Birthday Boy!

Happy birthday to you!  Happy birthday to you!  Happy birthday dear Daniel...Happy birthday to you!

Today is our baby's birthday and the day can't pass without my thoughts turning to those events six years ago that brought him to us. I can scarcely believe that it has been so long.  So many milestones have been passed and so many memories have been made.  My baby is not a baby anymore. He looks more grown up.  He acts more grown up.  And more and more often, as I look at him, I see glimpses of the man he is going to be.  Somehow, it manages to make me so happy and so miserable all at the same time.

Daniel, you are an incredibly gifted, talented, witty, charming, tender, and loving boy.  You make us so proud!  We couldn't possibly love you any more!!!  Happy birthday, buddy. 

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Birthday Fails

There is a buzz in our home this week as we prepare for our final family birthday celebration of the year.  Our baby boy turns six on Thursday and he, more than anyone else, is giddy with excitement. 


I, on the other hand, am much more apprehensive this year.  Our poor kid has had some pretty rough birthdays in the past few years and I'm just hoping this year will end the curse of bummer birthdays for my sweet boy.


Birthday 2009, we celebrated early with a big party at Chuck E Cheese, which I think was more of a bummer for me, just 3 weeks out from giving birth to our youngest.  On Daniel's actual birthday, I arranged to take him to his very first movie.  I had planned to have a family celebration that evening, but when we got home from the theater, everything changed.  Isaiah, who was only 23 days old, had been having trouble keeping his formula down.  It had lasted for a good week and we were under the impression his sensitive stomach just needed a gentler kind.  But that day, I decided to call the doctor to ask a few questions and was told, under no uncertain circumstances, to immediately take him to the emergency room at Phoenix Children's Hospital.  Panic set in and we were in motion.  Hours into the process, I realized our poor birthday boy wasn't having his celebration that evening.  Isaiah was admitted, we spent a restless night at the hospital, and handed our newborn over for surgery the next day. 


Birthday 2010-  On the heals of the previous birthday debaucle, we wanted to avoid any disappointments (and medical emergencies, I might add).  Daniel was turning 5 and starting kindergarten shortly thereafter.  This birthday was a big deal!  For months we planned and made arrangements to surprise him with a trip to Disneyland.  When the day came, his grandparents came for cake and presents.  The next morning, we woke him up and told him we were going on a trip.  He had no idea where, but being alone with Mom and Dad kept him from caring.  We arrived at the hotel and showed him Disneyland through the window.  He was ecstatic!  This was going to be a birthday to remember!  Was it ever......
Moments, and I mean MOMENTS later, we found a couple of red spots on his arm and one on his cheek.  Thinking he had been bit by a mosquito, we continued on with our plans.  Dinner in Downtown Disney, shopping at the Disney Store, and endless hours of jumping on the bed.  But the morning light dawned on another birthday disaster.  Daniel's face, arms, and legs were covered with red welts.  Before breakfast we were headed to an Urgent Care to get hims some cream and an antibiotic for what I was convinced was Fifth disease.  To understand the level of misery of this particular occasion, one has to be familiar with Daniel's extreme phobia of doctors.  The mere mention of the phrase "doctor's office" had sent him into a sheer panic, not to mention the fact that the doctor visit was now in liew of Disneyland itself.  We arrived at the urgent care only to find out that he was having a serious allergic reaction and a shot of antihistamine was the only alternative.  We had officially entered the ninth circle of Daniel's own personal hell. We pinned a screaming, panic-stricken, 5 year old to the table, and the nurse administered the injection.  Ten minutes later we were in the car and headed to "The Happiest Place On Earth" in complete silence.


I face this week with trepidation and hope that we can manage to avoid illness and all contact with medical professionals. 

Happy Father's Day

I have been blessed to love and be loved by three of the most precious fathers in the world.

My grandfather meant the world to me and showed me what selfless love was all about. He was patient, kind, and slow to anger. He was the rock that our family depended on and was the one we could all go to for sound advice. He loved sitting with us and helping us with our homework, playing games with us, and making us laugh. He kept us smiling and singing with his music and left us a tremendous legacy. He's been gone for almost 8 years now, but the mere thought of him always brings a smile to my face.

I am so thankful to have had the experience of growing up with a loving father. He wasn't flawless, as he'll readily admit. Neither was I. But, no matter what, there were always a few things I knew about my dad. He loved me unconditionally...and does to this day. I knew that he'd do anything in his power to provide for me and protect me. And he did! I knew that if I tried hard and did my best, no matter what the outcome, he'd be proud of me. And he was! And I knew that he could always make me laugh by tickling me and somehow (though to this day, I cannot figure out how) throwing, flawlessly rolled balls of paper towels right into the back of my head while I ran away. And he would! :) Dad showed me the value of hard work and taught me to respect others. He would give the shirt off his back and instilled in me the importance of giving sacrificially and helping others. Above all else, he showed me that his family was his life. I love that I had those wonderful experiences with my dad and am so thankful that he taught me some of life's most important lessons.

It thrills me to know that my kids have a daddy that loves them the same way. I am proud of the man that I married and the fact that he is such an amazing dad to his kids. I love watching their faces light up every time he walks through the door and hearing them shout "Daddy" almost in unison. I relish in the giggles I hear as he rolls around with them on the floor tickling them until they almost can't breathe but keep begging for more. I am proud of the fact that I am married to a man who would do anything in his power to provide for his family and that he lets us know that he loves us, no matter what!

To the three most amazing men I've ever known...

Happy Father's Day

So Big Girl!

In typical "slacker" fashion, Sofia had her 9 month well child check up today- just 7 days shy of the 10 month mark.

The entire process provided enough material for a blog all it's own. But, in an attempt not to bore you with the lengthy description of the idiocy of the medical assistants at the pediatrician's office, I will avoid any further commentary on the subject.

On a happier note, I am pleased to report that we have a perfectly healthy, albeit rather large headed, baby girl.

Sofia weighed in at a featherweight 18lbs 6 oz and measured 28 inches long. Her 18 inch cranium, placed her well above average for head size, and earned her a respectable spot in the 95 percentile. Poor baby has to have a head that large to accommodate her beautifully colossal eyes and eyelashes!

She was such a trooper as she endured another round of immunizations as well as all the poking and prodding that accompanies a trip to the doctor.

Sofia is officially on the move and refuses to sit still for any amount of time. She loves to clap, say "mama" and "dada" indiscriminately, and giggle at her brother. She is now pulling herself up like a pro and loves to stand. She also manages to find the most random, and often, prohibited objects to play with- including, but not limited to any and all electronic equipment, power cords, trash cans, DVDs, and shoes. But nothing compares to the joy she finds by looking at herself in the mirror.

Our sweet girl is full of smiles and just as sweet as she can be, with rarely a complaint. She sleeps like a champ- thank goodness- and is a willing eater (shocking!).

We are so blessed to watch her grow!

Six Months Old and Sweeter Than Ever!

Our baby girl is six months old and we can hardly believe it. Before we know it, we'll be celebrating a very big 1st birthday! What a little bundle of joy she is. Sofia is pure happiness, full of giggles and toothless grins.

Besides rolling all around and enjoying a countless array of fruits and vegetables, Sofia loves to be tickled and to laugh. Her favorite thing to look at is her brother's face- nothing makes her happier!

After her 6 month exam, the doctor declared her "perfect!" and we couldn't agree more.

Another One Bites the Dust

I looked at the calendar this morning to see that it's the 29th day of the month. Why is it that the older I get, the faster time goes by (except for when we are at the doctor's office and time apparently stands still)? August will be here by the end of the week. Perhaps we have just had a very busy and rather pleasant month, with the exception of a three hour plane ride during which a croupy toddler hacked all over both of my kids and super-sized beverages were apparently offered to everyone seated in the first 15 rows of the aircraft, creating a constant stream of passengers en route to the bathroom (I don't care how much my kids scream on the plane. Next time, we are NOT sitting in the back).

We spent 10 whirlwind days in Phoenix visiting family and friends. Yes, Phoenix in July. Alltel flew Fernando out so that he could work and it made more sense to me to bring the kids along. Let me put it this way... 2 round trip tickets to Phoenix- $700, 40 bottles of water to keep us from dehydrating- $12, 14 extra hands to hold, feed, and burp a baby while I chase her older brother around...PRICELESS!

No offense to our friends or family, but I do have to say that the best part of the trip was the 24 hours we got to spend away from Phoenix. Ginormous thanks to our moms for "taking one for the team" and watching our kiddos while we went to Flagstaff!

It's always great to get back to Phoenix. We love and miss our friends and family and enjoy spending time with them, even though it goes by so fast. Such is life!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

We celebrated Daniel's birthday this year in the desert with our family. It's so hard to believe he is three years old already. And yet there are those days that we find comfort in the fact that two summers from now we will be buying his first set of school supplies. Doesn't everyone know that 3 is the new 2? What fun we are having with his darling new attitude and cute little sayings, such as, "NO!", "MINE", and my personal favorite, "YOU STOP THAT!"

Regardless of this stage, which I've been told will pass in the next few months (I'm holding you to that, Steph). The past 3 years have been full of blessings and it really does make me sad that my little boy is growing up so fast.

Welcome to the Family!

My sister's boyfriend, Wade, has been an honorary member of our family for years now. We have loved him since we met him and have known they are a perfect match. Just this morning, I'm happy to announce, Wade became an official member of our family when he and Nance got married! We knew it was coming, but had no idea when. We are all SO happy for them and thrilled that we have an official brother-in-law and "Wunka Wade" (as Daniel calls him). We love you guys!

We have a winner!

We have finally decided on a name for the newest member of our family. Let me rephrase that. We have finally agreed to go with the name we chose 6 years ago. It has been a long process, especially for me. When we found out we were having a boy in 2005, we were shocked. We had been certain up to that point that our first child would be a little girl. Choosing his name, however, was not difficult. We knew if we were ever blessed with a boy, his name would be Daniel. That is, after all, Fernando's middle name. There were other names on the list that we liked, but we had always planned on using them for any subsequent boys in the family. His middle name took a little while, but was easily chosen. Our first thought was Joseph. To reconcile ourselves to the fact that we didn't choose to name him after his maternal great-grandfather, Ralph, we were leaning towards Pop Pop's middle name. But once Isaac popped into mind, we knew that was it. Thus, Daniel Isaac Orona was named. We hoped and prayed that he would one day have a sister so that we could use the name we had already chosen for her. Last month, we found out she was on her way. But for some reason, I was struggling to commit to what Fernando (and Daniel-quite honestly) were already calling her. I've prayed a lot for confirmation and received it. Thank the Lord!

For those of you who don't know, Fernando had an older sister (born the same year as my older sister) named Josephine. She was very sick as a baby and passed away when she was only 1 1/2. It was a heart wrenching time for his parents and older brother. He has always hoped to have a little girl and name her after his sweet sister. On the other hand, my paternal grandmother, Josephine, was not quite as sweet and innocent. Thus, the name does not carry the same connotation with my side of the family. Before we were married, we had discussed this fact and tried to come up with some derivative of Josephine- not an easy task, I might add. That way her name would still be special, but not conjure up images of a bitter, old, Italian woman (may she rest in peace). :) To add to the confusion, both of our mothers are named Margaret Elizabeth. So we set out on a mission to find a way to pay tribute to Fernando's sister, the two wonderful women who raised us, and hint towards her Italian background.

Over the last few years, however, the name we decided on has grown in popularity, which is why I have had such a difficult time committing to it. I have never wanted to choose a "trendy" name for any of our kids and because we put such careful consideration into their names, I have never wanted anyone to assume that we followed the crowd. I finally came to the realization (after attempting to call the baby every other name that popped into my head) that there was only one that was fitting. I also realized that I'm almost 32 and should know by now not to care what other people think. Something I should have come to terms with after junior high- one would assume.

At any rate, we are happy to announce that Sofia Margaret Orona is healthy and growing and will be here in about 16 short weeks! There, I said it. It's official!