Friday, November 28, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was Derek's 1st Thanksgiving and he was able to spend time with both sides of our families. Round 1 was at the Buenaventura's. We arrived at around 11am for Thanksgiving lunch. Erica brought her signature yams. We also had turkey, stuffing, homemade mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, pecan pie, pumpkin cheesecake and dinner rolls. The attendees included my parents, grandma, oldest brother Ron, sister-in-law Joanna & her kids, Jalen & Jolene, my mom's sister Auntie Baby & her husband Uncle Boy, my cousins Sam, Don & Charm, my cousin from Long Beach Katrina, Erica, Derek and I. My older brother Jay, had to work until 2:30 and we had to drive up to Delano at 1:00, so we just missed him. For the first hour, we stuffed our faces. Suprisingly I only ate one full plate of food. Afterwards, Derek hung out with the family and we took plenty of pictures. Somehow, Derek ended up staring at a bunch of animated singing Santa Claus toys. Also, we believe that yesterday was first time that his Nanay held him(we don't know for sure but judging grandma's expression, it was the greatest thing in a long time for her). The coolest thing was when anyone in the family would take a photo of Derek and there was standing ovation like we were in Qualcom Stadium at a Charger Game. Everyone was cheering and clapping to get a smile out of Derek. The 3-hour window at Thanksgiving lunch was short but we made the most of it. Next stop, Delano for Thanksgiving Dinner.



Round 2, Thanksgiving Dinner with the Sison's. We left San Diego at around 2:00 for Derek's 2nd Delano road trip. The first 45 minutes road trip was spent in traffic. We didn't realize that there were so many people headed to their loved ones for Thanksgiving. Derek had another successful road trip and cried once for a diaper change and then cried one more time because he was hungry. Other than that, he did really well in the car. He was awake playing with his toys and slept a good amount. We made it to Delano at around 6:00 for the dinner. This meal included Erica's yams, turkey, stuffing, honey baked ham, pumpkin pie, pancit and lumpia. Notice the difference between the two family's dishes? My family has strictly American food while Erica's family mixes in American and Filipino food (lumpia & pancit). Once again, plenty of pictures taken with the family. After our 2nd Thanksgiving meal that day, we watched the rest of How I Met Your Mother Season 3 and passed out.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Hanging Out w/ Rina, Elbert and Their Kids, Delano High School Reunion & Derek's 1st Charger Game

Its been a while since I posted. Sorry for the delay. Here's a recap of our amazing weekend. This was Derek's first road trip to Delano. On Friday, we made a stop at our good friends' Elbert and Rina's place before we headed to Delano. They recently had a little girl named Hailey, a month later after Derek was born. Elbert & Rina's family moved from Utah about a month ago and will be in San Pedro (Los Angeles) for a while. Besides Nora, they are the only really close friends that we have that are parents. They currently have 3 kids, Elena, Kaylin & Hailey. There were a couple of firsts. Derek was the first baby boy that Rina has ever held in her arms. Also, met a baby girl for the first time. He also saw live fishies for the first time.

After hanging out and dinner, we headed up to Delano for Erica's 10-year high school reunion. We arrived in Erica's home town for Derek's first trip to Delano. He did really well and only cried when he was hungry. His grandparents were extremely happy to see him. Before the reunion, we hung out at home and chilled. Derek was having a fun time with his lolo & lola, playing in the baby gym and smiling and talking away. Right before the reunion, we picked up some food from Elmer's, a fast food joint exclusively in Delano. Afterwards, Nora met us at home and then we headed to the reunion.

Nora, Erica and I headed to Azul's Bar in Bakersfield for the Reunion. It was great to see Erica catch up with some people that she hasn't seen since high school. I have to say that this reunion was way better than my high school reunion. Great times!
On Sunday, we headed back to San Diego for the Colts v. Chargers game. Nora is a huge Colts fan and we are huge Charger fans. This has been some kind of tradition. We went to the Chargers & Colts game last year too. Derek's first ever Charger game fun for everybody, including Derek. From the very beginning of the game with the fireworks to the very end, Derek enjoyed every moment. He got all of these "your baby is so cute" comments. We decked him out in Charger Gear and he made a great impression. Derek was very observant of the lights, the noise and the game. The only time he cried was when he needed his diaper changed. Other than that, the game was another successful outing. Too bad the Chargers lost. Oh well.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Daddy Derek Day Outing

So today was another Derek-Daddy day. Derek actually woke up before we did and was chillin' in his crib and waiting for us to wake up. He wasn't crying at all and was just watching his mobile.

Our day started off with Derek encountering a celebrity for the very first time. While taking a walk, we ran into San Diego Chargers starting cornerback, Antonio Cromartie. He actually stopped while he was headed towards our direction and told me that Derek looks like me. From a father to another father, it was great to hear compliments and recognition from a professional athlete. This was Derek's first time he met a Charger. This will be a story to tell him when he grows up.

After we met Cro, we headed to Wal-Mart to return some stuff and pick up a few necessities. It was Derek and I's first adventure out in retail land without Erica. He smiled for everyone and did not cry once at the store.


Next stop was eating lunch with Erica. Derek was asleep the majority of the time while we drove up to her work. I picked up some taco bell bean burritos and their latest dish, fully loaded nachos. The chips were not quite as huge and Carne Asada nachos, but they we're satisfying enough that I couldn't finish them. We shared the nachos, hung out at the office and headed for our next stop, Mission Valley Mall.


Derek and I walked around the mall for at least an hour and a half. We picked up a Ladainian Tomlinson ornament at Hallmark and then proceeded to Office Depot and Sears Essentials. I was looking for some screen protectors for our new phones as well as a leather case for our iphone that we got from Carlito. They had this clearance rack where I was able to pick up an iphone case, some mechanical pencils, a laser pointer, blank mini dvd-rws and some screen protectors for over 50% off! What a deal. Sears was next door and we walked over to pick up some prints from Derek's 2-month portraits. That was our last stop on the outing. We went home soon after and in about 30 minutes, Erica was home. We went on a quick family walk with Derek, the girls, Erica and I. I then cooked some cheese-stuffed burgers for dinner and we put Derek to sleep. The night concluded with an episode of Ugly Betty and How I Met Your Mother.

Hanging Out With the Family

Last weekend was a very relaxing with a few firsts for our little boy. On Friday, Erica put Derek in the Baby Bjorn carrier for the first time facing forward. DJ was able to look at around instead of facing our chests. He really enjoys being in there now that he can look at the same things that we can see.
Also, Erica and I picked up new cell phones. They're the new Samsung Eternity touch screen phones, the poor man's version of an iphone, but with a few better features. A few of the qualities that the Eternity has opposed to its counterpart include watching TV, live, re-routing GPS navigation and cheaper internet service. It was time for us to upgrade.
On Saturday, we went on a little 5-hour outing. Before we started our day out, we slept in 'till around 8:30 and then Erica made her world famous French Toast. We then proceeded to our first destination, Wal-Mart where we picked up a few onzees for Derek. While we were there, we saw this cool triceratops live-action toy that Derek was really fascinated by.

We then headed to the AT&T store and then to Target where we picked up more onezees. Our last stop was Costco, where we picked up a few more outfits for Derek and some eggs & milk.

During the evening, we put Derek in his baby gym and he played in it as usual, but something new developed. He actually fell asleep while he was playing. That's the first time that has ever happened. It must have been the outing that tired him out. Overall, Derek, Erica and I are really getting used be outside. Before we know it, he'll be running around at the park and playing catch with his daddy.


On Sunday, we didn't go out at all. It was great to sit at home and be lazy. We watched the Chargers game and Derek was decked out in his Charger Gear. He did get some tummy time. Check out the pics:

soon to come - a topic guide for Dean from Erica

no photo blog today, sorry. a couple of important milestones and topics that i want mentioned on here and am requesting the hubby to write about when he has a chance. he will (or I will if he doesn't have time) will make up a nice post complete with photos for your enjoyment...hopefully.

1.) derek faces forward in his baby bjorn!
2.) we got new phones
3.) derek fell asleep while playing
4.) derek's 2nd 8 hour night
5.) baby gym discoveries

okie doke. that's it! look for an update soon!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

11 weeks old on 11/11

cool, huh? :)

it's erica again. this is gonna be a quick post because it's 11:14PM right now and i just spent quite a bit of time working on the following two collages.

a mommy and baby collage:

and derek's 11 week photo with his charger bear...and the ruckus that followed:

oh and derek chews on his hands now, haha.

today's happenings? i had today off because of veteran's day so dean took it of as well. we slept in (which was fabulous), and had french toast for breakfast. derek had some quality baby gym time, then we headed out to run a few errands. got derek some bigger bottles at babies r us, picked up kung fu panda at best buy, picked up some tickets that dean won from the union tribune, and then off to target to get derek some bigger pants. he officially graduated to size 3-6 month clothing. he'll graduate to size 2 diapers once we finish off this bag of size 1s sometime this week.

after errands, we picked up some dinner and watched a few episodes of how i met your mother season 2 and played with derek in the baby gym some more. we gave him a bath and then it was bedtime.

then i started fiddling with photoshop and 3 hours later, here i am. i wanted to finish this post by 11:11pm, but it was not meant to be. 11:35's close enough :)

Monday, November 10, 2008

Auntie Nora Visits

Erica's BFF Nora and her daughter Bella came down to visit for a couple of days. It was great to see them. The last time we were all together was when baby Derek was born. They came late Thursday night and hung out 'till Saturday evening.

On Friday while I was at work, Nora, Bella, Erica and Derek when on a walking journey. They walked around our apartment complex, then to a local neighborhood near our place and walked across the street for a stop at Costco. After their outing, Erica held Derek for literally 3 straight hours before I got home from work. Once I got home, the BFFs headed out for carne asada fries at Super Sergios, a must for any visitor not from San Diego. We grubbed the rest of the night and watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Coincidence but we also watched this movie when Nora's sister Michelle came by to visit.

Actual Picture taken by Nora:
On Saturday, we went to the Las Americas Shopping Outlets. Everyone picked up a few things. Our biggest score was shopping for Derek. We bought him some clothes at The Children's Place, Carters and even at Nike. After our 4-5 hour shopping trip, we picked up some dinner at Long John Silvers. After we put Derek to sleep, Erica and Nora watched 21 while Bella and I took Nala and Kiwi for a long walk. The night flew by and Nora & Bella headed home.

Check out our haul for Derek:
Derek & Bella having a staring contest in the car on the way to the outlets:

Nora, Bella, Derek & Erica - BFFs & their kids:

On Sunday, Erica, Derek & I headed back down to the outlets & to Babies R Us to return and pick up a few things. We got just in time to for the Chargers Game. Erica fell asleep in the middle of the game and I rocked Derek to sleep in our rocking chair while watching a close-call game. It was tough to cheer for the Bolts while rocking Derek. I had to resist making loud cheers so that I didn't wake the little guy up. Overall, the weekend was great!

Derek & Mr. Peacock:

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

a couple of new "firsts"


It's me, Erica! I'm back once again to quickly make note of a couple new things that Derek has done the past couple of days.

1.) we put Derek in his crib while he was still awake but drowsy and he actually fell asleep! as most parents know, you usually wait until your baby is fast asleep to put him/her in the crib to prevent them from any unnecessary crying and to make bedtime smoother for everyone. up until yesterday, Derek usually fell asleep while nursing, which was super easy, but usually involved me being (for lack of a better word) stuck in a chair nursing him until he was good and asleep. getting up at any point before an hour had elapsed was just not an option, cause then he'd wake up during the transfer from my lap to his crib. but yesterday, Dean and i decided to leave the room and close the door while Derek was moving around with his eyes half open in his crib, and he managed to get himself to sleep. Dean and I were in awe at how easy that was. Obviously every night probably isn't going to be that easy, but it was perfect that very first time. :)

2.) Derek spit out his pacifier to talk to me. :) i was holding him this afternoon and had his pacifier in his mouth cause he looked like he was gonna cry, and i was talking to him. he was staring at my face and started to "talk" in response to what i was saying. i talked back to him and he used his tongue to get the pacifier out of his mouth, and then talked back to me. when he spit out his pacifier, it seemed very intentional, like he did it just so he could speak to me. we had a nice long conversation, in which he told me all about his day, complete with facial expressions and leg and arm movements to illustrate the day's happenings. =)

a photo taken during one of our many conversations


3.) Derek's first "full-body smile." A full-body smile is one that you see not only on a baby's face, but their whole body just comes alive with excitement. i saw his first one today, when i went to Dean's parent's house to pick Derek up. Derek looked at me, he smiled and let out a little laugh, and his arms and legs started moving like crazy! it was the most adorable thing to witness and totally made my day.

4.) a new facial expression: when you touch the tip of Derek's nose, he opens his mouth wide and crinkles his nose. very similar to the face he makes in this picture:

and now a few post-worthy pictures :)

S-B picture!!

looking cozy in grandma's arms

future linebacker

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Grandparents Visit & Halloween

So Derek's Grandparents from Delano paid us a visit. They were super excited to see Derek, Erica & I. The last time they saw Derek was when he was barely a month old. He's grown significantly since then. They arrived on Tuesday the 28th & left yesterday. It was great for them to spend some quality time baby sitting Derek while we went to work.

Derek's first Halloween was very eventful and memorable. I took the day off to spend time with the family and we had a great day. The first thing we did was take some 2 month portraits at Sears. Derek did very well. We took a few family shots and pictures of Derek in his very first Halloween Costume, his infamous broccoli suit and the traditional S-B costume, a pumpkin outfit. For our first Halloween costumes together, Erica & I both dressed up as pumpkins. When we got our dogs Nala & Kiwi, we dressed them up as pumpkins. Its Derek's turn!


After the portraits, I treated everyone to Onami's thanks to my bonus from work. It was the 2nd time that Derek and Mom & Dad's first time at our favorite restaurant. Derek did great. He was not fussy at all. Once we were done eating, Erica & Mom went shopping while Dad & I stayed home. Dad spent some extra time with Derek and even put him to sleep with his singing. Meanwhile, I carved us a pumpkin.

The day was not over. As soon as Erica and Mom got home, we put Derek into his broccoli Halloween costume and headed to a party that our apartment complex hosted. Everyone got a kick out of Derek's costume, especially once they found out what he was. It was the most original costume that we and everyone else has ever seen. We even got pictures with him and actual pieces of broccoli. We got back and I put out our pumpkin.

On Saturday, we had breakfast at IHOP and took Mom & Dad to the train station for their trip back to Delano. Afterwards, we took a trip to Babies R Us where we picked up a few outfits and diapers for Derek. We hung out at home and relaxed the rest of the day. Sunday was pretty much the same except for more sleep and a lazy day at the pad. One more thing, Derek's schedule has changed. Now he doesn't sleep right away once he eats and he sleeps at different times. He also said his first pseudo word: "Ow" like "ouch" but not the same context. He's starting to talk more often.

Overall, it was a great week!