fajardo family website

On top of things

2009-08-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

That would be the phrase that best describes me in relation to posting on our blog. It's been more than a year...how sad! Well I guess that goes to show you how little time I spend on the computer. And, being honest, the little time I do have I spend reading about other people on facebook or their blogs. One thing I have managed to keep up on is adding pictures to our Picasa Web Albums, so if you're interested in looking at tons of pictures of Marco's first year, visit www.marcofajardo.com!

Neither Galel or I can believe that Marco is already a year old. He is walking/running around like a crazy man! Which makes us run around like crazy people after him. :) He is absolutely precious and is developing quite the personality. We think that the funniest thing about him is all of his expressions. His most recent favorite is the scowl, which he uses when you get in his way, take away something that he wants, or our personal favorite, when you put on his shoes. He is not a fan of shoes...at all. In fact, one of his very first temper tantrums was thrown in Stride Rite when we tried some shoes on him. I am afraid that we are experiencing a taste of the terrible twos already.

Last weekend Galel and I got away to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We went to Rancho Mirage. It was a great, relaxing time for us to reconnect and spend some time just the two of us. With all of the busyness we find it hard to remember to pay enough attention to each other!

We are having an absolute blast with our little family, and very much just enjoying life right now. Hope to post again soon!

Baby Marco arrives!

2008-08-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

At 12:26 am on Thursday, August 7th, our little Marco was born! Three days after my due date had passed, we went to the hospital and they induced me. Labor was relatively quick, as they started me on the oxytocin at about 4 pm. At about 7 pm I got an epidural (amazing) and the rest was a breeze! At about 11:45 pm the nurse told me I was 10cm dilated and that it was time to push. I gave one good push and she could see the head! Considering they hadn't even called our doctor (and it was going to take him about 20 minutes to get there) she had me lay on my side and stop pushing. So once our doctor arrived, I pushed 1 and a half times and he was out! He certainly made his appearance, because right out of the womb he decided to pee all over the place! Pretty hilarious.

The whole experience was amazing, a thousand times better than we had imagined. They put him on the scale and he was a whopping 8 lb 10 oz, and 20 1/2 inches long. After cleaning him off and doing what they needed to do, they laid him on my chest. The first hour after he was born was spent just the three of us, enjoying our time together. I wouldn't trade that for the world. Then our families came back in and were able to hold him. Our stay at Hoag Hospital was excellent. All of the nurses were so sweet and helpful, and the rooms are so great! The labor and delivery room had an ocean view, it was like we were staying at a hotel! We got to go home Saturday. We were anxious to be at home, and to sleep (yeah right) in our own bed.

He is 10 days old today, and we think he is just the cutest thing on the earth. We may be a little biased. :) We have been so blessed with help from friends and family. My mom came for a week, and took over all of the household duties that we were unable to attend to. She made us delicious meals, and in her spare time, managed to spend some time holding her grandson. We for sure miss her now that she isn't here! The Fajardo's have been able to spend quite a bit of time here as well, which has been wonderful. They always manage to find more stuff at Target that we need. For the next weeks we have dinners being brought over for us from friends, for which we are so grateful. There is no way we would have time to even think about making dinner!

Being parents is definitely hard work...full of sleepless nights, many many poopy diapers, feeding him 8-12 times a day, and trying to figure out what is wrong when he is upset. But let me tell you, this precious boy is worth every second of it.

And praise the Lord, his stinky umbilical cord stump fell off this morning! All of you parents will understand. :) Check back soon, we are sure to have some disgusting amount of photos posted of our little guy.

The countdown begins!

2008-07-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

So we are about two weeks away from our due date....pretty crazy! My anxiety (and excitement) level increases every time I hear about someone who has a due date AFTER mine that has already had their baby. :) We are SO excited that we will finally get to meet our little Marco and see what his sweet face looks like! We have realized lately how INCREDIBLY blessed we are to have family and friends who continue to support us in the many ways we have been preparing to add a new member to our family. On another note, we want to thank you for your continued prayers and support for us during this difficult time in the industry! It really means a lot to us.

This weekend my mom and I are throwing a baby shower for Sara, we are looking forward to it! We have decided that we need to go into business, because we have so much fun throwing parties together! So if you need help with any party planning, let us know!

If you need anything else to pray for....you can pray for a speedy labor and delivery for me :)

Until next time!
Em

P.S. it is obvious that Galel picked that picture to post of me, I would have definitely chosen one that I felt was a bit more flattering! (Sorry Galel, I know you hate it when I do that).

Pregnant Picture of Emily

2008-07-07T16:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, it's Galel here... Several people have been asking me lately to see how big Emily is right now. Well, wait no further!

Here's a pic from the AWESOME Father's Day that Emily gave me - breakfast at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. Great food, and I had a smokin' hot date! :)

Oh Baby!

2008-06-30T16:00:00.001-07:00

Well, for the last several weeks our days have been spent preparing for baby Marco to come join us. We anticipate that these next 4 or so weeks will be much of the same! We love it though. I have been blessed by family and friends who threw me two awesome baby showers...we got so much amazing stuff, his room is FULL of clothes and baby goods. Now we just need a place to put it all. We spent this last weekend painting the IKEA furniture (Galel was really excited about this idea :)) that was the wrong color finish. "But it was such a good deal!" We are anxious to get this done so that we can put all of the baby stuff away instead of just piling it inside of his crib. Last week we had our OB check-up and everything looks great! In fact, the Dr. said that I am already 1.5 cm dilated. This could mean absolutely nothing, and I could remain this way for the next five weeks :) I am hoping that it means that I will slowly dilate over the next several weeks and have an easy labor! Wishful thinking I guess...

Now we get to go see the doctor once a week for check-ups and pelvic exams...fun. It is going to be here before we know it, and we are overwhelmed with excitement, anxiety, and so many other feelings. I am sure that the blog will be nothing besides baby photos and videos come August, so we hope you are ready. :) Until next time!

Our "baby-moon"

2008-06-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

Galel and I had the chance to get away last weekend for some time to ourselves. We stayed at the new Sheraton Resort in Carlsbad...it was nice! We arrived Friday evening and went out to dinner in Leucadia. Later in the evening we enjoyed putting our feet in the spa...since I am not supposed to go in :(

On Saturday we went to the beach, which was beautiful! I have to say though, the beach isn't the same when you can't lay on your stomach! Okay enough complaining about what I can't do while pregnant. We had lots of fun talking, people watching, and going in the ocean (it was so cold that the only time we went in was when we had to pee :) Saturday night we ate at a very yummy italian restaurant in the Gaslamp District called Trattoria La Strada. After we stuffed ourselves there, we went to a place called Extraordinary Desserts. If you have never been here, you for sure should. It is absolutely amazing. They have excellent coffees, teas, and of course, desserts. It is a very popular place and there is ALWAYS a line. But it goes by pretty fast.

Sunday we layed out by the pool and just relaxed. After checking out of the hotel room, we went to our friend Eddie's sons 1st birthday party in La Jolla. It worked out great that the party was there when we were because we hadn't seen Eddie and his family in a long time. After that we headed home! We really enjoyed our weekend of relaxation, especially knowing that it might be a long while before we get to do that again!

3D Ultrasound - Amazing!

2008-05-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

So last weekend we had the opportunity to get one of those 3D ultrasounds of Marco, who is 30 weeks today! It was so incredible. To be able to see his face and his cute little body was really amazing. Both of our families were there and it was a very special experience. It made everything feel VERY REAL. We can't wait to meet him!

Trinity 2007

2007-07-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of being invited by Ty and Annie Bochenek to their annual family camping trip in Trinity. What a blast! The place is unlike anything you have ever seen in real life. Time there is spent eating, swimming, eating, playing games, eating, going on jet skis, eating, and then eating some more. Absolutely amazing. It is ridiculously hard to get a cabin there, because they have a waiting list that if you put your name in, you may get a call 10 years from now. In other words...good luck. You probably will never get to go there, so a few pictures will be the closest you can get :-)

RH GO trip - New Orleans

2007-06-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

Me and my mom had the opportunity to join Rock Harbor on the GO trip to New Orleans. The trip was phenomenal. Don't get me wrong...sleeping on cots in a room full of 30 girls (90% of them being in junior high and high school), showering in camp-style showers, trying (key word) to go to the bathroom in a stall with a curtain for a door, and eating things that were prepared for hundreds of people was not easy, but missionary work never is! It was amazing to be able to hear stories from families and help them out in a tangible way. The devastaion even after two years was mind-blowing. It really gave us perspective and helped us to realize that our "problems" didn't really amount to much. If you are given an opportunity to go to New Orleans...take it! You will be changed. Here are a few pictures from the trip. Yes, that is a real plane, and yes, it is in someones yard.

Galel and Em's Florida Adventure

2007-04-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

So when we found out that our good friend Ben was getting married in Florida, we decided that if we were going to be able to go, that we might as well make a trip out of it. Because who knows if will ever go again! The wedding was in Jacksonville..so that was going to be the last leg of our trip. We started out in Miami. Although the beaches there were quite dirty, overall we enjoyed ourselves there. We ate at a delectable Cuban restaurant that had been recommended to us, it was called Versailles. If you ever get a chance to go to Miami, try it out. The ambiance was nothing to write home about, but the food was absolutely delicious. We also sat next to a guy with probably the most annoying laugh you have ever heard in your entire life. I will see if I can post the sound clip. Next we traveled to Key West. The drive alone was worth the trip. Minus the 7 mile bridge over water...not a huge fan. We only had time to stay one night, but it was a fun-filled day and a half. We stayed in a very cute bed and breakfast and spent most of the first day exploring the island. At night we went to the street fair and were quite amused. The sunset was breathtaking. We had a very nice dinner and...of course..key lime pie for dessert (Galel's favorite). The next day we visited the graveyard there (sounds exciting, I know) which was actually very amusing. Some of the gravestones said some pretty funny things. We headed back to Miami to stay the night and then we were on our way to Ponte Vedra Beach. We stayes at the TPC at Sawgrass Marriott. We got to visit the golf course, and to Galel's excitement, sneak on the 17th green. The beaches there were amazing, way different from the beaches here in California. The wedding was very close to our hotel, and was also a blast. What a great trip!

Good Ole Lake Arrowhead

2007-02-25T13:39:00.000-08:00

Every year we make it up to Lake Arrowhead two times....once around Valentines Day, and once for my mom's birthday. We always have such a great time. We have all decided that it is one of the only places that we can go and actually feel okay about doing absolutely nothing. It is a great place to read, watch movies, eat, and (my favorite) do crafts. We usually spend at least a few hours at the Lake Arrowhead Village, which has some of the lamest stores known to man. But we still have fun. Mostly we go there for the Belgian Waffle House...an amazing place for breakfast or lunch. Boy, if you didn't know me, you might think I was obese. All I talk (and care) about is food!

We won!

2007-01-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

We went to Vegas with the Fajardo's to celebrate Galel's birthday. And we won! We decided to take a $20 bill and play the $5 slots (which we never do because we are too cheap) and we won $1200. We were not like everyone else in Vegas who doesn't seem to care whether or not they win or lose...we were jumping up and down, making a scene. $1200 is a lot of money, wouldn't you agree? And I was so proud of us, because we didn't try to win more! The rest of the trip was pretty standard Vegas stuff. We ate and hung around with a bunch of old gambling smokers. But we always have fun with the Fajardo's! A word to the wise...if you ever come to Vegas with us, give your money to Ana. She always wins! Her biggest winnings yet totaled about $8,000...yep.

Christmas cards

2006-12-05T13:44:00.000-08:00

So Sara and I have started a fun and ridiculous tradition....we handmake our Christmas cards. We thought that it might be a good way to save a little money on buying the pre-made boxed cards...right. After developing the photos, and buying all the materials, not to mention the food that we eat when we are making them, we probably end up spending close to double what we would on the store bought cards. But that is beside the point, it is a great tradition and we have so much fun doing it together. And they come out cute, right??? We'll see how long we can continue the tradition when we have kids running around screaming while we cut out tiny pieces of paper....

This year we decided to go to Fashion Island to take eachothers pictures. We joked around saying that we should go into Restoration Hardware (they had a really cute living room setup as one of the window displays) and take our pictures there, and make it look as if it was in someone's house for a party or something. Even funnier is that Sara and Brian ended up using that photo for their cards! Sorry for spoiling the secret Sara and Brian!

Island time

2006-09-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

Galel and I made it back to Hawaii....for a second honeymoon. This time we got to visit Kauai as well as Maui...our favorite. The hotel we stayed at in Kauai was not very nice (at all), but we didn't care. We were in walking distance to the beach, and thats all that mattered to us. We spent our time driving around and taking in all of the beautiful sites. It is amazing how green everything is there! We visited some gorgeous beaches, and did a lot of reading. We got to visit Kevin and Deborah Forth, who were gracious enough to have us over for a delicious dinner. What an insane view they have from their patio. We also had the chance to meet up with our good friends Foz (Chri) and Elissa, who were on their honeymoon. We joined them for dinner at Roy's...yum. Then the boys enjoyed their usual cigar out on the hotel patio. It was lots of fun. The trip was only 4 days, so too quickly it was time for us to leave and head to Maui. We will definitely be back!

Maui was amazing, as we expected it to be. We stayed in a condo, which turned out to be great! When we pulled up to the hotel, it looked a little ghetto-ish, so we were afraid. But we walked into a very roomy condo with a living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, laundry area, and our favorite, the lanai overlooking the gorgeous ocean. It felt like being at home, but yet still felt like being on vacation. There we did what we always do, found a few different beaches and soaked in the sun all day long. We made it out for some very yummy dinners (some of our favorites include Kimo's in Lahaina, and Mama's Fishhouse) and enjoyed a luau one night. We also did a little snorkeling. We aren't much into the tourist activies when we go to Hawaii, we prefer to lay on the beach and do nothing. It feels refreshing coming from the craziness of our daily lives to a place where it seems that time stands still. We love Hawaii and can't wait to go back!

The trip of a lifetime

2006-05-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

When we first found out that a cousin was getting married in Belize, we thought for sure it would be impossible for us to go. Well, we made it happen! I can't even begin to explain the beauty of Belize. It is a place unlike anywhere you have ever been. The color of the water along with the gorgeous sand and palm trees reminds you of Hawaii, but then you look around and most of the tows are full of really poor people. What we loved most about it was it raw-ness, and how untouched it seemed to be. The first few days we stayed in Caye Caulker, and the second half of the trip was in Ambegris Caye, where the wedding was. We stayed in these really cool hut type rooms. We did a little bit of snorkeling, but spent most of our time just relaxing. One night was the rehearsal dinner and the next afternoon was the wedding. One thing I will mention.....it is HOT! The wedding was in an un-airconditioned church, and all I could think about was "I hope the groomsmen don't pass out!" They were wearing pink dress shirts, and about 90% of them were absolutely dripping in sweat. I felt for them. The reception was held on the beach. We ate great food and danced the night away. The combination of late night beer drinking and the heat was not a good combo for Galel the next morning. :-)

After Belize we flew to El Salvador, spent one night there and then flew to Honduras early the next morning. I was super excited because it was going to be my first time there! We had such a great time. We spent most of the time with family, having meals together and catching up. I greatly enjoyed the homemade tortillas! The food was delicious. We got to see a lot of really cool places too. It was really hard to leave, because we don't get to see that part of the family very often. This trip also put things into perspective for me...there is a lot of poverty in Honduras. And because these people don't know anything different, they are so happy! But coming home reminded me of all of the things that we have that we take for granted: plenty of food to eat, a roof over our heads that doesn't leak, running water that we can actually drink, and so much more.