Catching up!!!

Well, it's just like us to let nearly 6 weeks go by without a post...SORRY! We have had TONS going on though (as you can see). The biggest bulletin being: we signed a 1 year lease to rent out our house. Gabi had her first dentist visit and is thankfully cavity free. She even got compliments from the doc for having such clean teeth (and great behavior). We also got to hang out with Grandma & Grandpa Martinez at Thanksgiving (see pics of Gabi's 1st hike w/ fur lined Crocs, no doubt) Hee. hee. And, this past weekend my mom and Gabi and I snuck in a quickie pre-Christmas trip to Cali. It would have been my 1st time NOT in Cali w/ my family at Christmas time so my hubby lovingly sent us off for 3 days. It ended with a tearful good-bye ( I miss you, SISTA!!!) but we all had a blast and Gabi got to hang with her cousins, Nina, and Nino. 6 months and counting....or less. We're praying!!!

Next up: Christmas in Hatch; Christmas Take 3 in Lubbock, and ringin' in 2011 in Santa Fe!

Gabi Gets Tubes

Our baby had tubes put in her ears this morning. It was tougher on me than her but she did FANTASTIC! She was reading books and chatting with all of the staff. She did not cry ONCE! She was however, worried about all the other screaming babies...my sweetheart! She kept saying "Baby, baby, cry." It was sweet. She was in the operating room for maybe 15 minutes and then Aaron and I got to go in with her. It was HORRIBLE seeing her with an oxygen mask on her face. She came to about 10 minutes later and quickly pulled everything off of her face. Moments later she was GABIng away. No tears. No whining. But, she she did down two graham crackers and a cup of apple juice! Even the doctors and nurses commented on what a good patient she was.

Back at home Gabi napped and ate as usual. She was fed her favorite meal of spaghetti and devoured it as per usual. Aaron and I have been a mess since last Thursday when we learned our baby girl would need tubes. But, through the grace of God she is back to her old self, running around and perfectly happy. We are SO blessed! Thank you all for your prayers!

Falling into Fall!

Whew! Well, I am all caught up with paperwork(that NEVER happens) so I thought I'd steal 40 minutes from the day while waiting for Aaron to get home. We stay with my mom and dad Sunday and Monday nights to spare Gabi the commute, 5:30 wake ups, and bitter cold. NOTE TO GABRIELLA @ 16...re-read last sentence!

Anyhoo...

Gabi is doing amazingly well but she could use all of your prayers, please (Mama and Daddy too). After 14 months of not even a sniffle Gabi has of course had chronic ear "issues" (redness, fluid, etc., etc.,). After several doctor's/ specialists visits and tests, she may have to have her adnoids removed. She has a specialist visit next week for the final decision. I'm told this is not an abnormal procedure these days but anything surgical or otherwise bothersome to my daughter is of course, cause for tears for me. Please just pray for whatever is in the best interest of our baby girl. We know God will take care of the rest.

Well, since our last post Gabi has made amazing progress! She scribbled her "doo dad" at school and got into her first rumble. Apparently, she thought she was queen of the castle (not sure where she got that idea), and another kid made her own way into the fortress, scratching Gabi upon arrival. Now I know that all of this is very age appropriate and we are working on sharing and manners but Aaron (of all people) was LIVID about the marks on our little one. It was kind of sweet to see Papa bear in action! Gabi has become quite autonomous and vocal! She says "peas" (please), "docoo" (thank you), "mine" and just this past weekend "bess you." The last one is my favorite because I say "God bless you" every time I leave her and it's FINALLY stuck! My heart melts now every time we read to her, say our prayers, and she responds with "bess you." Aww!

A few weeks ago we took Gabi to the Southern NM State Fair. She had a carousel AND pony ride, fed sheep and goats, and even rode a baby train ride ( I stretched the height requirement a few inches)! She even fed a camel. She was nervous at first but insisted on feeding him some more carrots. The expressions she makes these days are SO telling. She had a blast and we just soaked it all up!

Last night was of course, Halloween. Just a side note: GO RANGERS!

Aaron spent several hours working on Gabi's pumpkins and they were the best on Poco Lomas!!!

Gabi, I mean Tinkerbell, decided she was going to walk most of the cul de sac after befriending a stray puppy. She was hesitant about saying "hi" until most people closed their doors but was not at all shy about taking their candy. She checked several times to make sure it was all there in her bag, too! She did say "dacoo" to one lady who told her how beautiful she was. We hope you all enjoyed your Halloween as much as we did. Your Tinkerbell pictures are on their way!!!

History in the Making!

I am truly in disbelief. It only took 49 years...but the Rangers are finally going to the World Series. It is poetic that we had to beat our old postseason nemesis the NY Yankees to make it.

I've been watching the Rangers play since I was a kid when I'd watch with my Grandpa and sisters. Our favorite players over the years were Nolan Ryan, Julio Franco, Juan Gonzales, and Ivan Rodriguez. Every year they would have a decent team, but they'd loose steam towards the end of the season, or they'd loose to the Yanks in the ALDS.

There hasn't been much to cheer about for the past 10 years, and I did not think that this year would be any different until August. I can't wait till the World Series, and I know that the Rangers are the best team in baseball:)

15 Months Old...ALREADY!

Gabi turned 15 months old yesterday and had her check up as well. She got 4 shots, one of which was for the flu. She is 31 1/4 in. tall and 25 pounds. She loves saying "hi" to everyone except men. She usually buries her head in our shoulder if a stranger approaches and wants to talk to her. She is doing fantastic overall! I think the day and a half at daycare has really made a great impact on her. She is saying more words ("up" is her current favorite but she has also added "milk", "wa-wa" (for water), "book", "Noah" and everyone's favorite, "NO!" We think she may also have a pretend friend because she runs around the house blabbering "Stella, Stella!" Who knows?? She is much more mobile- trying to RUN now and usually crashes into things. She also brings us books to read to her and plops her little bottom in our lap pretty comfortably. She is also offering up more kisses on the regular now too although sometimes Momma has to pretend she's crying to break away from what she's into so I can get some love. She's a sweetheart and comes up to check on us almost as if to see if we're really ok and says "awww."

Gabi's cousin Noah turned 2 a few weeks ago so we headed back to Cali for his birthday. She LOVED the Monterey Bay Aquarium and all the hands on exhibits. We got more videos than pictures as you can see but we all enjoyed the sights and the COOL, ocean breeze! We can't believe it's Fall already. Aaron and I are in the midst of our semester and we figured if we work until about midnight on Friday nights we can maximize our time with our daughter (and each other). The things we do for our children....

Check back in a few weeks for Halloween pictures of Gabi as lil' Miss Tinkerbell!

Oh, and please pardon my less than flattering sleep shorts in the one video but I wanted to show everyone what a great helper Gabi is becoming AND.....how vocal and adamant she has become (must get that from Daddy, I guess) :0)

I have also included a few random pictures we have taken of Gabi within the last month...she's a busy girl as you can see. My favorite is the candid country girl snapshot of her and her Papa

irrigating the pecan trees (bow in hair, of course)

!