we made it!

Today marks one year of marriage to Mr. Hubster. One year of marriage and four years of good ol' cohabitation (or three years of full-on cohabitation and one year of "maybe we should...maybe we shouldn't" cohabitation).

We met five and a half years ago, on New Year's Eve of all eve's. I had weak plans for the evening...the plan was to spend the night at a niteclub with champagne, a close friend and a few acquaintainces. Yet my friend found out at the last minute that her boyfriend had tickets to some Portuguese New Year's party somewhere out at a hall in Richmond. So I thought, "sucks but I'll go ahead to the niteclub on my own". But said friend was adamant that I go with her and tried to score me a ticket to this "exclusive" event (note: the quotes denote sarcasm). Strangely, my friend, who happened to be dating Victor's younger brother, could not get a ticket because apparently it was too late. Low and behold, it was Victor who refused to get an extra ticket for me (this is ofcourse before we ever met) and said I shouldn't even bother coming. Apparently he was not too keen on his brother showing up with two chicas. Don't ask me why...I mean, he's male isn't he? And I was female?

Anyways, Victor's brother convinced me to go despite the fact that I didn't have a ticket. We drove out to Richmond to this hall along the river's edge, walked right into the hall without so much as a receiving table stopping us from entering. We didn't even need tickets apparently because dinner was over. I thought "jerk!" about Victor (again, still hadn't met him). But then I saw him as I walked up to his table...sitting there with his grandma by his side and his parents on the other...all suited up with a tie and everything. His eyes lit up as we were introduced. And that was it...it was over for me.

And even though it was already done, it got better. The Portuguese love their seafood so at midnight, out came huge mountains of prawns placed in the middle of the room. Prawns with heads and hair...or legs and eyes and everything gross. Victor put a plate of them right in front of me and I had no idea what to do. I attempted to pull off the head and peel all awkwardly with a "yuck" face. Victor's grandpa joked in Portuguese that I didn't know how to peel prawns...so Victor, so gallant, would peel them for me, one after the other. And he continued to do so for years until I finally got the hang of it and felt less grossed out by the eyeballs staring at me. And then...really, then, it was over. He had my heart at the prawn peel.

And so, today marked the day that we solidified our love for each other. And you know what we did to celebrate the day? We ate prawns and crab and clams and mussels. Yep, crustaceans and shellfish. And you know what? He peeled my prawns and even cracked my crab for me today, because it's a special day.

It may make me sound like a helpless female...but no, I'm just a sentimental one :)

And I need to get this t-shirt:

don't ask, don't tell

So apparently today the US House voted to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the US military. It's about time! Canada has "allowed" GAL's in the military for almost 20 years now. I really don't understand what the big issue is here. I was reading various news articles on the subject and read comments written by soldiers saying that they did not want to sleep in the same barracks or shower with someone that was sexually attracted to them. Funny, I've never met a guy who didn't want to shower with someone who was sexually attracted to them...little joke there, but in all seriousness, how conceited? They're assuming that every gay person lives life as though they are at a niteclub. And really, would I hit on a gay guy when I know he's not attracted to me/my sex? Nuh uh, therefore, highly unlikely that a gay guy will hit on someone that he knows is not oriented that way.

It just infuriates me to read that someone has "nothing against gays" and then go onto say something like "I just don't want them hitting on me". It's such a contradiction to say you have nothing against someone yet you think they are out to convert you into their boyfriend/girlfriend against your will.

And so, that's my rant. I may not have a sophisticated argument here but ARGH! That's right, argh. And the change in law still has a long way to go but hey, it's a move in the right direction.

world cup fever

Well, the World Cup is coming up in a few weeks and I'm geared up to jump on the bandwagon again. I used to be an avid soccer fan and even played on a team throughout elementary and junior high. I loved watching soccer games even when the World Cup wasn't on. But in between the last World and Euro Cup, I've lost interest during those "in-between" years. Now that the World Cup is here, I can feel the fury again and am excited to dress Felicia (and me) up in team memorabilia.

And so for the first time EVER, Honduras has made the World Cup. My mother's home country. It makes me wish I was back in Honduras, sitting with my close-knit extended family in front of a small tv, listening to my uncles curse the players and yelling "GOL!" when they finally score. I think back to two years ago when I was attached to an IV in a Honduran hospital, vomiting my uterus out (I know, too much?), while a crowd of my family sat around the room watching the game on my microscopic hospital tv. True fans, I tell ya.

Victor, being a rabid Portuguese, will ofcourse be cheering on Portugal. Yet he also has a fondness for Honduras and quietly hopes that they make it through their group (highly unlikely with Spain, Switzerland and Chile to beat).

So after all that, I have to say that this World Cup will be extra special because it's Felicia's first...and not one, but two of her countries of heritage are fighting for the Cup. Oh and the best part of soccer? This:

wardrobe refresh

Okay, I know you've all seen this dress:


Now, I guess you can say I tend to follow certain trends...when they suit my body, ofcourse. No shapeless, flowy tops for my big 'uns. I like clothes with definition, form and structure. This dress fits the bill for me...well, the stripes will make the gazongas look even bigger but hey, sometimes this is unavoidable.

Anyways, after that tangent, I really want this dress. And the only place I could find it online (try googling "that dress that everyone is wearing with the tank top on top") was at Top Shop which we don't even have here. I would totally wear this dress with yellow flats:


Or for comfort (and less likelihood of summer sweaty feet):


And I would wear this bag -- stripe-a-licious!


It's matchy but oh so bumblebee chic :). I bet H&M has the dress...or maybe Old Navy? If anyone has seen this dress, please let me know. This summer, no more Lululemon shorts and faded black tank tops (exception: workouts) -- it's dresses and fashion and fun :)

Whoa two posts in one day! And a template change! I have a lot of time on my hands today since I swore off tv for an entire day. I should do this more often because I get a heckofalot done!

what the?

For someone who professes to know a "little HTML", Blogger has made me feel so...what's the word...Luddite-ish. Why the hell is the posting date showing up as time only? Yeah, I don't know either. I checked the HTML (again, a "little HTML" knowledge does not go a long way) and everything looks right in the posting date area so...well, maybe I'll just change the template again. So there Blogger. Expect some changes soon.

Anyways, so the other day, I was thinking about how this blog has become all about my little monkey. My reasons for keeping this blog is to keep friends and family in the loop (even those of you that don't comment! And shout out to Rawbean and Wendy!) as to our daily antics as well as to have a written record so I can look back on Feli's progress/adventures. And the main reason: for Feli to be able to see how she was as a baby/little girl growing up...how much would I have loved it if my mom kept a blog!?

Now, as I learned during my career in communications, you have to write for your clearly definied audience. My audience includes friends, Felicia and me. Any other readers are a bonus, and I would love it if more people came by to check us out but I know the content is pretty baby heavy...and a baby you don't know is typically not as interesting as one you do know. But I have to say, that I wouldn't have it any other way. Feli is now my muse. My inspiration for writing. And if she makes 80% of my posts, then that's because she is 80% of my life right now (and forever!). I know how important it is to keep the rest of who I am in check though and therefore, not every post will be about the love of my life (hence the 80% :).

well, so much for that

So much for sticking to my workout schedule. I've already fallen off the wagon and it's only been a week or so since I wrote that post!

Also, so much for Feli sleeping through the night. I thought she would get back to sleeping straight through from early evening to early morning...but alas, she has other plans for me. I think she has now discovered that playing and crawling is much more fun than sleeping. So we struggle to get her to sleep at night (she wants to hang out with us even when her head flops backward/forward and her eyes are all googly). Then, when she finally falls asleep, she wakes up 5 hours later (around 1am-ish) to crawl around the crib and cry for me. Then when I finally get her back to sleep, she wakes up at 4. It's a great pattern...I'm sooooo close to bringing her into bed with us from now on and forget this whole crib/sleep training business. Or maybe I should start swaddling her again?


I know, cute but kind of mean at 6/7 months...

Anyways, right now she's having a long morning nap so it's giving me a bit of time to relax and post when I should really be cleaning. Or exercising but...yeah, no.

Oh and we've been feeding her more complex foods now...less of the blended up single veggie/fruit, and more of a variety of flavours all at once. She ate Victor's baccalau (cod fish and shoe string potatoes, scrambled egg, parsley, garlic and onions...mmmmm) and loved it! Here she is wanting more:


I also made her the yummiest banana breakfast this morning: a few slices of banana sauteed in butter with a sprinkle of cinnamon - then mashed with a fork. I added a small teaspoon of apple cinnamon oatmeal baby cereal and voila, the yummiest breakfast that I was actually tempted to eat. She wasn't as keen on it as I thought she would be.


But if I spoke to her in high pitch baby speak (REALLY ANNOYINGLY), she would open her mouth for me. I was all "oooooooopen monkeYYYYYYYY! ooooooooooooopennnnnnnn ...gooooooooooooooood girrrrrrl! yuuuuuummmmmy yum yummmmmmers!" Victor was laughing at me but it was the only way she would open her mouth. Ah, the joys of mom-hood. Being annoying as hell and not caring :)

So today we're going to go to the local community centre to sign up for baby yoga out here in the burbs. Maybe that'll get me back on the fitness wagon. And I'm going to plan a hike for this weekend (if the weather is better) to kick this ba-donk-donk back into shape.

what's new?

Well, nothing much is new to report...just a few small items of note:

Felicia's back on her awesome sleep schedule...although, still a little off but at least I get a good 8 hours before she wakes up in the morning!

We bought Feli a baby cage so she can crawl around...she's a little inch worm who gets around pretty quickly, see here for a still shot:


I've been doing a bit of work from home again...almost lost my mind doing it but it's all for the Benjamins (I know, I know...we don't even have Benjamins). And I made the silly mistake of asking my boss if she had any work I can do from home...haven't heard back yet but I'm going into work next week to meet with her. It's all because Victor isn't working much right now so it'd be good to get a little extra cash to infuse into Feli's education fund. And ofcourse in her shopping fund as well :).

Oh and it's great to have Victor home most days as I get a bit of time to myself -- hence the fitness goals are going well (as of the last 6 days at least)...and sharing the baby duties make them a lot more fun.

We have our pre-natal class reunion coming up in two weeks - and I'm kind of excited about it. It'll be fun to show off our little barrel of cuteness and see the other cutie pies! I have to find a really cute outfit for her to wear, maybe she can wear her bunny ears (being a halloween baby and all):


So that's it for now. Hopefully I'll have something a little more exciting next time!

goal post

Taking Rawbean's lead on setting some fitness goals, I thought I would list a few goals of my own for the coming months. As I've been sick for the last little while, Project Tumaway has been put on hold and it's getting a little difficult to get back into it. I attempted a run last Thursday but after 2 minutes, my body was screaming for me to stop. So it seems that my body is still in immuno-a$$-kicking mode. And rather than while away my days on the couch or on the floor with monkeysaurus, I plan on committing to the following:

1. One hour of cardio daily (walking? sure...running, even better)
2. Work out opposing muscles every other day (flabby arms and back...then legs and junk in the trunk)
3. Abs every day

And as a bonus, I'm joining another mom and baby yoga class out here in suburbia. Annnnnd I'm going to venture on the many trails around here and do some major hikes this summer. I've been talking about hiking the Chief for G knows how long, so I better get' er done...and by done, I mean by August.

It's amazing how my mat leave is already over half way over and I really need to start taking advantage of all this free (with subjects) time I have. And get my butt back in gear -- the ultimate goal is to finally finish the damn Sun Run training schedule that I have never, in my seven years of running the Sun Run, completed fully. In typical me fashion, I quit running four weeks before the run and run it anyways. Usually resulting in the same time of 65ish minutes and OVEREXERTION to the point of wheezing for an ambulance at the finish line (true story to which a co-worker who crossed the finish line with me will never let me forget).

And so, after that little necessary deviation from my list, the following goals round out this wonderful goal list:

4. Practice yoga at least once a week
5. Go on at least 5 hikes in the surrounding area by August
6. Hike the Chief by August
7. Complete the sun run training schedule (after 7 years, it's time...)

Oh and my motivation? Energy to chase this little one who is days away from learning to crawl:

new babe in town

We are happy to announce the arrival of little baby Ashton! He was born two Fridays ago and is the cutest little bean! We were so excited to go to the hospital right after he was born but we waited it out a bit to make sure his momma and poppa got enough time alone with him before the crowds arrived.

We arrived at the hospital and went up to the third floor where a proud Uncle Manuel stood, tired as ever from not sleeping during my sister-in-laws 48 hour labour (give or take a few hours). And there he was, all bundled up and asleep in his bassinet. Immediately, we saw a mini version of Manuel - although cuter :).

Here's Feli taking a peek:


And then pointing:


And then moving on to other things:


We didn't spent too much time at the hospital as we knew we would get to see him on a daily basis back at home. Yet, we've been casa cough and sneeze since last Monday that we really haven't had a chance to hang out with the little guy. I just held him for the first time tonight and he had his eyes open for a few seconds before falling into a mother's milk coma. Fun times ahead and soon Feli and Ashton will be getting into some crazy shenanigans together. I can't wait to see their little personalities shine in the coming months, years...

Note: I didn't include pics of Ashton as I'm not sure what his mom's stance is on this whole blog business. I'm sure it's okay but you know like, some people value their privacy. Not me - privacy schmivacy is what I say to that.

sick day(s)

It's been a few days...of sniffling and coughing, sore throats that feel like swallowing knives...and a boatload of sneezing inclus with tissues all over the place. It's been good times at casa mia.

Felicia's first cold hit our house like a hurricane. She had been sleeping through the night for three weeks straight. She would fall asleep between 6 and 7 and wake up between 5:30 and 7am every night...it was so damn peaceful and I always woke up in awe...then would go into her room and give her a huge hug and thank her for giving me a good nights sleep. Then last Sunday, the baby monitor sang her cries at 1am in the morning. And so I got up and spent time with her, feeding, consoling and all that mom jazz. And then again at 3am, 4am, 5am and again at 7am. So began the week of sniffles and coughs. A trip to the ER, where we rocked her while we waited and turned back and went home when we had been waiting an hour already. Another trip to the doctor when we saw her temperature reached 37.5 (ahem...worry wart parents - we didn't know this is within the normal range).

Then I got sick when she started getting better and wanted me to have the energy that I usually do to skip around the kitchen and "jump around, jump around, jump up, jump up and get down" with her. All I wanted to do was sleep and rest...but I'm a mom now and so had to force myself to mom around. Make breakfast, play, make lunch, play, rock to sleep, make dinner, play, rock to sleep. And now Victor's sick so we are both taking turns taking naps throughout the day (when he's home) so we can sleep away this plague. It really sucks because it's been so damn nice out that all I've wanted to do was go outside for baby strolls, runs, walks to the park...but no go as I can barely muster the energy to boil hot water.

Next post coming - baby Ashton's arrival! Felicia's little cousin is finally here and was born on April 30th (lucky parents got $1500 from Sears because he arrived on the due date!). Sadly, I haven't even been able to hold him yet as we've been quarantined. Hopefully, I'll wake up feeling like a trillion bucks tomorrow -- doubtful but a girl can hope :)