Xmas with the Garcia's

Fire Truck from Tia Lilah

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjSJfz-3g3E
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAIrWsI_33Q

Santa Claus sends Mayari a Video

Part 1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEAqhJefPAM
Part 2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xufahp0KqI

Santa Claus sends Adrian a Video

In an effort to acclimate Adrian with Christmas, we have introduced the concept of Santa Claus, primarily because of the only Diego video available on Demand. So when I got this video from the big guy, I thought I would share it with everyone:

http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/66010603440391b4af62f0d974a48397

Isis

Spin Master

Check out his moves! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxnT38cZ2kI
Starring Adrian
Artistic Director: Isis
Executive Editor: Luis

We improved a bit this year... at least we have photos. enjoy watching the handsome pim pon.

Part 1 photos

Part 2 photos

Video for Adrian's 2nd Birthday

This is the video we showed at Adrian's birthday tonight. We hope that you enjoy it and watch it over and over.

Cumple Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTmbv8Jg8D4

Cows: The Musical Off Broadway Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Up666MAAk

Happy Birthday Adrian

We are the proud parents of a funny and intelligent (not to mention- handsome) 2 year old today! Although we look forward to his party on Nov 7, today is the big day!

ABC Song

23 Months Old

Labor Day Play Date with Alana Roseman

The Rosemans from Detroit came to spend a few hours with us. Alana and Adrian decided to have a tea party at the kids' table while the adults talked sports, manicures and recipes. Adrian was a gracious host and Alana enjoyed a home-cooked Mexican bbq.

World Exclusive....

You get to see him perform before the roaring concert halls, paparazzo and legions of fans. The kid is greater than Elvis, Luis Miguel, Michael Jackson, Mana, and The Beatles put together.

2 months shy of 2 y/o

Hello to all,

Our Pin Pon rang in his 22nd month birthday with a fever- but at least he sang his little MJ howls over and over again while "snapping" his fingers twice, over and over again- once on the upbeat and the second time on the downbeat. '

this month has been a tough one for the Martinez Family with Adrian getting used to daycare and our car breaking down. On the plus side, Adrian really likes riding the train and does a "choo choo" hand motion/sound every time he thinks about it.

He is also getting really good at throwing, catching, and kicking the ball. To catch, he will cup his hands like the "boat" sign in sign language and catches the football or soccer ball. To throw a football, he takes a step back and launches. And finally, to kick, he follows the soccer ball really well and even says "gooooal" when he makes it to the other side of the "playing field" (read: deck).

Luis has also ramped up the educational experience for Adrian with some new flashcards that teaches numbers, colors, shapes, matching, stickers, and letters. Adrian's favorite letters are S, T, O, A, and B cuz he will sound them out when he sees them. Also, he loves to throw all the flashcards all over the floor- that's his learning game. Handing out stickers is another cool game he likes.

Sophia's visit really lit up Adrian as he spent every waking moment with her and even requested she put him to bed for nap time. Sophia gave Adrian "scuba steve," a scuba plastic mono that Adrian is scare of. She also gave him a Japanese bathing cup that Adrian likes to use to throw water on his face and act surprised- he is such a joker! Perhaps Sophia can share some pics of her trip since our camera was out of commission during her trip.

Today, another aunt (Lilah) spoiled Adrian as well with a nice package of books that Adrian would fake laugh to.

i hope that in the months to come, we will be able to spend more time with family. now that our car is getting fixed and it looks like Cibe might not go to Texas, we might make the trek to Detroit. Also, i'm getting excited about X-mas!!

Love,

Isis

PS tune in tomorrow online/tv to see if the Zocalo in Mexico DF gets televised. apparently our cousin, Pedro, is going to try to dance in a Thriller group dance with 11,000 people to see if they can break the world record for the largest group dancing to this song. They are doing this also in part to honor MJ, since tomorrow is his Bday.

21 months update

So our little baby is officially a big boy- since he is all on his own at daycare. if you are on facebook, you can check out his daycare by typing "Rainforest." They have all these pics of their Art in Park day where they painted with balls, throwing paint balls at a blank canvas, putting paint on their shoes and stomping, and yes, using paintbrushes too. He was there that day for test play date but didn't come out in any pics.

today was his second day in day care and the toughest for me since I dropped him off this time. As soon as we pulled up to the front, he was yelling "Noooo." And then inside, he clung to my leg and started whimpering. I wasn't being very good either. I was just hugging him right back. Finally, I HAD to ask the day care teacher to dristract him cuz she was just standing there staring at him get seperation anxiety and her light bulb did not turn on. I'm not trying to be mean here- cuz i figured if your job is to take care of kids in daycare, why don't you remember to make the new kid feel better when it's his only 2nd day there? ok, enough with the bitterness.

his new thing is playing in sand and oh yes, talking about his TIA SOPHIA and his ABU every day! He knows sign language for Tia so he asks about Sophia all the time. He says he wants to play basketball with her. Lucky for him, his Tia is going to do just that in about 2 weekends. He is going to be over the moon!

He also knows how to show us the numbers 4 and 5 with his hands when asked in both Spanish and English. Throwing footballs pretty far is another thing he is good at. He even prepares his stance every time before he throws the ball.

He loves saying "daaadth!" like all the time! Luis patiently answers, "yes" every time as well. Adrian likes knowing that he can make Luis do that cuz he just smiles and starts all over again.

The grandparents also gave Adrian toys to expand his horizon- he got a guitar and a tennis set. he loves to jam, i mean really jam on his guitar. He will shake his head, bounce his body, and stick his tounge out when playing it. Once he insisted on taking it with him on a walk and halfway back he plopped himself down on the sidewalk and just focused on trying to play it. we were there for at leat 10 minutes.

i hope the Denver family reunion is doing well and the concert was fun. Btw, i can't believe Nate went to his first adult concert! or has he been to others.

Love,

Isis

ps luis mentioned he would send an update on the blog on his own. let's see if he comes through on this update better than he updates his FB status or Twitter.

Anniversary & 4th of July Pics on FB

Hello to all,

Today Luis and I celebrated four years of hard work, dedication, a growing family, and love- our 4th year wedding anniversary. Oh, how life has changed since that HOT day in B'ville in 2005.

The bottom pic shows the flowers Luis got me for our anniversary- (flowers is a suggested gift for a 4 year anniversary. I also surprised him with flowers- made out of fruit (fruit is another suggested gift for the 4th wedding anniversary). It's in the fridge and we have already started to be eaten away.

Finally, the photo above is a teaser of more photos available of the 4th of July weekend. I uploaded the rest of the photos on facebook.com so (uhum- Cibe, Horus, Mom & Dad) make sure you check them out on facebook.

Love,

Isis

He's 20 months

We measure our lives in Chun-chun's chapters. We marvel at how much he knows, how fast he grows, and all his incessant Nos. Seems that Pimpon has arrived at the Terrible Twos four months in advance. I call him Dr. No (as in the 1962 James Bonds film). He can go on for an eternity telling me no for everything. "Adrian, do you want papi to give you kiss?" "NOOOOOOO!" "Adrian, do you want daddy to hug you?" "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" "Adrian do you want to papa to play basketball with you?" "NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" And now his grandma has taught how to wag his index finger to signal no. On a slight tangent, his grandma commented that since Adrian knows sign language he will have no motivation to articulate his expresssions. In retrospect, it is progress that she is teaching him non-verbal communication. Abu should receive credit because he has taken an interest in learning sign language with Adrian in order to help grandma understand Adrian.

We also love him because he is so affectionate. Adrian loves to run up to us and give us a big bear hug. He also loves to wave hello to his grandparents - even when they are not looking. Putting him down for a nap or to bed at night is a chance to be caressed by him. Well now we understand the enormous pride parents take whenever they see their kids age. There is nothing that can substitute this feeling.

Until the next posting (B-ball footage Osiris can study in preparation for his one-on-one against Adrian).

Interview w/Adrian

A three part series (due to low batteries) on Adrian's new digs, sign language, and his new basketball court. By the way, after I first asked him if he wanted to make a basket and pointed to me, he was asking for help to get off the chair but I didn't catch on until much later.

19th Month BDay

Yesterday was Adrian's 19th month birthday. We didn't really celebrate the day, just had a same ol same ol. Of note, however was him eating HALF of his fish and orzo w/veggies all by himself with a spoon and only spilling food sporadically. He was pretty good for the items being so small in size. He was also cracking me up when he would show me he knew he was eating fish by making the same sound he makes when he sees a picture of a whole fish.

Right now, I'm having major guilt for leaving him is his crib with NO chupon, just like that. Cold turkey. He had been playing with both of his chupones as we were getting him dressed and putting lotion on him when one of the chupones accidentally got lotion all over it. Luis took both to get washed when i asked Adrian if he wanted to say bye bye to the Chupones and he shook his head no really fast. Luis didn't give the Chupones back though and we distracted Adrian when he kept on asking for them. Finally, he was distracted enough, and I put him in bed without them.

I think he's actually asleep! That still doesn't stop me from wanting to run upstairs and give him BOTH chupones and say, "I'm sorry!!" But . .. I guess we had to come to this day eventually, right?

Isis

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

Ok, so I'm not having a party and I'm not crying . . . but it is my 31st birthday. And really birthday's are just a recap of what I did since the last one. In my case, it's been quite a roller coaster ride that include my family as all my ups. After the job loss and especially the miscarriage, well, I was only ok because of having Luis, Adrian and Marah physically near by.

The fact is though that Adrian has kept me really busy and I will always be grateful for the chance to be his caretaker and see him change so much. Although, just 2 days ago he seemed to have regressed about 6 months when started pretending to breastfeed!!! Although one time when he thought he really had the chance to breastfeed and not just pretend he started crying because I said no. Anyway, he is a trip.

The point of this entry is to say thank you to each and every one of you for being the most important part of my life: Family.

Love,

Isis

I have just started the "Mayari is my #1 Niece" fan club

Here are my favorite pictures, courtesy of the family photographer Osiris, that made made me a die hard fan.

Gymbo the Clown Dance

Adrian attempting to cut his toe nails

this one is a classic!

Photos of Adrian

These photos were taken yesterday and today. It shows him with all his new "tricks".

The first photo shows Adrian holding on to his baby Elmo.

The next photo shows Adrian reading his new book, "No More Pacifier for Piggy" although it doesn't seem to have much affect on his weaning off his own chupon.

Following is a photo of him "smelling" the plastic flowers. Since I tell him to smell the flowers and not tear them apart, he will smell any flowers he sees and here he was showing me that he can smell the flowers.

The next photo shows his new interest at Gymboree- making slam dunks. He does this about half the time instead of participating in the group activities.

The photo with the keys is him pretending the security gate is the car and he is unlocking the door.

The photo with the drum is him walking around and a few seconds later he was banging the whole drum against the wall.

The photo with the mitt shows him showing me how to touch a hot oven.

Finally, the last photo is of him with his helium balloon that he got on a looong grocery shopping trip and he was soo good, he deserved at least that. He enjoys hanging out with it.

18 Months

So Adrian is now officially 1 and half years old. I would say that this means he is no longer a baby. A couple other signs he is growing out of baby hood:

1) His favorite thing to do is to say no to almost everything Luis asks of him
2) Today, he was trying to cut his finger and toe nails on his own with a nail clipper
3) He understands the importance of putting on oven mitts to touch a hot oven
4) He sets his Chupon down most of the time on his own and says bye bye to it when he is ready to go off and play
5) He cleans his potty over and over with toilet paper
6) He walks around with his drum and bangs its wooden edge on the wall on purpose
7) He knows the keys to the car will open doors, trunks, and turn it on. He even motions for me to go and sit down and drive after I buckle him up in his child safety seat.
8) He takes off on his own from the kitchen area to the basement area rolling 3 balls down the stairs at a time and does not get into trouble (other than pushing all the buttons on the cable box)

Of course, there is still a lot of baby in him but he sure is growing up fast.

Isis

In Honor of Earth Day

Just wanted to share that Adrian has designated himself the recycle dude in our house. When his grandmother came to visit this weekend, he showed her where to put her plastic bottle (in our recycling bin). Also, he will fish for plastic bag in our drawers (even clean ziploc bags) and put them in our recycling bag.

And in a topic not completely unrelated . . . he and i went shopping for his first potty. he likes to take it apart and put it back together. He also tells me when he's done the deed, although it's AFTER. Let's see if he can work towards putting that waste the appropriate receptacle.

Easter Fun

Because Adrian has never witnessed the fun of a good ol' Easter Parranda in Bville, I was intent on starting to ease him into the fun tradition of how eventful this holiday it can be. It started with getting him a new outfit (well, new for him- hello Village Discount). I then purchased some plastic easter eggs AND actual "cascarones" already pre-filled and ready for cracking at a local supermarket, and an easter egg basket. Adrian even decorated the eggs. The plastic ones were decorated with his crayons and the wax one were decorated with finger paint (I will post the interesting photos of the paint all over his clothes).


I planned to make it to church in one piece as well, so i skipped the cooking or inviting anyone to the house that would require feeding so we instead planned on a nice big brunch at a local favortie restaurant, Grand Lux (think Cheesecake factory type of restaurant). Finnally, we actually make it to Church on time. An Easter Bunny was on hand to greet kids and 3-4 horse drawn carriages were even on hand for free rides (curtesy of the Church). Adrian, even though had passed out in the car, woke up as soon as he saw the horses.

I did make an easter cake (from scratch) so we had an Orange Chiffon Cake for dessert. Finally, for the big finale- the Easter Egg Hunt and cracking on the head. Adrian actually seemed to enjoy the hunt with his big eyes gettinge even wider when he would peek an egg hiding in the grass or on the steps of the outdoor stairs. When it came time to crack, I first showed Adrian by cracking the egg on Luis' head. Too bad the egg was almost as hard as a rock and I think if it wasn't for Luis abundant hair, he would have been hurt. We had to crush it in our hands before we could sprinkle the confetti on Adrian's hair. He didn't seem to mind it THAT much.

And at the end, once we got inside and were windign down Adrian seemed to be on a high (probably from all the sugar in the cake) and he was speed walking on a yoga mat. He would even turn around on his own on the mat and speed walk back (very tight turn when you think of how narrow the mat is). We got some good pics, so I will share those soon.

Isis

Visiting the New Prima

Adrian and I returned Monday evening from visiting Mayari since Saturday. Unfortunately, Sophia was not present due to shady flight issues with Spirit Airlines.

He seemed to really take to her. He showed his concern with her by being quite diligent in checking up on her whenever he heard her cry and putting her Chupon back in her mouth whenever it fell out. He also would stand guard over Cibeles and Mayari during breastfeeding sessions. I think if he could, he would have climbed on Cibeles' lap to get a closer look. He also liked kissing her and would ask me to kiss her over and over again. Once, when she was crying while sitting near us and Cibeles came to get her, he even seemed to want to stop Cibeles from taking her away because he was concerned for Mayari. We explained to him however that Cibeles was Mayari's mama and would make Mayari feel better- he seemed to agree.

Back in Chicago, whenever he is eating strapped to his chair and we mention Mayari, he wants to get off to go upstairs to go find her since she was upstairs in her home most of the time we were there. He is too cute!

Cibe mentioned she would be sending pics soon.

Isis

The day is here!

Here ye, here ye . . . Adrian is walking! Today is his first official day when he went from Point A to Point B on his own with no prompting- for a total of like 3 steps. But then- we went to a small get together at my friend's Angie's mom's house and he took off after a cat. No apprehension, no looking back, this baby was on a mission. He walked down hallways and up and down a room after this cat. It was crazy! Luis and I just had our mouths hanging wide open like . . .where did this come from?

So the proud parents are glowing while the Chun Chus is FINALLY down today after not sleeping since 7:25 Am! Whew, big day in the Martinez household.

Oh yeah, and we are losing the honorary Martinez family member Marah as she heads back to San Antonio tomorrow evening.

Adrian at the drums

Adrian- 3 days shy of his 17 month birthday

Just shy of his 17th month birthday our PinPon seems to be growing up into a confident boy who is not afraid of telling you if he does or does not like something. If he does not like food, he will just open his mouth and have it spill off his tongue. If he does not want a kiss, he will push you away. If he wants you to do something for him- he will take your hand and lead you in the desired direction. And if he wants to go downstairs- he will, even if it means not waiting for an adult. he has figured out how to manuver the stairs, tv, stove, and getting people to open doors since he has done his effort at knocking.

on the walking front- he seems to just stand on his own without noticing all the time. he will take 1-2 steps without prompting to get to another place but if you are noticing- he will take about 4 steps so that he can be rewarded with a big hug when he gets to you.

Sleep wise- he is really good at getting his 2 hour nap in at the 4 hour mark after waking up in the morning and at night he is a trooper. If we delay on his bedtime, he does not complian. In the getting ready for bed department- he is all about his bath. He tosses his bath toys in, his wash cloth, the water thermometer and even knows how to test the water. He has tried more than once to get in the tub on his own. Oh and the best part is that he enjoys getting his teeth brushed with a motorized toothbrush.

These days we decided to interview a babysitter because Marah will be flying the coup for warmer pastures. I think I'm really hesistant to have a stranger watch him but how else will i conduct interviews and go to meetings?

This week Luis is not in school so we are going to introduce Adrian to even more trees and will go visit the Arborateum today. Prior to that, Adrian and I frequent the Garfield Conservatory where Adrian got really confident at walking on rocks, slopes, going down a tubed slide, and learned about plants.

Until next month,

Isis

El Cumpleanos del Padrino

So in honor of Osiris birthday, a blog entry:

First happy 32nd birthday Osiris! I heard you had a Winnie the Pooh theme party. We never got the invitation. Adrian would have loved to attend in his Tigger suit that probably doesn't fit anymore.

Secondly, I forgot to mention that Adrian is now officially 16 months old as of February 28th- the day Lilah and Nate arrived to Chicago- loaded with gifts. From a kissing elmo, to the cutest snow boots and a handy zipper name tag for his jacket.

Oh, the real news update is that Adrian is starting to do Solitos . . . alot! He loves letting go, opens his mouth really wide in glee at his new found sense of "living life on the edge" and tries 1-2 steps before falling in the pair of arms in front of him for a big congratulatory hug. I was thinking of having him hold a "Happy Birthday Padrino" sign but figured he would not be able to do both- hold a sign and try to balance. So he just might walk before Mayari.

Speaking of which, Adrian and I are planning a visit the first weekend of April to Detroit to hang out with not only Cibeles, Mayari, and David, but Sophia too!

Finally on the job front, i'm still not working but am feeling positive that something good is coming down the pipeline. I have an interview today, possibly another one on TH and two strong contacts at two other companies.

Hoping everyone is doing well- especially Horus/Hermes whom I rarely speak to.

Isis

Adrian at Gymboree

This is Adrian hanging out at Gymboree wearing his "Chicks Dig Me" t-shirt, courtesy of Tia Sophia

ConEd's Beauties at Work

Even though this pic will probably go into Sophia's blog, I wanted to share it with everyone- This is Sophia having an "electrifying" moment- 138,000 of volts

tomorrow, Adrian will be 1 year and 3 months! He is not walking yet but has stood on his own a couple of times while either clapping or holding a deflating balloon. He likes to repeat all sorts of words, but the funniest to hear are "Octopus, Beautiful, Kohler, Agua, Tia, and Uva"

He is presently taking a nap every day at the 4 hour mark of his wake up time and seems to be getting sooo big. He loves to climb the stairs and seems to be getting fairly independent since he used to not go up unless someone was with him- but now he barely remembers to look back at the 4th step.

If I leave him in his crib to finish I project, I come back to him with his chin hanging on the crib rail singing or making noises- but just waiting to see when I come back. He is so adorable.

He also likes to stick his finger in the plastic covered and/or non-covered electric outlets because he knows that he will get a reaction from Marah or me. He loves it when we catch him and just starts laughing.

Today he tried to help with the dishes by trying to unload the dishwasher BY HIMSELF and then proceeded to get the dishwashing powder box from under the sink and pour it in the compartment as well. He likes to press every button the dishwasher- including the CANCEL button after we have already started the cycle.

While in the car, he remains pretty alert to the outside and is mostly quiet although lately he pretends to hang his head forward or squint his eyes while grimacing in what we call the tough guy look.

Speaking of tough- he now responds to "Do the strong man" by flexing his muscles and clenching his fists and sort of shaking from trying to be so intense. he's a riot and a clown.

isis

Recent Pics

These pics are from a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry we went to on Friday, January 9, then the next set of photos is Adrian feeding himself Cheerios (AFTER he finised breakfast) and a "Micheal Phelps" photo shoot by Marah/Sophia. The first snow angel is courtesy of Tia Marah, followed by a sleepy and serious Adrian at music class at Gymboree. The celebratory set of pics are the NYE Red Party that went down while Adrian was down. The picture in front of the tv shows the firework display in the backfound. Finally, you see Adrian in his new winter clothes opening wonderful belated Xmas gifts from his family.