opt out of the camping trip due to teething and non-stop fussing from Mr.Fussbucket. (That's my nickname for him when he's being a booger) Plus I didn't know what I would do with him during this trip since he doesn't like the playpen for more than ten minutes and wants to crawl, pull himself up, and explore everything in the house. How could I have occupied him for an entire week?!? Anyhow... it sounded like they had a wonderful time relaxing, fishing, and catching up.

As for my week... alone... without mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and Benny(due to work)... Jude occupied my time with teething and learning how to crawl on his hands and knees instead of on his tummy, like a wounded soldier (Benny's expression). But it was actually a good thing that we had a rough week of off and on teething while everyone was gone because by the time they got back Jude was back to his happy, smiley self for grandma and grandpa to see. We also got to take Jude to Dave's Pumpkin Patch on daddy's day off. Here are some of those exciting pictures.

Here are some wonderful pictures of grandma and grandpa having fun with Jude. And a few of Jude having fun on Papas pool table. :)

Well... it's way past my bed time. :) I promise it won't be two to three weeks before another update. Hope everyone is doing well.

Great Grandma and Grandpa are here!!!

2009-09-25T20:32:00.001-07:00

Today my grandma and grandpa arrived from Arkansas. It took them three days to drive all the way to California and we are SOOOO happy to see them. I can't believe it has been eight months since we have seen them last. We have so many pictures to show them and they still haven't seen our new home.

When grandma and grandpa used to live in Bakersfield, Benny and I would drive down and spend the weekend with Benny's Dad... but we would always spend one day at my grandparents house before coming home. I really hate how far away they live now, but I know they are extremely happy out there. All of the pictures that they show of their home are so beautiful with the view of the lake and the new editions they have made to their home. Benny and I would love to take a trip out and see them, but we need to find out what are financial future holds for us.

I'll have a ton of pictures to come in the next few days. We spent most of today just catching up. Tomorrow I'll make sure to have the camera by my side the entire day so I can get some candid shots of Jude and his great grandparents. :)

A long awaited post

2009-09-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. I can't believe I haven't updated our blog in over a week and a half. Time has been flying now that Jude has become mobile. Every time I get on the computer I see Jude start grabbing for something... or crawling somewhere he's not supposed to.... just out of the corner of my eye and I have to stop what I am doing to run after him and put him back in the middle of the floor. At first he thought this was a new game, but now he gets mad at mommy for taking him away from a new area or toy.

Jude has just learned too many tricks all at once and all I can do is try to keep up. Just a week ago I discovered that Jude can sit in the sitting position unassisted and can actually can pull himself up into the sitting positon as well now. I thought this was a wonderful milestone he had finally reached and kidding you not... only two days later did he pull himself up in his crib to a STANDING position. Now he tries to pull himself up on everything! Along with all of these new tricks, he has also become so excited that he doesn't want to sleep at his regular time anymore... he wants to pull himself up in his crib and have mommy run in to get him.

Let me be more specific of our first experience with Jude pulling himself up in his crib. I was laying on the couch watching our video baby monitor... waiting for Jude to go to sleep before going to bed myself... and must have closed my eyes for a few minutes when I realized he was really quiet and must have went to bed. Not quite. I was glancing at the monitor while walking out of the living room when I realized he wasn't sleeping... he was standing in his crib and I couldn't see how far his upper body was out of the crib! I thought he was going to tumble out or something so I ran in there and his arms were completely over the side. I don't know if he could really pull himself out of the crib, but I'm in no way ready to find out. I slept on the couch and kept waking up and looking at the monitor to make sure he was sleeping for the rest of the night.

The very next day I took Jude to Grandma's and ran back home to lower his crib down to the lowest level so I could sleep soundly that he won't fall out of his crib in the middle of the night. That is one thing I never ever want to experience is a baby crawling out of their crib in the middle of the night. It still makes me cringe at the thought.

Here are a few pictures of Jude. In one or two I walked in to him sitting up crying in his crib watching for me to walk in the door. It's funny and cute... but also sad because he has tears on his face. I will also post another of him standing in his gt walker.

Here are a few more pictures from just a few minutes ago... including Jude pulling himself up on the table while mommy is trying to type. :) I love him soooo much. He's my little handsom man.

Fun at the California State Fair!

2009-09-10T12:28:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday the family went to the California State Fair with Jude. You should have seen how much preparation I did the night before to ensure that I had anything and everything I could possibly need to keep Jude happy for the five to six hours we were planning to stay. Benny and I even zip tied a new toy to the front of his stroller to keep his attention if he got bored.

My mom and dad thought it would be best to go later in the day so that we could stay during the evening hours and hopefully make the 10:00p.m. firework display. I was very optimistic since Jude loves the outdoors and we would be walking him around and showing him all the lights and attractions. When we pulled into the fair parking lot we were a little scared. We forgot in this whole two week planning process that the Saturday we were planning to attend was during Labor Day weekend. Oh my goodness. IT WAS PACKED! We had to park on the far side of the parking lot and had to walk almost a quarter mile to the fair!

After finally making it into the gates we searched for the nearest restroom, got organized, and took off to show Jude some of the animals. Here are a few pictures of Jude and Grandpa walking through the stalls. Please be prepared... some of the pictures you are about to see might not be suitable for young children.

Lets just say Benny and I were giggling a little when we were taking pictures. Ahhh... memories.

After the animals I set Jude's stroller down so he could take a nap. He went out like a light in his stroller. I just covered his feet with my wrap because... even though he was smothered with sunscreen... I didn't want his little feet to burn. (Sorry... I guess a size four in baby shoes isn't quite little. He's always had slightly larger feet.) Here are a few pictures while we were sitting down and enjoying some of the food.

Saturday was also the day that Blake Shelton was going to be performing at the fair. We got a glimpse of his tour bus and I could hear him singing while we were walking around... but it was far to crazy to try and grab a spot and enjoy the show. Oh well. We will have to catch him next time.

Other than walking and enjoying the fair festivities my mom and dad bought Jude this bright, spinning toy during the evening hours that he still loves. Benny caught a few photos of me carrying him in his sling and him trying to put this globe in his mouth. Just a few things I enjoyed the most was going with mom and dad, stealing moms kettle corn, taking pictures of Jude, and looking at all of the animals.

Crawling can be tiring.

2009-09-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

Jude has been crawling around the house like a maniac... getting into anything and everything he's not supposed to. For example: the t.v. stand, the dvds, the ground fan (which will have to be put up somewhere because I am scared to death of him sneaking over there in the blink of an eye and sticking his little fingers in), and the fireplace tools.

This evening it was a little different. Tonight he decided to crawl underneath his GT walker and got stuck. I have two pictures... one of him happily playing underneath the walker, and another right when he bumped his head while trying to crawl out. Poor baby.

Here is another way Jude plays when crawling around. Granted... he doesn't like laying in his bouncer anymore, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't miss playing with his little parrot. :)

Birthday Parties!!!

2009-09-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

This last weekend my Jude, my mom, and I went down to Bakersfield/Taft for some birthday parties! We left around 2p.m. on Friday to make it to Mystie's birthday party that the family was throwing for her at 7. We got there at 6 with plenty of time to feed the baby, take a quick shower, and head down the street to the party. Mystie and Jeff have a beautiful house and my Aunt Terry decorated for the party in a Paris theme which turned out fantastic... here is a picture of Mystie and Aunt Terry next to the birthday cake.

Mom and I unfortunately had to cut out at just 9p.m. to get Jude to Aunt Terry's and in the bathtub. Jude had been doing so good with his bedtime routine that I didn't think much of the time when I got him into bed. After his bath and a little play time he went out like a light at 10. This peace was very short lived when he woke up at 10:30 only to scream and cry most of the night. He was inconsolable and I thought it might just be the change in destination or the fact that he was in a different crib. Anyhow it was not a good night to say the least.... but we still woke up at eight and I fed Jude and played with him... then he took his first nap. It was nice but bad timing. We were getting ready for Trenadee's pool party and Jude wanted to sleep. So we put him in his car seat and hoped he would fall asleep on the way... which he thankfully did.

The pool was beautiful and Jude woke up from his nap just ten minutes after we arrived. He was happy and ready to float around. Trenadee loves Hannah Montana and that was the theme of her birthday party. She just turned four! Time is just flying by... I can remember a picture that sent to my mom that had Trenadee and Maycie in their strollers during the time Mystie, Jeff, Robby and Alycia were building their homes at Buena Vista Estates. I can't believe that its been four years!

Anyway... back to the pool party. There was a 2ft. section just for the babies and that's where we spent most of our time. It was so fun seeing all the babies floating around and everyone having a good time. Trenadee had a wonderful party. Here are some pictures of the birthday girl and some pool shots.

After the pool party we headed back to Aunt Terry's to take a quick shower and go to Bakersfield to have dinner with my Aunt Lisa and Uncle Dave. Sharron, Uncle Dave's mom was there too. I hadn't seen her since Malisa and Scott's wedding about five years ago if I'm right. Sorry Malisa if I'm wrong. My memory sucks. Anyway we had a wonderful time and I've never seen Jude laugh so hard with Uncle Dave. He kept tickling him and he would squeal. Jude loved Sharron's dogs too. He would watch them and just start cackling when they would play in front of him. And stupid me forgot I had my camera in my diaper bag. I would have loved some of those shots. Darn. Dinner was wonderful and we got to chat with Scott and Malisa over the web cameras which was fun. I loved seeing Eli, Elsie, and Emily. We can't wait to get to see them in person come Christmas time. There is a lot to look forward to these next few months with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all within the next four months. Love you guys if your reading this! :)

Even thought the nights were horrible with Jude... we did find the reason to his dismay. His first tooth was trying to break through the surface. Since we have been home he has been wonderful. Taking his naps and sleeping through the night with only one nightly feeding at five in the morning. I'm so glad it was just temporary. Now that I got him back on schedule things have been great. I think he loves his crib too much to sleep anywhere else now. Isn't that funny. A month ago I couldn't get him to sleep in his crib at all and now I can't get him to sleep anywhere else!

Well... I can't leave ya without a few more pictures of the kids. We got Maycie, Coleton, Riylee, Kaylee, and Ashlyn some birthday presents too since we missed Maycie's birthday and Coleton, Riylee, Kaylee, and Ashlyn's birthdays are all with in the next two months. They are all growing so fast!

Just a few lazy days

2009-08-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

Here lately I've been really lazy. I don't know whether or not it has been the heat or the long nights with Jude... but cleaning, shopping, and laundry have taken a back seat here the last few days. Now I feel guilty because I've been so lazy, even though I've been taking care of Jude I feel horrible that I haven't gotten anything else done.

Today I have been doing a lot of catching up. Got all but the towels washed and put away, ran home from mom and dads to finish vacuuming and steam cleaning the carpets, cleaned our chinchilla's cage, did the dishes, and still kept Jude to his evening schedule.

Tomorrow I already have a list of chores and errands to run. Hopefully tonight will go well with Jude. I really can't complain. He still goes to bed at one thirty or two in the morning but only wakes up twice through the night and wakes up at eleven thirty or noon. Now if only I can get him to go to bed at nine or so instead of two in the morning... but these are just minor details compared to a month ago when I couldn't even get him to sleep alone in his crib. Jude has come a very long way. I couldn't be more happier. :)

A Sacramento Haunting?

2009-08-12T23:54:00.000-07:00

Ok.... Benny and I have never ever thought that there were spirits or have ever believed any of those scary movies about ghosts to be real... until we moved into this house. Let me go over some of the previous examples, before tonight's encounter, that have literally had Benny and I jumping off the couch and looking around to find out what just happened.

We have noticed brief shadows out of the corner of our eyes that we just shrugged off as light or something cast from the t.v. late at night until we were talking in the living room and noticed the same shadow by the stair well that was an erry human shape. Every night when I am out in the living room with Jude I have noticed a brief shadow by the stairwell and the last few nights I have noted the time to be eleven thirty-five on the dot for the last three nights.

Tonight however I saw a quick shadow cross over the ceiling overhead that sent chills down my spine and the freaky thing is that our dog Tank woke up off the couch across from me and stared at the ceiling. This is just the shadow thing that has been going on. Last time was even worse. It was in the late afternoon... around seven... and Benny and I heard the loudest crashing thump upstairs that literally had us jumping off the couch asking what the heck that was. We ran upstairs thinking Benny's LCD t.v. upstairs fell off the wall and hit the floor. It literally shook the house. We searched every room in the house, walked around the entire outside of the house, the garage and everything to find nothing out of the ordinary and no explanation for the thunderous noise.

Anyhow... maybe the late nights with Jude have driven me crazy enough to think our house is haunted. Here are some of the pictures I was taking of Jude earlier before this latest incident. I was trying to catch his new way of crying. He squeezes his eyes shut and lets out this pitiful cry that makes you think he's joking with you and isn't really getting fussy when he is. My parents and I were cracking up earlier today when he did it at their house. He has only been doing this the past two days.

Passing Out

2009-08-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well today was a very nice day at Grandma and Grandmas. My dad decided to give my mom her birthday gifts a little early since he's going back to work on days... twelve hour days mind you... and Jude and I went over around two to see spend time with his Papa.

Benny got off around four and walked in only five minutes before Grandma. We had Grandpa's Carne Asada and Pico de Gayo which was wonderful. Jude was happy most of the time there and I got a break from holding him while he was fussy. All in all we had a good time, Benny got to have a few beers.... maybe a bit more than that... and we took off around seven fourty-five so I could get Jude home for his bath.

Jude didn't look tired when I was done giving him a bath so I put him in his Jumper while I ran back to Grandma and Grandpas for my cell phone. I got home and Benny was walking him around... so I decided to hop in the shower when I heard Jude crying while I was changing. I tried to yell at Benny to put him down in his crib but didn't really think he heard me. By the time I finished brushing my hair and exited the bedroom the house was quiet.

Here I am walking around the corner into the living room where I see Jude on his play mat fast asleep with daddy passed out on the floor beside him. I would have took a picture if I thought they would stay asleep. Thinking back I should have took one anyway... it was so cute and I decided to pick Jude up anyway and take him to his crib where he fell right back to sleep. Oh well. If only I took a picture. It was the first time I have ever seen Jude fall asleep in the floor... poor baby.

Saving for the future...

2009-08-09T21:02:00.001-07:00

is something I've been worried about now that I'm unemployed. With the continuous increase in college tuition and cost of living here in California, in order to buy Jude a car, put him through college, and send him through graduate school (if he so desires) we need to start now... which is going to be quite stressful.

Putting away money for the future is harder than expected when things pop up such as car repairs, clothes for Jude, work clothes for Benny, etc. I need new tires before the winter season but I'm afraid to even get an estimate.

We want to have one or two more kids... that's a little scary to think about right now. I think we'll just see what happens in the next few years. It seems like we have a heard of kids right now when you add our dogs to the mix.

Here are a few pictures of how Lucky likes to eat his supper. He kind of makes it hard for everyone else to get a bite.

Jude's Six Month Visit

2009-08-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

Well we got back from the doctors office a few hours ago. Sometimes I wonder... every visit I have taken Jude too takes two hours. Over an hour and twenty minutes is just waiting on the pediatrician to get to the exam room. I know they have a ton of kids and some of them might be a little cranky, but an hour in the waiting room with a tired and fussy baby is not fun. He was happy for the first twenty minutes or so bouncing around on the table with mommy holding him, and grandma holding him.... we had to pass him back and forth because he was so wired... and then came the downfall. He finally realized that it was past his nap time and he was tired.

This was Jude's first visit to this pediatrician. When she finally came in Jude was fast asleep on Grandma's shoulder. So she decided to ask me about my concerns, what I was feeding him, how his coordination was, etc. I told her about my Mastitis that had recently been discovered. I told her what I was doing to ease the pain and cure the infection and told her that he wouldn't eat from the affected breast. Then we talked about breast pumping and such to help. She then had to lay Jude down to exam him which woke him up and upset him. Poor girl got an ear full of him screaming as she was trying to talk to me. She couldn't have been a year or two older than me and looked as if she was engaged.

One of the questions she asked was whether or not he was sleeping through the night. When I explained to her what was going on she told me to cut back his naps and keep him up all day. Easier said than done when he starts to scream like he did. I almost wanted to ask if she had kids and what she did to sleep train them. Anyway... I thought that would be rude and accepted her advice. My parents and I have tried to keep Jude up with success but he still stayed up late and was fussy the entire day and night for three days. But who knows. Maybe I'll give it another go. But we like the happy baby we have been having due to his ninety minute baby routine. I think I'll stick to it and just take him out for walks in the morning to try and ease him into an early waking schedule than what he is used to.

Other than the fussiness and the questions about feeding and sleeping we had to get Jude his shots. The worst part of the visit. On previous visits for shots I've had two nurses come in with needles in hand and get it over with swiftly. This nurse decided to wipe him, poke him, chit chat with him, wipe him, poke him, chit chat... causing it to take much longer than necessary. I just wanted it over with so I could soothe him and get him out of there.

All and all the office visit start to finish took two hours. I don't think Grandma realized how long it was going to take. I should have warned her that this has happened before at previous pediatric offices. Opps.

Now we are home and Jude has been asleep for an hour and a half. Sorry to say I'm not going to stop him from napping. I'll wake him early tomorrow and go for a walk around the neighborhood. I just got to make sure he doesn't fall asleep while I'm walking him.

Update on the Mastitis.... I feel much better now that I have been using heat compresses and breast pumping regularly. Jude actually nursed from the affected breast twice last night, but began to protest again this morning. Apparently he woke up and remembered he didn't like the taste. What a booger. :)

Do I have the Flu...

2009-08-07T00:38:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately I don't think I have the flu. I didn't realize that I had a red blotchy discoloration on my breast that was warm to the touch and firm. This morning I woke up with terrible body aches and a horrible headache which I thought were symptoms of the flu. It wasn't until six thirty in the afternoon after surfing the web did I discover it was Mastitis.

It all makes sense now that I found the answer. Some of the causes of Mastitis is missed feedings, stress, engorgement, etc. Since I have been trying to get Jude to sleep alone at night we have missed a few feedings... and it has been a little stressful. Yesterday I actually woke up and had to breast pump in order to relieve the engorgement from Jude's missed feeding that morning. Jude won't nurse on the affected side because it can also cause my milk to taste salty I guess. Every time I even try to nurse him on that side he protests... which has left me breast pumping in order to relieve the infection.

Hopefully things will improve and a doctors visit won't be necessary. I'll update tomorrow after I get back from Jude's pediatrician on how he's doing.

Grateful for the Little Things

2009-08-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Its been a rough day running errands with Jude. It seemed like everywhere I went there were people ahead of me in line that didn't have the slightest idea of what they were doing. When I go to make returns or exchanges I always have everything they could possible need in my hand... receipt, product, I.D., and possibly my visa card if that's what I purchased it with. I've learned my lesson and keep all my receipts for a month or two before throwing them out just in case something goes wrong with a product, or Jude grows out of the specific diapers I bought in bulk and I need to go exchange them. Unfortunately not everyone is so organized and we waited in line at WalMart for twenty minutes to return a DVD that was eighteen dollars. Hmmmm...

Anyway, I must say that I am grateful for Jude's new schedule during the day. I know exactly when his nap is going to take place and today he actually took his nap on the road in his car seat. Granted it was only thirty minutes or so, but he was rested enough for me to finish running him around and gave me the chance to get him home, feed him, and get him ready for his next nap... which he is trying to take as I type. This one looks like its going to take a few minutes of crying to go out. Other than the five minutes or so of crying before naps I think Jude is doing a hundred percent better. He is more rested and happier throughout the day. I never realized how much I was holding, playing, and walking him to keep him happy. Visits to my mom and dads are a lot better too. It's not like pass the baby to keep him happy. He can play by himself for a while and we can actually talk.

Jude is also eating his Gerber 1st foods now. He has sweet potatoes at night (my dad seems to thing this is cruel and unusual punishment for the poor boy because he hates sweet potatoes, but Benny and I love them.) and peaches and cereal in the early afternoon. We are only sticking to these two until we are sure they don't upset his tummy. I just recently gave him peaches since sweet potatoes were going so well.

OH.... update on the Kiddie Kandids ordeal... we are getting a check for thirty two dollars... I guess that's something. I don't know how they came to that number, but I won't be going there again. What a shame.

A long catch up post.....

2009-08-02T21:31:00.001-07:00

The Ninety Minute Baby Sleep Routine is gold when it comes to fussy babies. This book has shown me everything that I was doing wrong with Jude and his sleeping habits. Jude has been sleeping wonderfully and actually taking a nap after ninety minutes of wake time. We love it. Night time is still a little struggle... but getting a lot better and manageable. So this weekend has been bitter sweet with my little guy. The wonderful schedule he is on helps me in my ability to schedule regular things, such as running to the store. Knowing Jude won't be screaming in the car seat at checkout due to knowing when his ninety minutes is up gives me the exact time to have him home and in bed before he has the chance to get fussy in public.

Now the bitter part of our weekend had to be when we took Jude to get his six month pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids. In order for this story make sense I'll break down the pro's and con's of previous Kiddie Kandid visits....

PRO's:

1. Sarah is by far the best photographer with my little Jude. We actually called and asked for her for his third month pictures after a horrible encounter with Ashley... will explain in the con's segment.

2. They are located inside Babies R Us and I can shop for diapers, clothes, etc. while waiting for our pictures to print.

3. I like the way they can work with Jude's pictures and put them in collages, and add text, etc.

Con's:

1. Second visit to Kiddie Kandids we got Ashley for our photographer and she clearly didn't know what she was doing. She took her hand away from Jude's side and let him tilt over and bump his head sending my mom and I out of the store FURIOUS!

2. They are always running late. Causing us to feed Jude right before pics which causes spit up on his clothes.

3. Incompetent employees that don't know their promotions.

Let me say first off that the only reason we went back to Kiddie Kandids is because Ashley had called and said they were having a 50% off sale on portrait sheets with a minimum of six sheet purchase. This was a great deal and we wanted to take Jude to get his six month pictures... so I made an appointment for Saturday at 1:30. When we get there... fifteen minutes early as specified... they are again running behind and offered us two free sheets for waiting. I noticed Sarah was taking pictures that day and decided to stay even though we were bumbed because Jude had just woken up from his nap at one and was good until two thirty. At TWO we were finally called up front for pictures after we had walked around, nursed Jude in their mothers room, changed him, and had been trying to keep him happy in that store for an hour. We were not happy.

To top it off, Sarah had gone to lunch and we were stuck with Mary... a photographer we had not used before. She rushed us through our pictures... not even offering any of the props like the nakkey shot in the wash bucket with rubber duckies or anything.... she was coughing and then blowing in Jude's face to make him smile... and she could barely stay awake to get our pictures ordered. After the sitting I had to run and feed Jude leaving my mom to order the pictures. After returning their was a big confusion on the promotion that was posted and what we were told that differed from what Mary was saying. She told us a package had to be bought for the sheets to be 50% off. This was ridiculous. The e-mail I received, the phone call from Ashley, and the promotional advertisement all over the store said the same thing... 50% off portrait sheets with minimum purchase of six sheets. Nevertheless my mom, Jude, and I were exhausted and just wanted to get out of there. Mom wanted to buy a package so she could get a cute custom pic of Jude and a collage with ten sheets for 119.99. That seventy five more dollars than we were initially going to spend!

After sitting and waiting for our pictures to print my mom and I realized that we didn't get anything on sale. We thought to ourselves and I went back to order a few sheets... at the 50% off price... to send to Grandma and Grandpa. So I got back in line... ordered the pics... payed for them... and waited again for them to print before we finally left. When I got home I was still so mad about the whole promotional price mix up that I wrote to their customer service and complained about Mary and the whole mix up. I'm going to call tomorrow if they don't call me first. I will get some of our money back due to this Bait and Switch technique that was used. I don't know if Mary gets commission or what... but this still has me flustered. We are going to go to the Picture People, JCPenny, or Sears from now on to get our pictures taken.

Here are some of Jude's pictures that were taken... I'm surprised they even got him to smile due to him being so fussy and tired:

Where is my Jude?

2009-07-28T23:23:00.000-07:00

Today was a day for the record books. One whole day without Jude having a tantrum. Today we tried the ninety minute nap routine and Jude has become a totally different baby. From morning until now he has take four naps and each time has gone to sleep by himself, and with little crying. I am amazed and must be the happiest mother on the planet right now. He has been so happy and playful during his wake time, even my mom said he was more perky today.

I was worried when I took him to my mom and dads that he might not be able to take his nap there as easily as he had done at home... but wouldn't you know he fell right to sleep with only a few minutes of crying and slept for about an hour. Afterward I fed him and took him home to give him his bath and play with him some more before his ninety minutes were up. After putting him in his crib, he went right to sleep and I decided it might be best to take my own little nap for fear that he might not do the same the fifth time around. We will see here in thirty minutes.

Another astonishing thing that happened tonight was our adventure with Gerber foods. I had tried to get Jude to take some rice cereal a month ago and was unsuccessful. Tonight I thought "What the heck, he has been so happy today maybe he will eat some actual food." I gave him a bit of rice cereal that he didn't like at first, but then I mixed it with a bit of sweet potatoes, he loved it. He ate half the little container with a bit of rice cereal. I only wish I could have taken pictures while feeding him. He was soooo cute in his bumbo seat. His little chunky legs make it difficult to get him in and out of it... but it didn't seem to bother him at all when he was eating.

Jude and Lucky

2009-07-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

Although I don't think we are going to keep this beautiful puppy that our lovely Chelsea had in her last litter... we still call him Jude's puppy Lucky. He is so cute and this dog actually plays with Jude. Lucky doesn't like the camera and unfortunately my camera has this orange flash that blinds them before the picture gets taken and these are the only few good pictures I got out of the twenty or more I took while they played but they were still cute enough to share.

Jude has been doing much better now that mommy has opted to let him sleep with her until she talks with his pediatrician. It always seems like every step forward we take its another two back. He was doing so well with falling asleep in his crib alone when he was tired and now he is back to falling asleep on mommy leaving me the daunting task of putting him in his crib without waking him again. Granted, most of the time I can do it now without disturbing him due to the months of practice... but those times I can't get him down without waking him result in him popping those eyes open, realizing what mommy is trying to do, and before his back hits the mattress he decides to throw a full fledged fit. Malissa said she found a book on getting babies to take naps called The Ninety Minute Baby that I want to look into. Honestly I think I'm letting Jude get too exahusted before trying to put him down and thats when he is already fussy before I even attempt to get him to sleep. I'll have to stop by the book store one day and glance through it to see if there is another technique I can try.

Hooters!!!!

2009-07-26T23:36:00.000-07:00

HOOTERS!!!! This will be the restaurant name I have to put in Jude's scrapbook for it was the first restaurant he ever went to with Benny's Dad, his girlfriend, Benny, and myself. Who do you think thought of this restaurant for Jude's first dinner out? Benny of course. "But the wings and prices are really good!":) So Benny said to justify his decision when his dad asked where we wanted to go for dinner. I on the other hand think it was the view and the memory he wanted for Jude to go to Hooters for his first dinner outing rather than the food. :)

Here are some pictures from our night. I must say we had a really good time and the waitresses loved to take pictures with Jude. We even got him an outfit there that said..."HOOTERS.. PARTY POOPER."

Beyond Frustration

2009-07-24T02:54:00.000-07:00

Frustrated doesn't even describe what I am feeling tonight. Sitting here listening to Jude throw his fourth screaming fit of the night has me at my wits end. It seems like we took two steps back from the previous nights. Here lately I can rock Jude to sleep and put him in his crib. Tonight that is not going to be possible and I know that if he doesn't calm himself down in the next five minutes I will raise the white flag in defeat and let him sleep with me again.

I've already had to give Jude his second bath of the night due to him spitting up on himself. But he needs to learn how to get to sleep and stay asleep by himself. Not go to sleep with mommy for four hours... not getting into a deep sleep until the fourth hour... and then getting put in his crib after a quick diaper change to sleep until three in the afternoon. I'm physically drained. He seems even more needy now when he is awake than he ever was when he mainly slept with me. Every time he is up and awake he wants to be with mommy. Not letting me leave the room without him breaking into a fussy state.

Well... Unfortunately my five minutes has passed and I desperately need some sleep if I am going to finish cleaning the house today for company this afternoon. At least I know that Jude will have to give me a break sometime soon... cross my fingers.... and hopefully I'll manage a few hours sleep before waking up to do some chores around the house. An early call to my mom might be necessary in order for me to either take a nap or finish cleaning. Wish me luck.

What time is it???

2009-07-23T03:49:00.000-07:00

Ok.... it's four 0'clock in the morning and Jude has been up for two hours. Tonight I got him in bed at nine and he woke up two hours later. I fed him and put him back in his crib and he slept until twelve thirty. Then he slept with mommy until two. Now I'm sitting on the couch with Jude on his playmat waiting for that look in his eyes that tells me he might, just maybe, want to go back to bed. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

I love it when he's happy and playfull. Just not so early in the morning. Apparently the only way to get Jude on a regular schedule I have to wake him up around seven or eight in the morning and take him for a walk so he realizes that this is day time and he is supposed to be up. Now if I can only get myself to roll out of bed, wake him up and hope he's not fussy, while keeping him awake on our walk. Easier said than done. Obviously it won't be three hours from now... but one day. If we have a good night. I'll try it.

This is my little guy jumping away this morning.

Progress?

2009-07-21T23:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you can call it progress... but Jude had a very busy afternoon and after a quick bath went right to sleep in his crib for two hours. After last nights struggle to keep my little guy asleep alone... which resulted in defeat at four thirty this morning.... I was feeling a little weary about this whole "Cry it Out" routine. When he woke up at noon to nurse, noticing that he desperately needed a diaper change I rolled out of bed and took him to the changing table. Afterward I put him in his crib and was surprised to see him go back to sleep with only a few whimpers.

Jumping in the shower and getting dressed was a treat without Jude fussing in the background. Benny got home at one and was surprised to find Jude in his crib. Benny has started working nights again... leaving me to this task alone... and hasn't been here to witness and help with our fussy son at night. Jude slept until three thirty in the afternoon. Progress??? I don't know. Now if only I can get him to do this at night.

Tough love is all I gave Jude for the rest of the afternoon. Taking him to Grandma and Grandpas in order to gain reinforcements in my attempt to keep Jude awake until bed time. We played with him, took him swimming, and I had to run him home and get him in the bathtub at eight so I could put him to bed. I really didn't think we would make it since he was almost completely asleep by the time I got the tub filled. Anyway, the bath went fast and I got him to bed by eight thirty. He only took a two our nap and was up at ten thirty. But at least I am grate full for the time I had alone while he slept safely in his crib.

Here are a few pictures of Jude and his puppy Lucky at around three this morning.

Sleeping Like a Baby

2009-07-19T23:40:00.001-07:00

Who ever thought of the phrase "Sleeping Like a Baby"? I want to meet them and see how their children sleep. One of the hardest things to do as a new mother is listen to Jude cry. The last few nights I have been trying to make sure Jude gets put in his crib when he is tired and looks as if he might go to sleep. I'm trying to let him cry in five minute increments and then go in and soothe him, turn on his mobile, and leave the room again. It has worked a few times, but tonight looks as if it might take a little longer. This by far is the hardest thing for me as a mom to do. The sound of him crying and the fact that all I have to do is pick him up is breaking my heart. But if I am ever to get a nights sleep alone again I need to stick with it.

Jude's scrapbook is finally coming together piece by piece. Although I am new to scrap booking as well as blogging, the pages that are done so far don't look too bad. I'll have to let my Grandma and Grandpa critique it when they come back to California next month. They are so far away since they moved to Arkansas and I miss them so much. Hopefully the weather will stay nice and they won't have much trouble getting out here.

How Time Flies

2009-07-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

This week has been a seemingly busy one. Since I've become a stay at home mom, that crave for personal interaction has never felt so needed. Don't get me wrong... staying home with Jude is a blessing at times and I love watching him grow and getting the chance to teach him, watching him learn everyday... but going from the retail business where you meet and interact with new people to staying at home and talking to a baby all day is a big change. Sometimes I feel bad going over to mom and dads almost everyday because I know that one day they are probably going to want to have a nice night at home.... alone.... without the baby and me.

For a few days this week my friend Brianna helped fill the void. She just recently found out she is pregnant and is expecting around April. And just like I was she is supper excited and wanted to go to Babies R Us to look around. We also stopped by Joanns Fabrics to look at baby fabrics for blankets and they were having a huge scrapbook sale. She bought a few things to start a scrapbook for her puppies... to get a little practice in before she starts her baby book with pics of her pregnancy... and I added to my scrapbook materials for Jude's baby book. When we got back to my house I showed her my collection of stuff and got everything out on the dinning room table so I can finally start on the long awaited book. :)

Here recently though we had Benny's long time friend Dave over. He had to teach a class at the CHP on Friday and stayed at our house Thursday night. His wife Kris is also expecting... next year is going to be so exciting :).... and Sunday Kris and Dave are going to come over and we were going to BBQ and catch up. Today they went to the beach, and though they asked if Jude and I would like to come I respectfully declined. Not only for the fact that I didn't think Jude would make it to and from the coast in a happy mood... but also for the fact that this might be one of the last times they can go somewhere and do something together alone. They will realize soon that times like these are going to be difficult to do with a little one arriving. I hope they have fun and it's nice and sunny there for them.

Here are a few pics from yesterday. Grandma was helping me fold clothes with Jude and she was shaking out a pair of Benny's shorts near Jude and he thought it was the funniest thing on earth. I have never heard him laugh so hard and long. This wasn't a giggle... this was full on laughter and it was the cutest thing I have ever seen. Yesterday was a very good day. Thanks again mom and dad for helping us so much. Love you.

Another Late Night

2009-07-12T00:55:00.000-07:00

How do they do it? How can a human being keep going with so little sleep? Granted Jude took a good hour nap at Grandma and Grandpa's house this evening around seven thirty... but we got home by nine and he hasn't even shown the slightest sign of going back to sleep yet and it's almost one! Today I finally realized that with the next one there is going to be a set schedule... from the day they get home!

I'm not usually the one to say I am wrong... but today... or tonight.... is the day I say, "Sorry mom, for not listening to your kind and intellectual words of advice." If I had listened to my mother instead of the books I read about putting Jude on a schedule so soon I might not have this problem with his sleeping habits. Again I am sorry.

Side note... here is my little guy at one in the morning and I can't help but notice his chunky little legs. :) Even his cheeks are looking more plump than usual!

Bad Daddy!

2009-07-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

I love how my little guy is so happy... but I don't like the fact that he already enjoys daddy's motorcycle. Thinking of my baby Jude one day being able to drive and possibly take on daddy's need to ride his motorcycles scares me. My motorcycle has been collecting dust for the last year and now that we have Jude my little 250 will have to wait a little while longer before venturing out of the garage again.

Oh... I did ride down to the post office the other day while Benny watched the baby and noticed that my eyes were constantly eye balling those mirrors and looking behind me to make sure no idiot was texting while driving and neglect to notice me in front of them. Believe me... statistics might say that Sacramento is the Fourth best city for road rage and such but we certainly don't have the brightest drivers on the road.

Grandma's Tummy Tub

2009-07-08T01:13:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday was the day Grandma's long awaited tummy tub arrived. Grandma saw this baby tub on the today show months ago and wanted to order it for Jude since he absolutely loves his baths. After a long wait due to the overwhelming demand after the today show it finally arrived today.

I must say after it arrived I was a little nervous that he wouldn't fit. My little guy is five months and just pushing eighteen pounds. He doesn't look big to me... until I go to buy him clothes or a swaddle blanket... but when I got this tummy tub out I was a little skeptical to say the least that it could hold a two year old let alone my baby boy.

After Grandma came over we decided to give it a shot. At first I think I had too much water in it. So we got a glass and emptied some out... but every time he brought his feet up he would sink further and further down into the tub. After he got a gulp of water I think he was done. He got a little fussy and I got more and more nervous. We got him out and brainstormed a little on how to get him to like it. My thoughts were to try again later on around his normal bath time with a little less water... and maybe a little warmer water too.

Although I couldn't take pictures while giving him a bath the second time I think it went pretty well. The water was well below his chin, even when he shimmied his way down the tub. He started splashing a little and seemed to like being submerged. It is a little tricky getting him out without dumping the water... but with some practice I think I'll get the hang of it. This would have been wonderful at the beginning when Jude was smaller. If only I could let Malisa use this for the twins to see if she would like it too. It is supposed to feel more like the womb and make them feel more relaxed. I'll keep you updated on his success in the new Tummy Tub.

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Fourth of July festivities were both fun and exhausting. My mom invited a friend from work over with her son and daughter for fun in the pool, food, and fireworks. We also had my mom and dad's new neighbors, Aaron and Nichole, come over too. Nichole is due to have her first little one right around Jude's first birthday! How exciting!

I helped mom get ready by cleaning the patio, running to the store, and getting some of the food ready while she held my little monster. Jude and I were in the pool by the time everyone arrived. We didn't stay in the pool very long due to the wind, but Jude was at least happy in his boat for awhile.

After we got out of the pool I ran Jude upstairs to give him a bath and put him in his Fourth of July outfit... i was hoping the bath would put him out so I could eat... needless to say he was wide awake and fussy when I sat down with my food. So I ate real fast and feed him outside while rocking him in the swing. He fell asleep and I passed him off to Grandma so I could put the food away. Then we sat and chit chatted while Benny, Aaron and Wesley played pool in the game room while we waited until nine to start up the fireworks.

When we got ready outside I put Jude in his walker and let him watch a few fireworks. I knew he would love the colors but wasn't sure of the loud sounds so I had ear muffs just in case. Wouldn't you know the first loud crackling firework had him jumping quite a few times. So I put his earmuffs on and he sat and watched a few more before he wanted to be held. Grandma and I passed him back and fourth and I nursed him during the finale. All in all it was a good night.... Until I got Jude home. Apparently I had thrown him completely off his schedule. He was mad and screaming until two thirty again... has been fussy all day.... and has literally driven me crazy. When Benny got home at eight thirty tonight I was waiting at the door with Jude in hand.

It wasn't long before it was nine thirty and Jude was ready for his bath. I've put him back on his schedule... hopefully. I'll write tomorrow. Jude is asleep now so I better get ready for bed myself or I'll miss my opportunity.

Preparing for Saturday

2009-07-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Jude and Chelsea's puppy. The puppy is only one week old. His name is Lucky and he was born on June 24, 2009. Unfortunately he is the only survivor of her litter of two. His sister didn't survive. It was a very sad day for me. I cried when I realized the little one didn't make it. But everything happens for a reason. That's nature's way. How cute are these two together. They are so adorable.

Tonight mom and I went to the firework stand. Along with everything else, fireworks have gone up in price and left me wincing after getting home and realizing how much I just spent on what will only last thirty to forty minutes.... that's only IF Jude decides he likes them when we start to set them off on Saturday. For his first Fourth of July we had to get something... but I think I let our previous years of preparing the annual Fourth of July party with neighbors and friends cloud my judgement. This year Grandma and Grandpa have new neighbors, most of our friends are still the get drunk and party crowd, and our little family has grown into the laid back and relax watching the baby type.

Grandma has a friend from work coming over

with her kids to enjoy the pool and we were planning on

cooking hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner before lighting off the fireworks at around nine. Benny and I will be there with the baby, playing in the pool and taking a ton of pictures of Jude in his Fourth of July outfit. I'll have to post those on Sunday. :)

Update on Jude's dehydration scare. Apparently it wasn't dehydration at all. I called the advice nurse and she said that since he still had wet diapers and slept well last night that it sounded like gastrointestinal discomfort. It was like stomach cramps. She told me to stop breastfeeding him and give him 5ml of electrolytes every fifteen minutes for four hours and if he vomits again to take him to the emergency room. Luckily he held everything down and even took an hour nap in the four hour time frame, so when I called her back she said that it wouldn't hurt to give him electrolytes before or after each feeding to keep him happy... but nothing more would be needed unless he started up again.

Summer Has Arrived

2009-06-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

Since Jude and I returned from our camping trip with Grandma and Grandpa... things have been a little difficult with my little "Honey Bear." For some reason he has been even more demanding of mommies attention. I've been quite exahusted. A few nights ago I tried again to get Jude to sleep in his crib. After four attmepts Jude had enough and would not even consider going back to sleep again for fear of mommy leaving him in his crib... alone. Each time he woke up in his crib he fussed, cried, screamed, and then started to gag and spit up on himself. After watching him on the monitor I then ran in there, cleaned him up, and rocked him back to sleep to try yet again to put him in his crib. I felt horrible after the fourth attempt and let him play and talk with mommy until he was ready to fall asleep again... this time in bed with mommy.

Anyway... my mom said to start putting him in his crib and starting his mobile every time I take him to the changing table in order to get him used to laying in it and feeling secure. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping he will one day fall asleep in his crib... WITHOUT the assistance of mommy.

The weather has also been getting very hot. For example, we just had a few days varying from 106-111 in some areas... which has zapped my energy and has caused concern with Jude. Today it was only around 96 but Jude had been spitting up all day. Every time I would feed him he would fuss and then spit up. Grandma and Grandpa recalled when I got dehydrated as a baby and sent me to the store for Pedialite. He drank one ounce at Grandma and Grandpas and since hasn't spit up once. Hopefully that did the trick. I've been giving him a little here and there to fight dehydration. I do not want to experience putting my baby in the hospital for something like dehydration.

A Camping Trip to Remember

2009-06-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

As you can see I haven't got to type any new postings recently. Jude and I just returned from our camping trip yesterday and even though Jude did very well... I'm still exhausted. Nothing like coming home to a messy house and a list as long as I am tall that needs to get done. But besides the everyday clutter and the fact that our garage looks more like a storage locker.... Jude's first camping trip was wonderful.

Our camping trip started on Father's Day. I woke up around six thirty and started to pack the last of our things into the back of my mom's car while Jude lay blissfully asleep on the bed. By the time I got the car packed Jude had woken up in a very grumpy mood.... making mommy all the more nervous about taking him. Luckily by the time I changed his diaper, got him dressed, and put him in the car seat he was happy. Met up with mom and dad as they were hooking up the trailer. I decided to feed Jude one last time and we got on the road by eight.

The whole drive to the campsite was peaceful. Jude slept the entire time.... a whole THREE hours. I know you think I'm crazy.... but that was amazing. When we got to the lake he was up and I could hear him going to the bath room. By the time I got him out of the car it was too late. He had soiled his diaper, clothes, and part of the car seat. Great! After changing him of course he was happy. That boy loves the outdoors. Grandma held him while I got his corner of the trailer together. A few of the things Jude LOVED while camping was playing in his walker, watching mommy and grandpa play with RC cars, and going for adventures in his walker. Pretty much just being outdoors watching the trees and feeling the breeze was enough to keep our little man happy.

Nights were a different story though. Jude stayed awake until midnight the first night just playing and talking to mommy, and the second night he kept waking up every hour to snuggle. We woke up at six Tuesday morning and couldn't go back to sleep. I thought it would be best for us to take off a day early so that we could see Benny before he went back to work today. Leaving that early also ensured that Jude would go back to sleep and hopefully stay asleep the whole way home.... which he did. It took us three hours to get home Tuesday and Jude woke up right when I hit the driveway. What a wonderful trip.

The Second Part of Our Day

2009-06-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today at around four thirty Jude and I went to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I showed Grandma the two quilts I had got her and unfortunately she sent me back to JCPenny to get the original quilt she wanted. She had the pleasure of Jude's company as I raced back to JCPenny to exchange one of the quilts for the original one. One hour later I returned to the house right when Grandpa was pulling into the driveway. I walk in the house and there's Grandma with Jude in her arms just crying with tears all over his cheeks. Didn't look like it went so well. On top of that she disliked this quilt too! Arhhh! After finally talking her into keeping the pretty blue one that yours truly picked out we decided to go swimming with Jude.

The rest of the evening was wonderful. Grandma already had Jude in his swim trunks and shirt upon arrival and all I had to do was change. After putting Jude to sleep by feeding him... I set him down in the car seat and ran upstairs to change. The booger was awake by the time I got back. So we grabbed some towels, went out back, threw his rescue boat in the water, and dove in. My little water baby stayed happy in the pool for an hour. When we got out he stayed happy just sitting outside in his towel for another hour. Grandma and I think he will do very well on our camping trip. He loves the outdoors.

Here are a few some pictures of Jude at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Somehow they always seem to get him the toys he loves the most. He'll stay Mommy's little angel at their house and turn into a monster the moment I get him home. The walker Grandpa got him is so cute with little teddy bears on it and a big bar across the front that Jude just loves to chew on. We plop him in it and put the walker in front of one of the big mirrors in their game room and he just sits and smiles at himself. Lets just hope he's this happy camping.

Appearances are Deceiving

2009-06-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

This morning was very tiring. Besides the fact that Jude didn't really want to go back to sleep until one thirty this morning after his late nap yesterday... we also had an early wake up call at eight this morning. As I got up to change Jude's diaper, thinking it would be the regular quick trip to the changing table and then back to bed we go, I walk out to the dining room to let our other babies out to find a mess in the kennel. We have three pomeranian chihuahua mixes that we love and cherish. Unfortunately our Chelsea is pregnant with her second litter and is due any day now. Just like with any pregnancy it makes it difficult to make it through the night without having to go to the bathroom. Poor Chelsea didn't make it... so after changing Jude it was time to clean the kennel. Setting Jude down and not feeding him and letting him go back to sleep was not the way to start the day. He screamed and was not happy in his crib with his mobile and rain forest sounds like he would normally be. By the time I got back to him and picked him back up he was wide awake with no signs of drifting off back to sleep. Darn.

After putting Jude in his jumperoo and letting him play for a while while I ate breakfast I thought I would surprise my mom with an early phone call... boy was she surprised. We are planning Jude's first camping trip and we plan on leaving fathers day. I only wish Benny was able to go but unfortunately he's stuck at work this weekend as he is most holidays due to working in the retail business. JCPenny was having a great sale and grandma wanted a new quilt for the trailer. Jude seemed pretty happy after eating at nine thirty and I thought now would be the best time to go. The mall opens at ten... and if Jude decided he wasn't happy in JCPenny it would be early enough that there would be few witnesses to hear his screams. I put him in the truck and he was fast asleep before I even got there. Yippie.

I found two beautiful quilts for grandma to choose from and I was at the register when Jude woke up from a dead sleep screaming. He must have had a horrible dream because he rarely ever screams like he did in this store. I got him out of the car seat and soothed his cries. The clerk asked how old he was and was baffled when I told her he was four months... well actually four and a half, but anyway.... she said he was a very big baby for his age. Why does everyone keep saying that? He is a perfectly healthy 17lbs. That remark stayed with me as we walked back to the truck. Everyone who has seen Jude always says he looks big for his age. Oh well. I think he's just perfect.

When we got home we both took a two hour nap and felt much better. I really think Jude's teething is getting worse. He is always chewing on his hand and tries to put anything in his mouth to sooth the pain. Teething pills are the only things that seem to work when he is crying with his fist in his mouth looking at me with tears in his eyes. Why does teething have to hurt so much?

One Busy Day

2009-06-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

Today was one very busy day. It started with a happy baby in the morning and a wonderful breakfast that Benny made when he got home. Pancakes have never tasted so good. Jude played in his jumperoo while Benny and I enjoyed our breakfast and then I got ready for the day while the baby played with daddy. I love having an extra pair of hands. Now that I've finally gotten used to taking care of the baby at night and seeing Benny briefly in the morning and late afternoon, its going to be a change when Benny finally starts working days again next week.

After my shower Benny went upstairs to take a quick nap... he is off tonight... and I decided to try and get my errands done since I had a happy baby at the moment. I stopped by the bank and the minute I got Jude out of the car he started crying. Darn. Not going to be an easy trip. Luckily he stopped crying long enough for me to make my deposit and get out of there. I put him back in the car and decided today might not be the best day to stop by Walgreen's and pick up the last of my pictures. Wouldn't you know he fell asleep on the way home and I turned around to make my last stop.

My trip to Walgreen's was wonderful... he slept the whole time in and out of the store AND on the way home. I finally got my pictures to send my grandparents. I'm sending them a fathers day gift with a bunch of pictures and picture DVDs so they can still feel connected with Jude. I wish I could take him out there to see them. It's such a long trip out to Arkansas from California. When he gets old enough I'm going to hop a flight out there and see my grandparents and maybe even

stop by Malisa's house to see Scott, Emily, and

their new twins in South Carolina.

Well, besides getting my fathers day gift ready for grandpa, I also got the chance to vacuum and steam clean my entire house since Benny woke up and offered to take care of Jude for a while. I can't believe we've been in our new home for two months now. Here are a few pictures of our humble abode. Jude loves the pool... and his bathes. He is definitely the water baby which makes me very nervous. We will need to put a fence around the pool when he decides its time to walk. Benny and I especially love the courtyard out front. I'll have to post pics of the inside later.

I still need to work on a few rooms.

Making up for lost time

2009-06-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

Today seemed like the perfect day to start this blog. I'm always reading my cousin Malisa's blog and it seems like this would be a breeze to keep up to date and make it easier to share photos with family all across the country. Granted... this will be my first attempt at blogging, but it seems fun and easy.

For those who I haven't talked to or seen in a while, our new addition is now nineteen weeks and three days old. Jude Randall Nguyen is quite the hand full and always keeps mommy on her toes. He is finally getting into somewhat of a sleeping schedule but is far from sleeping on his own. Jude loves to fall asleep on mommy and wakes right up after being set in his crib or bassinet. Right now he sleeps with me in bed while Benny has been working nights the last three to four weeks. Its been rough handling Jude alone. Benny usually gets home when Jude and I wake up, eats breakfast with us, and mossies upstairs for some shut eye. Working nights has drained all of his energy. Around four I'll usually walk Jude down to my mom and dads house for some much needed relief. If it wasn't for them I would probably be pulling my hair out... especially during his extremely fussy days.

Here is a picture of my handsome man in his new GT walker from Combi. He loves it. I have many toys around the house to try and keep his attention for ten-fifteen minutes while I try and throw a load of towels in the dryer or do the dishes, and this one is his second favorite so far besides my mom and dad's bouncer they have at their house. I have so many pictures to share with everyone.