All Better

I felt like she was sick forever. Today is the first day that I didn't have to give her any meds, because she's all  better. No more fever, no runny nose, and she's no longer cranky. Thank God! I don't like it when she's ill. It's so hard to take care of her when she is sick, because I can't always tell what she wants or needs and she throws a tantrum. Here she is, all smiles today. I love her!

Photography 101

Danica got her first camera today. It is actually my first digital camera. My dad bought it for me during an After Thanksgiving Sale at Best Buy many years ago. 2005 to be exact. At the time, the 7.2 megapixels came out at the stores and my dad paid $500 for it. I felt bad about the price and almost didn't want to ask him to buy it for me, but I thought, "Hey, I'll ask anyway." So I did, and to my surprise he said, "Yes." I couldn't believe it! I love him more for that! I recently found the camera while organizing my closet, I also found the charger for it. After a couple of hours of being charged, I pressed the power button and it turned on. Yippee!! It actually still works. Don't you just love finding something old and finding a use for it? So today, I pass it on to my dear daughter. I hope she enjoys taking pictures as much as I do. 

Danica Bear

Isn't this bear hat just adorable? My friend, Marcie, whom I've known since High School made it. I love it! She also sent crocheted flower clips. Or is it knitted? I don't know the difference, to be honest. Anyway, we are so blessed to have such sweet friends who spoil Danica with love, prayers and also material items - whether they be clothes, accessories, toys, books... we are just so fortunate to be surrounded with beautiful people. God is so good for blessing us with family and friends who truly care. Thank you, friends, so much! In return, may the good Lord bless you more each day and keep you in His tender, loving care. 

No More Monkeys

Danica loves to read her books. I read to her every day, and we go through at least 5 books a day. When I'm busy doing chores, she'll pick up her books and reads on her own. I'm not saying she can read now, but she looks at the pictures and makes up the story. Earlier, she was reading "Five Little Monkeys" and I heard her saying, "Five monkeys jumping, bump her head. No more monkeys on the bed." She gets the concept of the story by looking at the pictures, and of course, I read her books to her over and over.

Here's a photo from earlier today, taken right before she picked up her book:

Word of the Day

Danica is talking so much and growing each day. Today, she learned the word "princess." Her toy camera has a picture of a princess. I love the way she says it. She says, "pincess." Here she is being a "Pincess" in front of the mirror:

Hello Kitty Girl

My little Danica is super obsessed with Hello Kitty. Can you tell by looking at the photo above? LOL. Anyway, my friend Jackie, who lives in London, got her this super cute long-sleeve dress. It happens to match her old leg warmers and a balloon that Raul bought her last Sunday at Ontario Mills. I'm glad she loves Hello Kitty though... just like her Mommy =)

I Love Her

I never thought I'd be this in love with my little girl. Each day, I love her more and more. When I hear her say new words, when I watch her play, when I read to her... I love her more and more. When she sings a song, when she dances to a beat, when she smiles... I love her more and more. When she calls me Mommy, when she says Daddy, when she kisses me... I love her more and more. And even if she makes mistakes, later on in life... I will still love her, even more. She will always be my Danica Love.

Looking Good

I'm talking about my labs... haha... they're finally looking good. I went to Kaiser earlier to get my blood drawn. Just got the results not too long ago and so happy to finally see my liver enzymes close to normal. If you have been following my blog, then you already know that I've been having issues with my liver. At first, the doctors thought it was Graft-vs-Host, but later on found out that my high levels of Iron (due to multiple transfusions) may be causing it. So I've been having a unit of blood removed every month since August. And now it's confirmed that my elevated liver enzymes are due to elevated Iron in my blood. Glad that problem is finally getting fixed.

Here are some pictures I took of Danica at Kaiser, after I got my blood drawn.

When we got home, we ate lunch and walked Mr. Miyagi. And now it's official... every time we walk the dog, we have to stop and pick some flowers. 

She loves to smell the flowers.

She loves to kiss them.

She loves to play peek-a-boo with me, but only with one hand because she's holding the flowers with the other hand.

Mini Me

Danica is such a little Leica, I love it! She has my lips, nose, hair, eyebrows... and she even has the same characteristics and attitude I have. When I was younger, my dad used to call me "Echo" because I copy everything he says. Guess who's doing that now? Yup, Danica. She copies everything I do and say everything I say. Oh my! Raul calls her "Shadow."  I'm really glad to have a "mini me." I love everything about her.

Flowers, Flowers

Danica is currently obsessing over flowers. We took our dog, Mr. Miyagi, out for a walk and found these cute, little flowers on the way to the pool area. She was so happy when I picked them out for her. I love how easy it is to make her smile and happy.

Throwback Thursday

I love going through my computer and looking at Danica's baby pictures. Here's one from August 2011:

My Baby

I always tell people that Danica was born with a flower on her head and they give me that "Really?" look. LOL. Anyway, here's a proof...

Being a SAHM

I thought being a stay-at-home mom would be the easiest job in the world. I was wrong. It is the toughest occupation. I worked as a Respiratory Therapist before I had Danica, and let me just tell you... it's easier to be an RT than to be a SAHM. With that said, I still prefer to be a stay-at-home mommy. It's hard, but it is rewarding. When I hear Danica talk and copy my actions, I am so amazed at how much I have taught her. At the same time, I learn a lot from her, also. I learned to be patient, kind, gentle, loving, forgiving... I also learned to cook and eat healthy, because I want her to live a healthy, happy life. I have to give a lot of credit to all the mommies out there, especially the ones who also have a full-time job and the ones who are raising a child on their own. Much love!

       

My Little Lady

Danica is now 19 months old. She definitely is growing up too fast. She copies everything I say and do. Whenever I do laundry, I ask her if she wants to help me. She replies, "Yes, Mommy." She then helps me push the hamper from the bedroom to the laundry room. Now here is the fun part for her. Before I could even load the clothes, she tries them on. Yes, she tries to put on the dirty clothes. It's her way of playing dress up, I guess. I don't know... but she has fun going through the dirty laundry.

  

 

Malibu

For the first time this Summer, I went to the beach! Yay! The reason why I don't like going to the beach is because of the sun. Yes, the sun. The sun is my frenemy. If you don't know what that word means, it means friend/enemy. I'm prone to skin cancer and my doctor advised me to avoid the sun as much as possible. And when I do go out, to make sure I have sunblock and wear a floppy hat to cover my face. Sometimes, I use an umbrella. I look kinda silly with an umbrella, but who cares. As long as I have protection. I did notice a couple of brown spots, one on my finger and the other on my leg. Next week, I have an appointment with my Dermatologist, so I'll ask about those. My body will never be like how it used to. Before I got diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia and PNH, I was very healthy. I never had to miss work because I was sick. I was never sick. Never say never, I guess. Now, I get sick easily and really have to take care of myself.

So anyway, we went to Malibu beach yesterday. We went around 7:30 pm (there was so much traffic on the 101 fwy)... but it ended up being perfect because the sun started to set and I didn't have to wear a hat or use an umbrella. This was Danica's second trip to the beach. She was so scared of the water and just wanted to be carried around. We did dip her feet so she can have a feel of the cold water. She enjoyed it for a while, then asked to be picked up again. Here are some photos from our little beach trip:

I'm Back!

Sorry, I have been missing in action for a while. My google account got hacked twice, so I decided to take my blog down. Anyway, the family and I are doing well. My hair is slowly growing, Raul got promoted at work, and Danica is now 18 months old. Time flies when you're having too much fun. Speaking of fun, I am definitely enjoying my life as a stay-at-home wife/mommy. It's a lot of work, but it's so worth it. Last week, the nurse at the Bone Marrow Transplant Department asked me, "So what do you do at home? Nothing?" Boy, was I so upset. Seriously, I do everything at home. I clean the house at least twice a day. I prepare three meals a day (Raul comes home for lunch), except on Saturdays (that's my day off from the kitchen). I read to Danica twice a day. I disinfect her toys. I do laundry twice a week. And more...I mean, seriously, I work just as hard as a full-time employee. And my day does not end at 5 pm. What really ticked me off is the fact that the nurse knows what I just went through. I just had a bone marrow transplant. That's kind of like a big deal. Let me correct that, it is a big deal! Especially since I was pregnant when I was diagnosed with this horrible blood disorder. Some people really know how to get on my nerve.

Enough ranting. Haha. Have you been watching the Olympics? I love it! Man, they are all so good at what they do. Makes me wish I was an athlete. Maybe if I start Danica at an early age, she can be one. We'll see about that. She is currently obsessing over balloons.

At the Park

We love taking Danica to the park. There's a park near Raul's work and when we can, we take Danica so she can walk around and just enjoy the park. She loves watching the other children in the playground. A little boy even came up to her and gave her a hug. Uh-oh... what's that all about? Haha, just kidding... they're just kids. At this age, it's cute. But when she gets older, I don't know how I'll feel about her having male friends. Gotta keep an eye on this girl. Haha! Here are some pictures from the park:

It  was kinda windy yesterday:

Here she is with Daddy:

Do you prefer color or black and white?

Hope everyone is having a great day. Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend =)

Today

She discovered the knobs on the dishwasher machine... uh-oh! Here's a reflection from the dishwasher:

I love this face that she makes when my camera flash goes off: 

She's crying because she left her balloon in the house and she wants me to open the door:

Playing peek-a-boo with me:

My Girl Loves Balloons

I'm double posting today. Hehe! I've noticed that all kids love balloons. I haven't met a kid who doesn't. Danica goes crazy when she sees them. Raul bought her 2 balloons at the Ontario Mills mall yesterday. The first one was one of those dogs with legs (so they're not really floating, because the legs are kind of weighing it down... do you know what I'm talking about?). But she didn't really like it, so we spent another $4 on a Hello Kitty balloon. From the second she got it, she never let it go. This morning, she was holding her balloon with one hand and with the other, she was playing and reading her books. She's too funny. I love her so much!

I love taking pictures of every detail, including her curly hair, cute dress and oh those mary jane shoes.

Sometimes, I like to use Photoshop and turn pictures into black and white.

I also like taking pictures of her asleep.

Easter Photos

Hello, everyone! Just wanted to share some photos from Easter (I know I'm super late, but better late than never!). Anyway, Danica got this blue dress as a gift on her birthday. I believe the brand is "Faded Glory" ...but  I'm not too sure (I'll double check tomorrow). And my blue dress was from Marshalls. It came with the skinny belt, too. Not bad for $19.99. I just love the blue with the pink flowers, plus it matches Danica's dress... and I love that! So, here are some photos taken by my sister. If you're in the Los Angeles area and would like your photos taken, please check out her portfolio: http://vivientutaanphotography.com She takes ahhhhhhmazing photos (and I'm not just saying that because she's my sister!). I really do love her work and I know that you will, too =)

Matching dresses:

With Daddy:

Holding on to her Easter eggs:

Hope you love the pictures! Have a good night =)