Dinner with E&E Gaeta

Dear Baby,

Did you enjoy your dinner last night? We went to a Mexican restaurant called Villa Tepeyac and met up with Daddy's cousin Eddie and his wife Elena. We haven't seen them since Mommy and Daddy got married last November. Eddie and Elena stood as our Cord sponsors for our wedding. It was so much fun talking to them and catching up these two. They are such a fun couple.

Eddie and Daddy are cousins and grew up together so these two have a lot of memories of their fun childhood. They lost touch for awhile and it is so great to be able to talk to them and hang out with them now. His wife Elena is so friendly and kind and always greets you with a smile. I'm sure you heard a lot of talking and laughing last night...and of course a lot of eating. Our dinner was YUM-O!

Mommy and Daddy shared a HUGE burrito that has rice, beans, and chile verde meat in there. Tio Eddie had a Steak Picado burrito and Tia Elena had chicken flautas. And of course we all shared some chips and freshly made guacamole. Don't worry Kid, you'll be familiar with Mexican food because Mommy and Daddy LOVES Mexican food and I'm sure your Abuela will be cooking some yummy Mexican food for you one day.
Let me see if I can find a picture of your Tio Eddie and Tia Elena...here they are :] Can't wait for you to meet them, I'm sure they are going to love you to pieces!

Mommy WuvsYou

Silly Omie

Dear Baby,

I'd like to introduce you to Mommy's Godson Rommel aka Omie. Mommy calls him Omiesh. He is my BFFs son and I am his Godmother aka Ninang. That means he will be your Godbrother. He is so silly and oh so funny. He and his parents came to visit us while we were working at the pumpkin patch last Sunday. Here are some pictures that I got of him:

He's getting so big and he talks A LOT...
just like his Ninang :]

he picked out that pumpkin because he liked that it was
"bumpy"

told ya he's silly...hehehe :]

Mommy WuvsYou

WCUMC's Pumpkin Patch

Dear Baby,

I wanted to show some pictures of our church's pumpkin patch this year. We usually have it in the front lawn but this year the patch is now at the back lawn of our church. Our patch is SO cute and just gives you that 'warm and home-y' feeling. Linda takes care of this every year and she decorates the patch and she does such an awesome job.
Here are a few pictures that Mommy took while we were working last Sunday:

I hope a lot of people buy from us :]

small ones, big ones, fat ones, tall ones, and even weird
and ugly looking ones

I love all the orange!

we have all kinds of pumpkins

cutie right?

I just thought this guy was a cutie!

look at all the cute LiL pumpkins :]



this witch was probably texting while flying...LoL!
OK that was kinda lame...hahaha!


Mommy WuvsYou

Hello Third Trimester!

Dear Baby,

Guess what? Guess what? Guess what? You and Mommy are now entering our THIRD and LAST trimester of this wonderful journey called pregnancy! Yay! You are now 27 WEEKS OLD today which means we will get to meet you in about 13 WEEKS...yippee! Let me post what BabyCenter has to say about you today and then I found this other site that I liked so I'll post that as well. I'll then talk about ALL the changes that Mommy's body is going through all because of You LiL One :]

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.




a cauliflower huh? they stink though :] hahaha!


Here's what Baby2See has to say about my LiL Peanut today:

Week Twenty Seven: Eyes can open
You are 27 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 25 weeks)


•The fetus weighs almost 2 pounds now and is about 14.5 inches long.
•Baby now weighs about 875 grams and is 36.5 cm in length.
•The head is over 2.5 inches (7cm) in diameter.
•Your baby's hearing continues to develop.
•The eyes can blink, open and close.

Welcome to the third trimester. Congratulations! You have made it 2/3 of the way through. It may be hard to believe, but your baby now appears much like he or she will look like at birth. Baby now has eyebrows and eyelashes and hair is growing everyday. The muscle tone is improving and his or her body is getting plumper.


Your little one's brain continues its rapid growth. Don't forget to share music, conversation, and even books with your baby. Baby may start to recognize your voice as well as your partner, so be sure to say lots of nice things.


The retina at the back of your baby's eyes is beginning to develop. Those beautiful baby eyes can open now, and the baby will notice and may turn his or her head if you shine a flashlight against your belly.


At 27 weeks, your baby's length will have tripled or quadrupled from the 14 week mark. If your baby is born this week, the chances of survival is now at least 80 percent. However, serious complications are still possible.


I love how these sites gives you all these details about how babies are growing in your belly. And I know that every pregnancy is different and all but I still like reading the articles and getting an idea of what to expect and to also get an idea of what's going on inside my tummy.
Mommy WuvsYou

Plans for the weekend

Dear Baby,

You and I are gonna have a BUSY weekend...which starts TONIGHT. Yup, Mama invited us to go with her to a baby shower for her co-worker. I've met her co-worker before and she and I are actually due on the same month. Well, technically she's due in February but because she's having a c-section she scheduled it for the end of January. The baby shower will be at a restaurant called

And since it's a Mexican restaurant that means CHIPS & GUACAMOLE here we come...YUM-O! It'll be fun because I know most of Mama's co-workers already and a few of them are good friends of hers so it'll be a night filled with lots of good food, good company, and lots of laughs for sure. (Mama and her co-workers act kinda weird, but in a funny way when they get together) I'll try to remember to take pictures. I am so sure these people will be asking about you and would LOVE to meet You when you decide to come out of Mommy's belly.

Tomorrow we are going to church at 10am for the Blessing of the Animals. We have to take your big fur brother Milo to get blessed so he can live a long and healthy life with us. Maybe we can ask Pastor Mary to help us pray that he doesn't PEE where he's not supposed to as well. That's the ONLY complaint we have about your big fur bro...ugh! Your Daddy especially HATES it when he does that.

isn't he a CUTIE?

Another even that the church will be holding that day is the Annual Halloween Party from 4pm-7pm  and this year it will be held at the Pumpkin Patch. Sad to say, I'm not sure if we're going to be able to make it to the party. I want to though because I would like to bring your Tio Cheo with us so he can have fun seeing other kids with their costumes, maybe participate in some of the games, and of course eat some YUMMY Halloween treats. We shall see if we get to to go to the party.

The reason why we might be able to make to the Hallloween party is because we are going to a baptism. Yup, Mommy's friend Nancy's son Enrique will be baptized tomorrow at 4pm and then dinner will be served at 6pm. Baby E is so super CUTE and I am so happy to be able to be there for his baptism. You see, Nancy and I met have known each other since junior high. We lost touch for so many years and barely reunited late last year. It's been great to be in touch again and we've hung out a couple times already so it's been fun. Here's a pic of Baby E:

look at that smile : )

Wow, tomorrow is going to be one BUSY day huh? I'm sure we'll have lots of fun though. So You be nice and cooperate with Mommy OK? Let's help each other not to be lazy and let's hope You and I don't get tired too fast and of course let's help each other enjoy all the festivities!

And just when you thought it's over we also have a few things to do on Sunday. There's church at 9:30am of course. Then right after church You and Mommy, along with Mommy's youth class kiddos will be working the Pumpkin Patch for a few hours.



OK our church pumpkin patch isn't THAT big but
it looks just as nice as this one

We are going to sell pumpkins and hopefully a lot of people buy their pumpkins tomorrow. We'll be at church from 9:30am to about 2pm so I hope we won't be too tired from all the activities on Saturday. Mama and Papa might stay with us if they'd like. Your Daddy won't be able to help us I don't think because his car club meetings are on Sunday afternoons.

OK Kiddo...get ready for a FUN weekend!


Mommy WuvsYou

Halloween

Dear Baby,

Halloween is coming up on the 31st of this month. The month of October is usually ALL about Halloween. This is the day where everyone-kids of all ages dress up with their costume of choice. Older 'kids' usually go to a party and hang out with their buddies while the little ones go out and about from house to house in their neighborhood and ask for candies. They carry some kind of baggy with them and once someone opens the door, they have to say-TRICK OR TREAT. Once they do that the person who opened the door will hand them some CANDY. Just like that! Simple eh? I bet you can't wait until you get to do that huh? Since You're still in Mommy's tummy this year I don't know if I'll be able to find a costume that will fit me and my HUGE belly. But come next Halloween, You'll be 9 months old and  I cannot wait until I get to dress you up in a cute LiL costume :]
Here's a FUNNY picture I got in an email today:

Mommy WuvsYou

Love this post!

Stepping Out of the Helicopter
written by ThatWife from http://thatwifeblog.com/

While in Poland I think I held T1 in my arms for about 45 minutes. Total. I didn’t change a single diaper or mix any bottles of formula. We slept on the ground floor while he slept on the 2nd and was cared for by my in-laws. I left him behind from Wednesday-Friday to go to Vienna with That Husband. Saturday morning we left him at the house at 11 am and we didn’t return until 11 am on Sunday after the wedding was over.

Basically it was an entire week of a baby free lifestyle. I realized on the plane ride home that I wouldn’t go back and wait a few more years to have kids though, that life with him is so much more fulfilling than life without him, but that isn’t the point of this post.

So many of the things that we freak out about don’t really matter that much. Safety, as defined in the most universal of terms, is certainly paramount, but there are so many areas that we’ve deemed as “the only way to raise a child” that just… aren’t. I think anyone who has seen the Babies movie can attest to that.

While in Poland T1 slept on a mat on the floor of the living room. They gave him some type of tea that they say all Polish babies drink. They started feeding him solids (Gerber purée from a jar). They dressed him in the craziest combinations and put his socks on inside out (I’m slightly crazy about what he wears and how he wears it). They arranged a babysitter for the wedding that he spent a day and a night alone with who I never even spoke to (she only spoke Polish).

And yet, T1 was happier than I’ve ever seen him! He had attention from adoring grandparents 24/7. They made up little games with him, took him for walks, and if That MIL and I walked in the room together I swear he was more excited to see her!

Grandchildren are truly the best possible gift you can give your own parents. I came to understand this when I saw the way my own father interacted with T1, but it was cemented in my mind during our time in Poland. They adored T1. It was love at first sight. The infatuation knew no bounds. Giving up the control over how T1 was introduced to solids? Definitely worth it to see the joy they experienced in providing him with food and watching his excitement grow regarding this delicious new element in his life.

I consider myself to be one of the most relaxed parents I know, but this trip definitely tested my boundaries. I had to evaluate what I was okay with, and if I wasn’t okay with something I was forced to work through the issue and decide whether the situation in question would be worth possibly damaging my (awesome) relationship with TH’s family. During the trip I couldn’t think of a single change to their childcare style that would qualify as critical to the future health and happiness of T1, and so I worked to embrace the uniqueness of the Polish (grand)parenting style.

There are certainly areas where I won’t compromise. T1 will be raised in an LDS household, with all that that entails. If you tried to feed him a Happy Meal I’d probably tackle you to the ground. I fought my family regarding the use of a pacifier, which I’m still glad I did because we are very happy that we will never have to break that habit. So yeah, I understand having areas that are important to you.

There is this attitude I see popping up all over the mommy blogs and parenting forums though. It’s MY baby and they can see him when I feel like it and no one but ME knows how to raise my child.

I swear the most common phrase on the mommy blogs is “you do what works best for your family”. If there are so many individual ways that work, how are all of these women I read about so sure that they are the only one qualified to do good for their child? T1 surprises me every single day. He is growing and changing incredibly fast and he is far from a static creature with predictable wants and needs. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow and it’s very likely that grandma or grandpa or aunt so-and-so have exactly the solution you’re looking for.

I think that this self-assured attitude of independence is a product of the Internet generation. Before the printing press women didn’t even have books to find the answers to their questions! They used their family and friends to find the answers to their questions and though I’m sure there were numerous frustrations when mom just wouldn’t let it go, I imagine that the bond that developed through this communal parenting style was a priceless link through the generations. Now if I need help? I ask Uncle Google. 1 million hits later I might have an answer, but Uncle G doesn’t find the same joy in meeting your needs that your MIL will feel when she had the chance to impart some of her hard-earned wisdom.

I stepped out of my helicopter. I didn’t even know that I had one, but in certain areas I was hovering a little too close and this trip served as a nice wake-up call. Still no pacifiers or Happy Meals to be found, but inside-out socks and pureed plums from a tiny little jar? I can handle that.

Give the people around you the chance to be the village that helps raise your child.





Mommy WuvsYou

Dear Baby,
You are now 26 WEEKS OLD today...woo-hoo! Wow! We are getting closer and closer to bringing you into the world...ooh, goosebumps alert :] In about 14 weeks or so (depending on when You want to come out of Mommy's belly) Mommy will go into labor and we will all finally get to meet you LiL One. I still have my days where it's hard to believe there's a human being growing inside of me even though my belly is HUGE and I can feel you moving around in there. I never thought the day would come that I'd be a Mommy and You made that possible for me. Everyone around me says I'd be a great Mom because I LOVE kids and I'm really good at taking care of them but that's because I know I can give them back...hehe :] You...you're MY baby and I'm YOUR Mommy...*tear* I am lost for words right now so let me paste what BabyCenter has to say about You today:

How your baby's growing:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.


OK Kid, that's HUGE and let me just say
Mommy feels You moving around A LOT




Mommy WuvsYou

October Birthdays

Dear Baby,

We have a few family members that celebrated their birthday this month. I know, this post is a little late but let  me introduce them to you and let's greet them a Happy Birthday shall we?
Here they are:

this is Rommel Trinidad aka KARAMEL or
Your Daddy calls him MANG MEL :]
He is my cousin 8Joy's hubby and he was one of
Daddy's bestman at our wedding.
Let's just be sure not to have him teach you
English...LoL :p

this is Karamel's wifey-Joy Trinidad aka
*8Joy (mommy's cuzzo) and she was one of
my bridesmaids at our wedding. Let's
hope she teaches you how to be handyman :]

this is Krisha Mae Lee-her mommy is my cousin.
Krisha was one of my flower girls at our wedding.
She is so cute and oh so girly girl, but she is
a great ATE :]

Two more cousins that I don't have pictures of (unfortunately) also celebrated a birthday this month. These two are the Chiang brothers--Jacob and Toff. They are Mommy's cuzzos as well. Mommy has a lot of cousins so that means you're gonna have to memorize a lot of names...hehe :]

Oh, and another person that has an October birthday is a friend of Mommy and Daddy. Her name is miss Agnes-Happy Birthday Miss. Here's a little fact for ya Kiddo-Mommy and Daddy actually met at Agnes' birthday party 3 years ago...hehe :] Who would've though that a marriage and a baby would be a result of that huh?

Happy Birthday miss Agnes, and thanks for
introducing my parents to each other :]
Love, Baby Timmy

Anyways, Happy Happy Birthday October Peeps! I hope you guys had an awesome time celebrating your special day and LiL Peanut and I-along with Adrian would like to wish you many many many more birthdays to come. God Bless always. Love, the Gaetas :]

Mommy WuvsYou

Twenty Five

Dear Baby,
OMG! This week went by FAST...or at least it did for me. You are now another week older...which means You are 25 WEEKS OLD today. Woo-hoo!!! Mommy is SO very happy as each weeks goes by because that just means we're going to meet you...SOON! Gosh, I can't even imagine what I'll be feeling (other than PAIN of course) when it's time to push you out of my belly...yikes! But of course EVERYONE keeps telling me that all the pain and suffering will all be WORTH IT when I get to look at You and hug You and give You kisses...wow! I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it :]
So, let's see what BabyCenter has to say about You today:
How your baby's growing

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

that's a rutabaga...hmmmm, looks kinda
weird to me. hehe :]

Have you started thinking about baby names yet? Choosing a name is an important decision, but it should be a fun one, too. You may want to consider family history (Great Grandpa Zeb), favorite locations (Venice, where you honeymooned), or cherished literary or film characters (Greta, Meg, or Atticus, for example). Check out a couple of baby-name books to help you brainstorm, too.



Mommy and Daddy already have a name for You :] I'll reveal what that is on my next post...hehe :]
Mommy WuvsYou

Happy 24!

Dear Baby,
Guess what Kid? You are now 24 WEEKS OLD...yippee!!! Wowzers! I am so happy that we are getting closer and closer to meeting You. The thought of being able to hold you in my arms and give you kisses and hugs anytime I want almost makes me forget about the labor part of it all...almost. I'm just hoping and praying that You will come out of Mommy's belly strong and healthy and happy :)
So...let's see what BabyCenter has to say about my (not so) LiL Peanut today:
How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.


size of an elote huh? Mommy was SO craving one of these
last week but didn't find an elotero :( oh boo!

Mommy and Daddy will go to Kaiser today to attend another class. This time the class is for Labor & Delivery. I hope we learn a lot and I hope this class doesn't scare me even more about labor :( 

Mommy WuvsYou

Movie Weekend

Dear Baby,

Hey Kiddo! Happy Monday :) Here we are at work on a rainy Monday morning. It's a beautiful day outside, cloudy, gloomy, and wet. Any other day, I would be the first to complain but I am loving the cold weather right now. I'd love it even more if I was at home in my PJs and under the covers but it's all good...right? Of course it is!
So...did You have fun this weekend? We were out and about this weekend and ended  up going on a double date with our CruiseMateBuddy Tina and Jared. Yup, the awesome couple that Mommy and Daddy met on our honeymoon cruise. We've kept in touch with them and they are just so nice and fun to hang out with. (I'll get to that later) We started Saturday morning by taking Mama and Papa to work at 6:45am. We went back home and slid back into bed and slept in with Daddy. We woke up around noon and went to recycle some plastic bottles. After that we went to Walmart to buy your doggie brother Milo's dog treats. We then went to the mall and Daddy bought us our FAVE nachos from Tacos Mexico...YUM-O! After the yummy nachos, we went to go pick up Mama and Papa from work. Daddy and I watched a few episodes of our shows on DVR for a little bit and then we got a blanket and laid out in the grass in the path way by the side of our house.
While we were there, I was texting Tina about picking up the parking pass for the fair that she got for me. They were on their way to go watch a movie...a date night for the couple since Tina's aunt was willing to watch the girls for them for the night. She gave us the option to pick up the pass at the theater or I can get it in the morning before we go to the fair the next day. Since Daddy and I were just chillin' outside, we decided to drive to Ontario Mills and pick the up the pass before their movie starts.

When we got there, Jared met us outside the theater. He then handed what I thought was the pass to your Daddy and said, "Let's go watch a movie, come on!" I was like, "but it's YOUR date night." He replied, "the more the merrier."  SO nice of them right? We watched a very cute movie called:

This movie was so funny and sad and cute and we loved it! Daddy and Jared wanted to watch ANOTHER movie after but Tina and I were hungry so we wanted to grub. We went to a place called Richie's Diner and oh man...the food was YUMMY! Daddy and Jared ordered the same thing and got a tripple bbq combo that came with chicken, ribs, and tri-tip with a side of beans and fries (for Daddy) and baked potato (for Jared). Tina and I both got salads, a yummy taco salad for her and a yummy chicken salad for You and me...DELISH! We talked and laughed for hours while enjoying our delicious dinner...so much fun! It brought memories because it was kind of like having dinner on the ship...hehe :) After dinner, we went our separate ways and we were all happy...and full campers :) *Tina and Jared, thanks again for letting us invade your date night. Adrian and I had a lot of fun...Baby Timmy did too! Can't wait until we hang out again!*

OK, I'll come back and write about what we did Sunday in a little bit. Mommy's going to grab something to munch on real quick...

Mommy WuvsYou