Happy 1st Birthday GABY!

It's hard to believe that our Gaby is now a year old! We celebrated her birthday with family and friends from church. She enjoyed the company, the special attention, and her birthday balloons (of course)!

We all have enjoyed watching her grow. She started walking at 10 1/2 months, and has taken off almost running. I know she was waiting patiently to finally learn and perfect the art of being on her feet. She used to watch Nanas and Daddy run around the house laughing and squeeling with joy, and look with yearning--with a tad bit of jealousy due to not being able to do anything else but lay around on her back or tummy. Now, she can join in the fun of being chased and chasing, playing hide and seek, and getting around to wherever she wants to go. She is also climbing up on furniture, the stairs, and anything else that she can hoist herself over. She has tried climbing out of her crib, but only if someone is present.

Gaby definitely has a mischievious side to her personality. She has this sparkle in her eye, and a slight twist in her smile that gives her away that she's up to something. She is also a joker, and loves to do things just to make you smile, and make herself laugh. On the other side, she has the best pout!

She is a curious little girl, and loves to try to figure out how things work. Last Christmas, we got her the Ball Popper as one of her gifts. I used to credit Savannah for all the little toys and objects I would find stuck in it. Later on, I found out that the true culprit was Gaby--and still is! She also loves anything with on/off buttons, especially our computers and the remote control.

Last, I think Gaby will also be into shoes like her big sister. It's fun to watch how hard she concentrates when she tries to wear our shoes.

We look forward to all the ways you will surprise and amaze us this year. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GABY! We love you!!

32...Married...with kids...and still living with Mom and Dad

Most children cannot wait until they are 18 so they can "leave the nest" and make a place of their own out in our great big world. I lived with my parents until I was 26, the year Robert and I got married. We enjoyed living on our own, in our own apartment (first in Anaheim, then in Las Flores) for three years. It was great having our privacy and freedom to do whatever we liked.

It was during one of our model home tours excursions that we started toying with the idea of living in the same house with my parents. We would all have to find a house big enough for five people--my brother, Carlo, was still living with my parents at the time. Robert and I were both drowning in work and school, and the thought of living with my parents seemed like the best idea, especially when it came to saving money from eating more at home versus eating out. We also wanted to save money by having to pay less in our contribution to the household versus having to pay rent close to $1,500 - $1,800!

My parents jumped on board and in July 2004, they found a house in Irvine that was the perfect size for all of us. We were all moved in by August, and started enjoying the benefits of being in a combined household. My mom took care of the cooking, so Robert and I were free to focus more on school and still enjoyed having home-cooked meals. Our situation became even more convenient, and even necessary, as our own little family grew from 2 to 3, and then 3 to 4.

My mom was an angel sent from above during my first year of motherhood. Robert started a second job before I went into maternity leave and continued on until I was ready to go back to work. He was working his regular 8-5 job, then coming home to eat dinner and sleep for a couple of hours before going to work from 10-6. He really did not have a lot of time to sleep. On top of this, he was attempting to keep up with school. My mom also picked up a night shift tending to Savannah so that I could get some sleep at night.

My mom also became a part time nanny when I went back to work. Savannah enjoyed Lola's daycare! They sang and danced all day long! She learned a lot from Lola. Gaby is now enjoying her time in Lola's daycare. They are always singing and listening to music, and cooking up yummy food in the play kitchen.

Savannah and Gaby enjoy having so many people surrounding them, and knowing that they are so well loved and cared for. They can always count on Lola and Lolo to take care of them, and give them love and attention.

We are going on our 4th year of being a combined household. My cousin asked me the other week how long Robert and I plan to stay in this situation. Hmmm...Sometimes I really long for that day Robert and I have our own house. It is not always easy living in the same house with my mom and dad. We clash and disagree. We hurt each other's feelings. We get irritated with each other. Tempers rise. Tension grows. And, YES, sometimes we all explode!

This evening we met, for the second time, to discuss household finances. Robert and I had talked over some of the issues that my parents brought up in our first meeting and wanted to share some of our ideas, and also ask a few questions to help clarify some areas. At most, I thought 30 minutes would be enough. Almost 3 hours later, we concluded our meeting. It was a pretty good meeting, and we were close to finishing up until a misunderstanding took place. Robert excused himself abrubtly after my mom finished talking about an issue that needed to be addressed. His actions were misunderstand by both my parents, which added the 2 1/2 hours to our 30 minute meeting.

Our voice volumes went up. We argued back and forth about Robert's response, and the way my dad raised his voice. It took a while for this first issue to be resolved, but then another issue came up that was also a misunderstanding. By this point, I was shaking from the uneasiness and nervousness of confrontation. I could see that Robert was also a bit shaken. All details aside, my main reason for sharing all this is to say that I feel truly blessed being in this family. My husband and my children are my family now, but my parents are still an extension that is firmly attached.

As my dad shared from his heart how Robert and I, and Savannah and Gaby, are always a part of their plans, we also shared that we too cannot picture our home life without them. It was heartwarming to hear Robert share that his intentions in going back to school, getting a degree, and hopefully securing a better job in the future includes the idea that my parents will be taken care of in their old age, by us and not a nursing home.

I do not like big confrontations, and emotional explosions. Still, so much good comes from such times. It is good to have everything out in the open, and even though we may all temporarily feel hurt, disrespected, annoyed, and angry, we leave the situation better informed and on our way to healing and strengthening our family bond.

I am not ashamed to say that I am 32...married...with kids...and still living with Mom and Dad. If God continues to bless us in this living situation, we will be with them throughout all their days. We don't say it enough, but WE LOVE YOU, MOM AND DAD!

Big Girls

My babies are growing up! I'm sure I'll be saying that every time I look at them and notice something different, or another inch added to their height, or another skill they're getting better at.

Gaby is no longer a crawler. At 10 1/2 months, she started walking! We knew she could already do it, but she just seemed so unsure of herself and the strength she possessed in her legs. One weekend, she started taking 3-4 steps. In two days, she was up to taking 10 steps. She has been walking for 2-3 weeks, and can stand up on her own (no support from anything or anyone) and take off! On top of that, she has found the joy (and pain) of climbing. She loves going to the downstairs bathroom to climb up the step stool. Her favorite, though, is going up the stairs. Sometimes she goes there intentionally. Other times, it's like a distraction when she's on her way to the kitchen. It's a game she loves, because she squeals happily when I grab her and prevent her from going up the stairs.

Gaby is resourceful, too! She knows to use objects to boost herself up to the coffee table, get on the couch, and find something on the coffee bar. Unfortunately, standing on the Sesame Street car in front of the coffee bar ended up giving her a nice bruise on her forehead. The fall could have caused a concussion, but we made sure she stayed awake and alert!

Savannah is self-potty training! This week, she has initiated going to the bathroom. She would make her announcement of either: "Mommy!! I need to go pee-pee!" or "I'm going poo-poo!". Then she goes and gets her potty seat, or just climbs right up onto the toilet and does her business!! What a big girl!

This morning, she came into our room with a pull-up in one hand, her jammie pants in the other and no pull-up on. She said, "Mommy, I went poo-poo in the toilet. Poo-poo on the floor. I cleaned it up!" She was smiling so proudly of herself the whole time. I praised her for a job well done, and, OF COURSE, ran to the bathroom expecting to find the surprise on the floor. WHEW! No surprise, but she did go like she said she did!

Princesses

Last week I had Savannah helping me in the yard by watering the plants. I asked her, "Savannah, can you help me water the jasmine?" She poured water on the plant, then ran over to the next plant, asking something I couldn't quite yet understand. She was so excited, and kept repeating her question as she stood infront of the plant. Then it hit me! She was asking, "Is this CINDERELLA??"