Busy Busy Weekend

Since Tony returned to work on light duty last week I started to get a feel for what having a husband with a regular 9-5 might be like. Home every night, weekends off... it is so wierd! I decided to take advantage of his days off by cramming as many activities as we could handle into 3 days. I am sure that Tony is very grateful for my planning, although he failed to mention this at any point throughout the weekend. He did, however, keep mentioning "sleep" or "rest" or "nap" but I just assumed he meant this week when my friend Linsday and her fiancee Joe are coming to visit. Anyway, we had a blast this weekend starting with our date night Friday night. We went to Seasons, which is a fabulous restaurant in Old Town ABQ. The best part of the night for me was being able to take 10 minutes just to read (and re-read) the menu prior to ordering. Usually when we eat out we have our meals ordered in 30 seconds flat and are begging the waiter to bring crayons, bread and water on the double before Cienna wigs out. I loved taking my time. It was more satisfying than the meal!

Saturday we took Cienna to see Pinkalicious, the musical, at the ABQ Little Theater. The theater is located in our neighborhood and while we have always wanted to go, we did not think that Cienna would sit still through the various other plays that they put on throughout the year. Pinkalicious was our perfect opportunity to go considering she loves the book (and the color pink!) It was very cute and captivated Cienna for an entire hour!

Sunday we went to the ABQ Isotopes AAA baseball game. They are the farm team for the LA Dodgers and it just happened to be Public Safety Day so we got a discount on the tickets. The game was fun, but the best part was the games / activities that they have for kids behind the outfield. Cienna bounced, slid, and carouseled her way through 9 innings (along with scarfing down some nachos and an ice cream.)




We rounded out the day by celebrating Tonka Maria's 4th birthday with some "Drooly Dog Ice Cream Bars" from Three Dog Bakery. Tonka and brother Zeus were obviously in a festive mood....


Another great weekend, come and gone!

My Favorite Fireman

I just received these photos from one of Tony's co-workers and had to share them. It makes me so proud to see that although his work is tough......

He doesn't have to look like a tough guy to do it!

Tony is a big guy with a big heart...and he truly loves what he does! I love him! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Disney World

Well we made it back from the most magical place on earth they call Disney World. Cienna had so much fun meeting the characters, riding little rollercoasters, swimming in the "big pool" and the "tiny pool" aka the spa, and experiencing her first 3-D animation show which scared the daylights out of her. Each and every night she was tired beyond belief but ready to go the next morning with more pizzazz than the day before. I am glad that our trip was only 7 days because I really started to think that she was going to expect daily trips to Disney World for the rest of her life. If anyone is planning a trip to Disney World I have a few tips:
1. Pack your own lunch.
2. Always budget for ice cream. Always. It is Florida and you will need it.
3. Travel with someone in a wheelchair. You get to go in special lines. (Thanks Mom for pushing!)
4. Stay at a resort close to the parks. With all the shuttles and monorails and ferries, it takes 2 hours just to get to the park.
5. Bring your own water and refill it at the fountains. Buying it there is crazy expensive!
6. If you can only see one parade, make sure it is the nighttime one. Fabulous!
7. Don't try to go 5 days in a row. Make sure to plan a rest day.
8. Always make sure that someone is waiting for your 2-year old at the bottom of the pool slide BEFORE they go down it. This will save you from instantly aging 10 years.
9. Plan what you want to see that day before you head to the park. Checking maps and scedules when you are there is such a waste of time!
10. Before buying your ears, check the Mad Hatter at the park entrance. They have every hat that you can imagine and you can even design your own!
And now for some pictures:

Day 1 - Meeting Pinocchio

End of Day

Day 2 - Animal Kingdom - Meeting Goofy

And Minnie

End of Day

Day 3 - Epcot

Not Making It To The Fireworks

Day 4 - Pool / Rest Day!!


Day 5 - Back To Magic Kingdom


End Of Day

Day 6 - Having Another Magical Day At Magical Kingdom



End of Day

Day 7 - Going Home And Still Tired!

Pyelectasis

I went for my "follow up" sonogram today to see if baby Mazotti's kidney had drained itself since my last sonogram 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, not only did the kidney not drain, but the other kidney now has a large amount of fluid building up. The condition is called Pyelectasis and it is (from what I am told) the most common condition that is found in fetuses. Here is a little blurb that I found on the internet:
Enlargement of the part of the kidney that collects urine (the renal pelvis) from 4 to 10 millimeters in diameter is called fetal pyelectasis. Pyelectasis is detected in 1 per 100 babies before birth, and is seen more commonly in male fetuses. About 1in 500 cases develops significant disease. Most mild cases resolve before birth or within a few months after delivery.
So....they tell me it is nothing to concern myself with and that most likely it will correct itself either before being born or right after. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I am not dwelling on it either! They did tell me that my baby had "very muscular arms and legs and was definately going to be an athlete." They also told me that it was a "nice, chunky baby." They got some great pictures that I wanted to share!

A picture of the "very muscular" arm

And one of the leg.....

Contemplating emptying the kidneys!


Our other news is Cienna's first visit from the Easter bunny. She was so excited to do all of the Easter things....dye eggs, the hunt and realizing that the bunny brings gifts! She was so careful to remove each item from her basket one-by-one and show us everything....I absolutely loved it. Here are a few pics of that...

Her Easter basket

Some of her favorite things....

Dying eggs for the first time

Updates & Anticipation

I wanted to update everyone on Tony's condition. So far, everything has been going well. He is on several blood thinners (and requires 4 shots in the stomach a day ouch!) and they are monitoring him very closely. Fortunately, they believe that they caught it in the early stages and that the blood thinners will be able to disolve the clot. It is times like these that I realize how much I take my entire family's health for granted. I just assume that everything is going to go smoothly and nothing like this can ever happen. I am so grateful for everyone in my life being happy and healthy! A big thank you to everyone who called and e-mailed this past week. We truly have the best friends and family in the world!
Another great thing that we are looking forward to is our trip to Disney World on the 18th. Tony will be in a walking cast (finally!) as of the 17th so our trip is still on! Next Saturday we will be here.....


And I can't wait!!!!!

Bloody Lips, Blood Clots & Pinatas!

So normally I don't post two days in a row but I couldn't help myself. I know that our family is typical...ups and downs, crazy times followed by moments of calm. It seems as though our family goes through these dramas on a daily basis. And today was no different than any other "usual" Sunday for us.
It started with Tony complaining of leg pain. Now when I say complaining I really need to clarify. He does not complain unless something really bad is happening. Back in 1996 he "complained" of a side cramp to me. I told him to "man up" and "grow a pair." Less than 12 hours later he was having his appendix removed. So when he was complaining that his leg was bothering him I knew that it must be serious. He called his doctor who told him that he could have a blood clot and recommended that he go to the ER. He decided to see how it went.
About 2 hours later he and Cienna were napping in her room. Cienna was in her bed and Tony was laying on the floor with his leg propped up. The next thing I heard (over the vacuum cleaner...I really should have been getting a pedicure!) was Tony yelling "Alexis, come here quick!" Cienna had fallen out of bed during her nap and went face first into Tony's crutches that were laying on the floor. Her lip was the size of Texas and it was bleeding. She was crying, but all of her teeth were in tact and she was able to pull herself out of it with a Popsicle. That is Cienna's thing. When she got bit by a dog I was able to get her to stop crying by offering her a NutraGrain bar. The girl loves food!
We had a birthday party to go to at 1pm so we started getting ready. It was at this point that Tony thought that he should go to the ER. To make a long story short...they found a blood clot. And I am waiting to hear all of the details as we speak.
While daddy was in the ER we went to our neighbor's house for her 1st birthday party. Now don't go thinking I am a wife with no heart...going to parties and blogging while her man is in the ER. I know that he is OK because when I talked to him earlier he asked what I had eaten at the party and wanted me to bring him home a plate! Cienna experienced her first pinata (I am sure the first of many living in New Mexico.) She got the hang of it pretty quick...see below for details!
I will keep you posted on Tony's condition. We hope to have him home soon!

New Businesses and the Easter Bunny

Tony's Achilles heel injury has not kept him from coming up with more ways to keep us busy. In 2004, Tony started a hauling & demolition company (24-7 Hauling) to bide his time while testing for the fire department. Over the years it has continued to provide us with income (and little treasures) and it is something that we have both enjoyed being a part of. Based on the phone calls that we have received the last year, we have talked about expanding the business to accommodate customer requests. This month we put those ideas into action and started two new businesses, Go Green Recycling and ABQ Roll Offs. Go Green Recycling works with local businesses and the film industry to recycle paper, plastic, glass and cardboard products. ABQ Roll Offs is a 10, 15, and 20 yard trash container business that homeowners and home builders can rent to fill when doing renovations and general clean ups. We hope that all of the businesses can work hand in hand and expand further throughout the years (and hope that Cienna loves trash...because we are putting her to work as soon as possible!)


This week also brought Cienna's first meeting with the Easter Bunny. She was so excited to sit on the bunny's lap and waited VERY patiently in line (with her little hands clasped in front of her) while other kids got their pictures taken. I was so impressed. I can't wait until she wakes up next Sunday and finds an Easter basket full of goodies and the yard filled with eggs to find. This is truly the best time to see the enjoyment and excitement in your child's eyes....a world of fun new things that they never knew existed! It is like being a kid all over again!