Happy Father's Day

I tell my husband often that he is the best papi, EVER. I tell him this regularly but I am not sure if he understands what I am saying. So right here, right now I would like to tell my husband and the rest of the world (okay, being dramatic, it is more like my sister-in-law and dad) what a super dooper daddy he is.

I am 99.9% sure that my husband married me for a tax break and to have his baby. So he was pretty determined to have a family and next thing I know, we were having a baby. Deep down I knew that he would be an equal partner in raising our baby. Just listening to other women I know that men aren't always equal partners in raising children, my husband is.

Currently he has a very weird schedule which leaves him at home two or three days during the week. He watches Molly during this time, she is not in child care but at home with him. He does not plop Molly down in front of the TV (or in his case, the computer) he is active with her. They go to the park regularly, they go on bike rides, he takes her swimming, they go to the library, he plays toys with her, he plays horsey with her and he reads her News Weekly/Time Magazine. The list really does go on and on but the point of this is...........he does these things without me and he does these things because he wants to.

One afternoon I was going to take Molly to the library and to the pool. Raymond was going to stay home and do some yard work. As I was packing up the car, he got in his swimsuit and joined us. I asked him what changed his mind and he said "the yard work will be here when I get back, I don't want to regret this."

Last Saturday morning he got up and said he was taking Molly on a bike ride. When I asked him why did he decide to go he told me that with the new schedule he doesn't get much time alone with Molly and that this is what they used to do before I started working part-time.

Just a few examples at what makes his so wonderful.

I know there are a lot of good daddy's out there, but I just know about my baby's daddy and I want him to know how much I appreciate him and all his hard work and sacrifices. Happy Father's Day, sweetie pettie.

These are very bad pictures but Raymond does not want gifts for Father's Day so I give him pictures. I take four pictures and got them put on a foam board/plastic thingy at kinkos. I had to put up last years too because she has grown so much!

Happy 15 Months

Dear Molly,

I meant to write you a letter each month on the 18th to acknowledge all your new accomplishments or list all of the things we have done. I always have good intentions baby, it just doesn't always work out. Life is busy and it gets in the way of me writing. I even have a journal by my bedside that I want to write in every night and I don't do that either. One excuse I have is that once you go to bed (usually about 8pm) I get your papi all to myself.

Sometimes we do chores, sometimes we watch TV and sometimes.......we sit and talk. It is at these times that I realize I am married and going through this journey with someone. I remember that your papi is not only a papi but also my husband. Funny that it takes this quiet time to remember that.

You took awhile to crawl and really just started crawling around 12 months. It was only a matter of days before you started walking. Once your figured it out, things have not been the same. You are constantly on the go and into something. It only takes one second for you to be on the stairs, another second and you are in the garbage can, another second and you are putting something you found in your mouth. You have and continue to discover so many things. I couldn't find one of your shoes and was pretty upset (your shoes are crazy expensive for such tiny things) a few days later papi found them in the cleaning bucket in the garage. How did you get your shoe in the bucket? I have no clue and I am truly with you ALL THE TIME.

Since your first birthday we have been busy, busy, busy. During the week we get up at 6 am so that I can get to work by 8 am. I pick you up at about 1 pm and I always try to plan something for the afternoon. We have spent many afternoons at the park, we have gone to the children's museum and the Austin Zoo. Now that it is hot and reaching triple digits we spend a lot of time at the pool.

Your first summer at the pool you were very small and just kind of hung out in this floating crab. Now.......now you are too big for that. At first you would just let me hold you as I walked around the pool. Then we moved onto playing with toys on the side of the kiddie pool now you want to run from one side of the kiddie pool to the other side. You fall a lot and have figured out how to get yourself back up. Sometimes you just want to float; you kind of walk on your hands, feet are floating, mouth is in the water and your nose is poking out. You move all around just like that. It is a bit scary for me because you are fearless. I am amazed how you move yourself around and could care less if I was there or not. There was another baby there that is one week younger than you and her mommy was amazed at how steady you are on your feet and how you swim around. It gives me at least 40 gray hairs every time we go.

June 2008

June 2009

In May we went to Houston to spend the weekend with abulita and grandpito. You enjoy the non-stop attention and I don't blame you one bit. There is a lot of love going on and you have them all wrapped around your fingers.

We also celebrated Mother's Day in May. It was a monumental year for me, because I feel like I have made it through my first year of motherhood. You are still alive and appear to be thriving, I like to think that I can take credit for a very small portion of it.

We took our second vacation at the end of May/beginning of June. We went to San Francisco and did a bunch of tourist stuff and spend time with my aunt and uncle just outside of San Francisco. You were a bit off schedule and that made your pretty darn cranky on some days. I am told this is perfectly normal but can't help wanting you to be an absolute perfect angel when we are around company or public.

Your great-grandma says that is okay and she is delighted that you have some "spirit". My bestest girlfriend said that you "have a strong personality". I can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I will have to get back to you on this.

You have also had three haircuts already! You have a lot of hair. I could have given you a haircut at birth but wanted to see what was going to happen. People warned me that it would probably fall out. HA!

You have also gotten your second ear infection. I don't know how people manage with out health care insurance and I still don't understand how your nose can be runny in June, in triple digit heat. The sickness issue is really getting better, it is much better than what it was when you first started going to child care. Much better.

Once again, I am at a loss for words on how much you have impacted my life and the love I have for you.

Love Always,

Mommy

San Francisco

We took our second vacation with Molly. The first time we went to Florida, she was about 8 months old and was content to sit on my lap and be held all day. Now she is 14 months and has things to do and people to see. Plane ride was not as easy and keeping a schedule was impossible.

On the plane there we were those parents, with that child. Nothing would please her and it really was a very, very, VERY long three hours. Once we got there we got our car and found out hotel without a hitch. We flew into Oakland (offered a non-stop) and got to our hotel in San Francisco in about 30 minutes. We stayed at a Kimpton Hotel that was directly across the street from China Town. Very nice.

The next day my girl did not fail us and we were up at 5am. Of course I wanted to sleep but it really was a good thing, because no one was out! We had the roads to our self and just stumbled upon Lombard Street......yes we did all the things that a tourist should do. After that we headed down to Pier 39 to find a city tour. We took a tour that was on a converted trolley and it took us around the city and over the golden gate bridge. My darling girl was so good and fell asleep half-way through the tour. Later that evening we walked through China Town and bought some trinkets.

The next day we slept in until 6 a.m., we still had the roads to our self and it was still to early to really do anything so we drove around the city. I was seriously surprised at the amount of people exercising, and doing yoga (or something just as spiritual) on the streets. Maybe I am just lazy and still using the "I just had a baby" excuse and did not realize the rest of the world is getting fit...at 6am....in the streets.

This day we took a tour of Alcatraz. Raymond was more excited about this than I was so I got to carry Molly. For some crazzzzzy reason I thought I would be able to carry her and enjoy the tour too. At Alcatraz Island they give you the head-set things and it guides you through the prison through the eyes of the guards and prisoners. I heard about four words before Molly started talking at the top of her lungs. It is so quiet in there because everyone is listening to their head-sets, so everyone could hear her and yes everyone looked at me. I usually don't mind being the center of attention but in this case, not so much. Molly and I played outside, until it was time to take the ferry back.

We spend the next three days with my aunt and uncle who live outside of San Francisco. They have an awesome house and my Aunt is an AWESOME cook. Raymond fell in love and now we want to move in.

Plane ride back was good. Molly slept through most of it! AMEN.

Guess where we are? Go ahead, guess.

Alcatraz Island, I was thinking I could lock her in a cell, take the tour and then come back for her. I mean seriously what could she possibly get into?

Raymond and Molly at Golden Gate Park. Doesn't this slide look like the funnest slide, ever?

And what would a trip be to California without a little wine tasting? This was at Schug Winery in Sonoma Valley.

We spent one afternoon (okay a couple of hours) at the beach. It was so cold but there where little walking trails on top of some of the cliffs and Molly loves to eat sand so it was worth it.