Welcome home!

Well, I couldn't really get any good pictures cause the cat is constantly on the move. He's been in the bathroom since we got home. I'm suppose to not let him run. Hahaha! (He just got neutered this morning) The thing is a spaz! I thought if I left him in the bathroom it would be easier for him to adjust and he was still really doped up from his surgery and I want to make sure he's able to run from Brianna if need be. Brianna went to bed around 7:45 and I let the cat out. It's like he's lived here his whole life. He runs around like he owns the place. He's not the least bit skiddish. We're defiately hitting it off too. He's super cuddly too, which makes me very happy. If I walk out of the room he starts meowing like he's on his death bed though. I think that's going to get annoying real quick. Hopefully, that will stop as he gets more comfortable.

Oh, I think he might have a respiratory infection. He keeps sneezing and has a little nasal drippage. (Sounds a lot grosser than it is) Does anyone know if this is harmful to children? I would assume not but I'm really not to familiar with cats. What kind of mother am I???

So, without further ado....Meet Zeus...

Handsome lil' feller', ain't he?

Waiting....

I can't wait for Brianna to wake up from her nap so we can go pick up the newest addition to our family. A 5-month old domestic short hair cat we're going to call Zeus. Philipe finally caved in and said yes to getting a cat and I'm super excited! We drover all over the place on Wednesday looking for our perfect furry companion. We started at Dogs and Cats Forever, a local no-kill shelter, but we didn't see any cats that we would trust around Brianna. Next we went to The Humane Society in Ft. Pierce. While they had plenty of cats, they didn't have a room where we could get acquainted so we couldn't get to see any of the cats real personalities or see how they would take to Brianna's rough loving so we decided to go all the way to Palm City's Humane Society. That place is awesome! Brianna loved it. It was like she was at the zoo. Everything was so clean and the cats had tons of room to run and play so we got to see how they really acted versus being kept in a small cage. Then, once we saw one we liked we went into a private room and got some one-on-one time. At first, I liked this cute orange kitty. It was super cuddly but was a little afraid of Brianna. Once Philipe saw how much hair it left on my shirt he said "forget about it!" and ranted on about why he doesn't like cats and couldn't believe he even agreed to "possibly" get one. He was ready to go home... cat-less.  I asked if we could see one more. This cat was the one that came running up to the door when Brianna banged on it. All the others hid. We brought him in the room with us and Brianna went nuts! She was hilarious. She got down on all fours and started kissing him and she thought it was hilarious that his whiskers tickled her face. Philipe and I were hysterically laughing as we watched the 2 hit it off. We teach Brianna to be nice and gentle with animals so she is pretty good for the most part, but she is still only 1 year old and she has her moments that out of no where she tries to pet something and really gives it a nice hard whack or pulls a tail from time to time. Well, this kitty took it like a champ. She pulled his whiskers and he didn't try to swat her or anything. He's not as cuddly as I had hoped for but maybe that will change when he comes home.

Brianna's up! Check for update later!

Haters!

Why is it that people want to try and tell you how to raise your kid or point out everything they think you're doing wrong? You've never raised MY child before. How do you know what's best for them? Once people hear I am still breast feeding they find it necessary to ask how long I plan on continuing. Why? Do they really care? I was told I NEED to quit breast feeding by someone I barely know. OK! I'll get right on that...NOT! Ughh...I don't even know how to explain how I feel about this. Can someone please show me the manual on How to raise children and then point out where it says exactly how long they should be breast fed for. Maybe then I'll take what you have to say into consideration. No. Probably not. This lady told me that by 1 year a kid should not be on the boob or have a bottle (right after she popped a pacifier into her grandchild's mouth, who is a little over a year.). I proceeded to tell her that the American Medical Association recommends breast-feeding for 2 years. She said, "they must not have any kids". Pahaha! Okay lady! I didn't know what to say or do. I try to make sure I surround myself with friends who have the same beliefs or good friends who support my decisions even though they may not make the same decisions. This time I was alone and had no one to back me up. I don't know all the facts but I do know this- when I nurse Brianna it just feels natural. It seems right to me. I know that I still lactate and my daughter still wants milk. It's a no brainer for me. Just because you do not agree does not mean you are right. It's your opinion.... you have no scientific data to back it up. Therefore, it means nothing to me. My boobs did not magically "dry up" once Brianna turned one indicating it was time to stop. This is what works for me and my daughter. I understand and respect some people choose not to breast-feed. I don't understand why they would choose not to, but I respect them. I have a lot of friends with children who chose not to breast-feed or chose to put a limit on how long they breast fed for. I don't think any less of them. They are still great parents. All I'm saying is....Don't be a hater!

Yummy Produce

I joined an organic co-op group a few months ago. It was not an easy thing to convince Philipe, with good reason....I have NO clue how to cook. Everyone who knows me can attest to that. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to learn. Philipe thought it would be a waste of money. I had Brianna on my side. With her eating solids it only makes sense that we try to give her organic if possible. Well, he finally jumped on board with the whole idea. He said we could try it. We get new produce every 2 weeks. Some of the stuff I have never even heard of. Neither has Philipe. He thought for sure it would all go to waste. Secretly, I had my doubts too. The fact that he was waiting to say "I told you so" pushed me even harder to use all the produce before the next share. Since then, Philipe probably feels like he has a new wife. I cook now and am always on a hunt for cool, new, EASY recipes. I'm no Emeral but I do think I am getting much better. It feels good to make a tasty meal and make my husband happy. Poor guy has done all the cooking until now. I feel like we eat much healthier too because I have to incorporate all the produce into our diets. We've actually started saving money too because we don't go out to eat half as much as we use to. Upon request, I will post what I do/ plan to do with all my goods.  Be sure to check out my buddy co-op'ers, Denise, Lauren, and Jen, did with this weeks share.

Romaine Lettuce- Washed and spun. Ready for salads/ sandwiches.

Swiss Chard- No Clue! Suggestions, please.

Zucchini- I think I'm going to fry it. I had it as an appetizer once and it was super good.

Carrots- Shredded one for salad for lunch. 

Plum Tomatos- Either salsa or served with mozzarella cheese, basil, and olive oil drizzled on top. There's a name for it but I can't recall it.

Cremini Mushrooms- some were sauteed and put on top of steak last night

Alfalfa Sprouts- will go on sandwiches and in salads

Celery- some in salad, raw with dip or cream cheese

Red Cabbage- 

Green Beans- gone! Sauteed with bacon, garlic and parm cheese. Super yummy!

Sugar Peas- these were missing from my share :(

Cantaloupe- cut up and eat. Bri loves cantaloupe

Oranges- probably eat raw. Maybe juice 

Plums- snacks

Bananas- Bri eats with her breakfast

peace... alas!

Alleluia! The day is over! I got to meet my daughter's alter-ego today. Not cool! She sure knows how to make me forget about it all though. She gets super sweet and cuddly before bed time. I'm not sure why. I thought kids are suppose to get fussy before bed. Not Brianna. She'll be in the middle of playing and all of the sudden it hits her that she hasn't given us a kiss in while so she'll come running over, lay a smooch on us, and proceed with playing. Ahhh... that little girl knows how to tug on my heart strings! The other night she was in a dead sleep, sat up, crawled to Philipe and kissed him right on the lips. It was so cute! She was still halfway asleep. She put her head back down and went right back to sleep. I wake up if she even twitches so I got to see the whole thing. Philipe halfway opened his eyes and tried to figure out what happen. I told him Brianna gave him a kiss, he cracked a smile and went back to sleep. Love that kid!

Bad day for Brianna

Today was another boing day thanks to Fay. Last night was probably the worst of the storm. It sounded like our house was taking a beating. I'm glad Philipe was home because I probably would have been curled up in the corner with Brianna if he were at the station. I'm such a weenie when it comes to storms. This morning I went to let the dogs out and realized our fence was knocked over on one side. Just great!

Around 11:00 I decided to go to my cousins to get me and Brianna out of the house. Brianna didn't sleep very well last night (not like she ever does, but last night was horrible) so she was really crabby. She wouldn't eat lunch and around 12:30 she decided to have a temper tantrum like I have never seen before. I really thought something was wrong with her. I tried everything. I tried nursing her. She wouldn't have it. She would just arch her back and scream. I tried taking her outside for fresh air. She went crazy. She kept throwing herself backwards and screaming. I thought for sure if I put her in the truck and drove around she would calm down and fall asleep. I pulled out of the driveway and she started gagging. I freaked. I grabbed her, ran inside and told my cousin we should call 911. I took off all her clothes and made sure nothing was biting her and checked her little body from head to toe. I couldn't see anything. My cousin even got a little freaked and told me to, "put her on the boob". I tried again..... nope. I thought for sure she had some kind of internal damage going on, until,...... my cousins little chihuahua ran out and jumped on the couch. Brianna went from screaming bloody murder to smiling and signing dog. Grrrr....I couldn't believe it! It was just a temper tantrum. She really fooled me. I was really about to call 911. I am not looking forward to the terrible 2's at all. If this was a glimpse of what it might be like, Lord help me. Once we chased the dog around for a while and Brianna was calm enough I put her in the truck and we headed home. She starting singing and laughing hysterically for about 5 minutes. Then she passed out. She's still napping. I hope I never have to see that side of her again. 

Fay, Fay...Go Away!

Wow! 2 posts in 2 days, with pictures...I'm on a roll!

Tropical storm Fay sucks!!! There's nothing to do and we're going nuts! We did go drive around today to see how bad the flooding was. It was pretty bad. There are a lot of stupid people out there man. They're riding around in low riders and water is pouring into their cars. Morons! 

Here are some pics...

This is the soccer field I play on. There were 3 boys on a piece of plywood floating around, using crutches to push themselves all around. It was quite comical.

This was the exit to the park

Philipe's parents back yard. The river was almost in the Tacki Tiki

The boat is on the lift as high as it will go. They had to tie it off.

My stud muffin!

Philipe's truck in our front yard

The street we live off of. This is where people were getting stuck.

This truck was behind us

The park where we play soccer

Oh... I went to Dr. Punger and got my I.U.D taken out a couple weeks ago. It wasn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be. That little bugger hurt going in. Dr. Punger sad she was excited to play an accomplice in me getting pregnant. I've got the most awesome doc in the world. It's a shame it took us so long to find her. We weren't going to say anything until we found out we were pregnant but just the fact that we're trying is super exciting for me and I can't contain myself. I took a pregnancy test today. It was a digital. It said, "Not Pregnant". Damn it! On the box it says it can tell you 4 days before the first day of your missed period. My periods are always so irregular I'll probably find out when I'm like 6 months along. LOL! I'm sure me still breast feeding makes it a little more complicated to. Whatever! It's in God's hands. Sometimes the thought of having another baby consumes me (not in an unhealthy way). Having Brianna was the best experience ever. Little did I know I had the choice to make the whole experience even better. My next baby WILL be born at home. Why labor in a hospital when I can labor in the comfort of my own home? I picture it and I can't wait to make it happen. I have so many feelings about this I'll have to save for another day. As for now.... Big Brother 10 is on. I'm off to sit in front of the tube with my hubby. Kiss kiss!

I'm a slacker...I know

So, it's been a while.... again! I feel like I never get time to write. Brianna requires all my time. She keeps me on my toes. It's so much fun now. Well, it's always been fun but it's a different kind of fun now.  She's always wanting to do stuff and experience different things. Hence, why I haven't gotten the opportunity to sit at the computer and blog. She's soaking everything in, just like a sponge. She likes to try and repeat everything we say. It's so cute. Her favorite thing is to say, "noooo", just like Dora and Diego. It's really funny. I'm sure it will get old REAL soon though. Brianna knows where her eyes, nose, mouth, ears, toes, and boobies (thanks to her Daddy) are. She's so darn smart! I don't remember if I said it before but we bought Brianna her very own potty. While she hasn't actually gone on it, she really enjoys sitting on it and reading. Hehehe! Just like her father. Then she'll take out the center piece and bring it to us. I can tell that might be a problem when she actually starts using it. 

I had to add this picture because Brianna looks so cute. She loves climbing in and out of her dresser cabinet. 
OH!!! Brianna's been real edgy lately. Super irritable! Well, today we were at Winn Dixie and she was in our Ergo carrier. She loves to flip her head back and wait for her Daddy to come tickle her under her neck. While she was cracking up with laughter I had the chance to look at her top gums and I couldn't believe she has 2 molars coming in. I've been checking her mouth a lot lately cause I know it's about that time but I'm only able to see the bottom part of her mouth. I don't know why but it's really exciting. It felt like she got her 1st tooth all over again. 

I'm still playing soccer. I finally feel like I'm back in shape again. The only bad part is our games are in the dead heat on Sundays. It's horrible out there! 

That's it for now. I'll try to post more often....ta ta!

Bday pics

Here's some pictures from Brianna's birthday bash. They're in backwards order.

Brianna's cousins, Anthony and Jeremiah, helped her eat her cake.

Brianna's favorite part was playing with the tissue paper

Hat's just aren't really her thing.

I don't remember what happen here but it was her party and she could cry if she wanted to.

Brianna loves being read to

Brianna's high chair was decorated for the occasion.

Playing in the pool is Brianna's most favorite thing to do!

1..2..3...BLOW!

What the heck is this stuff??

R.I.P Grandpa/ Happy Birthday Brianna

What an eventful week we've had! While we got to celebrate Brianna turning one year old, I had to say goodbye to someone very dear to my heart. On Aug. 1st  my Grandpa passed away while under the care of hospice. It seems like this all came out of no where. My Grandpa battled CHF for a long time. Years!! He was always in and out of the hospital but managed to live a good life. My cousin and I were his babies. Almost every good childhood memory I have involves my Grandpa. This is all so bitter/sweet. I'm so happy he's in a better place but so sad he won't be here with us any more. I know I'll see him again one day but it won't be for a loooong while (God willing). The hardest part was that he was still all there in the head. He knew everything that was going on. He wanted to keep fighting. It must be so hard to have the mind of a fighter and want to keep going but your body just won't allow it. Once his body went into multi-system failure, he decided to go with hospice. They pretty much drugged him up so he didn't really know what was going on anymore. They predicted he would have died the same day hospice took over but would you believe that man lived 2 days taking 4-6 breaths.  At the end, we were all     hoping he would just go and meet his maker. Philipe and I say he had a lot of negotiating to do. That's why it took him so long. I don't really know how to feel about this whole thing. I think I still might be in shock. And, I'm really pissed the it all ended. People were fighting about his will before he was even gone, right next to his bed side. My cousin, who visited him almost daily and listened to him complain all the time, was made out to be some kind of monster, and no one was told he even died so there were only 6 people at his funeral. My Grandpa was a great man and was friends with more people than I will probably ever know in my life time. It should have panned out differently. Oh.... and he said part of the reason he didn't feel like he could die peacefully was because he was worried about all of his animals. He said the only way he could go on peacefully was if Philipe and I were to take his 4 dogs and 1 bird. He knew we would do what was best for them. Well, today I called his girlfriend to make arrangements to get them and she informed me she got rid of them all. I'm pissed! Don't get me wrong....it's a lot let stress we have to deal with but this was one of my Grandpa's wishes on his death bed. Some nerve. I feel like his animals were my responsibility, given to me by my Grandpa and now I'm letting him down. I know this isn't rational but it's how I'm feeling.

Brianna turned 1 on the 3rd (2 days after Grandpa died). Her birthday was wonderful! I was useless the entire day but Philipe did a good job at pulling it off. Thank God for my in-laws and mommy group friends....AHEM...Michelle and Amy. They're amazing. We had a pool party at the in-laws and about 70 people came. Brianna was a bit overwhelmed but loosened up towards the end. Brianna got more toys than we have room for. LOL! And of course her favorite part was the tissue paper and boxes. I just can't believe my baby is a year old. Brianna was born at 9:02 a.m. so the whole morning of her birthday was kept looking at the clock and tried to remember what we were doing on that day 1 year ago. It was fun. Especially when Philipe said, "this time last year Brianna's head was crowning". At 9:02 She came out and they place her on my chest. I must admit I got a little choked up, but then it was back to worrying about party planning. I'll have to post some pics of her Bday. It was really nice. Just wish Grandpa could have been there.

On to other news... last night Philipe gave Brianna the heimlich. She was choking on a piece of a plum. Usually she's able to cough it up but this time it wouldn't budge. She was in the highchair which is right next to the kitchen. Philipe was in there cooking stir fry and saw her. When her face started turning purple he ran over, very calmly and took her out of her high chair, flung her over his arm and patted her back 3 times. A little piece of plum came flying out of her mouth. I was impressed! She cried a little and then wanted more plum. LOL. They get over things so quickly.

Yesterday Brianna went to Dr. Punger for her 1 year appontment. She weighed 22.5 & 1/2 lbs. She weighed more at her last appointment but she's sick right now and hasn't had much of an appetite for solids. She waked up coughing all night and her nose is running like a faucet. I feel so bad for her. Poor baby!