Day before the wedding we all went to downtown Disney!!!

Junito's Graduation at Parris Island, SC!!!

Junito finally graduated!!! We arrived at Parris Island that morning and we were all soooooooo excited to be there. Steven and I had not been able to be present during the Family Day during the day before. We were very sad about it, but Steven had to work. Mom took some pictures during Family Day. She was so shocked to see how thin he was. We started taking pictures the moment we got there and couldn't wait to see Junito. Everyone that saw him during family day kept raving about how much weight he'd lost. The night before, when Steven and I got there, we met Titi Diana, Abuelita, Tio Junior, Jose, Dad, and Mom for dinner at Applebee's. We had a very nice dinner. Once the parade started, we were ready to go. It was all sooo unnecesary, but, I guess it's the way they do things.




Steven and Dad saw Junito first. Steven took a picture of him and showed me in the digital camera. I couldn't believe it was him.
Once the parade was over, everybody started walking towards the graduates, and I kept looking and looking for Junito. He was standing right in front of him, and I didn't recognize him. He is sooooooooo thin. He was surprised to see my belly. We were all so happy!!!













Junito's Drill Instructor became really attached to Junito because, aparently, Junito reminds him of his dead best friend. Isn't that great? Anything to help Junito get through. He really helped Junito out, and when they said goodbye, he gave Junito his first Drill Instructor belt. It looked like it could fit a 12 year old girl. He must have an 18" waist. When we left the Island, we all went on a hunt for a restaurant. It was aweful because everyone was following Steven and we had nooooooo idea where we were going. When we got to Applebee's, AGAIN, it was super full with graduates and their families. It must be like the ONLY restaurant in Beaufort, SC. Steven recommended to drive all the way to Savannah, GA because that's where Titi Diana and Tio Junior had to take flights out of to go back to Chicago. We found Ruby Tuesday after we'd almost given up. Junito was eating all funny. He called food Chow, and everything had a diffrent name to it. He was already acting tough with Jose and everything was a big deal. On days to come, we were to see just how far that toughness was going to lead him. He got into several fights with Jose, and they even physically fought. Gotta love the brain washing!!!

Family Day at Parris Island!!!

Steven and I were unable to be present at Family Day at Parris Island, but mom took some great pictures!!!

Junito hasn't changed at all!

This is a picture of Junito's room a week after boot camp!!!

In two days I'll be 27 weeks pregnant!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I couldn't sleep last night. I woke up at 3:30am and I decided to write Steven a Valentine's Day letter. I made him a customized CD with all OUR SONGS from 2005. I labeled it "A Year Remembered." It was too cute. I found the image above online. It's from an episode of The Simpsons where Lisa gave Ralph a Valentine's Day card out of pity, and he falls in love with her. Steven kids around all the time saying "I choo choo choose you" in a totally gay voice. It's the cutest thing. So I wrote a Valentine's Day letter and I wrote a poem inside of it. I signed it: Frances M. Burkett, Jasmine M. Burkett, Vicky, Salsa, and Claire. He loved it all. I finally got to read the card he gave me a month ago on Jan 14th, thinking it was Feb 13th. He felt so stupid when he realized he was a month early, but I thought it was cute. WE'RE IN LOOOOOOOOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out this online pregnancy diary of another proud mommy!!!

http://unmatchingmarbles.com/Secret/prego/month7.html

26 weeks!!!

Another week has come and gone. My back made a big of a recovery, I must say! I am taking it easy, not working as much, and not walking at mach speeds whenever I am working. Steven's back had been hurting too. It seems my pregnancy has infected him. (Last week his back was not so good, AND, he's gained weight.) Haven't I mentioned how much I enjoy seeing him stress out everytime he weighs himself? Also, our wedding is coming up, and just recently I've discovered that some family members from Puerto Rico will be joining us in the celebration. I'm gonna need extra Tylenol and an ice bag for my head. So, proof that distance from family is key to keeping the pain under control.

This week has been cool. I recently found out that I was NOT so bad as a teenager. My little brother has TAKEN THE CAKE! The baby is moving, kicking, twirling, dancing, I don't know what. Wow!!! I can't believe it. There's a baby in there! Time flies by. I can't believe I'm 6 MONTHS PREGNANT. I am so excited for us, for the future.

Steven and I have been watching a Lamaze class DVD we bought on ebay. Its preetty funny and educational. Man, did the photos shown ever put the bladder problem into perspective! You should really see the size of the bladder once the uterus has expanded; it becomes so much smaller and then the baby just sits right on it! Another interesting thing to see is the stomach. Because the uterus is expanding upward, also, it is pushing the stomach into a smaller, tighter space. No wonder I am full after half sized meal! Then, if you are like me, wondering why you feel so full for so long, like your food is just sitting there not leaving your stomach, it's because your intestinal tract has been transformed into some weird, bunched up version of itself. The food has a really rough journey ahead of itself once it leaves the stomach! Can you tell I was fascinated?!

We need you out of me Jasmine! HURRY!!!!!!!!!!!!