Sony Ericsson Tennis Open

We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne... The weather was awesome and we were able to watch a couple of wonderful matches, including one of Nadal vs. Tsonga.. it was awesome...

Failure to thrive?

So far I've been in denial about Gaby's possible health issues...I even thought twice about posting these issues on my blog, but I guess it's time to accept that something might be wrong with her and writing about it helps me vent and makes me feel better....

It all started around the time she was 5 months when she was diagnosed with "reflux" due to her slow weight gain and the doctor's concern about her growth not being "linear"....

Her birth weight was 7lbs 10oz and at 5 months she was only 13lbs 6oz, which didn't seem right... She started off at the 50th percentile for weight and all of a sudden she was down to the 30th!...not good!

She was prescribed Axid for her reflux and we were told to take her back at 6 months for weight check... by then she was 14lbs 8oz, which wasn't too bad, but she was down to the 25th percentile....I took her back to the doctor in February when she turned 7 months and she was only 15lbs 4oz (not even a pound heavier) and down to the 20th percentile; at that point her doctor wrote the dreaded term "Failure to Thrive" on her chart and I was disgusted!...

I became worried and annoyed... the sole thought of my perfect little girl having an issue made me sick!

Her pediatrician suggested we should take her to a specialist to further examine her reflux issues and the impact of such on her weight... I scheduled an appointment, coming up on April 5th!

For the past few days, Gaby hasn't been feeling well, so Iggy took her to the doctor again... It turns out she has a double ear infection and is having breathing issues again... On top of that, she has only gained 1/2 lb in the last month and is up to 15lbs 12oz, which brings her down to the 10th percentile for weight... I'm so worried...I've cried, I've screamed, I've told people, etc... so far, nothing makes me feel better....

I just hope that the upcoming visit with the specialist gives us some answers about her health and a better outlook regarding her possible health issues....

I know in my heart that she's healthy; she's hitting every milestone early or on time and she's a loving and happy child... I pray to God that everything will be fine and my baby will have no more health issues!

Please keep my Gaby in your thoughts!

Wordless Monday...

Sophie's Birthday

Today we celebrated Sophie's 3rd birthday with a fun birthday party at Tag Gymnastics...
Along with Isabella, Sophie is one of Olivia's best buddies...The 3 of them go to school together and are inseparable...It's really cute to see them walking around holding hands and telling each other stories...
Olivia talks about Isabella and Sophie all day long, every day, so today's birthday party was super exciting for all of them...
They had so much fun playing around, jumping and tumbling and taking advantage of their freedom inside the gym...it was wonderful...
After an hour of open play, all the kids ate pizza and cake and got their goody bags... all in all fun party...
Happy 3rd birthday Sophie!

Disney on Ice

I took Olivia to see Disney on Ice this weekend and, as always, she had a wonderful time... We went with my sister and my niece, who had a wonderful time as well...

The show featured "The Little Mermaid", "The Lion King", "Cars" and a special show about the Disney fairies, including "Tinker Bell", who happens to be Olivia's favorite....

Thanks to my friend Pechy (who got me free tickets), we were able to enjoy the show from a special suite, so the experience was extra special...

I didn't take any pictures because it was too dark and it didn't make any sense...but the image of Olivia's happy face will stick in my mind forever!

Lunch with an old friend...

We had a wonderful time today with our friend Tato, whom I've known for over 12 years...

He recently got engaged to his long time girlfriend Yasmin, so we got together for lunch to hear the juicy details and catch up from a long time of not seeing each other..

We went to Chili's and spend a least a couple of hours talking and telling old stories...it was great!

Congrats, my friend...happy times are coming for you! ;)

Easter fun!

Easter season is here and it is one of my favorite times, especially now that Olivia is old enough to understand the whole "Easter Bunny" concept as well as all the activities that come with it!

So, today I took her to Busy Bee Kidz for a special egg hunt and visit from the bunny... it was so much fun!

There were games, art projects, music, toys and all kinds of activities for children and Olivia had a blast with her cousin Cookie and her friends Melissa and Daniel... She also hugged and kissed the Easter bunny and ate pizza and candy....

It's always so wonderful to do fun stuff with her and see her smile away every time we to things together!

An afternoon at the park

Olivia loves the park and she had a wonderful time today playing with her cousin and enjoying the wonderful weather... We took some great shots... here are some...

Memory Thursday...

Today, I'm going to post pictures about Olivia's 1st time at Disney World, which has been, by far, one of the best experiences I've had in my mommy life...
It was March 2008, she was exactly 8 months old, and believe it or not, she had such a wonderful time and enjoyed the park a lot more than I could have ever imagined...
I, of course, felt super happy to be able to see her happy face and cute smile... it's always great to remember such wonderful moments!...

Wordless Monday... *delayed*

Memory Thursday...

I love reminiscing about old times and looking at old pictures, so I thought it'd be fun to remember St. Patrick's Day Pictures of Olivia when she was Gaby's age and compare them to Gaby's pictures of the same holiday... It's cute because they are wearing the exact same outfit in the pictures, but they are so different at the same time... adorable...

This is Olivia on St. Patrick's Day in 2008.. she was exactly 8 months old...

..and this is little Gaby, wearing Olivia's outfit, at exactly 8 months as well...

Olivia is 32 months!

It almost sounds crazy that I'm still counting months in Olivia's age, but for those of you that have kids her age, I'm sure you'd understand that to me, she's still a baby! 32 months ago she wasn't even here and now I'm counting down to her 3rd birthday! it's crazy! and I feel torn every time I think about my little lady becoming her own self in a matter of 3 short years...

Olivia is the typical fashionista.. she loves clothes and as crazy as it sounds, she has a great style.. She enjoys going shopping with me and picks out the cutest clothes for her to wear.. She loves skirts, pointy shoes and hair accessories... She also loves bracelets and rings... how cute is that??

Within the past month, Olivia has developed a great sense of responsibility for her sister; she sure is filling the shoes of a great big sister... it's amazing to see how protective she is of Gabriela and her ability to express feelings and emotions is ever growing... I love her so much!

It's also incredible to see how Olivia elaborates complex thought patterns and verbalizes everything so perfectly.. she is so eloquent in everything she says... some people even point out that her cognitive ability is far advanced... I happen to agree since I spend so much time with her and even I get amazed at her thinking... so smart!

I thank God for giving me this wonderful daughter and I pray that she continues to grow healthy and happy!

Happy 32 months Olivia!

Gaby is 8 months!

Our sweet baby girl is 8 months today and we're so incredibly proud of all of her accomplishments and her ability to make us laugh every day....

It's only a matter of 4 months and her 1st birthday will be here... I love to think of the first time I held her and kissed her and the first time she looked at me...

Gaby can now crawl and pull herself up to standing... She also babbles so much and has a great ability to repeat words and sounds... she never ceases to amaze us with her ingenious and fun personality...

She LOVES playing with her sister Olivia and laughs out loud every time Olivia jumps or does something funny... it is so rewarding to see the love that exists between siblings at such a young age...it makes it all worth it!

Last night was the first night that Gaby slept in her crib, in her own room.. and she did awesome..I'm so happy to finally get her out of our room and into her own... it took us long enough! ha!

There isn't a doctor's appointment at 8 months so I don't have her current stats... although I approximate that she's a little over 16lbs and almost 28 inches...

Happy 8 months Gaby!

Wordless Monday...

"Wicked"

Tonight Iggy and I went on a date and it was great... We went to see "Wicked"..and wow! what a wonderful musical... It is part of a series called "Broadway Across America", where a lot of famous Broadway musicals travel the country...

This play is a "prequel" to the movie "The Wizard of Oz"; it revolves around the story of the "Wicked witch of the West", who will later play an important role in the aforementioned movie...the musical also gives light to the origin of many of the main characters in the movie and it defines the main plot of such...

The whole play was so well made and the music was amazing.. Special effects were also incredible and the cast was very talented....it was great!

All in all, an amazing date!

Some of my new "toys"...

I'm a lucky girl...I've gotten some very cute things within the past few weeks...
Recently, in a very unfortunate accident, the camera that I had bought back in October, felt to the ground and broke... It stopped working as a result of the fall, and I was "forced" to buy a new one..ha ha! Turns out, this one is much better... It is the Canon SD1400, which has some amazing functions and takes awesome pictures... Also, Iggy got me this cute watch for Valentine's Day. .. At first I felt weird because it is much bigger than my previous watch, but now I love it so much, I can't stand to be without it...Here's a picture...

And last, but not least... I got a new phone!!!! yay! I went with the new Blackberry Bold 9700... I love it.. It has 3G and it's super fast.. It is the cutest phone I've had... couldn't ask for more!!

Sick days...

I've had a few rough days this week as I was sick with a very bad cold, including congestion, inflamed lymph nodes and the whole nine yards...

I'm still battling the sickness and I feel so icky!... I was in bed all day Tuesday and Wednesday and even had to get a day off.. it's been crazy!

Thankfully, my hubby was nice enough to help me out with the girls and was very considerate of my sickness...He brought me flowers, food, medicine and anything else I needed....

I'm now getting better and will get to update my blog within the next few days... I've taken some cute pictures and have some stories to tell...

Will update soon!

Wordless Monday...

Lately...

Well, I've been super busy lately, which unfortunately translates into a very neglected blog...boo for me.. but that's life...
Iggy has been traveling a lot for business and it is very overwhelming since I have to stay with the girls alone, which means lots and lots of work and very little sleep, since they both get up so early...
Needless to say it has been fun and hectic...
Here's a little recount...
Iggy's cousin Enrique (aka Poika) visited us from Finland during the last week of February... Unfortunately Iggy wasn't in town when he came, but Poika still managed to see the girls and I and we had a great time... Both girls took to him and it was great to see him interact with them...

My mom also came into town last week and she will be staying here until the 23rd...I love it when she's around; she's great company and helps me a huge deal with the girls... plus I love her!

Gaby recently started getting up on all 4's and she is about to crawl... She figured out how to go to a pre-crawling position, and even though she gets very aggravated when she can't figure out what to do next, it is adorable to see her discover new things....

My dad also visited for a few days.. Him and my mom drove down together, but he had to go back to work and left yesterday.. He was only here for Spring break, but let my mom stayed behind for a couple of extra weeks... As always, it was amazing to have my daddy around... he had so much fun with the girls... Gaby was in love with him and it was great to see him enjoy her for a change... I hope he comes back very soon!

I love this picture.. it's one of the cutest ones we got!