The Saturday Morning Post - Welcome Baby Jordan

Baby Jordan Carlos Aguirre was born this past Monday morning, August 2, at 8:03 a.m. Please enjoy these pictures of him before and after his birth.

Before:

An ultrasound photo

After:

First I cut the cord

Then they weighed Jordan

Then we saw the results (8 lbs, 1 oz)

Then we got to see him up close

Then they washed him

Then we fed him

Then we got to admire him

Then the kids bonded with him

Then he got to admire us

Then he slept

And slept

And slept

See you next month on a Saturday morning

The Saturday Morning Post - Late July Edition

Well it can't get much later in July than this.

Greetings friends, just a quick update on things. I'll have a lengthier post next Saturday morning.

In the baby department, Jordan Carlos will be here on Monday. We know this because Laura's C-Section is scheduled for that morning. We have been preparing for some time now around the house. Jordan's space will be in our bedroom. His bassinet, crib, and dresser/changing table have all been assembled and decorated. Laura has been very busy preparing for our new arrival, particularly since she's been off of work these past 3 weeks.

The domino effect from the changes to our bedroom is that (1.) my dresser is now in the garage, and (2.) the large office desk on which the family computer rests is now in the living room. These, in turn, have created other space/functionality issues.

My co-workers threw me a surprise baby shower. Here are a few pictures:
Laura posted these and other pictures on her Facebook page. One of her friends commented "tooo cute, didn't know guys had it in them...bravo..." I didn't have the heart to reply to that comment that my co-workers are all women. (the only other male in the department is our boss).

In the dog department, Jordy had an acute reaction to over-the-counter flea medication, and had to be taken to a pet emergency clinic. He had to stay the night, and after much attention from the medical staff, was returned to us the following morning a healthier dog.

In the older children's departments, Brady has been doing his cheer thing, Nina has not been doing much of anything. I don't have a picture of Brady doing cheer stuff, but I do have this recent picture of him wearing a cheer shirt while reading a book to Jordy.
And here's a picture of Nina and one of her school friends who came to spend a day (and a night) with her for play time and fun.

Until next Saturday morning -

The Saturday Morning Post - April

Greetings.

Things have been so busy for me lately that I haven't had the time to post, read posts, or spend much time on Facebook. (Yes, I know this is Blogger, but I'm on Facebook more than Blogger) I haven't even been checking my personal e-mail account as regularly as I should. The last time I let that go too long I had over 100 new e-mails. So let me update you on the highlights of my life.

The Baby

We picked his first name: Jordan. We haven't decided on a middle name yet. I was actually surprised when my wife Laura suggested Jordan. Jordan, you see, is also the name we picked for the baby that Laura lost nearly two years ago. One of the reasons we picked it then was because we knew it would work as either a boy's name or a girl's name. Laura suffered the miscarriage before we knew the gender of that baby. Laura is 5 months along now, and as of the last ultrasound, all is well.

Brady

He and his cheer squad continue practicing for the world championship in Florida. This event begins Friday April 23. Just last weekend, he had a competition nearby in Anaheim (literally across the street from Disneyland). I didn't get to see him perform, but Laura did. That particular competition was not their best performance. They did better in Dallas and in Palm Springs during February.

Nina

She has a new best friend (Marley), and has enjoyed multiple play dates, and a sleep over. She was also recently awarded student of the month in her class, and was recognized at the 4th grade assembly in front of all her classmates. Mom and dad were in attendance too!

Jordy

He and I walk nearly every morning before I leave for work. Well, he runs down the street with me in tow. We move at a slightly slower pace as we return up the opposite side of the street. He stops and smells everything, and when he urinates against a tree, he usually hikes the wrong leg.

Laura and I have discussed the possibility of the confusion that may occur after the baby is born because of the names Jordan and Jordy being so similar. Time will tell if that happens, but confusion is no stranger to this household.

The Mustang

My mom found a buyer for my dad's 1966 Mustang. An old friend / band member from high school, Steve Howe. Steve actually graduated the year before my older sister, Diana, which means he was a senior when I was a freshman. Anyway, he was in to Mustangs then, and my mom feels much better about the car going to someone she personally knows. Steve will also take good care of the car.

My Finger

Two Saturday's ago, while working in the yard trimming the hedge, I nearly severed my finger. Okay, well I'm exaggerating. I seriously cut the tip of the finger. This was the most painful injury I have ever incurred. I have always said (to close family and friends) that I have a high tolerance for pain, so when I say this was the most painful injury, I assure you it hurt like a mofo. I actually felt faint, not because of the blood loss - I controlled that quickly - but from the sight of the blood (more than I am used to). I'm better now, but I will probably have a scar forever.

Angels Flight

I found the picture below at my mom's house. I've recently been going in to downtown Los Angeles for business, and I saw the Angels Flight where it currently operates (not where it's pictured here). I have no idea when this picture was taken, but I would guess it was in the late 1960's. In it, you can barely see the top of the 3rd St. tunnel. Today, in this very spot, you can hardly see any ground; it's all buildings. I'll post a picture at a later date so you can see it as it presently looks.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you visit back on another fine Saturday morning . . .

The Saturday Morning Post - March

I never met my paternal grandfather; he died before I was born. If my memory serves me correctly, my mother told me she only met him once. I'm not sure whether that was before or after she married my father. I also don't know whether or not my paternal grandfather (Juan) had any brothers. All I know is that he had two sons; my father (Carlos) and my uncle (Alfred). Each of these men had one son; me and my cousin (Patrick). My cousin died of cancer at the age of 17, and that left me as the only male in my family to carry on the family name. This fact was brought to my attention numerous times as far back as when I was still a child. I don't think there was any intention to put pressure on me, but it just felt a little like that. I'm sure it was only my parents' good intentions to make me aware of this fact. But I sure did hear throughout my teen years and in to my early adulthood that I was the only one who could carry on the family name.

Fast Forward to 1998. I met a nice young lady at work and invited her to lunch. It was probably during that lunch date that Laura told me she had a son who had just turned 5. That fact didn't matter to me. That lunch date led to an exchange of phone numbers, and then to a phone call or two, and then to a first date. When I picked up Laura on that first date, I met Brady for the first time. Our first date led to a second, and to a third, and so on, and so forth. Somewhere along the line we fell in love, got engaged, and got married.

Less than a month after our wedding, we conceived. This baby was due to be born in September of 2000. Well before the ultrasound that would prove me correct, I predicted the gender to be a girl. Here was my thinking: on both sides of our families, the girls out number the boys, and most of the time girls have been the first born. Some examples of the 'first born' are my mom, my older sister, two of my nieces, Laura's mom, and Laura. So I figured it was more likely than not that my first child would be a girl. The fact that Laura already had her first child, a boy, didn't change my prediction. Brady, as a first born male, was one of the few exceptions on both sides of the family. I was correct, we were going to have a girl, and we decided to name her Nina - a combination of my mom's name (Norma) and Laura's mom's name (Tina).

Fast forward to 2007. We were surprised to learn that we conceived. We had, by this time, decided to not have any more children. However, we still considered this a blessing, and began preparing for another baby. For reasons only God knows, we lost this baby after only about 8 weeks.

Fast forward to 2009. We were surprised to learn that we conceived again. We again considered this a blessing. Maybe God was trying to tell us something. Just because we thought we were done making babies, didn't mean that we were. Soon after we learned we were expecting, I added in to my regular prayer routine a request that God help Laura deliver a healthy baby, and that Laura get through her pregnancy without complications. Something I've not said out loud to anyone, including Laura or my mom, is that I've also prayed that this child be a boy. The thoughts about being the only one to carry on the family name undoubtedly came in to my mind when we found out we were expecting.

What about Brady, you might ask. Well, yes, Brady is a boy and now has my last name. I adopted him a few years ago, and he has long called me dad anyway. We don't even discuss his biological dad, who has long been out of the picture anyway. Nina doesn't even know, but occasionally asks questions because she's smart, and sees pictures of Laura, Brady and me - only from a certain point forward, and nothing older. If someday, Brady is to have a son, then yes, my family name would carry on, and it wouldn't matter to me or anyone else that he's really not my biological son. Just like it doesn't matter now - all of us consider him my son.

So what about this baby, you might ask. Well, Laura had an ultrasound this past Thursday. Just like with the ultrasound when she was pregnant with Nina, I was right by her side. She and I heard the news together from the technician informing us of the baby's gender. This time, it's a boy. Naturally, we are both happy. From what the technician told us, everything looks good with the baby. On the viewing screen, Laura and I watched along as the technician examined the baby's organs, and took measurements of the head and body. It was a wonderful experience watching our unborn baby's heart beating. It's truly a blessing.

I've already incorporated in to my regular prayer routine a thank you to God for improving the chances of my family name carrying on.

More updates as the journey continues.

See you next time . . .

The Saturday Morning Post - Vol. 22 - And Baby Makes 3

I think there's a song or a saying with those words ". . . and baby makes three." What it means in my case is my wife and I are expecting another baby. This would make our third. We found out a few weeks before Christmas, so Laura came up with this creative way to let our family know: we gave picture frames decorated with baby-themed items, and instead of a picture we wrote "We've been Blessed, picture available August 2010".

Laura has now undergone an ultrasound, and we've seen the baby's heart beating. It's too soon to know the gender, but we'll find out at a future ultrasound. We don't care if it's a boy or a girl because we already have one of each; we just want a healthy baby. By the time the baby is born, our son Brady will be nearly 17, and our daughter Nina will be nearly 10. As of the date of this posting, Laura is about 10 1/2 weeks along. The due date is August 9th. (I like the sound of 'eight-nine-ten' as a birth date).

I'll keep you posted. See you next Saturday morning. . .

A New Arrival

Yesterday, Laura's Brother (Sean) and his wife (Reann) had their baby. We were very happy to hear the news, and I'm pleased to report that both mother and daughter are doing fine. I don't know what it is about our families and their pattern of having babies in August or September, but the trend continues. I guess it would be more accurate for me to say "I don't know what it is about our families and their pattern of conceiving in November and December, but the trend continues."

Lets have a run down, shall we: Niece Anna (8-21-1990), Nephew Timothy (8-21-2003), our son Brady (8-22-1993), my mom Norma (8-31-1938), our daughter Nina (9-5-2000), Niece Christine (9-15-1994), newborn Niece Ava (9-17-2007), Niece Kira (9-??-1999), my grandfather Joseph (9-16-1909), Laura's grandmother Bertha (9-25-1935), aunt Grace (9-28-1921), and uncle Gilbert (9-30-1942). There are also three family wedding anniversaries during the months of August and September.

Needless to say, trying to plan a child's party is very difficult because some of the kid's birthdays are so close that parties are sometimes booked on the same day. Here's what we started doing a couple of years ago. We have one family party where all the family attends and brings gifts for all the kids celebrating during the those two months. Then, each of us have a 2nd party so that each kid can invite their friends. (Family is invited too, but it's understood that they don't bring a gift to that party.) It's also understood if some of the family can't attend that 2nd party because they have another party to attend for one of the others celebrating a birthday. It's confusing, but it works.

Since most of the kids celebrating their birthdays are on my side of the family, my mom hosts the family party. She gets birthday presents too since her birthday is during this time period as well. If your birthday was in August or is in September - Happy Birthday To You!

Sad News

It was just over a month ago that I shared with you the good news that Laura and I were expecting another baby. It is now with sadness that I inform you of our loss; the pregnancy was unsuccessful. The first day was the most difficult, especially for Laura and the kids. But each passing day has been better, and with the love, support, and prayers of our family and friends, we will be okay.

And Baby Makes Three

Isn't there an old song that goes something like you and me and baby makes three? Anyway, the part that's true in my case is baby makes three. That is to say the baby we are expecting makes the third one. (I thought we were done at two, but that's what I get for thinking)

So there you have it - the big news! Laura and I are expecting! The baby is due in late February. A quick look at the calendar tells me that 2008 is a leap year. So if baby comes in really late Feb., it could land on the 29th.

Updates to follow over the next 8 months.