Happy Birthday Mommy!

Happy birthday to my incredibly hot wife :-)

I just want to say happy birthday to Kelci. The best mom. The best wife. My best friend.

OK, I don’t want to just say happy birthday. But today is her 30th birthday and I thought I’d embarrass the both of us with a little note to here on the blog.

Kelci and I have been together nearly 10 years after meeting in Hawaii during our first year of college (that’s a story for another post, but ask me and I’ll tell you). Over the last decade, we have traveled a path that has taken us through losing jobs, losing close relatives, gaining new friends, gaining a new home and now gaining our wonderful daughter.

One thing that I can count on in my life, however, is Kelci. She is there for me when I need a shoulder or when I simply need her on my shoulder. She is there for me when I am being a hyperactive ADD wild-child. She is there for me when I look down at Kylah and then give Kelci a “what the hell do I do now?” look.

There’s no point to this other than to share how extremely thankful I am to have her in my life.

As her and I have gotten older (I am definitely not maturing, so I don’t thing aging is the right word), I have become more and more thankful that I have her in my life. She has helped shape me and helped me become who I am.

When we were dating and getting more and more serious, we started to describe our relationship as a walk down an unknown path. For the most part, it is an easy, flat and straight walk that is surrounded by beauty. On occasion there is a bend in the road, or the scenery isn’t quite as gorgeous as you hoped. Our path has had curves, hills and a few trees that have fallen across it.

But we have continued to navigate it. We have guided each other down this path. We are a perfect team. And that’s why I want everybody to say with me:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELCI!!!

1.1.11 (A Reflection on 2010)

Holiday Cheer

The holiday season was filled with joy and love with family and friends. Kylah was able to spend Christmas with close family, including her aunts: Eric’s 3 younger sisters from California, whose Christmas present was to fly up and meet their new niece! Kylah’s only Christmas present from mommy and daddy was her “1st Christmas” ornament. Many people asked me what we were getting her for Christmas, and my response was always “Diapers, of course!” Babies don’t really need anything besides love and attention. One of my coworkers told me the one thing she regretted about the way she raised her daughter: She should have spent more money on experiences and less money on “stuff,” because it’s the experiences your children have that have the most meaning. (Thanks, Tami:)

2010

In her short life thus far, Kylah has celebrated many firsts: Her first smile, her first laugh, her first roll-over, her first plane ride, her first vacation, her first Thanksgiving, her first Christmas and now her first new year. There will be many more firsts coming soon: sitting up, eating and crawling. Before we realize it, we are going to have to baby-proof the house! It’s difficult to comprehend how much has happened in the last year. I spent a majority of 2010 pregnant (and miserable) with baby Kylah until we were blessed by her healthy arrival in August. She has been the light of our lives and the center of our world from minute one. She has changed our perspectives and our priorities. She has made me a better person.

Welcome 2011

Another day and another year. Kylah will be walking and talking by next Christmas. Mommy will be continuing her weight-loss journey and hopes to complete a half-marathon in June. Daddy will be continue to be an awesome husband and playmate to baby Kylah. Chubbs will learn to share his toys with Kylah. We are hoping to take a family vacation to Mexico, it’s time to get Kylah a passport already!

2010 in Pictures

My cheeks hurt…

…from smiling so much! We had our first baby shower on Sunday. Both of our families were there, and it was an amazing time. Eric and I are not used to being the center of attention, we were probably both blushing as we opened a mountain of gifts.

We received many of the basics needed to bring Baby Berto home, including diapers, a Diaper Genie, bathtub, tons of adorable clothes, receiving blankets, baby monitor, Pack N Play, etc.

More importantly, we received so much overwhelming support from our families. It means the world to us. We love you guys!

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy with us. And the rest of the set is on Flickr:

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I’m on a diet

Last week I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which means that my blood sugar is staying too high for too long after I eat. There are some risks to the baby, but only if it’s not kept under control. It can fatten her up too much and it can cause her to have low blood sugar when she’s born.

As a result, I have to poke myself 4 times/day to check my blood sugar. I also have to eat a diabetic diet, which means no more giving in to my cravings for chocolate milk. No more cake, candy, or cornbread for Kelci until baby gets here…

The Magic Pill

Reglan has been my savior during the early stages of my pregnancy. I am actually beginning to feel normal after weeks of nausea, puking, and “post-puke euphoria.” As a result, I am now suffering ONLY from the traditional morning sickness, as opposed to early-morning, morning, mid-morning, late-morning, noon, afternoon, mid-afternoon, late-afternoon, early-evening, evening, late-evening, and nighttime sickness.  You may even hear more from me on these blog posts now that I’m not afraid to puke all over the computer…

I feel like I can smile again, knowing there isn’t a dry-heave to follow my every attempt to be joyous about this remarkable time in our lives. Reglan has saved my enthusiasm and reminded me why we got ourselves into this mess to begin with. We have created a human life to love and to nuture, and to hopefully become a  pro-athlete so we can retire early:)