Wordless Wednesday Videos

Your Smile for Today!

You've got to watch this adorable video. Guaranteed to make you smile!

More than 200 dancers were performing their version of "Do Re Mi" in the Central Station of Antwerp. With just 2 rehearsals they created this amazing stunt! Those 4 fantastic minutes started the 23 of march 2009, 08:00 AM. It is a promotion stunt for a Belgian television program, where they are looking for someone to play the leading role, in the musical of "The Sound of Music."

Happy Resurrection Day!

Resurrection Day - also known as Easter - is the most important day of the year for Christians around the world. I encourage you to read "MckMama's Blog" (Stellan's mommy). She's given a wonderful missive on this important day.

I love this line in her post: Whether you believe in something or not does not have any bearing on whether or not it is really true!

Our day started with going to church and learning after the service that Christian was the only child in the nursery who didn't cry. YAY!

We returned home where Christian got to see the nice gifts his Granny sent him: An Elmo Easter basket, an Elmo book and stuffed animal, Elmo jammies, a "toss the bunny" game and coin filled eggs!!! Notice a theme here ... ELMO! Christian LOVES ELMO!

Later in the day, we drove out to Liz's house for some visiting and dinner. Jonathan and I got play "Rock Band." Since we don't have any "cool toys" at home, this game was particularly thrilling!

Meanwhile, Christian's biggest thrill was watching FISH! He usually sticks pretty close to us (especially these days when he seems to have a bit of separation anxiety), but he was willing to let Liz or Terrill hold him if the destination was the fish tank. So that was pretty cute!

A fabulous, God and family-filled day!

Easter Artwork

Christian produced some lovely artwork at daycare yesterday. The bunny's ears are Christian's handprints (or an attempt at them). Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ... that's my boy! :)

Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday - Christian's First Painting

Can You Say Esophagogastroduodenoscopy?

Neither can I (unless I very slowly pronounce every single letter)!

So what does it mean? Its a procedure where a gastroenterologist looks at my esophagus and stomach with a flexible scope attached to micro video equipment.

At long last, I'm on the road to discovering why I've had chronic acid reflux (or GERD, if you want to get technical) for years. Tomorrow I'm getting an esophagastroduodenoscopy.

I love this part of the paperwork I was given to prepare for the procedure:

There are always some risks to any endoscopic examination. The
complications of upper endoscopy include, but are not limited to perforation (a
hole in the food pipe or the stomach that may require surgery to be fixed),
infection, bleeding (which may require a blood transfusion), drug reactions, and even death.

My brother-in-law, Eldon, had this procedure just last week and did fine. So I'm not to worried about the procedure itself ... and the doctor performing the procedure is very nice.

I'll let ya'll know how it goes!

Jennifer

An update: The procedure went fine (aside from having a nurse who was snippy with me because 1) I had been chewing gum - nobody told me not to and 2) I had eaten a small meal before 8:30am that morning - that was the instructions from my Dr. Typically a patient isn't instructed to eat after midnight the night before. Well, my doctor told me to eat ... so I did.) Apparently my esophagus is "normal." Two polyps were removed for biopsy (which I'm hoping is standard procedure and nothing to get concerned over). Yesterday (4/8), I had a barium swallow test at the hospital. The technician commented that I had "a little reflux." My next Dr. appt. is on 4/21, so I'll find out the results of the biopsy and my doctor's interpretation of the barium swallow test.

More information on the procedure: I've noticed several people have arrived at this blog posting by doing a Google search for "Esophagogastroduodenoscopy" (which is really an impressive word to say ... so learn how to pronounce it and amaze your friends, family and co-workers!), so I wanted to provide the details of my own experience so anybody facing this procedure knows what to expect (because fear of the unknown just stinks!).

First: You will be unconscious during this procedure, so you will need to have somebody bring you and take you home.

My procedure was scheduled at 1:30pm. I was told by the nurse at the gastroenterologist's office that I could have 1 boiled egg and one piece of dry white toast before 8:30am. Nothing was said to me about not taking medication, so I took my daily Aciphex pill, as usual.

I hate having a dry, stale mouth ... so I was chewing gum when I arrived at the hospital. The nurse saw me toss it and just about had a fit. She informed me I wasn't supposed to "eat anything" prior to the procedure (um, since when does chewing gum constitute "eating" something?). She then asked me if I ate breakfast ... and when I told her I did indeed eat breakfast, she just about had a fit again. I informed her I was TOLD to eat. She also got cranky when I told her I took an Aciphex pill with my breakfast. I had NOT been told to hold off on meds. Again, she was not happy.

So, be very clear on the instructions your gastroenerologist gives you for the procedure. This particular nurse had called me two days prior to the procedure and asked me all sorts of questions, filled out paperwork over the phone, etc. As a matter of fact, I asked her about the meal my doctor told me to have, and she told me that if he said its okay ... to do what he said. And she said nothing about not chewing gum.

I was taken back to a prep room and told to take off my shoes and any clothing on my upper torso and put on a gown. No jewelry allowed, either. I was given an IV (which didn't hurt anywhere near like the IV hurt for my c-section, so I was relieved). The anesthesiologist came in and also commented on the fact that I had eaten, and that I "shouldn't have." And I'm thinking, "Um, then ya'll need to speak with my doctor directly because he approved the meal."

The anesthesiologist noticed me squinting during the IV insertion, as the nurse was having a hard time with it. He gave me some "Versed" and informed it it would help me forget. I had heard of the drug prior to the procedure. Basically, you forget what has happened during the time the drug is in effect, but until you are put under, you are still able to talk, communicate, answer questions, etc. You just don't remember it later on.

The last thing I remember was that my vision got blurry and I asked if that was normal. He said, "Yes."

And then I was opening my eyes to see my son and husband in the room with me. Procedure done!

I had been told I'd be loopy for a bit ... but I wasn't. But I was relaxed ... and just content. Not bothered about anything ... not stressed about anything ... I was just happy as a clam. And that is a good place to be, you know? :)

The doctor took out two polyps from my stomach, but I was able to eat right after the procedure. No alcohol for 24 hours was the only thing. I was expecting a soar throat from the scope ... but didn't have one. I was really as if nothing had happened!

So I hope that story helps anybody who might be feeling anxious about their own procedure. Its not big deal ... really ... I promise!

A Trip to the White Tank Mountains

We live just on the east side of the White Tank Mountains. They don't look too impressive from a distance, but when you go up inside, its a little treasure of trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, and majestic Saguaro cacti. I hear there is a lovely waterfall when it rains (we've been without rain for 50+ days now).

Christian's Second Haircut

I didn't expect Christian would need another haircut for several months. However, his hair grew very quickly after his first haircut back in February. His hair is a mixture of curly, straight and wavy and its difficult to keep nice and neat. And if you've noticed Jonathan's haircut ... the men in our home keep a very short, neat cut. :)

His first haircut went rather smoothly ... which is a far cry from how today's appointment went. Christian flipped out! Nothing was soothing him ... his books, his mommy, my sunglasses (usually his favorite object to hold). Not even bringing out the camera (his obsession!) was going to soothe my precious baby.

So that you can share in the joy known as "Christian's Second Haircut," here are the pictures.

Gone are my baby's curls (which I, of course, scraped of the floor to keep!).

Wordless Wednesday - Video Day!

Wordless Wednesday

St. Patrick's Day Slideshow

Click here to see what Christian looked like last St. Patrick's Day. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!

A Budding Soccer Player

Hot off the presses ... Christian and Daddy playing a bit of soccer this afternoon.

Wordless Wednesday - Christian's First Drawing

Okay, I can't make this a truly Wordless Wednesday today because I must tell you of the evolution of this toy.

Christian's Granny gave him this tablet for his birthday in November. For months, he preferred to turn it over to the back and bang the stylus on the back. Then he learned how to move the orange knob side-to-side to erase whatever we've drawn. Recently, I've tried to get him to grab the stylus and draw with it. At last ... success! So this is Christian's first drawing all by himself! I can't stand to erase it .... but eventually I must, so I captured this first work of art on camera.

Bella the Chunk

Jonathan took Bella to the vet today for her yearly exam. Turns out, Bella's clean-up duty after Christian throws food on the floor eats has caused her to gain FIVE pounds since her most recent vet visit late last year.

I gotta say ... I laughed at that news and proclaimed, "Bella's just like her Mom!" Who knows how much weight I've gained because I eat what Christian doesn't. As the old saying goes: "Waste not, want not!"

Jonathan informed me that five pounds is not good, as its 10% of her body weight that she's gained.

Well, I still think its funny. Really funny! :)

Jonathan is now calling her, "Bella Big Butt." I have made the proclamation that nobody had better assign the same nickname to me.

Bella Big Butt

How to Get Your Husband to Do Anything ...

Want to do something "girly," like say ... go to a "Flower and Garden Show" and you want your husband to go with you? Here's how you get around it: Make sure at least two of the three things on this list are present:

1) FOOD
2) Cool cars
3) A major sports venue

Turns out, this Flower and Garden show was being held at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale ... AKA "Home of the Arizona Cardinals!" and last year's Super Bowl.

In all honesty, the Flower and Garden show was a dud. But, it was the first time we'd been to the new stadium, so Jonathan was especially excited. He's hopeful that his beloved Colorado Buffs will play there during this upcoming college football season.

The area surrounding the stadium also has the Jobbing.com arena which is where the Arizona Coyotes hockey team plays and it also hold major concerts. Its where I saw the Celine Dion concert recently. The are is called "Westgate" and its filled with shopping, entertainment and restaurants. Jonathan has wanted to check out Westgate for a while, so there was an additional incentive to check the area out.

We had recently learned that the Gardunos restaurants in the Phoenix area had closed down. We reluctantly had lunch at the restaurant that replaced it, Camarones. However, we were happy to learn that Camarones is actually the same restaurant ... same food .... but there is a name change (which I'm confused by, as the waiter indicated it was owned by the same people who own Gardunos), and menu items are named differently. My beloved Chile Rojo is still there, just under a new name.

So it was a win-win-win-win situation for all of us. :)

Christian Turns 16 Months Old

Our Little Prince Charming turns 16 months old today! It occurred to me that I didn’t give updates for months 14 and 15 … ooops! So here’s all the updates for his grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and the casual visitors to our blog:

The Vitals – At his recent Dr. appt., Christian was 22 lbs (15-20th percentile), Length was 30 ¼ inches (25th percentile) and his head was still way off the chart. Its funny to see him next to other kiddos because his head is usually WAY bigger than any other kiddo head. Well … he just has a lot of brain in there!

The Daycare Gig – Christian made it through his first three days of daycare with Melissa. He cries when I leave, so that tugs on my heartstrings ... a lot! However, I know I have to leave … so I just leave. He’s not eating very well over at her house, and then doesn’t eat very well when he gets back home. But I think it’s all part of the adjustment and he’ll gradually get better about it. I’ve noticed Christian is more clingy to me now. For example, if Jonathan and I hold hands during the prayer at meals, Christian pulls our hands apart. Yesterday at Lowe’s, I was talking to an employee about something, and Christian started to get upset (Jonathan was holding him), but as soon as we ceased our conversation and the employee left, Christian was fine. And he wants me to hold him more. I’m guessing its normal that during a transition such as this, a child will get more clingy to his primary parent. And honestly, it warms my heart that Christian wants to be near his mommy. :)

Walking – Nope, its not happening. He likes to stand on his own on our bed or a chair, but typically won’t do it on the floor where he’d be more stable. Go figure …

Talking – He has been saying “mama mama mamaaaaaa” since last week. Melissa mentioned hearing it, and when I told her I noticed it too, but it didn’t seem related to me, she said he was making the sound while looking towards the front door (where I departed). He was saying it a lot this weekend, but never to me directly. We also think he might be trying to say Elmo (his most favorite “person”). Christian’s cute little sounds change to an “Eh” when he’s looking at Elmo. Or, rather, “cooing” at Elmo. We also think he might be trying to say “Bella” (the dog). But all of that is speculative … or hopeful (however you want to look at it).

The Little Personality – Christian’s days of being a mellow, happy-go-lucky baby are waning. When he gets frustrated … whoooo-eeeeeee, look out! There are two videos we let Christian watch: “Pat the Bunny” and “Your Baby Can Read” DVDs. And he LOVES them. But if he wants to watch one, and we decline …. My goodness, you’d think it was the end of the world. Or if he wants us to read one of his books for the umpteenth time and we decline … my goodness, the tears that ensue. We do our best to not cave in. It seems the mantra lately is, “What would Super Nanny do?”

Sleeping – Christian, the world’s best sleeping baby, has started waking up around 11:00pm each night. When he’s done this in the past, we let him cry it out and he usually falls back asleep. But in the past few days, that course of action hasn’t worked. We’ve found he’s usually got a big of gas, so we give him some Mylicon and soothe him in our bed for a bit. And then, suddenly, out of the blue, he’s happy … and energetic – rolling all over the bed and laughing. Its really quite funny! But then we’ve got two very tired parents who, while amused, are just wanting to get some sleep.

It goes without saying: We just love Christian more and more each day (if that is possible). We love seeing his transformations and achievements. We love that he’s a funny little boy and makes us laugh and laugh. And we thank God for blessing us with being his parents!

An Inspiring Story About Being Creative and Living a Dream

Blogging is such a cool thing ... the way you can go from one blog to another, and then to another ... and that is why I have my list of favorite blogs on the left side ... so I (and you) can keep track of other peeps and their blogs. And, really ... looking at other blogs helps to inspire things to do on my own blog. If I had more time (ha ha!), I would do some really amazing things with my blog. Some day, perhaps ...

Many times I sit here wondering what kind of a job could I create for myself that woudn't be as stressful and time consuming as my current job. What kind of a job could I make money and be creative and just have a nice time.

Today I came across an inspiring story about a woman who decided to get creative with lampshades ... and the cool journey she's on now. Check out the story "The Reality of Happily Ever After."

Check out (and maybe buy!) the beautiful creations on Etsy! And here's her blog, Shade That Lamp.

AND ... notice the contest. If you blog, too ... hop on board!

The Dreaded Day Arrived ... and We Survived!

Christian is almost 16 months old now and has become very active and curious about everything. He really needs to be around other kids and not stuck at home all day with a mommy who is working. It was wearing on me to be working until midnight, and missing out on family time when Jonathan gets home from work. So I had to make the hard decision to put Christian in daycare.

My sweet friend, Ashlee, offered to help me out a few times a week, and she has always been my first choice for when I was finally ready to take Christian somewhere during the day. However, our houses are 14 miles apart, and two round-trip drives each day would take some time away from my work day.

Happily, we found somebody in our neighborhood who has just opened a daycare in her home. Jonathan, Christian and I met with Melissa on Monday and we like her a lot.

I dropped Christian off for the first time today, and left with tears in my eyes. Turns out, he did great (and I got a lot of work done)! Melissa's daughter is 13 months old and is walking and talking (as are the other children in her daycare), so we're hoping Christian will pick up on those skills.

He will be at Melissa's in the mornings. Tuesday - Friday (since Jonathan is home on Mondays). I'll pick him up before nap time at 11:00am, and so he can take his three hour nap here at home. That gives me SIX hours of uninterrupted work time. Combine that with any work I get done before Christian wakes up in the morning, and the work I can get done in the afternoon ... and I might not have to stay up working until midnight anymore. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christian was exhausted by the time we got home. Here's my little guy sleeping after his first morning in daycare. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!

Oh and there is an added bonus: Melissa's home is 1.5 miles from our home. If I can get Christian ready early, then we could walk to Melissa's ... and that would give me a 3 mile round trip walk! And then I'd drive to pick him up at 11:00am.

Wordless Wednesday - The Cool New Stroller

Our Thanks to Ashlee!

For several months my friend in Buckeye, Ashlee, has kindly offered to watch Christian for me. She has a little boy, Isaiah, who is one of the cutest kiddos you'll ever see and is just a couple of months younger than Christian. Ever since meeting Ashlee, I've been anxious for the boys to spend time together, but my work schedule keeps us at home and unable to go out and play. Today I had a Dr. appointment and Ashlee watched Christian for me.

Lately, Christian has only been in the care of other people when we go to church, but they've had to call us out of the service a couple of times becuase he was upset and inconsolable. So I wasn't sure how he'd do at Ashlee's house. I suspected he'd do okay, since it was just Ashlee and Isaiah, as opposed to an entire room of active toddlers at church.

As I started to leave, Christian was sitting on the floor and reached his hand up to me. I tried to fight the temptation to pick him up, but I couldn't. And I had to leave. So I picked him up, handed him to Ashlee ... and left. Thankfully my anxiety about making it to the doctor on time was greater than my anxiety about leaving my baby boy. And I knew Ashlee would take very good care of him.

Overall, Christian did just fine ... although, he got fussy every time Isaiah would touch him. Christian would sit in Ashlee's lap and read a book, but when Isaiah came near, Christian protested. I feel badly about that, because Isaiah just wanted to be with his Mommy ... and there was Chrsitian, flipping out whenever Isaiah got near.

Thank you, Ashlee, for watching Christian today!

And thank you, Isaiah, for sharing your Mommy! :)

Here are some pics of Christian and Isaiah from back in November.

Wordless Wednesday - Turn the Volume WAY Up For This One

Happy Valentine's Day, INDEED!

The Valentine's Day surprise started with an e-mail from Jonathan on Friday, February 13 that let me know the UPS man would be bringing a package, and I was not too look at the return label. The box arrived, and I left it outside.

Saturday morning, Christian and I were sitting together in bed when Jonathan walked in with two cards and placed them down before me ... with just a hint of a blue box sticking out from beneath the cards.

A blue in the shade of .... Tiffany Blue. I know this color well! :)



I stared down in disbelief. I was speechless (for once). Before me, for the first time ever, was a Tiffany & Co. box.

When I could finally speak, I think I said something like, "Just getting a little blue box from Tiffany is enough!" Ha ha!

Many years ago, Jonathan and I went to to Chicago and stayed at a hotel on Michigan Avenue, and our window looked down onto Tiffany & Co. I would look down at the storefront, wondering what treasures were inside. Jonathan finally took me inside and I admit to feeling uncomfortable ... as though I didn't even deserve to be inside the famed store. I felt every employee was judging me and thinking, "Lady, you can't even afford to LOOK in here ... now shoooo!"

Several years later, I now own my own little treasure from Tiffany & Co. :) Thanks, Honey!! :)

A little side note: You may have seen the header graphic we had on our website for a few days prior to Valentine's Day. It certainly wasn't a hint to Jonathan ... I just thought it was a cute idea to change "Tiffany & Co." to "Lucero & Co."

Valentine's Day Bounty

We got up bright an early this morning to head to a nearby farmer's market, Tonopah Rob's. Below is our bounty ... tangelos, tomatos, eggs, grapefruit, dates, carrots, dill, and fresh banana bread, lettuce mix, and spinach. I just love living out here!



Not pictured: the uncooked buffalo roast (too graphic), the tasty breakfast burritos (too quickly into our tummies), the natural cleaning products (something's got to get me excited about cleaning), and one might tasty cherry brownie (it was simply amazing and is now digesting nicely).

Wordless Wednesday