Can I have a Word...

So it's come to my attention, that I either need to make blogging a part of my week, or give it up...I either need to commit or get out.  And I've halfway decided that I want to commit...but I'm not sure I totally crazy in love with blogging.  What happened to emails? and phone calls? to keep in touch.  Now I just write stuff and people are supposed to come to me?!  I don't really know.  It's kinda a selfish way to do things...or maybe not?  Maybe I'm just being weird thinking that I should extend a call or email to a friend, instead of wishing they would come to my blog.  And  maybe I'm using the blog in the wrong way...maybe I should just be writing whatever my little head pleases and posting pictures whenever I have them.  I don't know.  What do you bloggers think?

Around the world...

We have just received some incredible news... that we are to be moving this summer to an air base on GUAM!!  That's right, I said GUAM.  Holy cow, huh.  We we're totally shocked because we thought we would be here in FL for another whole year, but no, headquarters had other plans for our little fam.  I get butterflies in my belly just thinking about the island life, how close we'll be to Thailand and Indonesia and the whole world of Asia.  It's a stunning feeling to know that in a few months your whole family is going to relocate across the world!  Not just down the street, or even across the nation, but around the entire globe.  We are just so excited...although we are a bit anxious about selling our house.  We took a risk buying it, and now we are having to be on the other end trying to sell it.   I solicit your prayers!!  And if you know anyone in FL who wants to buy a house--send them our way!  

Maya Isabel

Maya Isabel 
Analia meeting her new sister.
Maya doing some tummy time.
Analia and Maya playing on the floor.

Well, Maya Isabel made it here safe and sound!  She was born on January 24, at 7:36 am, weighing in at 8 lbs. 1 oz. and being 20 in. long.  We were surprised to see that she had lots of dark brown hair--not like Analia at all.  The entire process went beautifully--I woke up at 3 in the morning with painful contractions that were only about 3 minutes apart, and I told Mike that I thought I was in labor and that we should go to the hospital.  Seeing that I was 2 days overdue, I had all the bags packed and ready to go.  My mom was here with us, so she stayed with Analia--so very nice not to have to wake her up and disturb her more.  When we got to the hospital, I could barely walk because the contractions were so close and painful, so Mike he had to wheel me into to Labor & Delivery.  I was already dialated to a 6 and going fast, so the Dr. called up the Anesthesiologist and he got the epidural going right away--I was at an 8 when it kicked in and I thought I was going to cry because of the pain.  I wasn't even thinking I might have to do this thing naturally, so I was very far away from being mentally prepared to do it--a lesson for next time: be prepared for anything!  Anyway, the drugs worked and I got a few minutes of relief.  Then came the pushing and about 30 minutes later, Maya was born.  She was just beautiful and perfect and had the most precious little cry.  The nurses began to clean her up and she was just bawling, so Mike went over and spoke to her, and right away she calmed down and looked in his direction.  It was so cool to see her, only 10 minutes old, recognizing and calming down to her Dad's voice.  Already a Daddy's girl.

I stayed at the hospital for two days then came home.  My mom was here for a few more days and then Mike's parents came down.  They have stayed for 2 weeks and have been so helpful to us--cooking and cleaning, helping me and Analia transition to a new baby in the house, and just being happy here with us.  They leave tomorrow and that's when I feel like the real test will begin.  Analia has been so great with Maya, giving her lots of love, hugs, and kisses.  She even says "don't cry baby" to little Maya when she cries.  And Maya is such a good baby: she eats well, sleeps well, and hardly fusses at all.   It's been awesome to have two little angels in the house.  

Juno and our last Date Night

So Mike and I had our last official, just us, date night on Friday.  We went out to eat at Chili's and then to the movies.  We haven't done this, seriously, since Analia was born, or at least it felt that way on Friday.  It was kind of spontaneous and our baby sitter was available, so it made the night all exciting and fun.  Although I was only T-minus 4 days away from my due date, we still had fun and I felt awesome.  And to top off a wonderful night, we saw an amazing movie: Juno.  I would recommend it to anyone--it was playful in the dialogue and plot, the characters were perfectly cast and believable, and finally it left you with a feeling of hope and love in the world.  The one thing I would caution younger viewers with is that the movie downplays the difficulty and troubles of teen pregnancy.  The character has supportive parents, understanding friends and boyfriend, great adoptive parents, and she even stays in school.  But I did appreciate the credit that the director gave to the audience because the movie isn't focused on the difficulty of the teen pregnancy, more the story surrounding it.  Overall, I loved it and the fact that when I leave the theater I was saying, "we need to buy this movie!" proves how much I enjoyed it.  Not to mention an awesome soundtrack!

Hopefully the baby will come in the next couple of days!  We'll keep you posted!

Project Central

This is my time to brag about the multi-talented husband of mine!  He just finished this upholstering project that turned out awesome!  This was his first time doing a project like this alone, so it is a big accomplishment.  Doesn't it look just amazing!  Wow!  And so cool in our living room. 

I'm still gearing up to try to sew a sling for Maya, sew a new apron for me (from a pattern I bought, by the way, which is totally new to me), make the baby announcements, make new calendars for the fridge, and... what else, I know there's one more thing--oh yeah, finish reading Pride & Prejudice.  All before the baby gets here.  Then things will calm down, right?!  Yeah. Right. 

A Fun Fun Christmas

Hey Everyone,

We had a wonderful Christmas and have stayed busy during the break doing projects and playing.  The weather has been great and we ever went to the beach the other day!  Analia had a great time on Christmas--starting with Christmas Eve.  We had a great salmon & shrimp dinner with Christmas placemats and fancy drinks, then we opened our pjs and read some Christmas books.  Analia's favorite was Jolly Old Santa Claus.  Christmas morning arrived--I swear I was more excited than Analia was--and she was happy to see toys lined up on the chair for her from Santa.  She played with each one for a minute then moved onto the next--not really bored with the first, just distracted with the others.  Then we began opening gifts from family and she enjoyed tearing the wrapping off the presents and looking into the boxes.  I think she loved every gift she got this year!  And she has been such a sweetie this past week--giving lots of kisses and soft touches on our faces--I know having Mike home everyday this week really makes her feel good.  And me too.  

Here is our little family on Christmas Eve--in our cozy new pjs.

Mike is reading Jolly Old Santa Claus to Analia and she loves it!  Look how excited she is!
Christmas Morning in Linda's gift to Analia!  What a cool baby!

And lastly here is Analia hugging her care bear she got from her cousin Aubrey.

We love you and miss you all!  Thanks to all of you who sent out cards this year! It was fun seeing everyone and hearing all about your lives!  I hope everyone has had a great holiday and a happy new year.  

Christmas Time is Here!!

Christmas is here!  Here are some pictures of our house as decked out as it's gonna get this year!  We liked the retro lights for the outside.  Cool huh!
Here's our tree in the living room.  We bought an artificial one this year and we're so happy with it.  
Here's Norma's gift to us: A German Christmas Pyramid.  We love it and just got the red candles to fit.   
And here is our baby girl Analia in her darling Christmas dress.  Isn't the hat just perfect?!
I'm glad finally that the weather down here is getting cooler--the high was only 54 degrees today and we got all bundled up.  It's starting to feel more like wintertime.  We've been introducing Analia to Santa Claus and she can tell you that he says "hohoho".  It's really cute whenever she sees a santa, she tells you what he says.  She's talking a lot now and starting to voice her opinions on things.  It's so fun to be with her and watch her grow.  

We miss you all, this time of year especially, and hope you all have a fun holiday season.