Monterey Bay Aquarium

Once again, I'm on the late train. I've been meaning to post some pictures from our visit to the aquarium but with everyday duties and keeping up with my sweet, precious, loving, bossy, throwing tantrum daughter, I tend to forget a lot of things. I'm actually describing her behavior in a polite manner. Awwww, the joys of parenthood. We had a great time at the aquarium minus the few tantrums. We really enjoyed taking a walk afterwards on Cannery Row. I went a little picture crazy but I promised my sister. This is one of my favorite pictures of Maddie. I can never catch her in the moment without looking in the camera.

Jon and Maddie did a little rock climbing and ended up on this wall where you can get a good view of the ocean.

Another one of my favorite pictures of my 2 favorite people. Jon and Madison took some beautiful pictures down by the beach. I couldn't go down too far because I was afraid of slipping but I was able to get close enough to take good pictures.

This was one of their awesome fish exhibits. Maddie kept covering her head while laughing because she thought the fish were going to get her pony tails.
Here's our family shot including by baby bump. It was nice how all the doors let outside to view the ocean.

Maddie loved this exhibit because she got to play with different kinds of starfish.

Thank you Grandma for taking us to the Aquarium. They were visiting the penguins but their favorite exhibit were the Sea Otters.

Here she is sitting in front of some fish tank that was in the Sting Ray exhibit.

It's a,...........

Today, Jon, Madison and I found out the sex of our sweet baby who is scheduled to arrive on July 25. We cannot believe that time has flown by and the baby will be here in 4 months. We are beyond EXCITEMENT!!!! About 3 weeks ago, I had a stat ultrasound done because my doctor thought the baby was too big. I think I had a little influence on that because I was very determined that the baby is big. The size of my tummy now is the size I was with Maddie when I gave birth. But the baby is normal size and we're right on track. Since Jon was sick with the flu that day, Maddie and I went to my appointment. She behaved like an angel (surprisingly enough) and the staff were so nice to her. She got to sit on the bed with me and put jelly on my tummy. Both ultrasound techs were so amazed at the fact that she is only 2 1/2 because she was asking a ton of questions and was interested in what was going on. They were nice enough to hold her to the screen, point to all the baby body parts and took the time to explain things to her. I didn't think she would be that interested. Towards the end of the ultrasound, Maddie asked if she was going to have a brother or a sister. The tech looked real quick and said the baby was in a weird position but gave us a guess of the sex. I didn't think too much of it because it wasn't a sure answer. Overall, I was happy the baby was alright and Maddie walked out with a cute color book and crayons.


So, Jon and I decided to schedule another ultrasound, which was today. All I have to say is that our little one is very active. That's the first thing that comes out of our techs mouths. Maddie used to turn her back to us and fall asleep in the middle of all her ultrasounds. She definitely didn't want to be bothered and was very shy. After a while, the tech began to tell us that the baby is lying face down and is unable to tell us the sex but gives us her guess. So I began thinking that we have another Madison on our hands and we're not going to know until they're born. As she is telling us to come back in 3 weeks, the baby suddenly rolls over on it's back, opens their legs and our tech, Kara, announces that we're having, .................. A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She is with no doubt a sweet little girl. Kara said there is no plumbing in between her legs and is 200% a girl. The guess I got 3 weeks ago was correct except that I was a little bummed then and told the techs they were lying. That was awful of me to say that. Then I began to think about the cute dresses with matching ballet shoes, bows, ruffled socks, tights,.... that I used to dress Maddie in and began to have a change of heart. I'm just glad that our baby is healthy. Jon was excited when I told him and even more so when we found out today. Maddie had no interest today because our appointment clashed with her nap time. For weeks Maddie has been calling her Emma (a name she said she thought about and chose all by herself) but we have a few other names in mind as well. This little girl is definitely a soccer player. I have been feeling her move for weeks but Jon and Madison were able to feel her kick earlier this week. Madison's expression was priceless. Her little eyes opened wide and the baby would kick wherever she put her hands. The baby moves like that for Jon, too. We're anxious to see what she's going to look like and we can't wait to meet her. Overall, we're all doing great. My bump is all baby and I feel awesome!!!!!
Since Maddie is the potty queen, Grandma Ruthann is rewarding her with a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium tomorrow. She is so excited. Yippee!!!!

Happy Valentines Day

When our sweet little Valentine woke up in the morning, she had to follow the rose petals to her room to find her gift. She's at that fun age and had a good time finding her present.




A couple of things we got Madison were Tinkerbell walkie talkies, PJs, Madagascar 2, noise making farm animals and few other little things. She liked all her gifts and kept thanking Jon and I. For the record, we've watched Madagascar about 20 times-- Ahhhhhh!!!!

Thank you Grandma Ruthann for the cute Catepillar, a.k.a. "Cati" and candy.

.We had a nice Valentines Day. It was fun waking up early in the morning and making rose petal paths for both Jon and Madison. Maddie and I got Jon an IPOD and some candy. When we were at the checkout line purchasing the IPOD, Madison said she was going to ask Daddy to put Fergie music. I'm not sure why she likes her music because I don't really listen to her music. So the first thing Daddy did was download Fergie for his little princess. Jon bought me beautiful roses and is going to buy me a new BBQ grill so I'm real excited about that. We asked Maddie what/where she wanted to eat and she said pizza, shrimp, chicken and fries. So we ended up at Sizzler which was a good choice. I ate so much I couldn't move. We ended the night playing with Madison and watching a movie. I'm glad I was able to spend this day with the 2 special people I LOVE the MOST!!!! We also want to say Thank you to everyone who sent Maddie a Valentine.

* Auntie: Thanks for the stuffed dog and yummy candy.
* Papa Lujan: Thanks for the card and candy.
*Grammy Lujan: Thanks for the necklace and the Kitty beanie baby.

Lujan Updates and Grandpa's B-Day

Hi Everyone. Hopefully all is well. Everyone is doing great in Casa Lujan. Our baby bump is growing rapidly. I wasn't as big with Maddie and I'm not sure if it's because I'm a lot heavier than I was when I got pregnant with Madison or we're just having a big baby. Maybe it's a combination of both. I think this baby will be bigger than our 6 lb. little girl. I haven't felt any movement but I do feel little bubbles. Last night, Jon slept on my belly and said he could here bubble sounds. We can't wait until this little one begins to kick. Jon and I look forward to Maddie's expression and how she'll feel about the baby kicking. She loves to talk to my tummy. She tells the baby she loves him/her, she is constantly kissing and hugging my tummy and she always tells the baby that she is going to take him to the park. Madison has also been telling Jon and I that she is sooooooooo EXCITED to be a sister and that she wants to hold and feed the baby. It can't get any better than that. She is the sweetest little girl ever!!! Her new theory is she can do whatever she wants with the baby and of course, in general. She's been exercising the words: " I Can't" so one day I advised her that she can whatever she wants, all she has to do is put her mind to it. I think she misunderstood me. Ha,ha,ha!!!! A couple of nights ago, she and I were shopping for a baby swing online. Being that I had 3 baby showers with Maddie and got enough clothes to cloth multiple kids, 3 full size strollers, carseats, 2 pack-n-plays, and the list goes on but I never got a swing or invested in one. So I let her pick one out and I really liked it. She was so happy to be able to choose the swing and couldn't stop talking about it. She's so cute. My appetite is picking up so hopefully I'll have some weight gain at my appointment next week. I'm not grossed out by food or their smell, I'm just not that hungry. People keep asking me what I feel I'm having and my intuition is that we're having a "Boy" but in reality it doesn't matter what we have just as long as the baby is healthy. I wasn't too sure with Maddie but my intuition is alittle stronger this time around. I have a few cute boy names in mind but Jon is so determined to have it named after him. I think Jonathan is a cute name but I'm not really feeling his middle name: Scott. If we have a boy, I have a feeling I'm going to loose this battle but I'm going to try my hardest. I have no girl names picked out because I put my 2 favorite girl names into 1 gorgeous and adorable little girl. I'll cross that bridge when we get there in March. We CAN'T wait and we're so excited!!!
Here's Maddie hiding in one of the hallway closets. I have to constantly be on her because she is always climbing. She climbs to the top of our pantry which is 6 shelves high and she'll keep going if necessary. She is lying in the 3rd shelve up in the above picture.
This picture was taken on our way out to Turlock last week for Grandpa Meyer's 75th birthday.
Here's Maddie helping her best pal blow out the candles. She was so determined to make Grandpa cupcakes for his birthday. We had a good time making them and she had a great time, not to mention a mouthful, when she went into the kitchen to sneak a cupcake. It looked like she had chipmunk cheeks and when I asked what she had in her mouth, crumbles began to fall from her mouth and said she had to try one before giving them to Grandpa. It was classic and I surely couldn't get mad at her.
She just loves and adores her best pal. In the picture below, Madison is enjoying her second cupcake that uncle Greg let her have. She had a total of 3 that night. Letta and Maryann made really cute cupcakes that were farm animals and Madison went crazy. She had enough desert to last her a month. We all had a great time. I'll post some baby bump pictures in my next post.

Baby Lujan Update

Our family is looking forward to the next 6 months and by the time you know it, our special little someone will be here. What a true blessing for us. I got a new due date: July 25, 2009. That was my exact, original due date with Madison who happened to come on July 9. Our doctor was wondering how me managed that. We also got a cute baby bump going on, which is EXCITING! This pregnancy is a lot different than my first one. With Maddie, I was just tired but this time around, I'm more tired (I think because I chase a 2 year old around) and I was slightly feeling nausea for a few days. But overall, things are great! I'm one of them women who enjoy being pregnant and if we're blessed, we're going to do this one more time. Jon and I agree that 3 is a good number. Pregnancy is a a lot easier when you have an AWESOME husband who is loving, caring, compassionate/ sensitive to all your needs,...etc. Jon is very helpful and I truly appreciate him very much!Madison loves the bump and she and Jon are constantly rubbing and talking to my stomach. It's really cute. Everytime she touches my tummy, she always says it warm and it's very chuncky. She's so funny.

Maddie has been such an angel with helping me such as picking up all her toys without me having to tell her a hundred times. That's a big step for Maddie since she truly believes she's the BOSS! She's doing excellent with her potty training. I would say she's 98% complete and she's pretty good at telling us in public when she has to go to the potty. She hasn't had an accident yet. We are very proud of her. She has a little problem going #2 sometimes but she's gotten alot better. Grandma Ruthann said she'll take her to the L.A. Zoo if she goes #2 all the time. So far, Miss Maddie is holding her end of the bargain. Next week we get to hear the baby's heartbeat, which will be Maddie's first visit with us to the doctor's office. When we had our ultrasound last month, Jon took our camcorder and was able to get our first video of Baby Lujan. Maddie loves to watch the video and we think she'll enjoy hearing the baby's heartbeat. Jon and I want to keep her included in as much as possible. One week she refers to the baby as her sister and the next week her brother. She is the most sweetest little girl I know. We just LOVE her more than words can describe.We are looking forward to finding out the sex of the baby in March. This is such an exciting time for all of us and we're looking forward to the arrival our new bundle of joy.

Better Late Than Never

Madison and Aunt Angela made really cute ginger bread houses. They both did a great job. Once again, Madison licked all the candies before sticking them on her house.

A night before Christmas Eve, Madison got her special visit from Santa Clause. She looks scared in this picture but if you could have seen her a few minutes prior, she was bouncing off the walls. When she opened the door, she yelled: "It's you again"! and then ran all over the living room saying: "Oh my gosh, Santa's in my house"! It was a classic and not to mention PRICELESS!!!!
For some reason, when we downloaded the video, there was no volume so hopefully we'll be able to show it to you all on our next post.
It was nice that Madison got to spend time with Uncle Joe and Aunt Angela. In fact, they were her babysitters for a few days. Although she gives Angela the cold shoulder and favors Joe, Maddie had such a fun time with them and misses them a lot! Thanks guys for taking such good care of our sweetheart.
I love this picture. Sorry Joe, I hope you don't mind me putting this hilarious picture of you eating Maddie's play food that Angela made her. This was Madison's personal request.

Maddie with her favorite cousin, Lexi.

Opening a ton of gifts on Christmas.

The day after Christmas was spent with Auntie Maxine and Oscar Meyer. We ate a delicious dinner and opened more gifts.
Here's my gorgeous husband, not to mention the proudest Raider fan, with his gifts from Auntie. I love this guy!!!!
We hope you all had nice and safe holidays. We went down south on Christmas Eve and spent a few days there. It was nice to spend the holidays with our families. Maddie got a ton of gifts, which are very appreciated. She got an equal amount of both toys and clothes, which included a my size Barbie from Papa Lujan(Thanks for all the other gifts, Calvin), a puppet, books, game boards, an awesome strand of lights with cool decorations that Angela made (which look cool in her room), movies, CDs, ....etc. Two of the things that Jon and I got her was an Elmo Restaurant and an Easel. She loves them both. She is a great cook. We ended up bringing 3 of my brothers back with us to Hanford for a week and got to spend New Years with them. We had great holidays but yet exhausting at the same time.

Madison's Little Secret

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you all had a nice and safe turkey day. With Jon's crazy work schedule, we were unable to attend a few family functions in Sacramento. So we stayed home and my mom, sister and 4 brothers came to visit. It was very nice to visit with all my family. Madison was very excited to see everyone and she enjoys playing with my 8 year old brother, Joseph. As for Maddie, she's been the usual active 2 year old who is learning so much everyday. She is doing a lot better with her potting training. She goes most of the time by herself but still has some accidents. I'm very proud of her because she now takes the time to go when she is occupied with something so she's on the road to success. I guess we had to run on Maddie's time and potty train when she was ready. She is doing a great job recognizing her ABC's and can write a few letters in her name. Oh, and she is exercising the word: "WHY?". That's enough to drive someone crazy but at the same time it doesn't bother me because she is so curious and wants to know about things and their purposes all the time, which shows me that her learning skills are enhancing. She is a sharp cookie and Jon and I are very proud of her. Madison likes to tell secrets, too. Below is a little clip of her new secret. Check it out.



Yes, you heard our sweetheart correctly- WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!!!!!!!! We're very excited. Baby Lujan #2 is due July 15, 2009. We're going to have another July baby. Madison's birthday is July 9.I have to admit that when I found out, I cried and was in denial. Jon and I agreed that we wanted another baby since Madison is just about 2 1/2 but when I found out, it hit me harder than I thought. As for Jon, he was bouncing off the walls. I had this crazy theory that I would not be able to love another child the way I LOVE and ADORE Madison. She has fulfilled my life in so many ways in every which way possible. She makes me laugh, cry, mad,....etc. She has brought so much to my life and I learn from her everyday. She is my life-- she is my EVERYTHING!!!! But with Jon's support, I came to realize that my heart will only grow bigger. We explained the baby to Madison and so far she's okay with it. She said she wants to hold and feed the baby. She was a little confused about the baby being in my tummy. A few months ago, she was looking at the ultrasound video of her and Jon explained to her that she was in my tummy. One day, she said: "Mommy, I be thinking" and when I asked her what she was thinking, she said she wanted to get in my tummy. I started to laugh and told her that was impossible. Anyways, I know she's going to be an awesome big sister or as she puts it, the little sister because she's a little girl. So that's what's new and exciting for us. We'll keep you all posted and updated on our exciting baby adventure.