Our Growing Boy

Isaac is growing so fast! As of today at his 2-month check-up he's already 14 lbs. 10 1/2 oz.! We are so proud of his appetite which I think he got from his mom :) and he's doing well. The doctor said he'll start to thin out as he begins to crawl and walk as many breastfed babies are chunky when they're little. We love it, although I'm a little sad he's already outgrown some really cute outfits! He's started to smile a lot more although we don't yet have any pictures of it. He's also making cooing sounds and playing with rattles/toys. One of his favorites is a little sunshine that you pull on a bottom string that begins to flash lights and play "You are my sunshine." He lights up whenever I play it for him. And he loves when we read to him. Sometimes I'll read little passages from the Ensign/Liahona or short stories and rhymes in Spanish from a book we bought him. Here are some more recent pictures of Isaac:











We think he's got to be just about the cutest baby there ever was! We hope you enjoy the pictures and we'll keep posting updates on how he's doing and growing. Love to all our family and friends!

Isaac's Blessing Weekend

So over the weekend, my parents came down from Oregon to see Isaac for the first time and to be there at his blessing. It was such a fun time with everyone and most importantly, Isaac had a beautiful blessing that Manuel gave at church on Sunday. Here are some pictures from the weekend:












Nana and Papa are definitely loved by Isaac! They spoiled him lots and Isaac had so much fun hanging out with them. We hope to go visit them in Oregon this summer! Thanks for everything Nana & Papa! Valentine's Day is coming up and we are excited for our first one with little Isaac. We're not sure how we'll celebrate yet but we'll definitely make it fun and romantic! Manuel has a new job working as an intern at Idaho Technology Inc. which is a biotechnology lab up by the University of Utah. The company is known for its use of DNA detection and bio defense technology. So far, Manuel is really enjoying it. Although I wish work was closer to home, I'm glad he found something that he enjoys and will be good experience for his future career goals. We'll update soon with pictures and events from Valentine's Day. Until then, love to all our friends and family!

Fun with baby Isaac

What a fun couple of weeks we've already had with the new little addition to our family! Despite a few sleepless nights, Isaac has already brought so much joy to our lives. He sleeps most of the time and when he's not sleeping he's eating, and he hardly ever cries. How lucky are we?! He is such a good little baby and we are so fortunate to have him here, healthy and safe. I've posted some pictures we've taken in the last couple of weeks. Christmas Eve was fun because many of the aunts/uncles and cousins were able to come and see Isaac. Christmas Day was pretty calm but we were able to skype with Nana and Papa so they could see just how adorable Isaac is. Being parents is such a wonderful blessing for us and although we know it isn't easy, we are grateful for the opportunity we have to be parents, to feel such an amount of love for such a tiny little being and know that we are responsible for him. It's crazy to think how dependent he is on us now. I love being at home with him but can't deny it's been a little hard for me to be inside for the last couple of weeks with only an outing here and there for some groceries and a couple of doctor's appointments! We're still just focusing on protecting Isaac from the cold and illnesses of winter. And I can't even begin to describe what a wonderful father Manuel is! He has helped me out so much during this time and is such a great dad to Isaac, always showing him lots of patience, love and affection. Well, we'll keep posting updates and new pictures as they come and hopefully they'll be coming more frequently now that I have some more time on my hands being at home. As always, lots of love to all of our family and friends!

The Arrival of Isaac

How wonderful! Isaac Emmanuel Córdova was born on December 21st 2009. He weighted 7 pounds and 14 ounces and his height was 20 inches. He was born with black hair and he is truly our Christmas gift. His arrival gives us joy in the present and hope in the future. Isaac is a child of God.




You may have seen Steph's pregnant pictures in previous posts. When I used to see her beautiful preggo belly, I was naive in my understanding of how a baby could get out of a pregnant woman. Wow! That was a very special miracle (and a pretty graphic one too). Stephanie's actual labor and delivery was a simple but long process. After Steph had had contractions on and off on Sunday morning, her water broke at about 2:30PM and about 3 pm we were in the hospital, where they induced stronger contractions with pitocin. After 6 hours and a progress of dilation of one single centimeter, Stephanie decided to go for the epidural. She was my hero from the beginning of the labor, the contractions were visibly unbearable and the efforts without medication and no progress were very taxing for any mom. After the epidural everything started to work better, in less than 3 hours Stephanie was already 9 centimeters dilated. After 30 minutes of pushing, Isaac was out and crying.

Now Isaac is learning the art of being breastfed, yeah, and he is doing great. Mom and Dad are also learning, but they are learning how to handle the privilege and the blessing of parenthood.

35 weeks and almost there!

Can't believe I'm already 35 weeks pregnant! In many ways, this pregnancy has flown by despite the periods of nausea, etc. I'm in the last stretch here and can't wait for little baby Isaac Emmanuel to come! We're getting anxious, especially me, for our new little one to make his way here but more importantly want things to continue going well during the last month before his arrival. We've been so fortunate to have had things go so smoothly throughout the pregnancy. The baby shows to be healthy and I haven't had too many problems with anything out of the ordinary. My back pain is progressively getting worse but that isn't too much to complain about, is it?! Also, it's been amazing to look back and see how we've been able to make everything possible for this little baby to come financially, emotionally, etc. The Lord has blessed us so much and with those blessings, everything has seemed to have fallen into place quite well and always at the time we need it.
I had a great birthday on the 21st as well. Can't believe I'm a quarter of a century! It's funny to think about this age when I still feel like I'm 19 years old. Manuel took me out to breakfast at Kneader's for my favorite french toast and then I spent most of the day shopping in Salt Lake with my sister. It was fun to go just the two of us since I don't even think I can remember the last time that happened. It will probably be a while before it happens again too! Jordan bought me lunch and I got myself a new winter coat. I won't be able to zip it up until after the baby's born but it fits everywhere else and I love it! Then in the evening, Manuel and I went to a special buffet at his aunt and uncle's new Peruvian restaurant called "Las Tinajas". It was delish. We planned on going to see "Julie & Julia" at the dollar theater after but my labor pains got the best of me and we decided to go home after we ate so I could lay down. Overall, it was a really fun day.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving this week and am really excited to make all of the yummy dishes I'm planning out in my mind. Manuel has already requested funeral potatoes and I'll also be making the rolls, cranberry sauce, some type of veggie dish, pie, and who knows what else will pop into my head before the big day. We'll see what actually gets made...not sure if I can stand on my feet that long in the kitchen at this point in the pregnancy!
Manuel will be applying to pharmacy schools this week and is also finishing up his independent study classes tomorrow with two finals. Hopefully that'll take some of the stress and pressure off he's been feeling this semester since he'll only have two classes to focus on after this until the end of the semester. We're excited for the holidays coming up and even more excited for our little Isaac. Hope everyone is doing well and love to all our friends and family!

7 months and loving autumn!

Can I just say how much I love fall? It is my favorite time of year (besides Christmas) with the cool, crisp weather, the beautiful fall colors and always looking forward to another holiday. I think besides the 4th of July, all of my favorite holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas) all come this time of year. It is fun to have my growing family and be able to establish my own traditions. Homecoming Spectacular has become a tradition for me and my husband since it was our first date. Although we may not be at BYU or living in Provo forever, we love taking advantage of October when it comes and going to see the show where we first began our relationship. Pumpkin carving comes next, which we have also done every year since we first started dating. I'm thinking that this year I might look more like a pumpkin myself than the one I will be carving! I also love having my birthday in the fall. To me, it feels like Christmas and I love it. Can't wait to have a Harry Potter weekend, which my husband and I like to do from time to time where we watch all the Harry Potter movies in one weekend. It helps us get into the season and get excited for Halloween. And Thanksgiving should be fun this year too. I'm already starting to plan out in my mind what I want to make. I love cooking and especially baking and have already embarked on my fall recipes. The first cold day we had in October I made my pumpkin soup and I have already stocked up on walnuts and almonds for the rest of my winter baking. As for the pregnancy, I am now 29 weeks along, which means I'm getting closer! Time has flown by but I have definitely been enjoying pregnancy and feeling all the fun kicks my baby boy gives me every day. It's amazing to think about all the processes taking place in preparation of bringing a child into the world. Some things definitely make me nervous but it's such a wonderful opportunity to experience something so great and knowing that I'm doing it all for another human being. I've been cleaning like crazy around the house and feel like I've finally gotten on top of the laundry (it's neverending). I love getting everything prepared for our little boy and trying to make our home a happy and healthy place. I've signed up for a lamaze class at the hospital where I'll be giving birth and can't wait to start. It begins on the 28th and will hopefully help me develop some good breathing and relaxation techniques for labor. So far, it's been an amazing journey and I am excited for our little boy to be in our home. 'Til then, I'll keep updating our fall activities and tracking my pregnancy. Love to all of our family and friends!

6 months and counting!

Well, I am now 6 months pregnant and can't believe how time has flown by! In just 3 short months our little baby boy will be here in our arms! We are so excited and anxiously getting ready for him to be here. There is still so much to do! Over the weekend, we cleaned and cleared out the other room we've been storing stuff in to make room for our baby boy. We put the crib together and I bought some cute bedding on Saturday that I liked. As far as the pregnancy, things are going pretty well right now. I haven't gained too much weight which I worried about from the beginning but pregnancy hasn't exactly been anything I ever expected either. A lot of changes, that's for sure and things I've never experienced...like heartburn. That's what I've been getting a lot of lately. Other than that, I've been back to a pretty typical appetite and have had a lot more energy. I haven't been taking any 3-hour naps lately and I can stay up past 10:00 pm now! There's just so much I want to get done every day that I'm glad I've had the energy for it. Labor Day weekend Manuel and I went to Las Vegas for a sort of last "hoorah" to celebrate our 2nd anniversary which was August 23rd. We knew we wouldn't get an opportunity like that for a while after the baby comes since we'll definitely have our hands full and our finances tightened! We had a blast and loved being together just the two of us. I love our little trips just the two of us. :) I was hoping that maybe we'd be able to go somewhere nice for my birthday for a few days in November but considering that I'll be 8 months pregnant and it will be cold, we'll most likely be staying right where we are which is alright with me. I love being inside where it's cozy and warm in the middle of winter. Well, I've posted some pictures here from our Vegas trip and what I look like at 6 months. Hope to post more soon, especially with holidays and birthdays coming up this fall--it should be pretty eventful. Can't wait for our fall traditions like pumpkin carving and hay rides! And I can't wait to get baking! Love to all our family and friends...