A cat who loved pepperonis....

This weekend we lost our beloved cat of 17 years Xombii.   He was a gentle loving sweetest cat you could ever meet and dedicated his whole life making us happy, making us feel loved, and tricking us into giving him every food we have in our hands.   It has been a tough few days and the house feels empty without him sitting in the couch looking out the window.  He passed peacefully in our couch Friday morning and from then on we felt a shift in the world.  Although I'm sad I take the lessons he taught me.  He taught me that a long time is never enough time spending with your love one, your family and to make each and everyday special because when the time comes and we don't have experiences with them to look forward to then it's time to look back and we have to make sure that the memories of the past will tie us over until we meet again.  

To Xombii - the most loyal cat.  You are sorely missed but I know we will all meet again and by then you'll show me where the secret stack of pepperonis are in heaven.  We love you buddy and hope that you have the best time to your next adventure. 

Another Introduction

This past few days I realized that I have to make something real quick for Lukas that isn't pasta so I rummaged through my pantry and saw that I have unopened whole wheat couscous that I wanted to introduce to Lukas some few weeks ago.  I didn't realize how easy it is to make and how quick!  I cut up few veggies I had in the fridge that I boiled and added in.  Lukas practically inhaled the entire thing which made me even happier.  My favorite part is that I can enjoy this too!

A Big Surprise

Last week is possibly the best planned surprise we did for my mother in law.  For months now we have been keeping a secret from her and have been telling her that we weren't going to attend Mark's cousins wedding but little did she knows we booked our tickets long long ago and plotting an awesome surprise for her and boy was it worth it!  After traveling 3,000 miles we rang the front door doorbell and left Lukas in the front porch and yelled SURPRISE!! and she was so shocked.  Just amazing!!

The wedding turned out so good and sweet and the best part of it is to see Lukas interact with his italian side of the family who made him feel like the star of the family.

After the wedding we got a chance to visit some relatives at Niagara Falls and walked along the Niagara River.  We also enjoyed some time with Lukas' godfather and his entire family at the pumpkin patch over at Clarence, NY.  Overall, the trip was relaxing, fun, and sweet.

Not always a party in the tummy..

It seems to me that Lukas' food preference changes up everyday along with his personality.  One day he'll love broccoli the next day he'll pick it up and directly throws it on the floor so making different kinds of food seems to be one of the many challenges I have recently and I have to admit that it's a frustrating stage because I am constantly worried if he's eating enough.  Yes, I read that children will eat what they need but I can't help myself to worry about it.   Thankfully, his palate doesn't prefer bland food like puffs and baby cookies because I am always so concerned with giving him food that has zero nutritional value so I switch it up a bit and just make sure that I don't make a huge batch of it so I don't waste anything.  I am also beginning to let loose on the fact that Lukas will be making a mess and that by letting him feed himself with my close guidance is a way for him to feel independent.   I guess what I'm learning through the way of early stage of parenthood is that its unpredictable and that I have to ALWAYS look at the bright side.  My friend Sarah told me one time when I was visiting her in Boston that "it's just a survival skill" and that open my eyes a lot more wider than in the beginning so if he likes pasta with tomato sauce for 4 days straight then that's what I give him or doesn't eat all of his food then I chose not to fight it anymore and just make sure I reintroduce the food later on, it makes a more peaceful setting and less stressful for both of us.

California Boardwalk

I have been MIA for a couple of weeks now.  I have been tending to at first a grouchy teething baby then a baby with a cold then a horrible cold/allergies/asthma for me.  Needless to say, it has been a challenging and tiring some 14 days now and I'm just glad that that was over.  Despite of being sick we were able to go visit the Santa Cruz Boardwalk last week and relax by the beach and eat some junk food.