Pirate Hayden

Here's Hayden at Carson's pirate party in June. She spoke like a pirate for the rest of the day...aaargh!

My boys

Even though girls outnumber boys in our house 4 to 2, my boys are all-boy. Here's Alex in his pajamas: a mixture of Lignting McQueen, Thomas the Train, and Superman. (He got his sense of fashion from his Dad) Dave played his last game of the season (woo-hoo!) and hit a HUGE homerun! So proud of my boys... :)-

Summertime!

Anamarie was SO brave this past week! She got 3 shots for kindergarten and, for the first time since she has had control of her extremities, did not kick the doctor or nurse! I made Dave take her, because I'm beyond tired of apologizing for her insane fear of doctors (she really has kicked the doctor on multiple occasions). Dave did an amazing job of distracting her and building her confidence so she hardly even flinched when the shots finally happened. I was in the waiting room and didn't hear a cry or scream! We love our new pediatrician Dr. Gabhart!!

This week Ana graduated from preschool, Hayden graduated from first grade, and Alex graduated from the 3 year old preschool class to the 4 year old preschool class. All three started summer day camp at the YMCA this week. Despite feeling like a complete taxi driver and missing them all on occasion, it was very nice to not have to feel like I need to entertain them, while trying to satisfy Carmem. Phew! Camps continue for the next two weeks...

Carmen's one month birthday was on Saturday. Already we can't imagine life before her (not sure if that's because we don't have energy to imagine anymore or...). Despite some tummy issues and random fussiness, she remains a calm, peaceful little girl. I read somewhere that now that she is 1 month old, she is not considered a "newborn" anymore. Now she's an "infant". How sad! This picture of her has some funky lighting, but you can see her BLUE eyes. (So, the 3 girls have Dave's blue eyes and Alex and I are the only greenies!)

Also this week, Dave, Chelsey and I went to the George Michael concert. What a fun, crazy mix of people--and an awesome concert! I kinda tagged along with Dave and Chelsey (I guess I forgot how much I loved Wham!). I put a song on the blog this week in memory. Thanks so much to my friend Sarah for hanging with Carmen and my niece for babysitting the other 3 so that we could go and rock like it's 1984! :)

Lastly, I'm putting on the video footage of the Mexico/Argentina football game we went to a few weeks back. It's just silly to see the insane patriotism there--with the Mexican national anthem first, crazy random people dressed up and milling around, the fans' reaction to Mexico's one goal, and the last part (in the dark) is in the stadium WAY after the game was over and Mexico lost 4-1...those Mexicans are still partying! I can't imagine what they would be like if they had won!

Get ready America's Funniest Home Videos

Carmen HATES baths--and her carseat. The two things that I think most every baby loves, drives my baby crazy. Hopefully, that will change as she turns 1 month old this week! Here is the absolute best video of how relieved Carmen is once her bath is over. Turn up the volume on your computer, and get ready to laugh! This was when she was 3 days old, after her first bath at home.

Viva la Mexico!

Here's a pic from the Mexico/Argentina soccer game last week. I'm so bummed that I can't include the video footage Dave took of the Mexico national anthem (I think I was the only person in the sold-out Qualcomm stadium not singing), or the footage of the guy with the Argentinian flag draped around his shoulders getting pelted by plastic cups as he ran around the stadium... it was the cultural event of the year for me, that's for sure! The soccer game was good, but people watching was INSANE! Good times!

On a different note, I'm totally loving Dave's attachment to Carmen today. He says that she's his favorite because she's the quietest (Ha! That's because he misses most of her fussy moments). But, he gets to spend time with her doing things I'd never think of--like taking her to see and touch the trees up close, and putting flowers behind her ears (you'll have to click on the pic to enlarge it and see the little purple flower). He definitely has a way with the ladies... :)-

Week one completed!

As much as I would have loved to stay home and nap when Carmen naps and "recover"... it is next to impossible to do with 3 others at home. So, this week we had no other choice but to jump back into life B.C. (before Carmen). The kids had a blast showing their baby sister off to their teachers and classmates. Thankfully, Carmen has been very adaptable, loves her carseat, and sleeps most of the day. I end up paying for it at night, but we're working on that part :). She's getting cuter by the minute, and seems to be growing at an amazing rate. She's about out of newborn size diapers... a thought that (sickly) makes me sad already.

Carmen Merida Traina joins the clan!

On Wednesday, May 21, Dave and I were scheduled to check-in at the hospital at 6:30am to be induced. The whole experience was quite a bit different than I anticipated--knowing my history of super-fast labors, I figured the whole thing would be done by 8 or 8:30...but they hadn't even ordered the drugs by then! Around 9, they started the pitocin, the epidural man (love him!) came around 10:30, they broke my water about 11:15, and Carmen was born at 12:00 exactly. After she was born, the nurses were making bets on how much she weighed...apparently she looked extra swollen or something, because all of their guesses were in the 9 pound range. Everyone was surprised when she weighed in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces. (The nurses because they thought she was bigger; Dave and I because our heavyweight child thus far was 7 pounds.) The pictures with a bit of a bluish hue were taken under the big lights in labor and delivery. 

We found the name 'Carmen' under Italian names on a baby names website. It is Latin, and means "poem".  'Merida' is a city in Mexico where Dave served his mission. We've been there on vacation a few times, and I've wanted to name every one of my girls Merida. Dave was right, though-- it is tricky for some people to pronounce (as I've found out since) and am SO glad that we chose it for a middle name rather than first. Dave calls her "Carmencita bonita". 

My parents brought the kids to the hospital while we were still in the labor and delivery room so that the kiddos could meet Carmen while she was still very new. Hayden and Ana loved Carmen from the beginning, and still fight over who gets to hold her first, for how long, etc. Alex could care less, for the most part. He's quick with hugs or a kiss to her head, but up until now would rather play with his cars than fight over her. (Phew!) 

Carmen has been a complete sweetheart from the beginning. Just super calm and peaceful. Don't worry- we're not kidding ourselves--we know the newborn stage is just a few more days and then we're in for it! But, the past 5 days have been very calm and sleepy and good for everyone. :) Welcome, Carmen!

Beach day!

We've had a pretty spontaneous weekend- planning nothing because we assumed the baby would be here by now, we've just taken off and gone on field trips with the kids at the spur of the moment (heading to the beach, riding the trolley to Old Town, etc.) with the kids. Here are some pictures of our incredibly fun afternoon with the kids at the beach yesterday. Hayden and Ana "booty boarded" for awhile before they got brave enough in the cold water to actually go boogie boarding--which they did completely unassisted and like native San Diegans (so proud!).  Alex skipped through the waves, while pulling his boogie board around like a dog on a leash--he tumbled in the deep water and got knocked over by some big teenagers but for the most part was super brave and SUCH a big boy in the water. Dave went surfing for awhile and took a few tumbles of his own in the "medium-high waves" (he's really excited to go beach camping with Tyler this summer and get some more extensive practice...). I loved hanging out on my beach chair and hanging out in the water with Alex while most likely giving the lifeguards a heart attack that they'd be delivering a baby any minute (I really look like I'm going to pop)!! Then, home for take-out pizza and ice cream popsicles in the back yard. What a fun day.

Little Miss Anamarie

Okay, Ana actually said that she has "only ONE picture on the computer and Hayden and Alex have like 100" (can you say middle child?) ... so this one's for her. Ana got to bring home her preschool mascot, Polka-Dot, this week. We had to do lots of fun things with Polka-Dot and take him/her (?) a million places so that we could journal Polka-Dot's experiences and she could have a lot to share the next day at school. Ana is VERY excited for 1) her hop-a-thon at school this week and 2) her baby brother or sister who should be coming any day. We're just waiting now. Luckily, we skipped having the baby on Mother's Day, so we're in the clear for a few days before Hayden's open house and art show at school and the definite not-to-be-missed double-header baseball game (Dave's, of course) on Saturday!! (This will be a big test for Dave if my water breaks in the middle of one of the games... will he conveniently leave his cell phone in the car?!?)

Hayden's last game

Hayden's softball season is over! She loved every minute of it (especially practicing with Daddy). At her final game, she made an out at first base, hit two doubles, practiced pitching, and (my favorite) slid into home. Way to go, Hayden!