Santa

Well...

At least he didn't cry....

Best Week Ever!

Sorry I'm a little late with this post. Despite last week being the best week ever, this week is still super busy for us. I've been working in the afternoons and we're trying to prepare our ward Christmas breakfast on saturday. After this weekend, maybe we'll be able to breathe a little. Oh, and finally put up our Christmas decorations and do a little shopping. Anyway, here's the rundown of the best week ever:

Tuesday - My parents drive over from chilly New Mexico, we go to dinner.

Wednesday - We make pies and stuffing for Thanksgiving. Diego's sister and kids drive over from chilly New Mexico to stay with us.

Thursday - Thanksgiving at my sister's house! Deeelish.

Friday - Josh's sealing! Such a wonderful experience. I know I said I didn't cry for the finalization. Well, I did for this. I cried hard. Really hard. I couldn't hold it in. And the sealing only lasts about 30 seconds! I thought I could handle it. Josh behaved so well in the temple too. He didn't cry at all until after we were finished because he wanted his bottle. I left my camera in our car which was in the church parking lot across the street so I didn't get to take pictures. But, our friend, Larry, came to do a little photo-shoot for us after we got out of the temple so I'll make a good post with those pics. And I'm hoping my sister-in-law will send me some of the pictures she took. After we left the temple, everyone came to our house for sandwiches. That night we went back to the temple to see the lights. I made everyone show up at 6:00 only to find out that the lights wouldn't turn on until 7:00. Whoops! Sorry! So we walked around the visitors center and looked at the nativities display. After the lights, we hit Coldstone. Mmmm.

Saturday - Diego's 30th birthday! And a second Thanksgiving feast in Surprise with Diego's family.

Sunday - Josh's blessing. It was beautiful Diego. Then we came home and Josh decided he was sick. He finally feels better today.

(Friday morning before the sealing)

(Temple lights)

(Diego's cake made by our very talented 6 year old niece. And a little help from Marissa.)

It's finally final!

The adoption finalization was yesterday! Actually, I wanted to post this yesterday but... I was just tired when I got home! We got to the courthouse a little before 9:30 am. It was sooo crowded. A volunteer came up to us and asked if we were finalizing. When we said yes, she told us she would be our escort. Thanks so much to my sisters for coming! It really meant a lot to me.

(So, the balloon's in my face but Josh looks so cute that I had to post this picture anyway.)

After walking through the security gates and up a flight of stairs, our escort led us to courtroom number 3. That's our caseworker from LDS Family Services, Talaisha, who met us there.

We were seriously in the courtroom for less than ten minutes. They just asked us some routine questions, like our birthdates, our full names, and our marriage date. The judge was very nice with letting us take pictures after the hearing was over. Then, our little escort took us back down the stairs where we got a family photo taken, a pretty picture frame for the photo, and then on to the clerk's office to get some of our paperwork notarized. We don't have the photo yet. They will be sending it to us in the mail. After that, we were done! We went outside and let the kiddies get their faces painted while we ate popcorn. My bishop asked me today if I got teary during the hearing. You know, I really didn't. It was so fast that I didn't have time to and I'm kind of glad about that. I've been so excited about the sealing that I hadn't really thought about how special this day was for us also. November 21st, Joshy. November 21st.

I just have to share...

Josh has been throwing us the funniest smiles lately! It's like he's finally aware that he's smiling, so he smiles that much harder. It's hilarious! He was doing this for an old lady at Hobby Lobby yesterday. As you can see, no teeth yet.

National Adoption Day Event

This is the very event in which Josh's adoption will be finalized. Yipee!

Josh the Giraffe

We threw our ward Trunk or Treat party on friday. It was a pretty big hit. Note to self - order more like 18 dozen donuts, instead of 12 dozen. Those boxes were cleaned out about ten minutes after blessing the food. But the kids had so much fun. I think Josh had a good time, although he acted very nervous and just clung to our shoulders for the whole party. At least he didn't cry. And he was so exhausted from looking at all the kids' costumes that he went right to bed when we got home.

(I wish the tv wasn't on in this picture. I believe it's a rerun of America's Next Top Model.)

Oh. Let me ask you something. How do you feel about grown adults dressing up and collecting candy? On two or three occassions Halloween night we had parents with their kids come to our door, all dressed up and collecting candy in their own bag, for themselves. I didn't like it but I just gave them candy anyway. I mean, what do you do when they say trick or treat and hold out their bag?

3 Generations of Salgados

(Are those Halloween PJ's? Heck yeah they are! Thanks Aunt Marissa)

November 27th!

Josh will be sealed to us in the Mesa, Arizona temple for time and all eternity! I can't wait. It's the day after Thanksgiving and the day before Diego's birthday. I've already shed a couple tears today. I know what I'll be thankful for this season.

November 21st

So, many of you may not realize that Josh's adoption is not finalized yet. Yes, we are his legal custodians but it takes several months for all the paperwork to be processed. When everything is complete, we petition for a date to go to court and meet with a judge. It normally takes three to six months for all that to happen. But it can take longer, and it did for us. Since Josh was born in New Mexico, we had to work with New Mexico and Arizona adoption laws and it just took a couple months longer than normal. And since his adoption isn't finalized yet, he hasn't been sealed to us in the temple. We have been super anxious to just get this all over with, and take our baby to the temple, and have him blessed in church. Not to mention, we would also like to claim the adoption on our taxes for this year. It was starting to look like we might not make it to court before the end of the year though. Until... I got a call last week! It was from the Maricopa county juvenile center. They had recieved all our paperwork and were ready to send the petition! I'll try and recap what was said:

MC (maricopa county) - Hello Gail, we have recieved your paperwork for the adoption of your son and would like to send in the petition paperwork to the courts.

Me - Oh great! That would be wonderful.

MC - Have you ever heard of National Adoption Day? It's on November 21st.

Me - Yes.

MC - Well, every year the city of Pheonix has a carnival to celebrate National Adoption Day. And we like to get all of the couples that are close to finalizing, to come to the courts and finalize on that day. There will be a lot of media surrounding the event and it will be in the news. Some couples don't like to finalize with so much publicity surrounding them. On the other hand, you would be able to finalize sooner than you normally would. Is this something you are interested in doing?

Me - I'd like to talk to my husband first but I don't see why he wouldn't want to go ahead and do it sooner than later.
(I call Diego, we talk, we want to do it, I call MC back)
Me - Yes we would love to finalize that day!

MC - Great! Well, you can invite your friends and family to the carnival that day. And just be warned that there will be the news and media there covering the event.

Me - Yeah, I don't care about that.

MC - Okay come in on thursday to sign the paperwork!

So, Josh's finalizationd day will be on National Adoption Day. Isn't that cool? We're so excited. I was starting to wonder if it would ever happen. Expect our temple sealing and Josh's blessing to be sometime very soon after! Yipee!

Baby Model

My Little Travel Partner

I know many of you were waiting in great anticipation to hear how my travels with Baby J went last week (just kidding!). Well, he was wonderful! My early morning flight plan worked. We made it to the airport an hour early. I was stopped in security, which I fully expected, because I had a water bottle in my bag. But it was just the one, as opposed to four baby bottles filled with water. So they only had to do one test strip thingy. Josh was super flirty and friendly with many women as we waited at the gate to board the plane. We got to sit in the very front row window seat! AND nobody sat right next to us. There was a nice lady on the aisle but the middle seat was free. I think that really helped Josh not feel so bombarded. Plus, the front row is very spatious and I don't think Josh could really see how many people were surrounding him. He flirted some more with the lady on the aisle seat, had a bottle and took a nap. When we landed "Nice Lady" let us off before her so we were the very first people off the plane. It was perfect!

Diego and I were not looking forward to the eight-hour drive home yesterday. But look at what Josh did all the way from Los Alamos to Gallup! That's four hours right there! Josh does not sleep for four consecutive hours during the day. Actually, he usually doesn't even sleep for one full hour. We stopped in Gallup for gas and lunch so he woke up. We thought for sure he would cry the rest of the way home. I mean, what baby wants to sit awake in his car seat for four more hours? Josh does! He talked, and played with his toys, and had two more bottles the rest of the way home. What a good boy! Diego and I were so impressed. The only time Josh really cried during our little trip, was during the wedding reception. It was really loud and so many people were excited to see him and hold him. He freaked out a little and kind of fussed the entire time. Other than that, he really was quite a pleasure to be around.

(On a funny side note, the wedding reception colors were brown and teal. The dress I wore to the wedding is in the new picture header. Look at those colors! Could I have been any more matchy matchy?)

Plane ride

So, I'm taking Josh on an airplane on Wednesday. In case you have forgotten or never read about our last plane experience, you may do so by clicking here. I'm so nervous! Diego's brother is getting married in Albuquerque on Saturday but we also are in charge of our ward campout this weekend.... Well, to make a long story short, baby and I are flying out early to avoid too much car/travel time. Then we're meeting up with Diego on Saturday and all driving back home together on Monday. I chose an early flight, 8:35 am to be exact. Early morning is Josh's happiest time so I'm hoping that will help out a little. I also don't believe we will get stuck behind a car wreck and be super late to the airport. Oh, and I won't be carrying baby bottles with water through security either. What am I forgetting? Any other suggestions to make this flight go a little more smoothly? Seriously, anything?

He's a roller!

Oh man, is he ever! Josh rolls all over the place these days. This is something that has made him truly happy. It's hard having to keep an eye on him all the time but it's also super cute. We usually have to just lay him on a blanket and surround the border with pillows and stuffed animals to contain him. He's been lifting his knees like he wants to crawl. I'm dreading the day he crawls but at the same time, I'm totally excited for it.

He loves to tangle up in the coffee table. Don't ask me why. I don't know!

Josh was laying on his blanket and then decided to grab a corner and roll. End result, a baby burrito.

I can't get enough of this picture. He is so drawn to that chair. He ends up underneath it at least once a day.

Big Boy

Look how big our baby is! He's just so big! It's amazing how much he has grown up in just five short months (almost six). Oh, and might I add, freakin' adorable?! I'll quote Diego from the other night, "That baby is sooo cute it kills me."

Good ol' Walmart.

My sister, Crystal, hates Walmart. I, on the other hand, think it's okay. I won't say I love it, because no I don't. But I'm not ashamed to say that I do my weekly grocery shopping there. We really do save a lot of money. Aside from saving money, I know Walmart can have it's bad sides too. Such as a smaller selection of good produce, large crowds, and an occassional semi-creepy employee or two. I do believe I've given Crystal another reason to hate Walmart. Now, I take a lot of responsibility in what happened today. A lot. Well, let me tell you the story.

My parents are coming to visit next week, so I decided to go to Walmart today to pick up some extra food because I most likely won't go grocery shopping while they're here. I got all my stuff and waited in an extra long line to check out (yet another reason...). I went through the motions, got all my food bagged and back into the cart when I realized that I left my debit card at home! That's my fault. One hundred percent my fault. So I sheepishly explained my situation to the cashier and asked if they could hold my cart so I could run home and get some money. The lady was super nice. She said my cart would be waiting in customer service for me and I could just run in and pay when I got back. I zoomed home, thinking about the vanilla ice cream I left sitting in that cart hoping it wouldn't melt. Well, I did get back only to find a huge line flowing outside of customer service. So, I went to the back of the line and waited, and waited, and waited... Finally, I got to the desk and tried to pay. BUT, somebody had taken all the cold stuff out of my cart and put it all away! Up until that point, it really was my fault. But it was sooo they're fault for putting half of my groceries away! Seriously, it was about half. I just took the cart and pretty much started grocery shopping all over again. And they didn't only put the cold stuff away. They put all the produce away as well. Awesome. At least the ice cream didn't melt, right? It was just a long stupid ordeal. I'm happy to be home and I'll probably back at Walmart in a few days for something else. It's just like the slogan says, "The High Cost of Low Price."

Oh my word...

Like my new background everyone? Well ladies and gents', I paid a pretty high price for it. As you can see, I deleted my whole blog list! That's right, the entire thing. Don't be offended if your name's not listed anymore. Nobody's is! I can pretty much remember everyone on my list and my blog should be back to normal by tonight. But, if you happen to read this post today, be a pal and send me a comment. That will make things a little easier for me. I'm such an idiot! I'm so mad at myself right now. You have no idea. And no, this isn't the first time I've ever done this.

sick sick sick.

That's what I am today. Diego even offered to stay home and take care of the baby so I could get some rest. I told him I was okay. Why did I say that? I have to say, taking care of an energetic five-month old baby that refuses to nap while I'm sick... not my cup o' tea (or hot chocolate, or any other hot beverage that I do actually drink). Oh and when that baby wakes up at 3:00 in the morning, not so fun either. Bleh...

Sorry, little guy. You may spend a lot of time rolling around on the floor with your toys, jumping in your jumperoo, or sitting in your swing. Mommy needs some rest.

16 and Pregnant

I've been debating about wether or not I should even make this post. I don't want to be judged for watching MTV! But when I heard of a new reality show called "16 and Pregnant", I was immediately intrigued. Josh's birthmother was 16 when she became pregnant, so I wanted to see what the show was all about.

Basically, it just follows young teenage girls throughout the course of their pregnancy, and even a little after the baby's born. I was worried that this show would make the young mothers look too happy and their pregnancy's look too glamorous for the targeted audience. But to my surprise, it really represents how difficult having a baby at such a young age can be. The final episode of the season is about a girl, Catelynn, and her boyfriend, Tyler, that decide to take the long winding path of adoption. I cried through the whole episode pretty much. It brought back so many memories to me. Not only that, I'm so glad I got to see it from a different perspective. I feel so proud of those kids and I don't even know them! They had absolutely no support from their families, their parents actually wanted them to keep the baby, and still chose to go through with it. I just admire birthparents so much. I can't exactly explain in what way I'm a different person these days. But the adoption of our baby boy has changed me completely. I think any other adoptive couple would agree with me, that we feel so indebted to our birthparents and we will never feel that our gratitude alone is enough. I'm always trying to think of new ways to thank them.

Swimming Lessons

We took Baby J swimming for the first time over the weekend! And he loved it! Diego and I were in charge of a ward pool party for the activities committee and we weren't sure what to do with Josh while we were there. Finally we just decided that he would go swimming too. I didn't think he would handle it all too well because of his fear of being in large crowds. But I was so very wrong! I eased him into the water and he loved every minute of it. He has never been so relaxed as he was while in the pool. Our boy is extremely fidgety. Anyway, we absolutely have to go again. It was a great experience for us all.

Crystal and Josh, Josh and Crystal

Our brother and his wife came to visit last weekend. So why was Crystal, who lives in Tempe, here way more than he was? Hmmm. Oh well, she and Baby J have totally bonded now.

Seriously.

I think it's time to switch pediatricians for Joshy. Mesa-Ladies, any suggestions?Josh's doctor is...okay. But I don't feel like driving half an hour to see an "okay" doctor anymore. I'm so frustrated! And I'm not in the mood to type out the whole story. Maybe later.

Trip to NM

I know, it's been forever since I posted anything! But seriously, my life just hasn't been extremely exciting lately. But I did take a trip to New Mexico so I guess I should blog about that right? The girl that's been renting our house was moving out and her friend moved in. What's that? We own another house? Yes, we own another house in New Mexico which has been on the market for 2 years now. Luckily, it has been rented out almost the entire time. But still... so not cool that it hasn't sold yet. Anyway, Diego really wanted to go and make sure the house still looked okay for the new girl, and see if she needed help moving in. It was going to be a quick trip. Ya' know, drive out on friday, clean the house, drive back sunday. But I decided to go with him and stay for a week with my parents. They hadn't seen Josh since he was born. All in all, it was a really nice visit. My parents had tons of fun playing with the baby, we got to see his birth-family three times, and watch lots of movies that Diego would never ever watch with me. Plus, I got to see my old house! Which was so fun, and a little sad. I loved that house and going back reminds me why. It's beautiful! I almost wanted to move back in. The trees have grown so big, and the grass was so green. Not to mention the view of the mountains from the balcony. I loved that house...

(Josh and his B-mom. Theee cutest picture ever.)

Okay, let me tell you about our nightmare of a flight back home. Basically, everything bad that I thought could happen, happened. Josh slept all the way from Los Alamos to Albuquerque so I took that as a good sign. Wrong! First of all, we got stuck in a horrible traffic jam on the way to the airport which set us back about 20 minutes. As soon as we got there, Josh woke up and wanted to be fed, but we wanted to check in first so we made him wait (not the best idea). I asked the lady who checked me in if the two baby bottles filled with water in my diaper bag would be a problem in security. "Oh no," she said. "Just tell them about it before you go through, and they shouldn't give you a hard time." Not so! They took my bag aside and pulled out everything! Then proceeded to test the water with these little strip thingys. All the while, Josh is screaming his head off to be fed. The guy was nice enough to give me one of the bottles and he even fished out the formula for me. Okay, I make a bottle, guy throws all my stuff back into the bag in a very disorganized manner, and I run (while feeding Josh) to our gate. I have missed the pre-boarding and acually cut in line to get on the plane ( I actually did that). I find a nice aisle seat only four rows back. Good thing I chose an aisle seat because as soon as I sit down, Josh unloads a big poop into his diaper. Are you kidding me? This means I have to wait until we're up in the air and the little seat belt sign turns off before I can get up and go into the tiny bathroom to change his diaper. So I wrap his blanket around him hoping it will trap in the smell. Josh lately has not taken to big crowds very well. All the new faces really freak him out and he doesn't handle it too well. Josh also does not like to sit in a dirty diaper. Put the two together and you have one very unhappy baby. He is crying hard before I'm even allowed to undo my seat belt. Why? Because it's a turbulent flight and we have to stay buckled in extra long. Finally, we're able to get up but three people run ahead of me to get into the bathroom! Are you kidding me?! Three people! I have to sit and wait with a crying baby in a poopy diaper. At last, I'm able to take Josh into the bathroom. It's so small that I have to super-carefully change him in my lap. But, we're alone and Josh starts to calm down because he doesn't have any more faces to look at. I finish his diaper and take him back out. "Whaaaa!" It starts again but worse than before. Tears running down his little cheeks, everyone turning around to stare at us. It was awful. He finally cried so hard, that he put himself to sleep for the rest of the flight. Worst flight ever. Ever. Period. My little man was so tuckered out, he fell asleep for night at 8:00 pm and has been asleep ever since. It's now 9:00 am.

He Slept Through the Night!

I'm just so excited to let you all know that Josh slept through the whole night for the very first time! He fell asleep around 9:00 pm and didn't wake up until about 5:30 am. What?! And even at that, I fed him and he fell back asleep until about 7:30. He's only had a few nights where he woke up only once. Most of the time it's twice. I'm pretty sure it won't happen again for a couple weeks but it's awesome to see that he's getting better at sleeping. These little milestones are so exciting for us. I love to see his new personality, his smiles and his coos. He's not a newborn anymore. My baby's growing up!

Happy Birthmother's Day!

Did you guys know that the day before Mother's Day is National Birthmother's Day? Sunday will obviously be a very special day for me. But to be honest, I'll be thinking of Josh's birthmom a lot. She gave us a family and for that, I'll be forever grateful. We love you Birthmom!

Your unselfish
act of love,
Has blessed us with
a child from above.

Each time we see
that smiling face,
We remember in our hearts
you hold a special place.

For you hold a title
like no other.
For you are our child's
special Birthmother!

Happy Birthmother's Day!

Well, what would you do?!

Josh and I went to lunch with my sister on saturday. As we were leaving, an old man spotted the baby:

Old Man - "Hey Butch!"
Old Man's Wife (we will call her Old Lady) - "He's adorable!"
Me - "Oh thanks so much."
Old Lady - "How old is he?"
Me - "He's just about two months."
Old Lady - "Really?"
Me - "Yup."
Old Lady - "Well, you look fantastic."
Me - "Wow, thanks!"

No, this isn't the first time this has happened. But it's so much easier to just say thanks. When the cashier at Paradise Bakery said the same thing, I went into this whole long explanation about how my baby is adopted and that's why I look this way, it became rather awkward. So now I just say thanks.

National Infertility Awareness Week

Did you know this week is National Infertility Awareness Week?... Yeah, I didn't either. But apparently it is. Although I've kind of forgotten my infertility troubles since Josh came along, I still feel a deep sense of sadness for my friends that are waiting to be parents. This article is awesome: Infertility Etiquette. I've read it many times and yes, I've encountered most of these situations myself, if not all of them. I recommend all of you read it and refer it to a friend. It's very enlightening.

Frito Pie

Are frito pies really only a dish served in New Mexico? My husband was in charge of bringing the food to a luncheon at work the other day. "What's easy to make, and a crowd-pleaser as well?" he thought. "I know! Frito pie!" So, he worked hard the night before, preparing his condiments and making some nice spicy chilli. But when he took the food to work the next day, no one knew what a frito pie was and my husband had to explain to everyone how to assemble their food. It was a definate crowd-pleaser. But why had no one heard of this delicious dish before? Why frito pies haven't swept the nation in full force is a mystery to me. I figure I should let my blog friends know how to assemble a frito pie. If you have kids, they'll love it.

First layer - fritos (no, not cheetos, not doritos - fritos)

Second layer - Chilli beans (they can be anything from homemade to a can of hormel)

Third layer - Cheese

Fourth layer - Chopped lettuce

Fifth layer - Chopped tomatoes

Sixth layer - Sour Cream

There! That's it! This has to be one of New Mexico's greatest accomplishments and probably something that actually makes me proud to have grown up in New Mexico (this coming from a girl that grew up in the town where the atomic bomb was built).

Diego's a good daddy...

I just have to say my husband is the best father ever. I have several blog-friends that are pregnant right now. Ladies, there is nothing sweeter to see than your husband taking care of your baby. As soon as Diego walks in the door after work he picks up Josh and gives me a break to get other things done. And he takes one of the nighttime shifts every night (that's the nice thing about bottle-fed babies). You always wonder what your spouse will be like with children. I mean, we all know our men will be good fathers. That's one of the reasons we married them. But, it's just really nice to finally visualize it.

Bye the way, yes Josh is still having problems eating. I won't write too much about it because it's not that fun for others to read. Basically, the medicine prescribed by his doctor worked for about 5 days and then stopped completely. So, we're pretty much back at square one. Good news is his birthmom went through the very same thing as a baby and she outgrew it in a couple months. Through it all, he still makes sure to smile. What a trooper!

Acid Reflux maybe?

Baby is still having some feeding issues. I'm starting to suspect it's acid reflux. He has all the symptoms and he just acts so uncomfortable while eating. Poor little guy. We took him to the doctor on Tuesday and she said to wait a few days and see how it goes. I personally am ready to take him back and get some medicine but I'll just have to be patient. He's still gaining weight and is very healthy so he'll be fine.

Unlike most babies, Josh LOVED his first bath. He loved it.
While awake, his favorite past-time is to stare out the window. What a cutie! I love him so much.

Yes, I'm a mother now...

Last night was rough... I thought the baby was supposed to get better at sleeping, not worse! I have been up since 4:00 in the morning pretty much. Here is the dilemma and any suggestions are welcome. Every time I give Josh his bottle (it used to only be sometimes but now it's all the time) he has a real struggle actually latching onto it. First he just bites with his little gums, and then he thrashes his head back and forth, and then he cries. It's almost like he's so excited to eat, that he can't. Then, once he starts sucking, he swallows so vigorously that he swallows air and chokes. This is the pattern every time and I can't figure out how to help him. It's so sad! Suggestions?

Baby Joshua

Joshua Diego Salgado

3/4/09 6:00 am

7 lbs, 6 oz

20"

He's here! Sorry it took so long. I'm finally starting to feel like a real person again and not so much a zombie anymore. These past two weeks have been crazy! Baby J was born via an unplanned C-Section, we spent 3 nights in the hospital, and then we spent another week in New Mexico waiting for the approval to bring him home to another state. It was a very emotional time, especially due to the extreme lack of sleep we all suffered from. He's so cute! He looks just like birthmommy. I think about her a lot. But she tries to look at this in a positive light and I'm so thankful for that. Josh eats all day long. The nurses kept telling me to feed him every 3 to 4 hours but that's just not enough for the little guy. You can imagine my surprise when he started demanding to be fed every hour and a half. It makes for long nights too. I'm hoping to stretch his schedule out a little more but so far, it's not working. Every day feels a little more normal to me, and I love him more every time I see him.