All the cuteness doesn't fit in the frame!

These guys were in rare form this weekend.
We had a fun filled weekend, and I'm so glad I have Mondays to recover from all our gallavanting. We started out the weekend by hanging out with our friends Rob, Steve and Lucy,

then went to Morris to see the twins, went to the wackiest party I've ever been to,

and came back to Chicago and had dinner with some friends.
Domingo is starting to get to the point where he's really interacting with the twins, and I'm not sure the girls are totally into it. He wants to play with what ever they are playing with at the moment, and becuase they are "older" they have to give it up without complaining, what a raw deal.

Happy Anniversary!

Where does the time go? Yesterday was Chris and my 4th anniversary! We celebrated by me going out to an art exhibit and him staying home with Domi! Actually, he hung out with tia Heather and tio James, then after the exhibit (to benefit domestic violence victims) I came home and made some yummy cobbler, we hung out and chatted, and then went to sleep! Then tonight we hung out with some friends from my work.
This picture is of Domi's new friend. It doesn't really go with the theme of the post, but I tried to upload a picture of Chris and I in our glory days from out honeymoon, but blogger wouldn't let me. Oh well, you can all just imagine how incredibly young and attractive we were. Those were the days my friend.

A taste of honey...

Not sweeter than ice cream.

The milestones keep on rolling at Domi's world. His first ice cream cone! He stole it from me and refused to give it back. I had to keep sneaking bites while he was distracted by planes overhead.

Domingo also has started pulling up onto the furniture, and anyone who happens to be sitting next to him. And the crawling is now turning more into a real crawl and sometimes even a crab walk (with straight legs), versus the wounded army crawl he was so fond of in the past. I think I might be imagining it, but I think he actually is starting to de-chub. Not completely of course, and he still feels like a lead weight, but he's looking a little slimmer than in his pre-crawling/pulling up days. Better get that child some more ice cream before he wastes away to nothing!

Play OTA!

This weekend we went to my parents' house, went swimming, hung out with the primas, went blueberry picking and then came back to Chicago in time to watch the Cubs loose to Arizona. Don't you just love summer!
This was Domi's second outing to the friendly confines, and he was not too pleased with his reception. Domingo actually did fine. He flirted with everyone we were sitting next to, had a few bites of my hot dog bun (not the hot dog!) freaked out for some unknown reason and promptly fell asleep in the bjorn as I was jiggling him up and down the upper deck.

The blueberry picking did not go quite as well. We got to the farm just in time for Domingo's nap. He did not appreciate being jostled and pushed in between rows of blueberry bushes when he was so close to falling asleep. He was once again in the bjorn, where he doesn't mind falling asleep, so long as everytime he does, his evil mother doesn't ram him into a prickly bush just so she can get more delicious berries. I should have left him at home, but Chris wanted to come too, and I just remembered the blueberry picking of yor, where you didn't have to climb inside the bush to get the berries, so I thought it'd be no problem. The twins did great, not much help in picking berries, but they had fun and were quite excited to eat the berries. They've been watching too much Dora the Explorer though, because they were swiping Chris's berries for themselves. (The fact that I made a Swiper reference and my own child does not watch television disturbs me).
Then back to tia Leticia's for blueberry muffins and sandwiches. What a great day. And a great weekend!

NEW COMPUTER LOVE!!! and oh yeah, news of Domi...

So we have this awesome new computer and I'm in lurve with it. I have yet to put any pictures into the computer, and actually have to figure out how that is done on this new fangled computing machine, so that might take a while. (Also I have to figure out how to get the pop ups to work, so I can use the spell check!) But fear not, there will be pictures coming soon.
There is however the little matter of the boy...
There is some controversy over here in Domi's world as to certain events that have taken place in recent days. And whether the posting of said events is inter-web appropriate, and/or whether such events really merit posting. I'll let the world wide web be the judge and post away (my usual default position Exhibit A- poopy butt pictures).
Item one: Domingo discovers his penis. I'm not sure if this is an official milestone, and if so, when such a discovery is appropriate, but it's true. The other day in the tub he looked down and was like "hey, what's going on with this?" and started poking and prodding at his business. Then he looked up at me and smiled and laughed. I couldn't help but laugh hysterically too. I mean it's true, penises are just funny! Today in the tub he did the same thing, but for a much shorter time, just a "hello, how's business?" and then he let out another guffaw and went back to playing with his foam letters.

Item number two is of a slightly more dubious nature. Chris is convinced a major milestone has taken place, I'm not so sure. Domingo has taken to saying "ota" when pointing to or playing with balls. (the Spanish word for ball is pelota) I was skeptical at first, but then heard it with my own ears, he grabbed a little snoopy soccer ball, held it out to me, and clearly said "ota". Does that count as a word? He's picked up a few signs, and gets really excited when he uses one and I say the word out loud. (duck, dog, more, light, oh does he ever LOVE lights) Recently I was showing him the sign for ball, and saying ball and throwing balls, etc. etc. He wasn't getting the sign, or at least not using it, but then today, he was just saying ota when he would pick up his ball. Then when we repeated "pelota" he had that same excited reaction like "Yes! Thank God you people aren't idiots, and you can understand what I'm trying to communicate. FINALLY!".
I don't know if it counts, if he will reproduce it, or if his first "word" will be long forgotten until much later, kind of like the false alarm with the rolling over that happened so many times for one day, not to return until months later. But, I figured, it did happen, it felt like he was communicating "ball" so it's worth posting.
Domingo is such a character. As I sit here going over this an older posts, it dawns on me what an amazing creature he is, both alien and yet familiar. What a terrific adventure we are all in for with this little fellow. Often when I'm just in the middle of our daily routine (I don't want to say grind, but sometimes that's what it can seems like) I don't fully appreciate what my life has become, and what I've got here. Other times it hits me like a ton of bricks that "I have a baby, and oh my God!" It's wonderful, scary, tiring, fun, and tiring. (Did I mention I'm tired?) But oh so worth it. I just can't wait to see what he's got planned for tomorrow.

Computer caputis!

Our computer has passed, may it rest in peace. Luckily it was a long and drawn out death, so we were able to retrieve important stuff, like the video of Domi's first moment on earth, before it was too late.
But, the good news is that we'll be getting a new and improved computer very soon. So there probably will be no new posts until then, but at that point we'll have loads of new pictures and news and things to share, so stay tuned.

Lucky for us...

How glad am I that my mom bought us these beautiful silk pillows for the couch? Otherwise where would the dog sleep? Surely not on the floor where he often has accidents, I mean that would be gross.

Life of the party

Domingo is definitely a social butterfly. This past weekend we were very busy hopping from one event to the next. Domingo handled each with aplomb. The weekend began with prima Freya's play on Saturday, then we went to our friends' house warming party. Even with only a short car nap in between (mommy is very bad) Domingo was super agreeable at both. He sat through the whole play, about 40 minutes, with out crying or fussing really at all. He was totally into the lights from the disco ball. Then at the party, we just sat on the grass and he played with an empty beer bottle for the entire time. Yes, I'm quite sure it was empty BEFORE we let him play with it.
Then the parties kept coming on Sunday, when we had a little get together for tia Hez and tio James's engagement. Domi was the only child around, so he had no competition and could once again steal the spotlight.
The party was a big hit if I do say so myself. Although I would love to take all the credit, the Abuelos played an integral part, as in they provided the bulk of the food and spirits.

But hey, I just had a baby, I can't be expected to host a party with no help! (What's that you say, 10 months ago is no longer "just had a baby", it's "recently had a baby" at best, and that's even a stretch? Well no one can deny that I do have a baby, and he isn't the most creative party planner, since he'd just go for giant stuffed toys, play a game of chase the Roomba around the floor, and eschew finger food for floor lint. But it would reduce prep time significantly!)
Everyone had a really fun time, we got to toast and roast the happy couple, almost all the food was consumed, and all of delicious sangria, red and white, (my idea, my idea, best hostess ever!) was drunk to the last. Best of all Domingo fell asleep without much ado, just a little later than usual. He did wake up once and no one heard him crying for who knows how long. When tia Jennifer was in the bathroom and heard him crying, she discovered he had crawled to the other side of the bed! Good thing he was on the mattress on the floor. But she handed him over red faced and sniffling, and he was soothed in an instant with some nursing and fell back to sleep within seconds.
All weekend, and really for as long as he's really been social, he's just the happiest, mellowest (is that even a word? it has to be now to describe Domi) baby around. Here he is with Heather and her friend Story who Domingo was in LOVE with; he went right to her and she held him for a really long time!

Everyone comments on what a super kid he is, and it's true! I can't take any kind of credit obviously, (but secretly I will of course) I'm just grateful, and realize how lucky we are that Domi's such an easy baby. I do realize, of course, that I've just jinxed us to some outrageous behaviour when Mr. D hits the terrible twos, and we'll probably never be able to entertain, or go out again. But that's light years away, for now get that baby an empty Corona, and let's serve up some more sangria!!

Lucky Month-day update!

It's your 10 month birthday today, and it's supposedly a very lucky day (7-7-07). It's all the luckier because it's YOUR monthday!!
This past month you've really made some changes. On the gross motor skills front, you've started creeping, that is, you are moving forward with your arms and legs, but your giant belly is still on the floor. You are making efforts at lifting up, but you really are heavy, so it'll probably take a little more muscle than you have just yet. But practice makes perfect, so keep it up! You've also figured out how to sit up from laying down. It was kind of tricky as for a really long time you'd try so hard to sit up pilates-style by lifting your head and curling up, and it just wasn't happening. So you learned the easy way and are now very good at it. You're still not quite pulling up by yourself, and when you do get up you lean pretty heavily on what ever it is you are up on, but as time goes on, I know you'll get it. Although you are desperate to get moving, especially when we hang out with other older kids, I'm not in any great rush to have you walking, we still need to get the house baby safe/clean for your new found mobility, I don't want to worry about another layer of baby proofing just yet, so take your time!
In the fine motor skills area you are still doing great. So great in fact that now we have to be super careful and cleaner than we've ever been, because you scoot around the ground and find the tiniest little piece of fluff and immediately pick it up and eat it. It is pretty nasty. If only you would do that with the delicious food I put in front of you! It's not so much that you are a picky eater (as the floor treats prove) but that you refuse to let people feed you. You are determined to feed yourself and that often times means a face and body full of apple sauce or oatmeal and maybe one cc gets in your tummy by the end of the meal. But things that I can cut into little pieces like bread, cheese, fruit, and some vegetables, you love. You continue to make the funniest faces when given something new, it's like your not sure if you're going to hate it, so you start out with that assumption, then if it pleases you, your face turns from disgust to mmmmmmmmmm. It's really funny.
Nursing is still happening, but you've started this thing while nursing where you squirm around grabbing your feet, and often kick me in the face if we are siting up, or if we're laying down, you kick me in the belly. You also twist and squirm and get distracted by the slightest thing. It's proving to be just a bit annoying and I don't want our nursing time to become something that I dread, so we'll have to see what happens with that. Hopefully it's just a phase, and you'll return to the focused eater of yore, or we might wean a little earlier then planned.
The kicking isn't the only unfortunate new trick this month. You have developed some other habits that I'm not crazy about in the last month. Particularly you have begun throwing "barinches" as Ana calls them. Tantrums. Yikes! You are so advanced, I had no idea a 10 month old could be so willful. It's true, now when there is something you want, like nail clippers, a screwdriver, whatever mommy happens to be eating, or something you don't want, to be changed, to leave the park, to GO TO SLEEP, you have a little barinche. Abuela says you are just testing your boundaries, mommy says you are testing the limits of her sanity. As much as I know you'd love it, you can't run around with a poopy diaper all day, nor is it a good idea to poke at the dog with a screwdriver. Up until literally a few weeks ago, I would say you were the most mellow and easy going baby I've ever met. Now you are putting up a fight for all kinds of things! But that's what parenting is about, you decide what are the things worth fighting for, and let the other things go. If we don't start saying no now, to things that can hurt you, or when you are hurting other people, it will only get worse, and you'll be the kind of person that no one wants to be around, and that's something that I definitely don't want for you.
I think part of the barinche phenomenon is a result of your desire to get moving and decide for yourself where you want to be and what you want to do. Soon enough you'll get there, and we'll all be chasing off after you! But for now we are still working on the sign language, which I think helps with the frustration. Actually being able to get your point across alleviates your irritation with us, even if it's about the light, or the dog, or the fan. In other communication news, you are still babbling a lot and Daddy and I both have heard you cry "mama" when Daddy puts you to sleep. Even if you aren't calling me, it's a pretty heart wrenching cry.
The only thing I'm going to say about sleep this month is that we've started putting you on a mattress on the floor when you first fall asleep because you were sitting up in bed when Daddy checked on you the other night. It scared us straight, and now the farthest you can fall is two inches. Which you did last night when you rolled off the air mattress and woke up with a yelp.
Finally, you also had your first Emergency Room trip this month. Please for Mommy and Daddy's sake, let's not have a repeat any time soon! We were really scared when we came home and saw how sick you were. I walked in and don't know who was paler, you or Daddy! Thankfully it wasn't too serious and you got over your tummy bug in about 24 hours. Any longer and we might have had to return to the hospital because you refuse to drink the pedialyte. I can't blame you it's nastacular. Hopefully we won't have to rely on that again in the near future.
A pretty good month in the end, and it'll just get better as I'm now home 4 days a week! We're definitely taking advantage of the nice weather, and will keep it up as long as possible. I can't wait to see what next month brings!
Love,
Mama
Edited to add: I almost forgot one other new thing you've started, and if I don't write about it now, you'll probably stop doing it by next month! You are so interested in cars and actually all things mechanical, fans, wheels, hinges etc. but the thing you've started doing is making a car brrrrrrr noise with all your toys, be they cars, trucks, horses or seals. It's really a riot. I didn't want to forget that you started that a few weeks ago! xo mommy

Happy 4th of JULY!!

We had such a fun time for the forth. Tia Patricia, the Abuelos and Tia May, and Karina, Justin, Emma and Mateo came over to play. Domi had a little bit of a time sharing with his friends, but then when everyone left, he was sad. He really loves to be in the mix!

July! July!

Can I just say I love summer? Watermelon, sunshine, and beach beach beach!! It is by far the only time to live in the Midwest. Summer in Chicago ALMOST makes the rest of the year worthwhile. (Actually Spring and Fall are great too, but they last all of 5 minutes.) Back to Michigan this weekend. We had a great time. We hung out with Tia Jennifer and Tio Max, prima Freya and primo Theo, and our good friends Steve and Lucy.
Then, we drove back today, and I got to play hooky from work! That is, I no longer work on MONDAYS!! What would Garfield say? Now I have to hate Tuesdays! Actually I can't think of a nicer way to start the week then hanging out with Domingo.here are some more snaps from this weekend.

Domingo LOVES to look at his books, he can entertain himself for a really long time, I love it!

Love the beach!