Cakes, Catering & More...

Have I mentioned that Max is in the process of building up his cake/private party business? Well he is. The company he works for is allowing him the freedom to begin to build up any extra business that he can. It's pretty awesome. He's already had two private parties and a few more on the books. Hopefully he will begin to get more parties soon. We got his business cards printed and I still need to work on the cake menu. I'm also in the process of trying to find more people to book small private parties. Here's the deal...you tell him how many courses you want served, if you want a sit down dinner or more of a passed hors d'oeuvres type deal, how many people and your price range. He then plans the menu, goes to your place and cooks and serves the menu! So far, it been a hit. He did a poker party for a group of about 10 guys he works with. They loved it! He made new orleans style muffalettas, really good potato salad, cole slaw, and some bad ass molasses & pepper caramel corn. Oh my god, he brought me home a bag of that and it was gone that night. It was so good. The most recent party was a 40th Birthday Celebration for a dude he works with. The menu was awesome and it was a huge success. Here's some pics of the menu:

So, if anyone knows of anyone who would like to have a special dinner for a birthday/anniversary/poker party/whatevs...don't hesitate to let me know! Or if anyone needs a cake for any of the above, he also does that!

Birthday Party

Sullivan loved his cupcakes and his balloons. He's such a cutie and he is so big! After the party we went to Max's sisters house. Tyler wanted to feed Lola but he wasn't doing too good of a job. Then he fell asleep and Max decided to put marshmallows on his face. Alan swore revenge on Lola when she was old enough to start staying the night over there. Great.

One Month

Lola is officially one month old! It's crazy that it's already been a month. It feels like it's been forever and also feels like such a short amount of time. She still hasn't smiled yet **tear**, but she is beginning to lift her head! When she is on her tummy, she will lift her head and kind of push up and she has even held it up for a few seconds. I put her on her tummy time mat and she didn't really know what to do, so she tried to fall asleep. No holding her head up on the mat yet. But, she did grab and hold on to the rings attached to the mat. That sure was cute...

Desperately Seeking...

new hair!! Yes, I am in desperate need of a new cut/color & style. It's been waaaay too long since I've nurtured my locks. I am still in search of a new salon, but I'm gonna bug Nicole one last time for the hook-up. Any suggestions for great colorists is greatly appreciated. Although, once I start working again, I do believe I will take Nicole's suggestion and go to Traci at the salon she used to work for. Right now, I just can't afford $200 on my hair. So, I need to get workin' so I can once again splurge on the good things in life. You know...hair, make-up, perfume & clothes.

Here are a few pics of styles I like:

My hair is about at this length right now. I like the color and bangs, but I think I would prefer a bit more lowlights.

I think I really like this color; just the right amount of lowlights. I'm also diggin' the bangs.
Now..I've always been a fan of Sarah Chalke's styles, this one is my fave. Might be a little shorter than I want, but I do need a change. This is definitely the front-runner for the cut.
I like both cut & color on this one. But, I mainly just think this picture is fuckin' HOTT!

So soon?

I can't believe Lolabear is almost one month old already. Tomorrow she will be 30 days old!! Time flies. She's getting so big, too! She weighs 8 pounds 9 ounces...which is almost twice what she weighed when she was born. My baby is getting so big! Which makes sense because she eats so much. She eats at least 4 ounces every 4 hours, and sometimes she cries for more. Little piglet. Here she is in her little nightie, which is still a little too big for her.

Tomorrow we are going to my brothers for Sullivan's first birthday. This will be Lola's 3rd time out and around a group of people. Hopefully she will be awake to show those pretty blue eyes. We are making Sullivan's cake, which I am extremely excited about. We're going to Sur La Table today to get the supplies we need to make the huge cupcake cake! It's gonna be SWEET. I will post pics once it's done. I hope it turns out the way I am envisioning it. Max is gonna help me of course, but I want to try to decorate it on my own as much as I can. But, seeing as how I'm completely NON-artistic, we'll see how well that works out.

Into The Wild

I just have to say that if you have not had a chance to see this movie yet, you're missing out. We watched it last night and it was one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time. Sean Penn did an awesome job. It was beautifully acted and directed. The shots of Alaska were amazing. Makes me want to plan a vacation to Alaska! Seriously, I've always wanted to visit Alaska to experience the true beauty of the wild. One day....one day.

Another movie that I think I can recommend was a surprise. The Dead Girl. I found this while browsing Netflix and thought it would be a long-shot at a decent movie, so I put it on my queue. I was skeptical of the potential of this movie because 1) it had Brittany Murphy as one of the main characters. And...I guess that's really the only reason I was skeptical. Good enough reason though, right? I mean, Brittany Murphy??? Anyways, the movie was actually surprisingly good! I really enjoyed it. And the Murph didn't annoy me too much. And I have to say Giovanni Ribisi's character - LOVED HIM. Although his part was small, he just seems to do no wrong. Ever.

Oh! Something I don't want to see - PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. Okay, Seth Rogen, we get it...you just might be a pot head in real life and that's just so cool. Really. Ugh. Superbad was okay, at best...Knocked Up - not too good. I don't understand all of the hype that movie received. If I never see a movie with him in it again, I'd be happy.

15 Things

From Babycenter.com, a list of 15 things that change when you have a baby. I think I can agree with almost all of these.

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.
(Haven't got the chance to do that just yet, but I have a feeling I will stop to smell the roses and make sure Lola smells them, too.)

2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.
(Where do I start? I suddenly have an immense fear of driving/traveling with Lola in the car. I notice everything that every driver on the road is doing and it scares me shitless. Not only is it while she is in the car, but when Max or I drive. I know I am going to have to work on this. I freak out a little bit...can't be too healthy.)

3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.
(What did we sacrifice again?)

4. You respect your body ... finally.
(Not sure if I never did respect my body. Sure, self-image issues were always on my mind, but disrespecting my body...not so much. More of a love/hate thing. Giving birth truly is an amazing experience. My body rules for that!)

5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.
(I now understand the reasons that my parents chose to do the things they did. It has opened my eyes to becoming a more understanding and loving daughter, surely.)

6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.
(I accidentally scratched her hand while changing her the other day and the scream that came out of that baby's mouth almost had me in tears. I never want to see her in pain...ever.)

7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.
(Christmas is going to be magical again!)

8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.
(There was a time, not too long ago, that I made an attempt to reach out and repair some "friendships". Now I know that there are certain elements that I don't even want to have any type of impact on my life. I'm glad to have built new relationships with healthier and more positive people. Family & friends have taken on a whole new meaning.)

9. Your heart breaks much more easily.
(Just thinking about her heart breaking breaks mine.)

10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.
(And I love every moment.)

11. Every day is a surprise.
(Every day there is something new to discover.)

12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
(Seriously. It's good to change the poopy diapers.)

13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
(Well...no. I still look at myself. I'm cool like that.)

14. You become a morning person.
(Have become more of a morning person. And also, a late night/early morning person.)

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.
(The amount of love is unbelievable. I would do anything for that little girl.)

Mix Tape for Lola

Lola's first mix tape. Just a few songs that I was able to find on mixwit. There really isn't as large of a selection as I hoped for.

Memorial

After about 8 months of not working out, cause let's face it, I was pregnant and I milked it for all I could. I ate healthy (sometimes), and while I walked about 3-4 days out of the week, it was nothing close to a work out. Gaining 40 pounds isn't the worst thing in the world...I could have gained a lot more! But still, pre-pregnancy I freaked out when I gained 5 pounds, so now that I have LOTS of work to do, I am starting to get a bit freaked! Granted, I've lost 20 pounds of baby, water weight and blood, I still have 20 to go to get back to pre-preggo weight. Although, I would love and will try my damnedest to get back to my "good" weight, or as I like to call it, my "sexy" weight. You know, the weight where ALL of your clothes look amazing, anything you try on actually fits and looks good, and damn, you feel hott! Yes, I want to look like that again. That would mean 40 pounds total. That may take some time. I figure that as long as I get back to the pre-preggo weight relatively soon, I can work more gradually at losing the last 20.

So, on track with my goals, I decided to head out to Memorial today to get the ball rolling. It was kind of cloudy, so not too miserably hot. Well, I get out there and for the first mile and a half, I am feeling good. Maybe that was because I was in the shaded area for that first mile. After that mile and a half, I was in hell. I have NEVER felt so exhausted from walking a measly 3 miles. I then recalled that in the past 3 days, I may have slept for a total of 10 hours and ate very little calories. Today, I slept for about 4 hours and yup...forgot to eat! Well, the mixture of sleep deprivation, the absence of fuel in my body, the blazing hot sun and the fact that I hadn't worked out in 8 months drained me. I think I was on the brink of heat exhaustion, it totally sucked ass. For the first time ever, I had to stop at a bench and take a "rest". It was only about 3 minutes, but still...I felt like a loser!! I just had to remind myself that I just had a baby....and next time I go (tomorrow) I will definitely eat something!

*Note - I am not starving myself...At this point, I would rather sleep when the baby sleeps than eat. Unfortunately, when she's awake I feed her and hold her until we both fall asleep. The food factor is second on my list of priorities.

15 Days

I can't believe it's been two weeks since Lola entered the world. It's been a whirlwind of emotions these past 15 days. All I can say is that it's definitely worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our new lives. Well, maybe a bit more sleep...but that's besides the point. Lola is an amazing creature. Every day we discover something new that she does. Whether it's a new noise she makes while she sleeps or a new cry, we love everything about her. I think she's the best thing ever.

Her little feet and long toes. We think she may have gotten Max's ugly big toe....uh-oh.

Labor Day

Lola Abigail Dora Torres:
June 25, 2008, 9:18 pm:
6 pounds, 12 ounces & 19 inches.

Just because I think it should be documented somewhere, here is my lovely labor story!

At about 12:30 am on Wednesday morning, I woke up to empty my bladder. Upon using the restroom, I noticed that my liner was completely soaked. Although I had a mild suspicion that it may have been my water leaking, I figured I would go back to sleep and see if it was maybe just a little pee coming out since the baby was resting completely on my bladder. So, I went back to bed and at 4:30 am, I awoke again and noticed that I had indeed soaked another liner. At that point, I knew that I must be leaking amniotic fluid. So, I woke up Max and told him that I will probably be having the baby today. He woke up to get ready for work and I told him that I would call the doctor at 8:30 when they opened. I know, I know! I totally should have called at 4:30, but I wasn't having any contractions or anything, so I figured I could wait a little bit! After all, I had said since the beginning of the pregnancy that I don't want to go to the hospital too early. So, Max went to work, but he was coming back by 9:00 because I knew that we would need to go to the hospital. So, I began a massive cleaning frenzy around the house and finished packing both the baby's bag and our hospital bag. From 5:30 am to 9:00, I was running around, water leaking and all, cleaning and doing laundry anticipating the arrival of our baby. I was so nervous. I had no idea what to expect.

We got to the doctors office at about 9:45 am and upon examining me, she confirmed that I was having a baby today and to head on over to Labor & Delivery. Unfortunately, I was still only 1 cm dilated and thick, AND my "bag" was still somewhat full. But, I guess that doesn't matter much when your baby girl wants to come on out.
Once I was admitted into the hospital, everything became a blur. I know that for others who were there it was a long time waiting, but for me it all happened so fast. I undressed and was hooked up to all of the monitors. The doc came in and had to break my water in order to get my contractions and dilation going. Whoa momma! That hurt like a bitch! Then they started the Pitocin to help my contractions move along.

Good times. Since I knew the pain would be starting at any point, I opted for the pain killer to take the edge off of the fast-approaching contractions. I was given Stadol at about 1:00 pm. At that point, I was pretty comfortable for a little while. About an hour into the Pitocin drip, I began to feel the contractions. There is absolutely no way of describing the sensation that is a contraction. I don't know if it was the Stadol or my body's way of coping with the pain, but in came the nausea. Normally, I stay away from pain medicine because my stomach is a bit on the weak side, so I'm sure having a very strong & steady dose of pain medicine had everything to do with the nausea.

At about 2:00, I told the nurse to call for the epidural. The pain was definitely increasing and I DID NOT want to feel it anymore. I was dilated to 3 cm at this point. The epidural was awesome. It was crazy to feel a tube being inserted into my spinal column, it tickled my knees. Epidural went into effect immediately. I was in heaven. I layed there joking around and laughing with Max. I was in a good place for a good 2 hours or so. The nurses came in and continued to check on me. They began to examine me and place monitors for the baby's heartbeat. It was at this point that I began to feel an annoying pain, which began to feel more and more like a contraction. It started out on my right side. I asked the nurse if I was supposed to be feeling any pain. She checked my epidural drip and noticed that it was turned OFF! So, after the initial push of medicine, I was not receiving any more. I was pissed! She turned it on, and told me to push my button so I could start getting the meds again. The painful contractions continued...now all the way across my belly instead of just on the right side. Every 10 minutes, I pushed that little button, hoping for some relief. The fact that they had increased the Pitocin didn't help my cause any! The nurse kept telling me to just keep pushing my button and if I didn't feel any relief in 15 minutes they would call the anesthesiologist to come give me a direct push. I swear, she told me that about 3 times. Needless to say, my legs were absolutely dead. If I ever wanted to know what being paralyzed from the waist down felt like, I was successful. I eventually got another direct dose and it was worked immediately. From that point forward, no pain was felt. Great relief. Too bad for me the mixture of all of the medicine, the transitioning phases of labor and nerves really got to me. I began to throw up and remained very nauseous for the rest of the time I was in labor. At about 8:00 pm, the nurses came in and told me I had to change positions so the baby's head could get into position. I had NO idea what the hell they were talking about, "the chest-knee position". What tha? My legs were no help and this was by far the most frustrating part of the whole ordeal. Two nurses and Max had to literally turn me over and position me how they wanted me. I was miserable.

Within 45 minutes of being in that position, they brought in the "table" and told me that I was ready to begin pushing. I ended up pushing for 23 minutes and Lola was out by 9:18 pm! It was amazing.

When they put her on my stomach, there are no words to describe the overwhelming emotion that overcame me. Seeing my daughter's face and hearing her first little cries and watching Max cautiously walk towards her and finally take her into his arms was one of the greatest feelings I had ever experienced.

'Tis true what they say about a baby changing your life. This was the beginning of the rest of our lives. And we couldn't be happier.