HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!! First and foremost, I am so thankful for having such a wonderful husband that makes me so happy, is such a good daddy to our little Isaac, and works so hard for our future while letting me stay at home to be a mommy. I am also thankful for my little Isaac and sharing this first Thanksgiving with him. He brings so much happiness and joy into our lives. I am thankful for having two great parents that 26 years ago adopted me into their family, who love and care for me so much and have given me so many opportunities in my life. I'm thankful for having the best sister in the world who I can tell anything to and always has the best advice. I am thankful for my best friend Eileen who has been my best friend for 12 years and that will never change! And I'm thankful for all the other friends and acquantances that have had a positive influence in my life and have helped shape me into the person I am today. I have got to be the luckiest girl in the world! Love to all on this wonderful Thanksgiving Day :)

My little chunky monkey :)

Isaac fashioning his Halloween costume

It's Autmn Time!

Well, it's October 1st and I just have to express how much I love Fall! Most everyone now knows it is my favorite season of the year. I love the crisp weather (which we haven't quite hit yet here in Utah), the colors, the start to a new school year, the holiday celebrations, and of course all of the wonderful warm comfort foods and delicious treats there are to make! I am excited to be sharing this first new fall as a mother with my wonderful husband and my adorable little guy Isaac. Manuel and I always love this time of year too because it's when we met. We first met four years ago and I have to say they have truly been the best four years of my life so far. Manuel has been such a wonderful husband to me and I am more than lucky to have him by my side. We have so much fun together, especially this time of year when we reminisce of the times when we were first dating, carving pumpkins together, and we always like to recreate those 'firsts'. It will be great to get Isaac in on the fun and the traditions we've already started as a young family. I've already been getting busy in the kitchen making wonderful foods and treats including pumpkin bars, pear cider, chicken soup, as well as my new adventures in Peruvian cooking. So far, I've successfully made estofado and ají de gallina. I attempted picarones once but failed miserably. Picarones are sort of a Peruvian doughnut in which the batter has yam, squash, and warm spices, in the end tasting more like a pumpkin-y doughnut. The syrup is made with many of the same spices as the dough mixture including cloves, allspice, and cinnamon, all boiled with sugar, water and fig leaves. Picarones are one of my favorites and are so delicious! I will have to get some one-on-one help from Manuel's mom to get this one right as I find it a little more difficult to get all the steps down. I've really discovered that I should just start a food blog since that seems to be a lot of what I write about here! Anyway, on to other things. Manuel is doing well in pharmacy school and is really enjoying it. He has already had several opportunities to get some great experiences learning about different aspects of pharmacy. And I'm also learning a few things here and there! I am also loving being a stay-at-home mom to Isaac. I can't believe how fast he is growing up right before our eyes! I feel so fortunate that I get to be here full-time for him, seeing him grow and watching all the new things he can do. I love that I can be a teacher for him and know what his needs are. It will be bittersweet to see how he changes and grows these next four years during pharmacy school. We are just grateful that he is a healthy and happy boy. We haven't received any official church callings yet besides home & visiting teaching assignments, but I have already been asked to play piano and organ on several occasions. I've played in Relief Society, primary (I actually just played for the primary program as the other pianist just had a baby), sacrament meeting, and I'm consistently playing for the choir. It can be exhausting at times but I love being able to use my talents and it has been a good way for me to get to know some new people. We like our ward so far but hope to meet some more young couples that we can hang out with every now and then. We are staying nice and busy. Manuel is almost always in class or at the books, and Isaac sure keeps me on my toes. Now that he is crawling, standing, and climbing around everywhere, I've got to keep a better eye on him! It is getting more difficult to get simple housework done around here! But I enjoy being here with him and he is the most important thing. My biggest challenge is trying to balance my time with the cooking, cleaning, laundry, playing with Isaac, and finding the time to just get myself ready for the day. Ah, the joys of motherhood! Well, I think that's about enough for now. I will try to get our photos up from Oregon as well as some more recent pictures/videos of Isaac. And we'll keep posting more as we celebrate the season and carve pumpkins, etc. Can't wait! 'Til the next post, lots of love to all our friends and family!

After the Move...

Wow, it's been forever since I last updated! Although we're pretty much settled now, I haven't been able to find the cord to our camera so I can't upload any recent pictures yet. But we will be making our way to Oregon this next week and will be taking a ton of new pictures anyway, so I'll make sure do to a great post once we get back.

So far, we love living here in Salt Lake City. We live in the Holladay area and it's so nice. I love how close it is to everything, it's very safe, and it's simply a pretty area in general. Manuel can take a bus directly from our place up to the University and I've got easy access to grocery stores, the local recreation center, parks, and shopping. We feel very fortunate to have found a place that seems to be just right for us at the right time. And so far we like our ward too. We haven't yet received callings but hope to soon even though I've already been asked to play the organ and piano.

It's been an interesting ride since we got here. Soon after we moved in, I started having some stomach pains and finally got in to see a doctor after suspecting it was an ovarian cyst. An ultrasound confirmed it and although there's not much I was able to do, it was good to know it wasn't something more serious. Next, I developed an eye infection which I was originally told was simply an allergic reaction. I had gone to an optometrist locally who told me I just got something in my eye that got irritated. Well, after it was getting worse and swelling quite a bit, I went back and he just told me the same thing. The next day I got in to see an ophthalmologist at the Moran Eye Center up at the U who told me I had contracted a really bad case of pink eye. He was surprised it hadn't yet spread to my other eye and told me it was extremely contagious (after the fact the optometrist told me it wasn't). On top of the eye infection, which did spread to my other eye a couple days later, I had been feeling very sick with an achy body and sore throat. When it first came on, I brushed it off thinking that it would go away on its own after a couple of days. I tend to think it's something and then it turns out to be nothing so I thought I would just wait. Well, it kept getting worse and some days seemed unbearable, especially with Manuel at work and me at home to take care of Isaac. I went to yet another doctor who confirmed that it was NOT strep throat like I had imagined it might have been, so I think I'm harboring a case a mono. Just today I have felt a little bit more relief but am hoping to be free of all this by the time we go to Oregon in a few days. So my health has been a bit of a roller coaster these last weeks but I'm so thankful to have Manuel because he has been such a big help with Isaac and has been so understanding through all of it.

We're so excited to go to Oregon and enjoy a last trip before Manuel starts pharmacy school. I'm so proud of Manuel and am really excited for him to start his career. He recently applied for a pharmacy internship position which we're hoping works out well with school. We'll update once we get back from Oregon with how things turn out and with some recent pictures of Isaac. Isaac has been such a fun little boy. Although he's getting a little tougher to handle when we go to church, he is growing and learning so quickly. We love his smiles, his laughs, and he loves to explore. His thing right now is rolling from room to room. Hopefully he'll get to crawling soon, it will be even more exciting for him. He also got his first tooth a couple of weeks ago, it's very cute. From the looks of things, we better get on baby-proofing the house pretty soon here.

I love having my own kitchen! It has been so fun to cook and bake and start using all of our wedding gifts that have been in storage for 3 years! Although the last couple of weeks with all this illness, I haven't been able to do much, we have still been able to try some new things. I've finally mastered making rice in our rice cooker and I've made lots of yummy food and dessert. Plus, I finally attempted my first Peruvian dish (estofado), which turned out alright the first time and pretty darn good the second. Can't wait to make ají de gallina, lomo saltado, papa a la huancaína, solterito, and starting in the fall, one of my faves, picarones. I'll post pictures and recipes once I make them. We're going to find the Latino Mall this afternoon which is supposed to have Latin American foods and ingredients so I'll be prepared.

Thanks for those who helped in our move and in helping us along in this new journey of ours. We are going to have a blast in Oregon and we'll back back to write about it. Lots of love to all our family and friends!

SALT LAKE CITY, HERE WE COME!!!

So, for those of you who may not yet know, Manuel was recently accepted into the PharmD program at the University of Utah. I couldn't be more proud of him! After some back and forth decision making about how we were going to finance his applications with everything else that was going on in our life at the time, especially with a new baby on the way, we were blessed to have enough to apply to a handful of schools. And, after finding out that Manuel did much better than he had originally thought on his PCAT, we discovered he could be very competitive in getting into the U. His interview was on March 1st and went very well, thanks to some great preparation and help from my dad. Just a week later, Manuel received a phone call from the U with a message congratulating him on his acceptance into the program. So, my husband is a future pharmacist! I'm so proud of him for all the steps he's taken to get this far and for all of his hard work and efforts he has made to support and provide for our family. I am so excited to move to Salt Lake too! I really loved living in Salt Lake when I was attending LDS Business College however I enjoyed living in Provo more for the social life when I was still in college. But I am so ready to move back to the city and begin the next stage of our life there. There are so many fun things that Isaac and I will be able to do together. I already have plans to take him to the park and the library. We can also go see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and take advantage of all the other free events in the downtown area. We'll most likely be moving to Salt Lake around July but I'm so excited about it, I've alerady started looking at apartments online. At least I can get an idea of what we can afford but I can't be more excited about having our own place since being married and having my own kitchen to bake in! Can't wait! Manuel still has to complete two courses before July 1st before he can register for his classes this fall. We've signed him up for an online anatomy course as well as an online calculus course. He'll be very busy for the next few months! And then, pharmacy school will be our life for the next four years...

Isaac is continuing to grow so fast! We are having so much fun together. He has started to smile a lot and is very playful. Whenever he isn't sleeping or being held, he is kicking around like crazy. And our newest discovery? Isaac is slowly starting to get his teeth already! We were wondering why he had started sucking on his hand so much and he's making little sucking noises and once we looked, we saw that his teeth are breaking through part of his gums. They haven't come down yet, but it just goes to show how quickly he's growing. He's starting to lose some hair so we'll just have to wait and see how it grows back. I'm hoping he gets Manuel's thick afro hair! And I finally got Isaac's baby book in the mail. I ordered it online and now I can start going through and putting some pictures and info about the first few months of his life. I can't believe he'll be 3 months old tomorrow! Time has sure flown by. I am just so grateful that I've been able to be at home with him as he's grown.

Other future plans this summer will include a trip to Oregon to visit Nana and Papa and also to see my best friend Eileen and her little baby Olivia! I can't wait! I'm so excited to take Isaac to the beach for the first time and I'm sure my parents will love every moment they get with him. We hope to go around the middle of August and be back just in time for Manuel's orientation for pharmacy school. Well, I guess that about wraps it all up for now. We'll definitely keep everyone updated on other exciting news and events. And as always, love to all our friends and family!

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!