Six Months Later

So, Christmas, Easter, six months, three birthdays, 12 trips to the doctor, and a new apartment later, you get an update!

WE HAVE MOVED!!

7137 Alvern St. Apt. 123
Los Angeles, CA 90045

As a recap, we put the house on the market in mid-August, had our official buyer and backup buyers by September, and received approval for our short sale from the bank on April 6. We moved into our new apartment just under two weeks ago after a VERY long month of sickness and packing.

First and Second Hair Cuts

Manny's birthday was April 7th, he got a fever that night and was diagnosed with pneumonia by the weekend. This was after Alexander had been on Amoxicillan for ear infections. By the time Manny was semi-recouperated from his pneumonia, Alexander got high fevers and started pulling on his ears again. We found out the puffy, hard way that he is allergic to an alternate antibiotic, Omnicef. While I was re-couperating from a pediatrician diagnosed ear infection and strep throat, Alexander got a stiff shot in the leg that knocked out his problems. We were all on antibiotics at the same time and were moving on Saturday. (And that's the short version.)

Needless to say, with a new address, we DID in fact make it to the new place. Packing was insane and stressful. We went from a 3-bedroom, 1500 square foot, two car garage townhouse to a 2-bedroom apartment...period. To avoid getting rid of EVERYTHING, we did get a storage facility for camping gear and VJ's room, etc. Most likely, that is where she will be staying for her summer home from Chicago. Should we have gotten the climate controlled one...?


Alexander has done SPECTACULARLY throughout the whole process. He had some fussy days when Daddy and I were busy packing and he didn't get as much one-on-one as usual, but the transition has gone very well for him emotionally and mentally it seems. He's getting big and is super fun and active. He doesn't have too many words yet, but I'm not worried. He talks as if he is actually saying things. He DOES say, "ball," "more," "Papa," and "Mom." (Everyone is Mom). He gets very proud of himself when he uses his words too. He's pretty adorable. After the move though, we miss our friends Lori and Sasha, Alexander's best friend. We see them weekly when I go to work for the HOA, but it's withdrawal from 5 days a week. :-(

Chuck E Cheese & A Long Day of Fun

Manny now has an 11 minute "commute" to work (this is in contrast to his guaranteed hour to and from our townhouse). Work is going well, he is working hard, and we have had family dinners almost every night for the last two weeks. Can't ask for much more than that.

Alexander at work with Mommy & his first day in Geography Lab

Early Pic of Number Two
I'm pregnant...pretty darn very pregnant. Today actually starts my third trimester, so we have just under three months to go (due August 2). Everything is going well. We didn't have the money for my midwife this time, so I am driving an hour to the OB that delivered Alexander. It just reminds me of why I love my midwife so much. The baby is a kicker, just like Alexander, but it's not as cute this time since I have to chase after a toddler all day. I am perfectly happy being pregnant, it just seems to be a little more uncomfortable than I remember. I just finished up the Spring Semester, hopefully with all A's. I will still be working for our old HOA until the baby comes, since they DO pay me a little. Then, a month after Number TWO is here, I will start the FALL semester. Not sure what classes will be available, but we'll see how it goes.

Feel free to ask questions. I'm just glad I got this much out!!

Good Night and Good Luck!

Fall Holidayz and Big Brother

Well, if you checked the first blog, you'd know that Alexander is going to be a big brother! You can visit his baby sister or brother's blog by clicking here. Alexander has transitioned into a FULL BLOWN toddler. He's super smart, and funny, and crazy, and sweet, and loving, and silly, and has the cutest patootie EVER!



To see all of Alexander's latest pics of Halloween and Thanksgiving, you can see them here at dermondiaz.shutterfly.com.

So, Halloween was a BLAST! It was a week long event in our house. On Saturday before Halloween, we had to pick out our pumpkins at the local pumpkin patch. After a hay ride from the parking lot, Alexander got to run a muck in the pumpkins and even made a new friend. Then we had our annual pumpkin carving party on the Sunday before Halloween. We had friends and lots of family. I made swamp juice (mmmm....) and devilish eggs. There were LOTS of pumpkins carved. Alexander got to carve his first pumpkin with Manny! Alexander LOVED his "ManTevStein's Monster" costume and brought it to me everyday to put it on. He wore it around the house and outside until it got too hot. FINALLY, Halloween came. That day was a little less eventful, but we went trick or treating in our complex and had a great day together.

From Halloween to Thanksgiving! I toned Thanksgiving down significantly this year and we had a fun and relaxing day. We had a small family brunch and dinner at 3:00. Alexander hung with the boys (Manny and Karen's boyfriend, Jules) after dinner...it was cute. That was pretty much it for the day...hallelujah!

So, sometime in there, Manny and I made another baby! Yay! Alexander is very excited, he just doesn't know yet.

The short sale on our house is almost approved. I expect to get word now in the new year. Then we'll have 30 days to find a new place. Things are going well with Manny at work. I'm back to school in January and still working for our homeowner's association. Things are pretty routine, thank goodness, cause Alexander keeps me on my toes!

I am sure you have noticed, but I have added Google AdSense to my blogs, so the more you click, the more I may get paid. We'll find out in a couple of months if it pays off, but feel free to click away as often as you would like! Thanks!

Loves, Hugs, and Kisses,

The Diaz'z

A YEAR Already!

Has it really been a year already? Well, Alexander is still a mess, if anything, a BIGGER mess. :-) Three albums have been added since last blog.

Check out all of his pictures here for a visual story of the last few months!

Alexander is into EVERYTHING. He's climbing in the fridge, opening cabinets, opening the toilet and leaving phone chargers in there, climbing into chairs, running up and down the street, hiding remote controls in the trash, and gives the BEST HUGS EVER!

As the summer heated up, the water hose came on. Alexander's favorite part of the day is getting to play in the hose and his little pool. He LOVES water and has a blast. Check out the video of Alexander playing with his neighbor friends (that's Alexander you hear when the video starts). Little Jacob has twin cousins (Alexandra & Andrea) that Alexander is courting. We call him Little Hef! All of our video clips are POSTED HERE for download.

The biggest part of the summer was when Bumblebee came to town for Xandy's 30th birthday... oh, and Alexander's FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!! We had a LOT of fun! Alexander got tons of booty, clothes, books, and toys. After our breakfast birthday party for Alexander, we spent the day at Dodger Stadium watching the Dodgers whoop the Cubs. Then, we went straight from the game to Xandy's birthday sushi dinner. The day was filled with fun and family. We are very blessed!

On Labor Day, Alexander did end up with a bit of a flu and we took him to the hospital with a 105 fever. They tied his hand to the gurney to get blood, but it didn't work, so they did it again. Two hours later, they found his blood sample after being lost. It had coagulated and they couldn't use it. I wouldn't let them try a third time. By the time Alexander had gotten his chest x-ray, he was well traumatized. This photo was taken after his fever broke and he actually wanted his cheese stick. We took him home 4.5 hours later and his fever never returned. He was diagnosed with an ear infection, upper respiratory infection, and a coincidental case of ringworm. Our poor baby was finally back to 100% about a week later.

On the Mommy and Daddy front, we are selling our house to cut our expenses and looking for an apartment. It's been tough keeping the house clean, but we do have several offers, it just needs to get approved by the bank due to the fact that we owe more than it's worth (called a short sale). I give it another couple weeks and I get to wake up without having to make the bed! Woo-hoo!

Almost a YEAR!

CHECK OUT ALL OF OUR PICTURES HERE!!

On July 22, Alexander will be ELEVEN MONTHS OLD!! That's one month shy of a year (and surprise, I did some math!).

Well, obviously we've (I've) been busy. Our little family has definitely settled into our routines. Morning, breakfast, naps, playtime, lunch, playtime, naps, Daddy's home!, dinner, bedtime. We all get a bath in there at some point, although some bathe more than others *clears throat*.

Last time I wrote, Alexander was starting "solids". Well, he has well surpassed his purees and refuses to eat anything he can't pick up and shove in his mouth himself. He has moved on to a sippy cups and is getting pretty good at it (yes, he is still nursing...whenever he wants, mostly at night). On that note, he has SIX TEETH now too. Two bottoms and four tops...and "No Biting!" is Manny and my new mantra. Big Boy is working on his problem solving skills and likes to take the vegetables out of the refrigerator one at a time and the movies off the shelves at Blockbuster one at a time. We actually only go to Blockbuster to play now. He has been standing on his own for a while now, but has officially graduated to WALKING. He took his first steps at 9 months and is practically walking across the room now. His skill increases daily and surprises me every moment.

Our Visit to my mom (Bumble Bee) in Texas.

Not only are his cognitive and physical developments on par at the least, but he is quite the character. Alexander smiles ALL THE TIME, will laugh at the most simple glance, and flirts like his mommy...I mean his daddy...I mean his mommy... ... He adjusts to strange environments well as he is too curious to care where he is or what's going on. He is one of my new best friends...but not at night. I don't like him at night. Okay, well not HIM per sa, but his sleeing habits, or lack there of. I know it is a monster that Manny and I created, so I can't blame The Boy.

I'm doing well. It seems like I spend 80% of my day in the kitchen cooking or cleaning, but practice makes perfect and I am a perfectionist. I bust my butt working for our HOA (home owners association), but they are paying me now. I feel epowered knowing that I can buy our groceries and contribute monetarily, at least a little. Alexander and I spend a lot of time outside, swimming in big pools or mini pools, walking, bubbles, eating leaves, delivering HOA letters, etc. Manny just reminded me that I broke my foot in April. The first week on crutches was IMPOSSIBLE, but I had lots of help from wonderful friends and family. I had a walking boot on for about eight weeks after that. It wasn't a blast and it still hurts, but I'm glad to be out of the boot.

Manny's good too, doing his thang in the Sales Dept. at Quad. Most mornings, Alexander is up by 6:30, so we get to make breakfast for Daddy and wave bye bye bye to him. He's usually home by 6:00 and gets to see Alexander at his most excited when Daddy gets home. It's a hoot to see Alexander's arms and legs trash around in excitement. We've been attending quite a few Dodger games and they are #1 in the league, so that's ahhhh-sum.

4th of July 2009

The rest of the fam is good. Karen's in her own place, so we see her every couple of weeks or so. Now that it's Summer, we've been grillin' with Uncle Xandy and Aunt Kara more. VJ is home for the summer, but working with Karen at UCLA, so she is only here at our house on the weekends. Carmen is working hard, but is home most evenings to kiss Alexander good night.

Check out all of the latest pictures online. They probably tell more stories that you would prefer to read. Enjoy and we'll see you at Alexander's one year birthday...or is Alexander turning THIRTY?!

Hugs, loves, and snuggles,

ManTevXan

SIX Months and Counting!

Boy have we been busy! Blog updates seem to take a back burner the faster Alexander moves!

Check out all of our Pics at DermonDiaz.Shutterfly.com!

Well, I haven't written since before Christmas. I won't bore you with our thousands of Christmases, but the pictures ARE posted online, so you are welcome to see the multitude of First Christmas photos of our Nug (Nugget).

The most recent news is that two days ago, Alexander sat up all on his own. He was on his tummy and I turned around and he's up on his tush. THEN, the next morning and he sticks my finger in his mouth and sure enough...TEETH! Well, I call them little razor blades protruding his gums. No he hasn't bitten me while nursing...yet. He hasn't officially started crawling yet, but I can' turn my back on his for a second already. He squibbles his way over to every electrical cord and electronics light he can find!

Alexander has been sleeping better lately. For the most part, he's asleep by 10:00-10:30 and wakes around 4:30 to feed and sleeps again until 8:00 or 9:00. Of course I still wake up every 2-3 hours to make sure he's still breathing.

Manny is doing well at Quad still, but since times are rough, he's been working "late" lately. Even an extra hour is rough on me (and he commutes an hour). Alexander and I are settling into a pretty good routine with daily walks and checking of messages and writing letters for the HOA...they may actually start paying me soon. This semester is my first on campus at CalState Northridge, so Manny rushes home on Wednesdays and Thursday to take Xander and drop me at class. I've managed to keep A's, but honestly, it's tempting to give up sometimes, but I guess I manage to plow through.

I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful gifts we received while I was pregnant and after Alexander was born. We have used EVERYTHING! I think of each of you individually as we put on his cute little Gap sweatpants, sit him in his play saucer, play with his wolf puppet, chew on his vibratey teether, read him a dinosaur sleep book, etc., etc., etc. We are all very grateful.

Thank you for all of your love and support,

Tevis, Manny, & Alexander

Holidays a Go-Go

Wow! What a difference two months makes! Alexander has been a busy boy and we have the photos to prove it!


See ALL of our photos online at DermonDiaz.Shutterfly.com!!

1st HALLOWEEN

Alexander actually got to meet his Grandpa Dee-Daw and Grandma Wee-Maw for Halloween. My dad and Lisa came to meet their first grand-son and hang with their children as well. Dad stayed several days with Xandy and Kara and several with us. They were here just over a week, but just in time for our annual Pumpkin Carving Party. We didn't get a costume for Alexander since we didn't want to invest the $25 and I am too tired to create. Dad, Lisa, Manny, Alexander, and I all went to a pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkins and made a HUGE mess at the house carving pumpkins with friends and family. Dad and Lisa were amazing with the baby and Manny and I even got to go on a date!! A date with my husband...imagine that!

See ALL of our photos online at DermonDiaz.Shutterfly.com!!

1st ELECTION: Yes we can!
Alexander will forever be able to say that he was born in the year of the rat and the year our first non-white male president was elected. We were with friends the night of the election and it only took minutes after the California polls to close for CNN to announce our new President Elect, Barack Obama. It was amazing to say the least. Alexander's Aunt VJ is in Chicago for school and was IN Grant Park for his speech. Living in history.

1st THANKSGIVING

Turkey Day!! We had our second annual Diaz Thanksgiving this year at home. So far, it is a small event with BIG food. I organize and cook the whole meal and feed whomever will show up, usually just the immediate family, Manny, Carmen, Karen, Alexander, and this year, Veej was in Chicago, but we got Karen's sugar daddy, Jules. The Turkey was beautiful, although the picture taking was lost on the wayside as I cooked and Manny research flatscreens (silly boy).

See ALL of our photos online at DermonDiaz.Shutterfly.com!!

OUR SUPERSTAR!
Manny and I had been discussing the exploitation of our children since before we were pregnant. So, now we have an ADORABLE child, we are in the process of choosing a modeling agency. It is quite the elitist industry and few get in, but Alexander has agencies fighting over him now and we just have to make a decision as to which one. We will be looking for print and commercial work. All he needs is a national spot sometime in the next few years to pay for his college, or if he goes to art school, his first year at least. Check out his great pics and headshots!

See ALL of our photos online at DermonDiaz.Shutterfly.com!!

ME, MYSELF, and I, and MANNY, and ALEXANDER
I am officially a stay-a-home mom, busy with a beautiful baby nugget boy. Alexander is just getting to a point that we have some what of a routine of eating, peeing, and sleeping (anywhere between 3 to 7 hours a night). He's lifting his head really well, he found his hands, and chit-chats with me all day long. OH! He rolled over for the first time yesterday, so..Yay!

Things with my office didn't work out as hoped, but I'm not giving up completely. I'll be on the lookout for any way to make extra cash at home (secret shopping, transcription, exploiting my son, etc.), but for now, we are one less income.

I'm finishing up my first semester at CalState Northridge (online courses), and should be writing a term paper right now and not updating the blog, but Alexander is much more fun to write about than the Electoral College. I have two more classes scheduled for next semester (Hist.of Latin American Art and Art Across Cultures), which I will have to attend in person. Luckily, they are offered in the evenings, so I will not have to put Alexander in a daycare quite yet while I'm at school.

See ALL of our photos online at DermonDiaz.Shutterfly.com!!

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? CRITICISMS?
If I left anything out, just let me know and I may update with details sometime next year! ;-) I'll definitely get back with more pics and more stories after Christmas and closer to the new year. Hope this blog finds everyone well and Happiest of Holidays!!

I think he's gotten bigger!

Check out all of our photos at Shutterfly.com!

Most of the pics posted here are from Manny's iPhone and they are not available on Shutterfly due to quality.

Wow! I just checked out the last blog and realize how far we have come in the last 5 1/2 weeks. Alexander is much bigger and SO much better than he was last time I wrote. It's been a long road.

First, everyone has been asking what we plan on calling him, and I must say, I don't know. Mom came up with "Gummy" from the Montgomery, but Manny has protested. He's "Dermon" (alexanDER MONtgomery) as far as Xandy & Kara are concerned, in protest to Alexander stealing Xandy's name (and birthday). I came up with "Ali D" as his gangster name, but don't think that will stick. Very often, we are calling him "Mr. Montgomery", but God forbid he become a lawyer (no offense Pappy). I figure for now, we'll go way off the hinge and call him Alexander.

Alexander had a rough first couple weeks (as well as did Daddy and especially Mommy). After two weeks of crying, about 6 pediatric appointments, a visit to the chiropractor, and several appointments with my midwife, I came to the embarrassing and undeniable conclusion that I do not produce enough milk for my baby. I never got the typical "let down" of milk (neither did one of my aunts or my grandmother). He has been supplemented with formula since he was two weeks and three days old. He immediately took to the formula as it actually fed him. He was quite ravenous with the bottles at first. Luckily, my pediatrician suggested a contraption called the Supplemental Nursing System design for adoptive mothers to bond with their babies and has since become quite the breastfeeding aid. It's a bottle of formula that hangs from my neck with tubes that distribute formula to Alexander's mouth as he nurses my breast. I debated including a picture, but figured most of the family would see me whipping it out at Christmas anyway, so enjoy!

Since the moment he went on formula, he has been an amazing boy. The first night, I got to see his eyes for the first time since birth (as he was either crying or had cried himself to sleep). He has been putting on weight beautifully and has been alert and giggly ever since. He's not too fond of the car seat, but who is? This kid has never wanted to be strapped down and I don't think that will be changing any time soon.

Manny and I have gotten to know Alexander pretty well now. He cries for four basic reasons, all of which we can take care of pretty quickly. The basics: hunger, gas, wet diaper, or he's sleepy. When those needs are met, he's fun and beautiful. We've had lots of outings and just this past weekend we went to two birthday parties and a wedding!

Manny goes back to work tomorrow (well, today, 10/29). It's going to be interesting for Mr Montgomery and myself. We'll be working on establishing some type of routine which will need to incorporate feedings, school, sleep, work, laundry, etc. I guess I gotta eat somewhere in that cycle too.

Anyway, thanks everyone for all the gifts we have received from pregnancy to today. We have used darn near everything and are VERY grateful for all of your love and support. Enjoy the photos and I'll try to get back with an update for Month 2 or so...goodnight...good morning?...*sigh*