Posing

So as many of you experience, sometimes it's so hard to get the perfect picture. By the time you execute, your child has since moved on to something else far more exciting. Well yesterday when Mateo woke up from his nap, he was just too precious to not try to get a snap. When he sweats his hair turns into crazy curls and he was in the best mood. It was like he was posing for his very own photo shoot.

Long Beach Aquarium

We decided to visit the Long Beach Aquarium again (we went when Mateo was 3 months old) and Mateo had a blast. I think he said "fish" a thousand times.This Nemo contraption kept him occupied for a long time. It had a trigger and Nemo would flutter his tail. Mateo thought it was so cool. hehe He's not too sure about the shark hat...
The sea otters kept swimming right by the window and Mateo kept reaching out like he was expecting to be able to touch them.


Mama giving her baby some lovin.

I MISS YOU MOM!

So who are these pictures of you might ask...well the first is my mom, next is my son, and the last is of me as a baby. Do you notice any resemblences? If I'm ever missing my mom, I just need to look at my son! The very last picture is my mommy and me the day I graduated from college. It was her proudest moment (on Earth).

What I Love About Being a Mommy...

So I just put Mateo down to sleep and I was thinking about all of the cool things he does and says that make me so proud to be a mommy...I knew that having a child would change my life but I didn't know the true impact it would have on my current reality. (CAUTION...Lots of rambling to come!) Literally overnight, nothing else mattered but making sure my baby was happy and healthy. I remember looking at his face for the first time and thinking "Holy Cow I created this little creature" and thinking that I could never love anyone more. Having a child makes you want to be a better person. It makes you put life in a true perspective. It makes you appreciate the little things.....LIKE...

1) Waking up and seeing that gorgeous face in the morning peeking through the crib slats

2) Listening to your baby cry for just you and only you (sorry dads)

3) Watching them figure out how to solve a problem, whether it may be getting down from a chair, walking, or getting a graham cracker out of the cupboard

4) Giving you a hug or kiss without prompting

5) Smiling from ear to ear and with food falling out of their mouth

6) Laughing at you because you are HILARIOUS

7) Hearing him say one of his current vocabulary words (woof woof (dog), (ggrrrr (tiger), (ooh ooh (gorilla), horse, rabbit, cracker, chapstick, fish, mama, da-da, delicous, turtle, shoes, nose, eyes, and teeth.

7) Trusting that you will keep them safe and love them unconditionally

I can't identify myself other than being a mom and a wife at this point, and mother first. It's freakin crazy. It's the most beautiful thing in the world. Mother's Day is next weekend and of course I'm thinking of my mom consistently but I'm reminded daily how she lives through Mateo. He has this frog blanket that nobody can mess with. (My mom was a frog fanatic). I always keep the thought in the back of my mind that I know my mom would be proud of me for the mommy I've become...she taught me well.

Well enough of the rambling, we made a fun trip to Toys-R-Us today and bought Mateo some great gifts from his birthday giftcards and the pics are below. (FYI Mateo would be just fine if you left him atop a hill with a shovel and some water...)

Cesar was set on buying Mateo a motorized vehicle and HAD to personalize it...I can't believe my 1 year old son is fully capable of riding this thing!

Next we have a water and sand exploratory center, 2 of my son's favorite things. As you can tell by the facial expression, he loves it.

And last but not least, we had to buy him his own swing for the play structure. He LOVES this thing so much. He actually cried when I took him out of it!

Tee Time for Mateo

We decided to take Mateo to this cute little 9 hole golf course. We just loaded up the wagon with Mateo's plastic golf clubs, sippy cup, and plenty of snacks. Mama showed him a thing or two out there as well!
Cesar was in heaven having his son accompany him as he played his favorite sport! Here he is teaching him something really important...where the ball is supposed to end up!

Believe it or not, he actually putted a ball into the hole but it was less than a foot away. He's grabbing it out of the hole in this one.You gotta love the pics taken from behind when they're holding hands! L-O-V-E

Ok forwards is cute too. Mateo thought it was so cool to do what daddy always does!

Mud Bath

So it was in the 90's today in southern California and Mateo decided around 8:30 a.m. that since it was already getting warm he would partake in a mud bath. We later went to Newport Beach so he got a second dose of warm weather and water! You gotta love his superhero pajammies as well. Here is the mud bath...looks enticing huh?!?

Mateo is now walking away from his watering hole...

and to an unsuspecting hose...

"Oh wait that's really cold!"

You just gotta love that face!

My Baby's First Birthday!

Mateo had a blast on his birthday and was a champ through it all. He actually fell asleep for the first hour and a half but woke up ready to rock. He loved it when everyone sang Happy Birthday to him and he thought eating cake was about the coolest thing (He hasn't had an ounce of sugar yet!)

We hired this company that sets up a putt-putt golf course in your backyard and they hold a child and adult competition with trophies and all. Mateo was more concerned with playing with the golf balls. I actually didn't take very many pictures but my sister-in-law did so I will post more when I get those pics from her.

Here are the first and second holes! Here is the birthday boy with his dada, the adult winner (Grandpa Gilberto), and the child winner (Cousin Mario).
This one is just everyone partying by the palapa waiting for the big tournament to start!Playing with colored golf balls is so much more fun!Mateo is becoming quite the putter!