hello again!

it's been a while, hasn't it? it's Erica, by the way. :)

i haven't written since before Aubrey existed, so just wanted to get back on here and play catch up.

things i've learned since becoming a mama of 2

you do more worrying about baby #1
seriously.
Before we left the hospital, our nurse gave me once bit of knowledge: your 2nd won't remember having to wait 5 minutes, but your 1st will. Which makes total sense, right?? So from the minute we brought Aubrey home, i've made it a point not to make him wait any longer than he used to before Aubrey was born. Of course, there were exceptions, such as when Aubrey was nursing or screaming her head off, but Derek knew that at those moments, his patience was greatly appreciated.
But back to the point. Having a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) child doesn't diminish the love you have for the first. I've found myself worrying that he'd feel like his importance has been cut or that he'd think we loved him less. The beauty of all the worrying, however, is that you're extra aware of that possibility, and do what you can to prevent it.

you discover the value of taking turns
When you have two kids, everyone is taking turns. EVERYONE. Your kids take turns for your attention, you and your husband take turns eating, napping, changing diapers, getting up in the middle of the night, etc. Derek came up with "taking turns" very early on. He'd always be very attentive to when I was busy with Aubrey. As soon as I would get up to lay her down, he'd run over and ask, "Is it Derek's turn??" It always put a smile on my face and I was thankful for his patience and the reminder to shower him with my attention.

coordinating naptimes is NOT easy.
Can we say SABOTAGE??
holy moly. my biggest challenge was getting one kid down to nap without the other sabotaging my efforts. For the most part, it was Derek waking up Aubrey everytime I would put her down to nap. Just when she'd fall asleep and i'd go to put her down, Derek would pick that exact moment to dump a bin of mega bloks or run up to me and yell, "IS IT DEREK'S TURN??".
Aubrey got her revenge a couple times though. Right when Derek's eyes would start to close, she'd start crying, then his eyes would pop open. And once Derek's eyes have opened, all hopes for a nap are gone, gone, gone. Then there went my two quiet afternoon hours of peace and quiet. And while I was out on maternity leave, boy did I look forward to those two hours.

taking care of the 2nd is just like riding a bike.
SO MUCH EASIER!! i definitely knew what i was doing this time around, which made things a lot more efficient. the major new thing to learn was how to keep Derek involved and used to having Aubrey around.

Derek is a loving big brother. Very attentive and patient. I couldn't ask for more. Both kids are amazing, Aubrey slept through the night very early on, and life is great. I've been back to work since the end of April, and I still miss my babies every day.

Now i'm gonna leave you with some fun videos!

Derek holding Aubrey at 1 month old (I think):


Derek flying a kite (sometime around May 20th):


Aubrey rolling over!! (May 22nd):


Aubrey and Derek switching toys (June 18th):


and a fun one featuring the S-B men (June 26th):


Happy 4th everyone!!

Aubrey's First Trip to Disneyland

On May 6th, 2011, we made a spontaneous trip to Disneyland. Our really good friends Michelle & David hung out with us while we made the trip up to Anaheim. Erica had the day off and I had a half day of work. The night before, Michelle contacted Erica and asked if we wanted to go to Disneyland and we said “hell yeah!” Derek's God Mother, Nora, was able to score us tickets to get into the park. This trip was Aubrey’s first time at Disneyland and it was the first time we had a blast. With David & Michelle’s help, we survived the day with Derek & Aubrey. Our little girl rode almost every ride that Derek rode, including the carousel, Pirates of the Carribean and a few others. Derek rode the tea cups with David & I. It was cool catching up with Michelle & David and they tended to our kids like they were their parents. Those two will make awesome parents some day.  We capped the evening with the cool firework show and then picked up some beignets in Downtown Disney. The kids were knocked out while we were in Downtown Disney and slept for the entire trip home. Check out some highlights of our day!

Mom's 65th Birthday

April 26th, 2011 was my Mom’s 65th Birthday. We celebrated her birthday and Easter on the 24th at The Cheesecake Factory. This was big milestone not only for my Mom, but also the S-B’s. That day marked the very first time we took Aubrey to a sitdown restaurant. In attendance were my parents, my brother Jay and his family Joanna, Jalen & Jolene and Joanna’s Mom, Jennifer. Aubrey was a trooper. She was very mello and even fell asleep on Erica’s lap. Derek ate some of his lunch and he also knocked out while the rest of the Family ate. This beats chasing a toddler around in a restaurant and tending to an infant. It’s a sign for good things to come!













On her actual day of her birthday, we gathered at my parents house and enjoyed some dinner and Birthday cake, where the grandchildren helped Mom blow out the candles on her Birthday cake. Hope you had an awesome Birthday celebration, Mom!

Safari Park

On April 18th, 2011, Derek, Mom, Dad and Ron went to Safari Park, formerly the San Diego Wild Animal Park while Erica stayed home with Aubrey and I was at work. This was Derek's 2nd appearance at this place. The first time he went was when he just turned 1. Erica and I took Derek to this place for his Birthday and he's grown a lot since then. Over 1.5 years later, Derek was able to recognize more animals, climb up benches, run freely and ride the carousel. He had a great time spending the day with his grandparents and Uncle. On the way home, he knocked out and slept in for the day. Check out some pics:

Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa

On April 16th, 2011, our Dad and Derek & Aubrey's grandpa celebrated his 65th Birthday. To celebrate his day, Dad went to church in the morning, hung out for a bit, then when to church again in the evening and capped the night by celebrating at Black Angus with the Buenaventura Family. With all of the events and responsibilities that each family member has, its always great to have every single member of our family together in one setting. Another special note for that evening: It was the very first time we took Aubrey to a restaurant. She did extremely well. Everyone had a blast! Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa! Hope you had an awesome Birthday! Check out some pics from Black Angus!