Friday, November 16, 2007

Jovany the Explorer!!!

Our little guy is so fascinated with the world he lives in. So many things are calling his attention lately.





From pulling off little berries from the bushes and holding on to them for dear life, to helping mommy put the clothes from the dryer to the basket. Let's not forget the DEMANDED morning walk at Abuelita's (on rainy days he waits by the front door upset). He loves to wave to the children at the bus stop and stops in aww to watch the wheels on any vehicle go round and round.





We are so intrigued with all his little discoveries. Jovy loves to observe and concentrates intensely when he plays (wonder where he gets those traits from???). He's realizing there's a cause and effect for everything and is sooooo testing his limits.





Last weekend, we went up to Jersey again. BRR!!!! It was great to see everyone and Jovany had a great time playing with his cousins. Lito was amazed on how quick Jovany discovered how to climb stairs being it was the first time he had every been around them before. Little dare devil!!!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Happy Halloween!

We hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Halloween!!!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Welcome to Toddlerhood!!!!

What an amazing first year it has been. To see our son born as such a helpless being and then to develop into such a busy boy.... it's just incredible to us !!!! He's such a warm boy who loves to cuddle in Mami or Papi's arms and he always has a smile on his face.



Jovany is at such a neat stage.....he's lost his "baby" tendencies and looks and acts like such a big boy. He's walking, throwing tantrums, babbling really loud in public places and let's not forget throwing toys or his sippy cup across the table in a restaurant( we're working on that one). He's welcomed us into his wonderful world of "toddler" experiences.



Jovany has now developed "Daddyitis". He's so attached to Jimmy and we can already tell he looks up to him....it's so cute!! He finally got some teeth in and they happen to be the two fang teeth, so he looks ridiculously like Dracula....very appropriate for Halloween. One of his teeth is chipped already from a fall he took on the coffee table (boys will be boys).



We celebrated Jovy's first birthday at Abuelita and Abuelito's house and despite the rain we had a great time. Lita, Lito, Max, Tio Ram, Tio Nicky, Tia Erika and Tia Twiggy all flew in from Jersey to celebrate the big day. The house was packed with family and friends and we felt so blessed to see how much love Jovy has. Of course he went to town with the amazing Thomas the Train smash cake my mom made and had icing in his nail beds for days!!!!



Life is very good!!!!



Congratulation Tio Chris and Tia Tessa for your engagement!!!!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Dr. Tarantino

When your told you have to go a "Fertility Specialist", so many things flash through your mind. We were very nervous about going to the clinic thinking we were going to come out a family of ten.


We had so many unanswered questions and we didn't know if children were in our future. We were determined to do whatever it took to have our family.


Dr. T's patience and optimism reassured us that God would bless us with a baby one day. After several MRI's and medical exams, he FINALLY discovered my problem! Who would of known that you can be born with a wall down the middle of your uterus preventing inplantation of an embryo. He surgically removed the septum and cleared us to start trying again. We were thrilled....I had a brand new uterus!!

He never pressured us into taking fertility drugs and always gave us hope. Five months after the surgery, I was pregnant again!!!


Six weeks into the pregnancy and several exams later, I was released from him because things were looking great. I didn't understand why he would not be my doctor anymore. How were we going to get through this pregnancy and delivery without Dr. Tarantino? He said to us, "My job is to get you pregnant, my job here is done". "Your OBGYN can take it from here", "just make sure you bring the baby by the office one day".


It saddened us to leave him, but Jimmy and I vowed that one day we would bring Jovany to meet this special doctor. After much procrastination, I finally did it today. Jovany met Dr. Tarantino and it was such a special moment for us. He remembered me and couldn't believe how big Jovany was. He asked when the second one was coming????

Friday, July 13, 2007

Summer Adventure!!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

We write from sunny Florida, a much cooler state compared to where we were this past week. We just returned from our summer adventure (not vacation) on Wednesday and oh what an adventure it was!! Let me just start out by saying that Phoenix was 103 degrees by 8:30 am.

Half of the group arrived in Phoenix on time and the other half arrived delayed with luggages lost. Tio Nicky on the other hand had to make an EMERGENCY stop in Chicago, but fortunately joined us the next morning at the ceremony.



With a little jet-lag, the next morning we headed out to Daddy's big graduation. The ceremony was really nice, but long. After so much hard work, sacrifice and dedication Daddy received his MBA and we were all so proud of him!! Jovy's glad too "NO MORE COMPUTER DADDY!"



Despite the 3 hour time change we didn't seem to miss a beat. The next morning we set off in two mini vans for the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and finally Las Vegas. We arrived around noon to the Grand Canyon, an amazing place, in which our 9 month old has already had the opportunity to visit...crazy! The heat was unbearable at the Hoover Dam, but the incredible structure blew us all away. After one wrong turn, we finally arrived in Vegas that evening and we settled into the lovely Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. Tio Chris and Tessa had arrived at the same time and joined the group.



Las Vegas was filled with everything you could possibly think of to indulge yourself. Some gambled, some watched Cirque du soleil, some partied, some shopped, but what everyone did do together was EAT a lot (gotta love those buffets)!!! We had to be very careful with the baby because the desert heat was crazy. Jovany actually started to overheat under the cabana poolside after being outside for only 15 minutes and it scared us all. Luckily he cooled off in the hotel by taking a bath. The heat was no joke!!


Overall, this trip was a super great time!!! Even though we all need a vacation to recoup from the adventure, it was great to see everyone and have 15 people's schedules coordinated for such a momentous trip.



One recommendation, if you can help it (we couldn't), we do not recommend bringing small children to that side of the country during July (summer).





Sunday, June 10, 2007

Summer's Finally Here!!!

Hello All! I know it's been a while, but things have been busy closing out the school year before summer vacation. I am officially a "stay at home mom" until mid August. Yeah!!!!



Well....here's the latest and greatest!! Our "weekend getaway" last month was wonderful, once the tears were out of my system. It felt a little weird not to have our little guy around us (a lot like your right arm was missing or something), but we took advantage of catching up on much needed sleep, dining and lounging poolside. Jovany had lot's of fun with the "abuelitos", I don't think he noticed that we were gone a whole 24 hours.



My first Mother's Day was very nice. I decided early that morning that I was going to do NOTHING that day, but that only lasted to about lunchtime....... we all know that MEN cannot function without their wives, at least mine can't. LOL! I did feel really appreciated that day though and I'm glad it's another special day to look forward to.

Jovany has been going through major changes lately. He recently began crawling. It's a cross between an army crawl from the front angle and a butt in the air/on your knees from the back angle. Whatever his "stilo" is, he's getting around pretty good and he's quick. So, that called for a little "baby proofing" of the house, especially after he discovered the outlets while cruising around in his walker.



On Saturday we finally did it. We moved the crib into his room and he's doing remarkably well. We can't say the same for us, but every night gets a little better for us.

Jovany has no teeth yet, but that hasn't stopped the menu from expanding. He recently tried "arepas" for the first time and loved them. This kid will eat anything you put in front of him. Some of his favorites are chicken, squash, frijoles, broccoli, mango, peaches and loves strawberries! He wants nothing to do with store bought jars. Last week at the beach, he refused to eat Gerber 3. He spit the food out and made a face at us like "what is this crap your giving me". I guess we've got him use to fresh/homemade baby food that tastes good. I don't know what we are going to do when we go to AZ/NV next month for Jimmy's graduation.



We finally brought Jovy for his first haircut today. He sat in his taxi car and watched Baby Einstein for the first time. We didn't do a drastic hairdo, we just wanted it to be cleaned up. Here are some pictures with the Fl cousins.



Happy Father's Day!!!!! Until next time.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Splish Splash!!!

Hello everyone!!! Can you believe Jovany's 7 and a half months old??? Time is flying by. His ear infection episode only lasted 2 days and then he bounced back to himself again. Thank God!!

Bath time is so much fun now! Jovany splashes the water around and gets everything wet. The funniest is when he tries so hard to grab the water as it pours from the cup. He concentrates so intensely and even makes the "Tovar eyebrow look", but can't seem to realize that you can't grab water. He loves his disco ducks that light up and likes to suck the water from the washcloth.
You can definitely tell this kid is a Florida boy. He loves the water! After packing the car with practically the whole house, we decided to go on a little adventure in search of a new spot for the beach. We found the cutest little island and it was only 30 minutes from our house (Tarpon Springs). It was perfect for Jovany's first time to the "playa. " After we set up our fort (umbrellas, chairs, cooler etc), we brought Jovy straight to the water. He did not hesitate once about getting in and was kicking his legs like a little fish. I guess he though it was a giant bath tub. He must of enjoyed the different taste of the salt water because he kept licking and sucking the raft. The day wore him out and he passed out under the umbrella for about 2 hours. We had a great time!

Oh yeah....one more thing. This weekend, our little guy gave mommy a heart attack. I left him in his crib playing with his toys for a couple of minutes and when I came back.....homeboy was STANDING in his crib by himself banging on my dresser and with the biggest smile on his face. The reason for my cardiac arrest was that the crib mattress was set all the way up and the top of the railing was about to his pelvis. So guess what daddy ended up doing that day???? lowering the crib because now Jovany's standing on his own.


Happy Birthday Abuelita!!!


Next weekend is Mami and Papi's "get away"weekend. Yes, we will be leaving Jovany with the Abuelitos over night for the first time. HAAAA!!!! We know he will be in excellent hands, but this is a big step for me, I mean us. We're just going to the Marriott in St. Pete for one night and we so need it!!! It's a lot of work being a parent!

Monday, April 23, 2007

First Big Trip!!!

This past weekend we set off to visit family in New Jersey. It was Jovany's first time on an airplane, so we didn't know what to expect.


Our son is the biggest flirt!! He had flight attendants and random women on the flight smiling and giggling with him. It's so amazing how friendly he is, even to strangers, but especially to women. Kinda worried about that one!!LOL!! It helped that we scheduled the flight at around his bedtime because once we took off he slept the whole flight. Thank God!!! We were so fortunate to bring the Florida sunshine with us because we couldn't of asked for more perfect weather......especially after the big flooding they got a few days prior.

Thanks to Tia Erika, we didn't have to bring much with us but our clothes. Jovany had everything he needed courtesy of Maximus. Lita couldn't help but bite Jovany all over and Jovany loved to cuddle in Lito's arms. It didn't take the boys much time to catch up on lost time. Saturday afternoon, Max and Jovany played outside for a long time. They both had their shades on and Max was pushing Jovany in a car. You could tell Max was very excited to see "Vanny" and was learning how to share his toys with his cousin. We also took Jovany to see Abuelita Matilde (Jovy's Great Grandmother) and she was so happy to finally get her hands on him. She looked great and is getting stronger everyday.


The rest of the family arrived that evening to meet Jovy and it was so nice to see everyone. The three amigos (David, Jovany and Max) posed for photos on the couch. It's incredible to us how much love this child has in two states. Maura (Jimmy's nanny) had so much fun playing with Jovany and making him laugh. Later that night after Jovany went to bed, Tio Nicky brought out the poker chips and we played a long night of poker. Let me just say, as a first time poker player, I beat Jimmy bad!!!! LOL!!!

Before we knew it, we were back on the plane headed home. Unfortunately, the air on the plane isn't the cleanest and Jovany caught a cold and his first ear infection. It's really painful for us (first time parents) to see your child sick and all you want to do is take their discomfort away. I guess we have to remember that his building up his immunities. Untill next time!!!



Happy 34th Birthday Jimmy!!!

Monday, April 9, 2007

What's with the bunny and his eggs???

Since it was our first Easter with the baby, we found ourselves falling in the trap of buying the Easter basket, eggs and small gifts for the baby.... Jimmy asked me on Easter morning, "what is the deal with the Easter bunny and eggs???" I said, " I have no idea what the story is about it, it was just an excuse to buy Jovany something." We both grew up with the understanding that Easter was a time to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus and share a great meal with your family.


So what's the deal with this bunny? Does the Easter bunny lay the eggs? Jimmy was determined to find the story behind the bunny and the eggs , so that one day when Jovany is old enough he could tell him the story. So at the luncheon later on that day he began asking family and friends what the story was. Well unfortunately, no one in my family knows either. I guess it's an American thing that you just follow. Does any one know this mystery story????


Anyways, whatever the tradition is Jovany got 2 Easter baskets and his first walker. The walker was from us and he's rolling all over the house now (thank God for tile). Abuelita went nuts and the basket was filled with bubbles, sidewalk chalk, sand pail for the beach and cool toys for the bathtub. It was so much fun!


We hope you all had a fun Easter with your family and friends!




The first outing to "Story time" at the library was a hit. Jovany and his best friend Gabriella absolutely love it! Abuelita said they stole the show.....they turned so many heads b/c everyone thought they were twins. They listened to the librarian read the stories and sing songs with finger puppets. A couple of times they wanted to put their two sense in and kinda interrupted her, but I guess she's use to that kind of thing happening. I can't wait to see it with my own eyes this summer when school is out! Here is a picture of the 2 amigos.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

What's so funny???

Well, it looks like we've made it to the midyear mark. It's true what everyone says....it does get really fun at 6 months!!!!!



Jovany always has somewhere to go and something new to explore. I swear he has 8 arms sometimes because he's always on the lookout to grab the first thing he sees and usually grabs it before we can stop him. He's caught Mami a couple of times and wacked his whole meal into the air leaving nothing but a mess on everyone. We have to laugh and cherish these moments everyday because I know one day they will be gone FOREVER and he'll be all grown up and into "who knows what."



Now, that he's sitting on his own, he enjoys playing with his toys especially the ones that make a lot of noise. We love this stage because he's becoming a little more independent and allowing us to do our things at ease (he has to be able to see us though, otherwise he will freak out).



We took him over Spring Break to the zoo and he was so fascinated with what he saw. Maybe he'll take after his Tia Twiggy and enjoy the animals. Jimmy and I always wonder what will become of Jovany when he "grows up." It amazes us that he's his own little person and has his own life ahead of him. Anyways, he really enjoyed the aquarium part of the zoo and followed the manatees and turtles as they swam by him. It was the cutest thing!!!



We are really getting a better understanding of his sense of humor. Let me tell you, he basically finds it hilarious when we act like complete idiots to get him to laugh or play "peek a boo" with him. I guess he knows that we will do anything to see him crack up.



Our sweet boy is so cuddly and as hard as it was to kick him out of our bed......you know what I mean......we are very proud to say that he's been sleeping in his crib and THROUGH THE NIGHT now for sometime!!!! Ya! for Mami and Papi and for finally getting our full night sleep back!!! Oh, how we missed that. Our next mild stone will be to move him to his room....not too sure when that's going to happen though.



Well, we've been having so much fun with our little guy and we hope you are enjoying us sharing with you. Until next time!!! Happy Easter everyone!!

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Got milk???

Hello everyone!!! Can you believe our little guy is 5 months and 2 weeks already!!! These past few months have been a whirlwind of emotions. We are still amazed that we actually created him.


Jovany Adrian is such a happy baby and loves "parranda". His main focus in life is a good hearty meal. He has acquired a new taste ever since he discovered how to put his vinegar smelling feet in his mouth.

Since rice cereal and veggies have been added to the menu, his appetite has taken a turn for the worst LOL! Our 22 pounder has officially moved onto a "big boy" car seat and is so much more comfortable. After so much effort, he finally rolled over on his own and was trilled with the standing ovation he received from Mami and Daddy.


His personality is so much like his fathers; he's very observant and studies an object with such intensity. He's begun to distinguish different pitches and tones in his voice and recently, Abuelita said that he said Da Da Da (Daddy was thrilled!). He enjoys long walks outside, but chokes on the air when it's a windy day. He's taken a new interest in Thomas the Train (humm another engineer in the family), enjoys books and is learning sign language. He will be joining his buddy Gabby and Abuelita on weekly outings to the local library's "story time for infants" and "puppets shows" very soon!


His first bathing suit was purchased for him, and we can't wait to take him to the pool and beach in a few weeks. We look forward to his first visit to Jersey next month to finally meet the rest of the family and catch up with his primo Max!!!

Until next time!!!!!

What is Jovany's favorite fruit?