Five Month Old Baby Jax

Rolling, rolling, rolling, Jax just keeps on rolling! Our 5 month old Jax has been keeping us on our game lately. He is super active! As he continues to learn how to roll, we continue to move our furniture out of his way. He can rotate 360 and roll from both back to belly and belly to back. He has been working his way into solids and has tried carrots however, he could really care less. He just wants the leche. We have started using sign language with him and he has learned his sign for "milk." His little reaction and smiles are so cute when we ask him, "quieres leche?" He will grab our hand like it's the bottle and start looking for the milk.

 

He is working through his 6-9 month clothes and has started to fit into some of his shoes. He is still very much like his mama and loves being barefoot. Feet are tastier when they are barefoot anyways right? He is going through a bit of a sleep regression right now but we're working through it. He has so many wiggles that he wiggles himself awake before it's time to get up. Thankfully this has only affected his naps, he still sleeps for 10 hours at night like a champ!

He has started to babble and it's so fun to watch him try and put words together and figure out how his tongue works. I can't wait until he learns how to blow raspberries. He is transitioning out of Papi and Mama's room into his very own room this week. Poor boy has been sleeping in the hallway in our bedroom since he was born.

 

Jax just keeps getting cuter and more fun as he grows. Nothing more to report for this little update, so we'll leave you with some nicknames that Jax has acquired over the past 5 months.

"Curly fry"

"Squishy" (he is always extra squishy after sleeping)

"Sweet potato"

"Jax-son Tennessee."

"Jaxi Boo"

- F & B

We have a four month old!

Thinking about parenthood sometimes all you can do is go one day at a time. Well one day at a time has gotten us to 129 days! That's right, I can't even believe that Jax is four months old! He weighs 17.5lbs and is 26.75 inches long (we will just say 27 though). I think he is going to be tall like his Papi and Tio Nate! He is stretching his way out of his 3-6 month clothes and into his 6-9 month fall outfits!

This past month of development has been exciting to watch. As his eyes follow us around the room he is becoming so much more observant of his surroundings. He loves to talk, laugh, and sing along to Papi playing the guitar. Of course if you smile at him he will smile right back! We've found some tickle spots and have also realized that if you quote Nacho Libre to him he will crack up. This was our go to movie while I was pregnant and let's face it, it's still our go to movie. This month his personality has been coming out and we're seeing different sides to his temperament. He is social like his Papi but when surround by a lot of people he tends to just observe like his Mama. He is such a great mix of both Fabian and I.

We took Jax on his first little road trip last month to Waco. It's only an hour and a half drive but that's the longest stretch he has gone in his car seat. He did great! Our little trip was so encouraging because we know there are more road trips in the future for this family.

As Jax rolls into this next month there is a lot in store for him including, transitioning into his own room! We're excited to be entering into Fall and the holidays. It's going to be so cool to now share our traditions with our son. We will continue to show him the importance of faith, family, and Nacho Libre.

-F & B

Our 3 Month Old Baby



The developmental leaps that our Jax has made in the past month makes me feel like time is going by too fast. Y'all we have a 3 month old! He has been changing into this perfect mix of Fabian and I. There are moments when he looks so much like his dad, an expressive face with slicked back hair. Then there are times when he looks just like my twin, with his quick moving eyebrows and round little cheeks.  

He is developing his personality and it's so evident that we are going to have our hands full as he gets bigger. This boy is active! He will sit and sing along with us and is so gracious when we forget the words to songs. We've been working our way through, Jesus loves me and I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy. I even learned to sing them in Spanish for him. I love hearing his little coos. He responds to voices and smiles with the cutest toothless drooly grin. He is trying to figure out how to suck his thumb but hasn't quite gotten the hang of it. His hair continues to be one of his greatest features. And he is giving us more belly giggles too which are seriously the best!

He surprised us last week by showing us he can roll over! He is not super consistent with it yet but give the boy something to push off of and watch him flip! Since he was already sleeping through the night I wanted to tweak his bedtime just a little bit to allow more solid nighttime sleep. He gets up at 6 with me in the morning before I head to work. I once again kept paying attention to his queues and was able to adjust it by an hour after slowly moving it up for two weeks. He naturally fell into his new little pattern and gives us a longer stretch of nighttime sleep. Seriously, this child is such a reflection of his parents. Sleep at our house is a must!

This past month it has become easier to bring him out and about for longer periods of time. Outdoor walks, weekend errands, and time with family have been such a joy to share with our osito. He is getting too big too fast and we love every second of it.

Is it too early for him to say, "mama" yet?

-Bee



I just really like you!

Exactly 3 years ago I confessed my feelings to a guy that I just recently met and was hanging out with 24/7. My friends called him Diesel because of his truck. After hanging out almost every day for 2 weeks I really needed to know what we were doing. So I decided to ask him out one Sunday afternoon for a Steel City Pop. I wasn't going to let my heart fall for someone that wasn't willing to catch it.

We had somewhat of a backwards evening. We went for dessert first and ended up walking to another restaurant for some tacos. While "hanging out" we talked about the first time we met and how odd it was that I just showed up in his life. The whole time I was thinking, "God please let him start the "define the relationship" conversation." By the time we were walking back to the truck we still hadn't had the "conversation." I was getting anxious and kept praying in my head for him to start it. Finally he asked me, "¿Por qué no tiene un novio?" My Spanish wasn't that great but I knew what he was asking. Not only did I not have a current boyfriend but this 27 year old woman had never had a boyfriend. I answered him with a fluffy excuse, "Oh well...the church didn't let me date," (which was true). Finally he got me to give him the real answer, "I never found anyone that was good enough."

You would think that would've started the "define the relationship" convo but still no. It was delayed for another good 20 minutes. By this time we arrived at the truck. I sat down putting my seatbelt on and feeling like a giant ball of anxiousness, frustration, and excitement. I knew I just needed to tell him how I was feeling.

As we continued to drive back to my home there was a shift in our conversation and all I remember saying was, "I just really like you!" So picture me, feet up on the dash and throwing my hands up like a middle schooler confessing my feelings to my crush. Yea. That was me. He looked at me and said, "Good, cause I really like you too and I've been paying for everything this whole time." We both laughed and then proceeded to have another 3 hour conversation about what our intentions were while we dated one another. Our night ended and this boyfriend-less 27 year old was now dating.

Don't drop your standards and don't allow your heart to fall to someone that is not willing to catch it. Be intentional and date with a purpose. Continue to speak from your heart no matter how long you have been in your relationship. And if your feelings and words come out in a burst of middle school like emotions that's ok. Get them out.

-B

It's September! [Vera Family Goals]

It's here! A new month! Every time we hit a new month it seems to take me by surprise. Summer is coming to an end and here in Texas that means, the chain of 100 degree days has been broken. The weather is becoming tolerable which will allow us to go for evening walks as a family. I feel like the past three months have been a whirlwind. Things at home have continued to run smoothly however both my husband and I know that it can be better. Our teamwork can be better as husband and wife and also as papi and mama.

So since we are starting a new month we wanted to set some goals for us. Personal goals and family goals. We went out last night to a new spot for dinner and talked about our goals for this month. Reconnecting during a busy week is so important for us and what better than to reconnect over some good barbeque from Heim? I know Jax doesn't look too thrilled to be third wheel on his parent's date night but he really was excited. Probably a little jealous too that he couldn't eat the brisket yet.

We want to encourage you to make some goals for yourself this month. Take a look at your life and pick a couple things that you're passionate about and really go for it this month. Pick an area that you need improvement and commit to making it better. Whatever your goal is, remember the cliché statement... no goal is too big or too small! Commit to achieving them, celebrate when you do, and go ahead and ride the motivation into the next month and set some different ones. Here's a peak into our goals for this month.

Family Goals
Manage our finances better.
Find a house.
Pack our lunches during the work week.

Fabian's Goals
Stop drinking Coke.
Read more to Jax.
Take my wifey out on dates.

Bee's Goals
Complete a Whole30 (for real this time).
Stop saying, "No, it's ok."
Speak more Spanish.

What are you goals? Share them with us!
-F & B and Jax

New Season. New Day

I once heard Khloe Kardashian say, "you make a plan and then God laughs at it." Obviously that quote didn't originate with her but there is some truth to that statement. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think God is laughing at us because our plans are horrible. I think God sometimes may chuckle because He knows that His plan is way better than what we think we can do on our own.

With all that being said, my maternity leave has come to an end and God has told me to head back to my job. Let me be the first to tell you that I did not see this curveball coming. This was not the plan. Not my plan at all. This is the part where God is probably laughing because He knows the end goal of His plan. He knows that it's a real stretch of my faith to trust Him because my true desire is to be home raising our little Jax.

When I look back at all the different seasons of my life and all the plans that I thought were perfect, I am realizing that God pretty much took things into His own hands. He reworked what I thought was a flawless plan and rocked my world with something even better.

So on this Monday as I am entering my office again, sipping my coffee from my Mom mug, I am going to remember that I am a Mom who is following God's plan for her family. That this once again, is a new season. I am going to remember that God already knows the reason, the purpose, and the why behind this plan. I am excited for the moment when my family will look back on this season and say, "God knew it all along."

-B

5 Mama Life Hacks

Yesterday was one of those Monday's that nothing got done at my home. However, the reason nothing got done at my home was because my husband took the day off and we spent it together as a family. I loved yesterday but the mama in me wanted to get the laundry done, finish my grocery list, and for the love of all things holy...take out the garbage that was stinking up the kitchen.

When Amanda from allthatsdarling tagged me on instagram to share my #mumlifehacks I thought how perfect! I am a new mom (7 weeks and 3 days to be exact) so my mama hacks are still under construction. But, yesterday I was able to put one of them to the test.

1. Family over everything, and that includes the laundry. 
What doesn't get done today will get done tomorrow. We've all left a load of laundry in the washer, dirty dishes in the sink, and gotten McDonalds because we still haven't gotten groceries. It's ok, your family functions better when you're connecting and spending quality time with one another.
2. Say yes to the help.

Whether it's your baby daddy, grandparents, or a grocery store employee. Say yes to the help. I am learning this even with my husband, it's like I want to be this super mom who does it all. Obviously I have a pride issue that is still being worked on. But when he says, "I got it love." I need to let him. When someone offers to load up my groceries, I need to let them.

3. Your life is great but it's not just about you.

Conversations when you have a newborn can be very self centered. I've been consciously reminding myself in conversations to really make the other person the focus. Turn it back on them and remember their life is just as cool (if not more) than mine. I need to ask them about it!

4. Your crockpot is your bestie! 

I've been letting my crockpot cook my dinner one night a week. Not only does it make my husband think I've been slaving away in the kitchen all day because our house smells amazing but it saves me mucho time! 

5. Celebrate your success.

Sometimes as a mama you feel like you're doing nothing right. Take the time to celebrate your success. Whether it's a conversation with your baby daddy talking about how your teamwork was awesome that day or arriving to an event clean and on time. (looking passed the fact that only one hand has nail polish on it because you didn't have time to paint your other nails.) Celebrate the fact that your a mom and you're killing it! 

-B

5 Lipstick Must Haves [National Lipstick Day]

In honor of National Lipstick Day (yes, there should be a day dedicated to lipstick) I thought I would give you my 5 lipstick must haves to throw in your purse, wristlet, or diaper bag that come straight from my collection.

I believe a good lipstick shade can really pull your look together, make you feel confident, and can make your smile shine even brighter! I don't claim to know all the greatest shades out there, I just know what I like. These are my most worn, most repurchased, and best bang for your buck lipstick shades.

1. Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid in Nude Thrill: $7.99

2. Mac Stain Lipstick in Brave: $17

3. Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01: $14

4. Milani Color Statement Lipstick in 26 Nude Creme: $4.99

5. Wet n Wild Liquid Catsuit Lipstick in Nice to Fuchsia: $4.99
[click the links to add them to your collection]

-B

One Month!

It has been one month since our little Jax was born. Everyone always says that time goes by fast when you have a little one, and that is so true. My husband and I have learned a lot about our son and the value of teamwork in a marriage over the past month.

Jax has still kept all of his hair that he was born with and grew so much more over the past weeks. He loves grasping your fingers when you feed him. He will give you flirty little smiles as he is falling asleep. Those little smiles help to remind us how much we love him when we're up at 3am feeding him. Thankfully we haven't had any sleepless nights, Jax is an excellent sleeper! He still doesn't quite enjoy his baths but loves the towel snuggle at the end. 

Having a newborn is definitely a different lifestyle. Life is less spontaneous. You can't just decide last minute that you want to go to the movies. We've learned that magical love that is like no other. Our love for each other as husband and wife is different than the love that we feel for our Jax. Fabian and I both have learned a new level of patience. Patience with each other and patience while we still learn our sons cries and queues. Our teamwork isn't perfect but we're making it better day by day. I've learned that I need to be less stubborn and when someone offers to help, accept their help. I've also learned to conquer my fear of breastfeeding in public the moment my sons cries started echoing through the isles of Hobby Lobby.

Our lives have changed for the better and we wouldn't have it any other way. Happy 1 month Jax!

F&B

What we learned in 1 year of marriage.

When people say that the first year of marriage is the hardest, I always let that opinion go in one ear and out the other. Our first year of marriage hasn't been perfect by any means and how boring would that have been? We have learned a lot about each other and also accomplished a lot together as a team. Here's a few things we learned in our first year of marriage.

1. Always pray with one another. Start the day with prayer and if you stay awake long enough, end the day with prayer together.

2. When needing to use the restroom or the shower check with the other spouse before hand. We only have one restroom so it's important and super nice to double check with one another before we take it over for a while. What happens in the restroom, stays in the restroom.

3. The balance of family and marriage is important. With so many family members, birthday parties, and get togethers it's important to learn to balance everything and to remember that our marriage takes effort and if we don't take the time to put the effort into it then it will become second to everything else.

4. Always communicate. With both of us it's important to keep the communication going even when we find ourselves in a busy week. We have also learned that there are moments when it's ok to pause the communication in order to respond with the right tone and the right mindset. However, the longer you stay angry the worse things will get. Fix it if it needs fixin'.

5. Laugh and laugh a lot. There is a lot of laughter in our marriage. Laughing at ourselves and with each other. Joy in a marriage is important!

6. Serve one another without looking for a thank you in return. I (bee) can have trouble with this sometimes and will look for acknowledgment for things that I have done thinking that I deserve a thank you. Serving one another in marriage is the secret to a great marriage.  I choose to have a great marriage instead of a thousand "thank you's."

7. Trusting God with our story. About 4 months into our marriage God was really speaking to both of us about trusting him in regards to adding children to our family. We were told others opinions and for some reason it just never really lined up with what we were feeling for our future family. We continued to pray about it and put everything in God's hands. Now we sit here today awaiting the arrival of our first born little boy. See, God knew!

8. Work as a team when handling our finances. When we got married we made it a goal to take care of our debt and start fresh together as soon as possible. Thankfully we didn't have a lot and we tackled it within the first few months of marriage. We both believe that not allowing ourselves to accumulate a whole bunch of debt has really freed us up as a couple to bless others around us and also to travel and visit family more.

9. Check in with one another. This may be scary but it also may be insightful. It's good to see if we're doing something that is just really minor but kind of annoying to the other one. For instance, I (bee) will forget to rinse dishes out after eating dinner and then "accidentally" forget to wash the dishes at night so the next morning there are dishes with food stuck all over them. That's a minor check in but was something that was annoying Fabian. I am still a work in progress but I think he will tell you I am getting better.

10. Have fun in your marriage. Don't take everything so seriously. Don't miss memories because of your attitude. Do life with one another because you are better together!

- F & B

Positive Pregnancy- Third Trimester Update

Pregnancy changes a lot. A baby changes a lot. I've known from a young age that I was meant to be a mama. I was aware of the adjustments that came with creating a little family however, I never fully thought of how it would effect my body. I have found myself body shaming and comparing my bump with others who are also pregnant. I've looked at myself in the mirror and thought, "Ugh... I look horrible" or "I feel so fat" or my latest body shaming comment, "I am so wide!"

Over these next 8 weeks (or less... hopefully not more) that I have left carrying my first child, I am making a promise to myself to stop the body shaming. I am going to stop the negative comments I saying and I am going to stop the complaining. Yes, my feet don't fit into anything but Birkenstocks and chanclas. My body temperature has no sense of regulation and can go from cold to burning up in a matter of a minute. I pretty much roll out of the bed or am shoved out by my husband. I've added a couple chins to my face and feel swollen all over. But news flash... I am creating a human!

What a woman's body was created to do is a miracle. The fact that I can feel this little boy inside of me and my body has adjusted to make room for all the growing he is doing is amazing. Over these next few weeks of carrying my son I am going to focus on just being the best mama I can be. And that includes embracing all the extra curves, all my chins, and rocking my Birkenstocks right into the labor and delivery room.

5 Month Bumpdate

23 weeks, 5 months of life for our little Baby V. I am and will always be so amazed at our God of miracles. The miracle of life is just that, a miracle. For God to create a body to create another body just blows my mind. As I continue to read about the development of our baby boy I am so humbled to know that God has chosen me to be his mama. And even more grateful to have such a loving husband and papa to be along side of me during this journey, he has a lot of grace towards me during this season.

Up to now I have had a pretty smooth journey. My bellybutton is in this odd transition that just makes me laugh every time I look at it. My nose has developed superpowers which is a blessing and a curse depending on the scent being smelled. I am fully embracing this double chin that I am rocking and reminding myself that this body won't be like this forever.

I love feeling my son's movements and have even spotted my belly moving from the powerful punches and kicks he gives his mama. He responds to our voices and also any type of music that is playing in the car. He likes to jam alongside of us! And I promise you, this boy already has a solid sense of rhythm. I haven't been craving anything strange however, I do get picky and more specific about my food every now and then. As he continues to grow the time between restroom stops has decreased for me. It's been important to not only know where the emergency exits are at all times but also where the restroom is. Don't get in the way of a pregnant woman who needs to pee.

Time has seriously been flying by, I cannot believe that we're getting closer and closer to meeting our son. To seeing what color his eyes are and if mine and Fabian's curls will be passed onto another generation. To revealing to the world the name that God gave us for our little bear cub. We will continue to await your arrival with so much anticipation!

-B

Long Distance Gender Reveal

I don't think there is any better way that you can start the new year than to find out the gender of the little human that you are growing! Everyday I read about this little miracle and I am amazed at how God creates life!

Because we discovered the gender of our baby (exactly one week ago) we needed to share it with our family. However, my family is in Michigan and Fabian's family is here in Texas with us. Coming up with clever ways to do a gender reveal when my husband and I are not present was a little tricky but totally doable with the help of my brother. We were able to pull of an evening of double gender reveals! 

Having my family be so far from me during some pretty monumental moments in my life, dating (yes, my husband was my first boyfriend), engagement, marriage, baby, just a few life changing things that have happened since I moved to Texas. It's been a challenge to share those moments with my family when they can't be with me to experience them. We've taken more trips up to Michigan than I expected us to be able to take and I am so grateful for each one. Being long distance from my family I have had to make an extra effort to connect and remember to include them in moments. Whether it's a phone call, facetiming, snapchat (my mom is an expert), or just a text message telling them about my life, it's important that I remember to include them. Since we weren't there for the Michigan gender reveal I just asked my brother to record them discovering the gender. Well, my brother went above and beyond what I asked him and made a whole vlog to really allow us to be in the moment with them as they find out if they are having a grandson or granddaughter! Needless to say, I cried my eyes out. Have a watch and be in the moment with them and find out what we're having!

-B

Adios 2016 | Hola 2017

2016 was a year of sitting back and watching God's hands at work over our lives. Not only did we get engaged and married in 2016 but we also announced that God was adding to our family with a little one (baby Vera to arrive in June 2017). This whole year we've been surrounded by family and friends celebrating life. We don't plan on changing that, cause we sure do love our family and our friends. 

Engaged. 

Married. 

Baby. 

Some other awesome things happened in 2016, our church released a new single called 'Plans for Me' that has been an anthem for our lives as well. Being able to record with family was a dream come true!

We were able to travel to Michigan a few times to be with family, celebrate Gramma's life before she went to be with the Lord, and also celebrate with family and friends who were unable to attend our wedding.

After our wedding we were blessed to spend a week in San Diego. It was the perfect way to start our lives together as we soaked in the sights and the sun! We were also blessed by family who wanted to celebrate our marriage with us.

 We both grew in our relationship with God in 2016, as well as gained confidence in our leadership as members of Tree of Life Worship. We've grown in unity and have sensed the presence of God like never before. 

Going into a new year always has us thinking and coming up with a list of of goals and "to-do's." This year as husband and wife we do have a list of goals but as always we will continue to allow God to guide our steps and be obedient to what He says. We have teamed up in agreement that in 2017 we will change our prayer life by stopping to thank God and be grateful instead of asking God for what we want. We can believe that God will give us what we need as well as bless us with what we want when we present grateful attitudes. We're believing BIG for 2017 and want to use our lives to inspire others along the way. Hola 2017! 

-Fabian & Bee