You, Me and Baby makes THREE

Survival of the fittest is now what I imagine whenever I think of a mother. My Nana's nostalgic words strike again as she couldn't have put motherhood any better, "Mothers are martyrs." Yes, now as I AM  a mother those words couldn't be any more true because being a mother is giving every bit of yourself for another being. This February I was blessed to deliver, my first child, a healthy and handsome baby boy. And to think,  I thought five months of morning sickness was brutal. Well, let's just say these first four weeks of my son's life have been both a mental and physical uphill marathon. I won't deny the joy that his quirky faces and sleepy milk smiles have brought me. But boy oh boy learning how to be a mother is a complete full-time event. I'm not one to sugar coat situations so here it goes, from my personal to everyday duties, here are the facts.

After twenty hours of labor but only a good half an hour of pushing I naturally delivered my sweet son. Unfortunately, the labor and delivery were probably the easiest part of the beginning of this motherhood adventure. The first few days I was home my body was in shambles. I could barely walk and I was so sore down there I was using the Boppy as a type of hemorrhoid pillow instead of baby accessory. I know it was that bad. Then there was bloody Friday. My paranoid self thought I was hemorrhaging so I went to the ER. Turns out my cervix wasn't contracting the right way but all I needed was some pill poppin' action. Throughout all of this chaos I was trying to learn how to boobie feed. Yes, my 'lil guy wanted milk and he wanted it  fast. He was sucking so vigorously I thought I was going to run out of this liquid gold. All I can say is I was sore for the first two weeks of his sucking life. Finally, I made it through the rain, both literally and figuratively. Because four weeks and five days later I feel a little back to normal. I've still had some occasional postpartum anxiety meltdowns from sleepless nights, fear of SIDS and plain 'ole cabin fever but things are s-l-o-w-l-y getting better. Now whenever I think of my past life, before my beautiful Bebe, I resist to complain because nothing could be sweeter than looking at his face and these tootsies.

Galindo Bros and Sweet Sister

So have you ever had someone, lets say your husband, want to copy you all the time? Well, I have! And yes it's my husband…lol Actually we are so competitive we love stealing ideas from one another and making them better. I know, right?. Except this is a healthy copycat relationship. We DO confess that we stole the idea from the other, so no biggie. I know, kinda strange especially when some of the things we like to do involve crafting, baking and photography. I don't mind though. Like my mommy always told me, "Copying is a form of flattery." But I swear if Mr. G knew how to sew he would try to beat me at every creative idea I possess. That little rascal! 


So this brings me to photography. Last year my sisters and I had a gorgeous family photo shoot with the adorable and talented Ala from loveala. She produced some very special memories for us and my mother. But of course, this year, my husband wanted to do the same for his dad…See what I mean:) Except, I volunteered to take the photos for them. I love photography but seriously it ain't easy peezy! Hail to all professional photographers because it is definitely harder than it looks. After capturing the photos, editing and printing them out I realized that I need to practice litterally every day, to come even a smidge close to the pros. I think the creative aspect of photography comes a lot easier to me than pushing all the bells and whistles on the camera. So please don't judge my work as legit but instead look at it, for now, as a "Monet" in progress! (Like in Clueless where Cher says, "You see, it's like the painting. Seen from far away, it's okay; but up close, it's a big ol' mess.") LOL!


Below is my husband and the in-laws-enjoy:) These are a few of my favorites!

Shower of Blessings

Dear little baby G's shower was held on the most beautiful day. On Saturday, January 15, 2011 the sun was shinning, friends were smiling and excitement was radiating underneath the tule shaded canopy. What can I say besides, I was blessed to have a perfect baby shower. Honestly, I was terrified that the recent rainy days were going to strike again and we would all end up in our winter boots covered with mud. Surprisingly, the day was gorgeous and actually a bit hot. I believe it was a gift from my sweet little Nana looking down on us and letting her love shine through for her great-grand son. The great grand son she knew and already loved at only three and half months but would never get to hold. So, thank you Nana, for your warmth that surrounded our family, friends and our baby boy that will be named after you.

Since my Nana was such a special woman and had an enormous part in raising me, this baby shower was truly dedicated to her. From the 1900's antique transportation theme to the photos of her holding me when I was a baby. Our colors were after my recent discovery that I love to love turquoise-all shades. Now, I'm a pink girl all the way but for some reason, maybe it's because I'm gonna have a boy, I just can't get enough of this jeweled color. It's a color that makes me want to reach out and touch it...then buy it…whatever it may be. From a luxurious throw, to a crisp new notepad for work, turquoise literally fills up three-fourths of my home's decor. And so for the baby shower we worked in the turquoise with black and white accents to create a boyish yet bit of 1940's glam. Here are the results…

B is for Boy! Yes, you are knockin' at the right house. Below are the silhouettes of myself, our first baby girls and Mr. G (another antique touch).

Antique transportation vehicles filled the rooms. My sister found this garden bike which we painted black, giving it just the right feel for our vintage theme. The packages were the gifts for the games.

I was also inspired by Disney's Lady and the Tramp movie. So, like the movie, the men were separated from the women and given cigars-chocolate cigars that is…they were placed in these vintage cigar boxes. The silhouettes below were our name badges and the "B-A-B-Y" sign was hung outside where guests signed a little note of love or advice for the parents to be:)

Our favors were lots and gobs of turquoise colored sweets for everyone to enjoy. 

Outside the guests were surrounded by hues of blue, white and simple winter centerpieces. One of my favorite details were the flying vintage airplanes. Mr. G and I were just speechless and filled with love because we have such sweet as sugar friends and family. 

The old fashion appies, made with love from my mommy, included scones, cucumber sandwiches and donuts. The picture perfect cake was created by my talented friend Nancy. 

 The grand finale was of course my "fauxto" booth. This time I wanted to mimic an antique silhouette frame. So- ta da! 

Week 33-36

Technically this week I am supposed to hold a honeydew but I think the squash from weeks 29-32 looks bigger. I switched it around a bit:) Here I am at 33 weeks-eekk, it's getting closer.

Simply Positive for 2011

Good ridden 2010. You have caused me pain, heartache, stress and an overabundant amount of tears. You have created a bah, humbug 2010 monster within me. I am really not usually a pessimist but this year has been the most difficult year, for not only myself but my family as well. And I am not going to blog about trying to find the good in 2010 because that was too difficult.  There was only one good that came out of this year, our pregnancy. Other than that I would like to say an official goodbye to:

teacher pink slips

those that dwell on the past

morning sickness
dementia
crazy family members
overspending
my Nana's struggle in her last breaths of life and her death

So, goodbye to you and Hello to happier days in 2011. I want to make this new year simply positive! In every event, thought, reaction and relationship I want to simply start with positiveness. Through this positiveness I will say hello to:

feeling secure 

having more faith

better thoughts

creative ideas

honest family relationships

sincere friendships

our son

Pink & Green

This year I decided to wrap my Christmas gifts in two colors I love together, pink and green. Last year me, my husband and his family went to Utah for some snow boarding adventures. I'm not a big snow boarding fan so while they were hitting the slopes I decided to take advantage of the day after Christmas sales. I love me some Target so that's where I headed first. As I was searching through the isles my heart pounded with joy as I came across this adorable pink and green Hello Kitty, yes Hello Kitty, wrapping paper. I grabbed that sucker, along with many other treats, and called it a day! So, viola! My pink and green color scheme came to life with a few extra added details. My friend Svea, also gave me some wrapping pointers; she said tulle would be inexpensive and look great as a ribbon. It sure does! Now my new addiction-tulle!:)

Lucky number 7

Yay, 7 months down! How many more to go? Well, I am officially in my third trimester and feeling not too shabby. Today, I had my monthly doctor's appointment and one of the nurses said, "You sure are all baby." I guess those extra seventeen pounds that I have gained are all going to baby G's muscles! Now it's crunch time. No more messin' around! I need to get down to business!! We have finally finished the baby shower invites. Next, on the agenda is to finish painting, crafting and ordering all the the details for the baby shower decorations. Oh ya, and we need to finish painting the trim, order the interior shutters, pick out a rug and install a closet organization system for the nursery. Jeez Louise, I…I mean Mr. G (hehehe) has a ton of things on his plate. Well, here is how I look before all the madness begins.
(p.s. don't mind all the blurriness; I'm practicing and trying to figure out how to use my new wide angle lens)

Eggplant= 25 to 28 months

Me at 7 months!

The invitations!:)

Gotta show the envelope:)

Our 2010 Christmas card -check

I'm so excited because I just placed an order for this year's Christmas cards! Ekkk, I can't wait to get them in the mail. Right now I am obsessed with ordering online. I've been ordering tons of stuff for the baby's room and baby shower. I just love the way it feels when you get home and there is a surprise waiting in the mailbox. It's almost like a mini-Christmas each day.

Peppermint Pink Christmas Card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

We give THANKS

Thanksgiving 2010 was held at our home. We had a full house filled with family and friends. This year we gave thanks for many things; but the most precious of them all is the new life growing in my belly!

Our feast started with these organic tomatoes from my new little garden.

The heavyweight that came to get knocked out:)

Place cards that later turned into the leaves for our Thanksgiving tree.

 Our new Thanksgiving tradition: We wrote what we were thankful for on the back of our place cards and then hung them up on our thanksgiving tree. I think its too easy not to do something like this. Here is what I used: 

-an old vase

-branches I found on our daily walk

-fall colored card stock

-embroidery thread

I am thankful for the new life in my tummy, our health and family & friends!

Our tootsie pose:)

I especially give thanks for this guy!

Pretty in Pink

Not only is my mom's favorite color pink but she also loves the movie "Pretty in Pink." That's why it's a perfect reason to accessorize her 46th birthday, from head to toe, in PINK! Happy Birthday Madre Mia:)

46 mini cup cakes to be exact!

Pandora-a prefect present to give to the sweetest mommy:)

Friends and Baby Bumps

Just thought I'd share some pictures of my cute sorority sister and I with our baby bumps. My friend Karen, pregnant momma to be, and Valerie, my sorority 'lil sis, are best friends. Luckily for us, Val is an ultrasound techy girl and can get some pretty awesome pictures of our baby boy and Karen's baby girl. I feel blessed to have such sweet friends to share these special moments with. Thanks girlies!

 

Our kiddies first kiss:)

XOXO

My oh-so-cute and talented lil sis! Val was also the first one to reveal the baby's gender! Love ya girl:)

Before the careers, weddings and baby bumps:)

Sanrio's 50th Year Anniversary

This month, my sisters, mom and I had the best opportunity of the year. We were able to go act like kids again at Hello Kitty and Sanrio's 50th year anniversary celebration. It was held at the Santa Monica Airport. We were literally like kids in a candy shop, but this candy was made of red bows and white fur.  At the Sanrio pop-up tour there was everything from mini-carnival games to an art exhibition. We really adored every little bit of this experience except the two-hour wait to get into the pop-up gift store. I guess it was kind of worth it because we were able to buy the most unique Hello Kitty gifts.

This is Sephora's new and upcoming collection-can't wait!

Is this cool or what?