Happy Halloween!

Here's a slideshow with pictures my friends and family sent me from their children, and themselves!

Halloween Night October 31, 2007!

Jasmine at her 1st Pumpkin Party!

My Sunday!

Today, Steven is golfing! How white of him!!!

He sent me these pictures from the golf course through his cell phone.





I woke up, and he was already gone. It is 1:01PM right now, and Jasmine is ready to wake up from her nap. Sure doesn't feel like a Sunday. Dad called me today. He was on his way to work. Abuelita is in Florida visiting him. Junito is coming this next week and even Titi Diana is flying down to see him. I wish I could go see him too. I am too pregnant to fly. The Bears are on right now. Detroit is winning 3 to 0. My morning has been long and boring. I have heartburn, but what else is new! I made 'pastelillos' from scratch. Got the recipe to make the dough from www.ricanrecipes.com It's the best website for recipes from PR I've ever found. I made three of them and have regretted it ever since. Fried foods and pregnancy don't mix. I couldn't help myself. Dad told me that Titi Sylvia and Tio Junior are moving this weekend and that they are selling all their furniture. I would call them but I know that we won't make it to Plainfield, IL by today. Not with my husband out golfing. Yesterday, after Jasmine's pumpkin party, we talked about how long this golfing outing would last. I certainly didn't think it would feel like a weekday, where Steven is at work, and I'm at home like the good little housewife.

Oops, Jasmine is awake. She probably felt my rage and wants to comfort me. Oh no, wait, it's a poopy diaper... Fun!!!

Elsita sent me this picture of my niece Adriana! She's getting so big!

Jasmine trying out her new big girl bed!

Today, Wilma invited Jasmine and I to lunch. She came over to drop something off, and we left from my house. It was almost time for Jasmine's nap, but I didn't want to turn down an invitation. Jasmine ate a big lunch and on our way back, she fell asleep. A five minute nap in the car can ruin a two hour nap that's considered ME time. I love it when she takes a nap, but I called my friend Evelyn as I was approaching my house, then I looked back, and she was out. I carried her upstairs and decided to put her down in her big girl bed, just to see what her reaction would be when she woke up.















I carefully took off her boots and unzipped her coat (it was cold and windy) and she didn't even move. She was so tired. Not tired enough to sleep the scheduled two hours I was hoping for.

She woke up crying like a crazy woman, I gave her another bottle and put her in her crib. She stayed there for another hour but never did fall back asleep. Of course, by 7pm, she was extremely grumpy, and Steven was not here to offer relief from parenting duties. He was on call, and got called back into work about an hour and a half after he got home. He was very upset and didn't get home until about 8pm. I had a hard time falling asleep. The movie Sixteen Candles kept me awake til midnight. The gigantic human being living inside me didn't help much either.

The best puertorrican recipe website I've seen to date:

http://www.ricanrecipes.com/

Puertorrican Sancocho Recipe! I can't wait to make this!

Junito recently got promoted in Iraq!

Congratulations to my brother Victor on being promoted while in Iraq! We miss you greatly!!! I love you...Come home soon!

October 22, 2007!

Today, Steven had a day of fun planned out for me... I called Comcast so they could finally come and fix my internet. They came this morning and "fixed it." At least the laptop works. After that came Jasmine's nap, but after she woke up, then the day of fun began. I started by going to Home Depot to return the hose winder Steven bought Saturday (without a handle). Genious! Second stop: Circuit City, to return the audio and video cables we ended up not needing, thankfully. Whoever thought extension cables for your TV were so expensive? My third stop was Lowe's, where I had to return the weed eater Steven had purchased, also on Saturday. It stopped working about thirty minutes after he started using. Now that's quality equipment! I went into Lowe's and had to go back out because they won't take back equipment that had still had gas in it. I loaded it back in the car (easier said than done), drove to the end of the parking lot, and dumped it. Went back inside, and returned it. By now, Steven was trying to reach me. He had gotten out of work and wanted us to meet up before my fourth, and final stop.

We met in front of Pier 1 Imports. Figured I'd do some window shopping while I waited. I took this picture of Jasmine as Steven was parking next to me.

We went to Menards, you guessed it, to return another piece of crappy equipment. The chainsaw Steven bought, and had used a total of two times, broke. We caught some serious 'tude' from the lady at the return counter. She must've been having a really crappy day. We went and grabbed another chain saw (same brand - very smart of us), and also paid for the Notre Dame Mat that I'd been looking for. Now the baby's room is one step closer to being complete. I just need the glider with ottoman, the notre dame crib sheet that is impossible to find, and a notre dame lamp. The double stroller is also another thing I need to buy, but I can't decide which one! There's so many of them, and the price range is incredible! You'd think they're selling a baby too!

After Menards, we went to find a place to eat. We decided on UNO Chicago Bar & Grill. Steven and I had never eaten there before. I had some Shrimp Scampi Pasta, and Steven had a personal pizza. The food was great. Jasmine really enjoyed the pasta. She was eating so fast that she gagged a couple of times. She likes to scare mommy and daddy like that!!!

The bad part about meeting Steven in Merrilville is the drive back. We had to drive separately. Funny thing is that the moment we got in each other's cars, I called mom, and he called Jose. Mom and Jose were having dinner at Applebee's. It was funny that they were sitting together, one with me on the phone, the other with Steven on the phone. Conversations that were totally unplanned. Great minds think alike!

My friend Evelyn!

Evelyn sent me some new pictures of her pregnancy, along with pictures of her family! She's having a girl!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday 10/19/07

Finally, I get internet today. Cable too. I can’t wait. I have an extensive list of shows I want to enter into my DVR at once: Ugly Betty, Heroes, America’s Next Top Model, Blue’s Clues, Brothers & Sisters, Entourage, Dexter, Desperate Housewives, Big Love, Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl, Samantha Who?, Nip/Tuck, and Dirty Sexy Money. As the seasons come, I keep picking up more and more shows. Pretty soon, I’m not going to have any need for regular TV whatsoever, thanks to my handy dandy DVR. I love that thing. There are about ten cable hookups around this house, at $18 bucks a pop, you do the math.

I have Lizzie, Margaret’s daughter, our niece, upstairs right now watching Jumanji. Margaret dropped her off at a halfway point yesterday. Steven picked her up from there. She is so bored right now because there is no cable. I can’t say I didn’t warn her!

My friend Evelyn told me yesterday that she is having a girl. She is about 4 months pregnant now. Now we will both have the pair. It’s very strange that we would both end up pregnant at the same time. When we were growing up, we always talked about it like we were going to be together forever. How naïve of us! Now, we’re lucky if we see each other once every three years. No joke! She was upset with me because I didn’t pick up the phone on Monday. I could’ve strangled her when I read her text message accusing me of ignoring her. I actually called her about 10 or 15 times for the last three months and it was impossible to reach her. She was voluntarily ‘incommunicado’ from the world because the pregnancy was kicking her behind. Now she’s feeling better and accusing ME of ignoring HER. Please, someone restrain me before I go to Georgia (imagine two pregnant women kicking each other’s butts.) That would be a sight! All joking aside, I am so happy for her. I am now 35 weeks pregnant. In five weeks, I will have a nice ball of baby boy to carry around with me for eternity. Or at least until he’s old enough to walk, since it’s been my experience with Jasmine that once they learn to walk, they want nothing to do with you.

Junito also called from Iraq on Monday. I could’ve thrown my phone against the wall when I listened to his voice mail yesterday. It took me all those days to realize I had two voice mails. I was so upset. He’s doing well he says. Mom can’t wait for him to come home on the 30^th. He’s leaving Florida again on the 18^th of November, which is great for mom because she’s flying here on the 19^th in hopes of my baby being born early. I asked my midwife if there was a chance I could be induced one week early and she said that is my cervix was soft then there wouldn’t be a problem. How in the world do you soften your cervix? I’m going to have to research that one, because I MUST be induced early! If my mom leaves and this baby is not born yet, I will sue the hospital! I wish! Francisco called me from Afghanistan yesterday. I was about to park at Babies R’ us when he called. We talked for a good while. He can’t wait to come home. He misses his family so much. They are planning on having a second child as soon as he arrives. Elsita has been off birth control since the moment he left. Her body is ready! First week of November was the return date given to him but he doesn’t believe that they will stick to it. They’ve already changed it so many times. He was upset because he was going to miss the Jennifer Lopez/Marc Anthony concert in Las Vegas on October 26. They were in Chicago this past weekend and I heard the arena was not even sold out. She is very pregnant right now! I caught a glimpse of her belly on a celebrity gossip magazine while waiting at the Walmart checkout counter two days ago.

Lately, Walmart and Home Depot have been like our second homes. Just when I thought we had soooo much stuff, we go and buy this huge house. It’s like our stuff disappeared. We’ve had to buy so many things. Our bank account is like a roller coaster right now. Up and Down like crazy! I have been working on my family’s finances very dutifully ever since I developed the perfect financial software. Microsoft Excel Rocks! I was very upset when I had to take the class at Lake Sumter Community College to fulfill my computer requirement, but now, I’m actually glad I did it. If I continue to do this throughout my lifetime, my family and I will always be on top of it all. No surprises! When it comes to money, surprises are rarely good news; unless you get an awesome tax refund! If anybody reading this is interested in a blank version of my financial software, let me know!

Angie and Margaret’s homes are coming along very nicely. Talk about second homes, they are always in Menards buying stuff! I don’t envy them. I am so glad that we decided not to build. I would’ve been going crazy right about now! Once the homes are finished, I will post pictures! Angie is very pregnant right now, as well as Nicole. I can’t wait to know what they are having, although Angie wants to be surprised! How old fashioned of her. I admire her patience.

A secret revealed; our baby boy’s name will be: Alexander Steven Burkett. I love it. It was originally going to be something else, but I’m glad we waited until the last minute to pick it. I think it’s perfect. I am almost done with the nursery. Pictures will be posted soon. Everything in our new home is a working progress, but we decided that it was necessary for Jasmine and Alex’ rooms to be done first. Jasmine’s room is a princess fairy tale dream come true. Again, pictures will be posted soon. Patience my friends! Remember, I just got internet today! Alexander’s room is Notre Dame themed with a big of Chicago Bears added to it. I displayed Steven’s old high school football helmet on a shelf along with some footballs he owned. Yesterday, I bought an NFL Chicago Bears Mobile. Steven loved it, but he begged me to stop buying things for the baby since everyone keeps asking what to buy me and if I keep buying everything, there’ll be nothing left to buy but diapers! By the way, I already bought a jumbo pack of that as well, but you can never have enough diapers! Never!

I have lots of web surfing before I can even start concentrating on the hundreds of pictures I have accumulated in the past month that are now sitting in My Pictures folder ready to be posted on my blogs. I can’t forget about my guilty pleasure; celebrity gossip. Wonder what Britney’s up to today? Drugs? Hit and runs? Or maybe some good old fashioned crotch flashing! Ah, I can always count on her to make what I sometimes think is an interesting, stimulating life, to seem like a boring, never ending slump.

Two days ago, we met a couple of our neighbors. We were attempting to rake leaves in the front yard, and I say attempting because it looks like ten years of leaves were piled up in there to prevent any grass from EVER growing there, and a man who lives directly in front of us, whose name I already forgot, walked over with his dog and introduced himself. He welcomed us to the neighborhood, chitchatted a bit and left. About ten minutes later, two men walked over. There is a home being built directly to our left. We heard from the previous owners that a couple with two children would be moving there. One of the men was the owner of the home being built, and the other, is the neighbor whose home is invisible from road on the other cul-de-sac but according to my calculations, with the help of Google Earth maps, it’s a humongous home. Steven already planted the seed though. As they were walking away from another round of chitchat, Steven hollered: “Block Party at your house on Christmas.” He just laughed. He’s kind of hoping for his home to be finished before then, but he doubts it. He also mentioned that we must get our kids together on play dates. Finally, somebody for Jasmine to play with! Again, all these people in a matter of minutes, and I can’t remember not even one of their names. It will take time! Steven mentioned that it was funny how these people just walk over and introduce themselves, and he lived in a neighborhood in Ocala, FL for years, and never even met one of his neighbors! That’s the country for ya!

All week, after Steven comes home from work, we’ve been working on the front yard. I’ve seen about a dozen spiders that I think if I continue to live here, I might just lose my fear of them! I thought spiders were a Florida and Puerto Rico thing. I was soooo wrong! That’s what I get for wanting a house on 4 acres of wooded land! Clearing these leaves has been quite the job, but we’ve been burning them on the front yard and they keep disappearing slowly! The piles smolder all night long, even though it’s been a very wet week. Today, there was a low of 49. Next Thursday, our trusted WGN meteorologist, Tom Schilling, says the low will be 39. Looks like winter is making its appearance early; but wait…not so fast; this weekend it’s gonna be 80 degrees. So, not so much!

Jasmine’s nap times have really changed a lot this past month. Must be all the changes going on around her. She abruptly went from two naps a day to only one. According to the parenting magazines, this is completely normal. Just when I was starting to love that she finally sleeps the whole night without interruptions, she goes and pulls this stunt! Today though, she must be feeling a bit ill. I had started putting her down for her nap at around 1pm everyday. Today, she woke up with a runny nose and started rubbing her eyes, letting me know that she was tired by 11am. It was strange, but I know how to read her like a book. That’s how you know you’re a mommy. By 11:30am, she was asleep. She went down without a fight. She’d started this thing, that after I put her down for a nap, it takes her like an hour to fall asleep. I can hear her talking to herself through the monitor. I keep one monitor downstairs in the kitchen and the other one upstairs in my bedroom. Not today! Today, the monitors were silent, and I liked it! She took a three hour nap, which is unheard of. As soon as she woke up I medicated her. She is so congested, and her nose is so runny. Her mouth is permanently open because it’s easier for her to breathe that way. It breaks my heart to see her like this. I woke up a bit ill today also, but as the day wore on, I felt better. I wish I could say the same for her.

Mami started her volleyball games this week. She’s already won two games. Her visit last week made me realize how lonely I’ve been since I left Florida. I miss my small, but interesting circle of friends. I miss that stupid town called Leesburg. I miss abuela, and yes, even Jose. I miss my job a lot, but most of all…I miss my mami. She was surprised to see how sweet Jasmine is, how she communicates and lets her feelings be known. Jasmine’s vocabulary has extended quite a bit! She says up, down, please “peez,” mami, nana, Vicky “titi,” leche (milk) “tete,” daddy, Hello (while pretending to talk on the phone) Salsa (our cat) “talta,” yummy yummy, fruta, poop, agua (water), hi, bye bye, blue’s clues (no words, just syllable sounds), thank you, no no no (while scolding whatever piece of matter she got hurt with at the moment), mas (more), vroom vroom (when she wants daddy to give her a ride on the John Deere, or when she is playing with something that rolls), on, off, hot, nene (boy) (while pointing at children, either in person, on magazine pages, or on TV), trees (while waving her hand up in the sky in our front yard), wow, open, close it, luz (light), blanket “bobi,” all done “ah dah” (when done eating, drinking, or simply done with whatever activity had amazed her for an entire second and a half), kick kick kick (while on the tub splashing water) , ball, go go go (while watching her cousin Arielle’s volleyball games, good boy “a bobobo” (while petting Salsa or Vicky), uh oh, apple, ears, eyes, eyebrows (abbah), diaper, bellybutton (bobo), mmmmmmmm (when something tastes good)…and I’m sure I’m leaving some words out. Also, she understands most commands, like “sientate” (sit), stand up, go night night, “quieres jugo?” (do you want juice?), but the same goes for “do you want _____?)fill in the blank, put it back, where’s your _____? fill in the blank, throw it, let’s go take a bathy bathy, time for nappy nappy, kick it, come yummy yummy, baila, did you poop?, clean your nose, pipi, give it to me, give it to daddy, zapatos (shoes), toma (take it), throw it, give kisses, give hugs, say bye bye, say hi… She understands most everything, and if she doesn’t, then she looks at you with a blank stare, like what??? Her tantrums consist mostly of throwing herself on the floor while turning red and tears flow down, or, just facing a wall and completely ignoring you until you go away. Being a mommy is awesome. I hope I can repeat this amazing miracle with Alex, short for Alexander Steven, formerly known as Baby #2.

When I am done raising children, meaning, when they enter Preschool, I am soooo getting a job! I feel so useless. I tell Steven this, and he gets upset with me. He asks; “why do you feel useless when you are raising our children?” When he says that, I feel bad, because it’s true. But, I’ve always had a job. I used to be the one bringing home the bacon at some point in my life. How did I get here? When did I become a desperate housewife? What a cliché!

New pictures of Junito from Iraq on his Myspace!

Steven got his new John Deere! He finally took it out for a spin!

Check out Steven and Jasmine riding around in daddy's John Deere Riding Lawn Mower! She kept saying Vroom Vroom...

Hanging out at our new home October 7th!

Steven was attempting to clean up the garage!


Jasmine was loving the leaves while I was outside spraypainting the changing table white so it can match the rest of the furniture in our baby boy's room!

My brother Jose, the party animal!

I found these pictures on his Myspace! He's only 17!
Playing Vodka Pong!



here he is in Daytona on Spring Break!



you gotta love him!