Family Fun!

We had a busy but fun weekend with the family!

Friday night was the Astros vs Braves game. Zach was a trooper again and did a great job at the game. He was all decked out in his stros gear and got many comments on what a cute "astros baby" he was!! Unfortunately the Astros lost the game 6-1. In Zach's 2 games, he has seen the astros outscored 19-1 now. Ouch! On a happier Astros note though, they won their Saturday and Sunday games. Woohoo! Oh, and Friday night we got to see fireworks too so that was cool!

Saturday morning was our first sign class. Zach is young but could be able to sign by 6-8 months. It was just fun being together too!

For the rest of the weekend, we spent Saturday at my parents house with the family and Sunday at Chris and KA's. My aunt and uncle are in town from NJ and my cousin and her kiddos were in town from AZ. The kiddos LOVED zach and were really sweet with him. They just thought he was pretty darn cute and cool which of course I would agree too! All in all, a great weekend! Oh yeah, and I beat the Easy level of Guitar Hero. I am a ROCK STAR! ;-)

Grandma and Zach at the game

What's up, Dad?

Zach in Dad's big boy hat, one day I will fit in it for real!

Kelsey, Jessica, and Jacob with Zach! Kelsey loved Zach and will make a great babysitter one day!

Aunt Kellianne and Zach! She thought he smelled yummy today. And Zach thought KA's hair was yummy! He loved to get a big handful of it! That's Otis in the window, he is a big huge fluff ball kitty!

Free diapers!

So today in the mail I received 80 free Pampers Swaddlers New Baby diapers! Why you ask? Well somehow a few weeks back I received an email to fill out some questionnaire. Which of course I did...I think it was around my first week back at work and I needed something to keep me occupied! I earned a free Blockbuster rental for my time. At the end of the survey there was an option to sign up to continue to receive questionnaire emails and earn "rewards". So I signed up!

And now its my most recent obsession next to blog reading. I get really excited when I get the email in my Inbox telling me a questionnaire is waiting for me cause that means someone out there is interested in my product opinion! Sometimes I know someone in the travel industry or don't have a child of a certain age or haven't bought a dishwasher in the last 12 months and I don't qualify to continue the survey. That always makes me sad. But sometimes, I do qualify and get to finish the survey and earn the full rewards points! Well for this diaper questionnaire, at the end it said I may be selected to be a product tester! And lo and behold, I opened my door tonight to a box of diapers! Woohoo! So for the next 2 weeks I will be observing my thoughts on the Swaddlers New Baby Diapers...they are "blankie soft"!

Sad, the highlight of my day was a box of diapers. Actually, the true highlight of my day as usual was picking up the munchkin. He laughs a lot when we get home cause I take him "flying" and nibble on his belly and toes and such. I swear he has the best laugh ever. Ive got to get it on the video before it changes! Also, he is sleeping! The last 3 nights back to normal of STTN! I give credit to Theresa, I think he was cold. Cause the last nights in the sleep sack, he hasn't made a peep until almost 5am. Go Z!

Tonight we also met with the realtor. Planning to take the price down some, we are just ready to sell. Come on people, make us an offer we can work with! If this place had a yard, we would probably stay longer, we will miss our short commutes!

And a random note, watched the new VH1 I Love the Millennium show and there was a reference to the Hamburgerler. WOW, 2 references in 3 days, what are the odds!

And last but not least, anyone watch Baby Borrowers??? I am positive we would not have had the same interest as we do now that we are parents ourselves, but it is pretty funny. There is a chick on there from Houston who is a total brat. I am glad she is not a parent yet in real life. I was interested in it enough though that I will watch next week when one of the parents has to go back to "work". Should be interesting!

Ok, that's enough random thoughts for tonight, time to feed Z and head to bed! Tomorrow is Thursday and I get to go see the Sex and the City movie. Woohoo! Ciao!

Zachary's Baptism

Thank you to all the friends and family who attended the Z Man's baptism on Sunday. It was a really special day for us! Neat to have him baptized at the same church and by the same preacher who married us there just 4 years ago! We had nearly 30 friends and family with us at the service, standing up for Zachary and promising to help us to raise him loving the Lord! What a blessed day!


Dr. Wende baptizing Zachary with the holy water. Z didn't even twitch, we had been practicing in the bathtub!
Our little family!

Sweet Zachary, the newest member of God's family!The Haller kiddos with Zach. They were soo good with the babies and will make great sitters! I look forward to them moving to Houston! :-)

And our little munchkins....Zach, JP, and Caroline!

ZZZZZZZZ for the Z Man!

Thanks for all the comments on the sleeping, I think tonight we may try the CIO for 10 minutes and see what happens. I think usually I jump right up because I don't want him to wake Matt too. I also took Theresa's advice...I think he may be chilly? I had him in his sleep sack last night and he only woke once about 4am and the paci put him right back to sleep! So we shall see....will give it more of a try this week. And tell me more about this HSHHC? What's its shtick? I know Ferber is CIO, so whats this one all about? I suck at reading baby books...I need cliff notes!

I also think he may for real be teething. His hands and whatever else he can get his hands ON are always in his MOUTH! And the drooling! Z was tuckered out from his big baptism day today and was fussing while Grammy-gram had him so I decided to pull out the Oragel. Holy smokes, batman, he was chill in like 30 seconds!?! Is it possible? He seems so young still but I have read some can get teeth as early as 3 months! So I shall be watching this a little more closely. One question, the Oragel says not to use for more than 7 days. Don't babies teeth more than 7 days??

We are watching Scrubs right now and Dr. Cox and another one the docs were talking about their baby's stats...apparently this child had a giant head in the 90th percentile and the other doc joked that it was like the Hamburgerler. This made Matt and I laugh! We are happy Z is proportionate at least for now! ;-)

Earlier today we were watching the gymnastic thingie for the Olympics.....did anyone else notice how many of the girls had their dads as their coaches? Did anyone else find this odd? I mean, talk about PRESSURE! The world of gymnastics is tough enough without your dad barking down your throat, aka Joe Simpson and Mrs. Lohan.

And on a final Zach note, he was such an angel today! I swear, a little boy could not have looked sweeter on his baptism day! We so enjoyed having all of our friends and family there to share in his special day. I will post more on this tomorrow with pics as it deserves a post of its own! And people, you did not eat or drink enough...Matt and I are going to be having dinners made out of fajita meat and chicken ALL week! So if any of you are hungry or feel like a Miller...come on over! I'll make you up something good and you can have a Miller or two while you wait!

Alright peeps, the Z Man just finished his bottle. Time to put the munchkin down for the slumber...and me and Matteo too! Adios!

My little Middle-weight!

Today was Zachary's 4 month check up! We were about a week behind but I wanted to delay it some while he still had his little cold. He did great! Doc thought everything looked just perfect and growing just as he should!

Weight- 16lbs 4oz- 75%

Height- 25 5/8in - 75%

Head- 17 1/8in- 80%

So we did a bit of growing this past 2 months and moved from the 50th-75th percentile! I asked about Zach's spitting up and it was decided that if he is growing (which he obviously is) and isn't upset when eating or when spitting up (which he isn't), that all is probably fine and he is just a spitter-upper!

We also got our vaccines again today. 3 in one leg and 2 in the other. Ouchie! He cried during the initial prick but was fine after that. Got home and ate and took a long conked out nap but woke up not a very happy camper! Some cuddling and a little Tylenol seems to have done the trick. Hopefully he will be back to himself tomorrow. All and all, a good doctor visit!

In other Zach news, we have had a few rough nights sleep over the last couple of weeks. Not every night, but even one a week is tough on this working mommy. We have our usual routine...bedtime is about anywhere from 730-9pm. Then we have a night bottle between 10-11pm. Most nights we sleep till 530-7am! These are good nights. Some nights, we wake up once, or should I say Mom wakes up. Z will be fussing but not totally awake. I will pop the paci in and fussing stops and back to dreamland without even opening his eyes. These are okay nights. But then there are nights like last night...I heard him a 1am, go in, he is awake. Pop the paci in and seems to go back to sleep.Then back up at 2am. Totally awake. Diaper feels a little heavy so I figure maybe its bothering him. Change it and rock to sleep...both of us. I wake up about 3 and go back to bed. About 4am he is up again! So this time I just settle into the recliner and we sleep until its time to get up at six. These are not good nights. I feel very zombie like for the early part of the day. UGH. Any suggestions???? He is not waking up to eat I am sure of that. This kid was STTN at about 6 weeks from 12am-6am without any wake-ups. What has changed?? I am open to advice! :-)

Zach's baptism is this weekend and I am so excited about that. I have some shopping to do but hopefully it can be accomplished tomorrow or Saturday!!

And last but not least...some pictures! Here are a couple of shots from the book club session! Happy 5 years ladies, its been a fun ride!!

Father's Day at the Ball Park!

Sunday we took Zachary to his 1st Astros game!! It was supposed to be Matt, Zach, Myself and my folks...but then Dad had to go out of town so we invited Kelly....and then Mom got sick, so it was just Matt, Kelly, Zach and I! You know mom must have been feeling bad to miss her grandson's first baseball game....against the New York Yankees no less! But alas, it was a TERRIBLE game anyway. 13-0! Yikes! I think it was the worst game I had ever witnessed. And Berkman wasn't playing either. BOO. But anyway, the important part was Zach! He did great! Sat up and looked around for ages. Then took his bottle. Took a good snooze on Auntie Kelly's lap. Then woke up for the end of the game, I was quite impressed! We have tickets to the Astros vs Red Sox in a week from Friday so we will try it again, hopefully with my parents in tow this next time. Here are a couple of pics from the day. There are more on smugmug!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Thank you for helping mommy with me every day. Thanks for changing my stinky diapers and feeding me. I love when you play airplane and horsie with me. I have the best daddy and I can't wait till I am bigger and we can play even more!

Love,

Zachary

And to my own Dad, thanks for being the best dad a girl could have! For spoiling me, loving me, and letting me be your little princess! I am so blessed to have such a good dad who loves me and who always took an interest in all the things I did! You are a great grandpa too and I am so excited for Zach to know you!!

Love you!

Lisa

And to all the other Dads out there, Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Anniversary!!

Ok, so its a day late, but I didn't have my computer home with me last night. Me and my wonderful Matteo celebrated 4 years of wedded bliss yesterday!! Some days it feels like it was just yesterday, the excitement and love still so fresh in my mind and heart. And other days it feels like forever ago, because I cannot imagine life without him now! We have been through a lot together in these past few years. Sadness so deep at the loss of a friend and through the struggles of infertility. And joys SO big like the day we found out we were pregnant and when Zachary finally arrived. Our hearts expanded in a way we didn't know was possible!

Matthew, Thank you so much for the love you bring to me every day.
For rubbing my feet every day when I place them in your lap without complaints.
For cleaning out Max's litter box and taking out the trash.
For hugging me when that's all I need to make me feel better.
For letting me choose the movies on demand.
For watching Zachary so I can attend much needed breaks to Book Club and PEO.
For listening to me when I just need to vent.
For watching our wedding video with me last night and enjoying it as much as I did.
For giving me Zachary!!
For being my best friend and knowing me like no one else!
I am SO very blessed to have you as my husband and Zach's father. You are a great husband and father! Happy Anniversary and to many many more happy years to come!

(To commemorate our love....I got Matthew a Wii! Matt finally gets to join the rest of the fellows in the gaming world. Maybe he will let me play too!) ;-)

And a very Happy Anniversary to PS & Claude...they celebrated 38 years yesterday!

Happy 4 Months to the Z Man!!

That's right, Zachary is 4 months old today! Sheesh, where has the time gone? I swear, it feels like he was just born...yet I can't imagine life before him either now! Zach is doing good these days and having fun at day care. Last week was a big week. On my birthday, he rolled from tummy to back...and then Saturday, he rolled from back to tummy! I have seen him do the tummy to back a few more times, but the back to tummy happens less often. He usually will stop on his side! Day care said today he was enjoying rolling around side to side so it seems he is most content with that now. He is also sitting up really well and I know it won't be long before he is sitting on his own!!

This past Sunday we had our book club photo shoot. It has been FIVE years since our first meeting at Sue and I's apartment for book club when we read The Kite Runner. To this day, it is still one of my favorite books of all that we have read. I cant wait to see the finished pics and will post them as soon as they are ready!

Work has been busy this week. Not to mention that Matt and I both caught Zach's cold and have been sick. We didn't even go out to our nice dinner last Friday for my birthday cause we both felt just too blah. So.....now that we are feeling better, we decided to try to go out Saturday night for our 4year anniversary (which is tomorrow)!! And then Sunday is Father's Day, and we are headed to the ASTROS game! It should be an interesting experience!!

Well I am exhausted, I have found that happens more often these days which requires much more coffee. So going to try to go to sleep early!

Happy 4 Months...Me and my Hippo!

Grandma and Grammy came for dinner tonight!Grandpa Dan came to visit me over the weekend! Wow we all look alike!Some candid pics from Sunday....

Me & Julia

JP & his mommy, Jenny! JP is 6 months older than me....before long Ill be chasing after him!

My older buddy Jackson, who is 2 and about to be a big brother in July! (I love this pic for some reason!)

Alex showing us his Risky Business moves!!! He is going to teach me how to dance!!

And me and my Auntie Sue and baby boo in her belly! ;-) Will boo be my bff or my gf??

Happy Birthday to ME!

That's right folks, I am now officially in the 30s club. And all in all, it ain't too bad yet!

The morning started off with kolaches from one of my co-workers that went perfectly with the rare Starbucks I stopped for on the way to work. For lunch my trader took me to Churrasco's. YUM-O. And I got to finally catch up on all the goings on at work from when I was gone. When I returned to the office, I had an email notifying me that I had a delivery at the reception desk...pink roses from my darling hubs and son! :-) And in other odd present, work was the calmest it had been all week and Z Man had slept nicely through the night so I wasn't totally exhausted either.

The day continued to get even better. I left at a good time from work and had plenty of time to play with Zachary when I got home. While I was upstairs getting my comfy clothes on for the evening, I decided Zach needed some tummy time. So we were laying together cuddling and talking...and he got to his side....and then.....FLIPPED!! He rolled over! Now Zach did this like a month and a half ago but was clearly a fluke cause it hasn't happened again since. But tonight, I could see his little ticker going and he consciously wanted to roll over. To be sure of this, I tried it again....tummy....side....flip! My big boy! So of course I got the video camera out and he proceeded to do it a few more times! I am so impressed!! Dad thoroughly enjoyed watching the proof too and agreed he did roll over, it wasn't just gravity this time!

We ended our evening with pizza and wine and presents and a non-fussy, cuddling, sweet boy (that's Zach I'm talking about, ha!). What more could a woman want! If this is 30, I am liking it!

Thank you to everyone who sent me sweet birthday wishes via email, text, and the old fashioned phone. You all really made my day special!

(Going to try to figure out this whole video thing cause its pretty cute I think!!)

And just a few cute pics of my smiley boy on my birthday!

THIRTY!

That's right folks, tomorrow...I am 30! Yippee for me! Mom and I were talking tonight about how she was 30 when she had me! ;-) I always liked that because it was easy for me to figure out how old she was. Zach can do the same!

30 things I am thankful for: (don't pay too much attention to the order after like #5, I just put things down as they came to me!)
1) My family...Matt, Zachary, our parents, siblings, etc! With all the crazies in the world, we got some pretty good family members!
2) Matt...So blessed to have a husband who does his best to spoil me when he can.
3) ZACHARY! yes, he gets his own. He can make me smile in a way I never knew existed.
4) Esther and Max...my first children. They got me through some tough times. And they love you unconditionally!
5) My friends....my girlfriends are my sisters! No matter what we are going through, we are always there for each other to support and love and get through it!!
6) My job. Yeah, even though I don't like it now, I do appreciate the company I work for and the benefits they give us.
7) A roof over our heads
8) A country that allows us the freedoms that we have
9) 3 great-grandmas for Zach, that is pretty cool!
10) 5 grandparents who spoil Z man!
11) Ice cream..especially the new Fat Free Breyer's. Ok, so its not Ben & Jerry's, but its pretty good for Fat Free
12) Good wine......
13) CHEESE!
14) Pictures...they remind me of good memories
15) my church
16) Book Club- Five YEARS! Can you believe it? I cannot wait for our pics on Sunday!
17) Good music
18) Shopping
19) Boppy....one of the best inventions ever
20) Chi, the wavy haired girls best friend
21) Chick flicks...a good cry can always make me feel better!
22) Inside jokes
23) Old friends
24) Good TV
25) Clean sheets
26) the maid coming
27) steak
28) Angels
29) my health and the health of those around me
30) Being able to be thankful for 30 things!!! I could write a lot more but I am tired so the creative and sentimental juices are running thin!

And for now....good night for the 29 year old!

Sunday Smiles