Elena & Adriana

Is this precious or what? Elena didn't know I was taping them. I love my girls and the fact that Elena won't ever remember life without her sister and Adriana won't ever know it either. They will always be there for each other!

Three years ago!

Three years ago this past Saturday we celebrated the first of our three wedding ceremonies. I can't believe it has already been three years (and two babies!) from that day. This particular wedding wasn't even really planned. The original idea was that in compliance with the immigration laws that required me to get married here in the US we were only going to have a very intimate family thing, maybe over Thanksgiving and "sign the papers" with Pastor Jim. But considering how many people wouldn't get a chance to go to Guatemala somebody came up with the idea of doing it on Sunday morning during church. So many people stepped in to decorate, spread the word, and have refreshments ready. I have Mom L. to thank for the beautiful roses she surprised me with that morning! But when all was said and done that Sunday afternoon... Were we or weren't we married? We certainly were! Well then what about the Guatemalan wedding? Now, I'm not complaining, it all turned out great and I have three wedding ceremonies to remember. However, those were confusing times and I am so glad to be "on this side of the altar"!

On another quick note, Kris and Becky welcomed today at 5 a.m. a little girl! Her name is "Cailen Grace" and she weighed 8.1 lbs. and is 20" long! Congratulations to our dear friends! Both Mom and baby are doing well and Cailen came just one day before her Mommy's birthday! 

If Mamma ain't happy!

I am sad to report that all three girls in this household are sick! The only one healthy is Ben who gets to deal with us. Last night I didn't sleep for more than 40 mins. in a row, between a coughing little girl, a stuffy baby's nose and my own sore throat, headache and plus symptoms! Yuck! It's a good thing we have enough left overs to not have to cook at all today! So many things to do and just NO energy at all to do them! Oh well, this too shall pass!

Little bits...

• Yesterday morning I came downstairs to get the coffee going and heard a beep. Not thinking twice about it when I came upstairs to finish getting ready I said: "Honey, I think that smoke detector must need a battery change because I heard it beeping". So my sweet husband, instead of having his breakfast before going off to the office he went to check on the detector. Thn he said: "Well honey, that is a problem because the smoke detector runs on the house's power, not on batteries. I don't know why it's beeping." I replied "Something has to be going on, it is beeping every two minutes," (I had already timed it). He went on line, read and read and was getting increasingly frustrated as the time to leave for the office was getting closer and he couldn't figure out the beep. Finally, ready to give up I just hear this: "Oh my goodness!! Honey, it isn't the smoke detector beeping... it is my cell phone!!!" What can I say, we hadn't had one of those in quite a while =0)

• We have begun training Elena to go to sleep on her bed. Don't ask me why, I am not ready for my baby to turn into a little girl, but still. The first night we failed to think ahead of her and the rule was not to get out of bed. In complying with that command, she did absolutely everything she could on the bed, thus making it 4 hours until she finally went to sleep. The next night we said she was to keep her head on her pillow, and her feet were not to touch the groung. Then is where the fun began:
• As every child her age, she began to test her limits: her legs were hanging off the bed, they weren't touching the ground mind you, but they were off the bed. We stated it was unacceptable and she dealt with it.
• A few minutes later: Legs were on the bed but her feet were placed so that her toes would be off the bed. So we dealt with that thinking that would be the end of her "limit testing".
• A few more minutes later: Every single part of her body was on the bed but her bear's legs were off the bed! Welcome the bear into the discipline process!

But that was truly her last attempt and with all those little tricks of her she went to sleep in less than two hours. Each day it has been getting less and less, I don't think it even took half an hour last night. Next thing on the list: have her learn to use the potty, but I will hold that one off a bit longer!

The world we live in...

I tend to forget that we live in such a different world from the walls that surround my home. I forget that people don't always think the way I do and that often times, even family and friends close to my heart do not understand where we come from when dealing with certain issues of life. Yesterday, for instance, I had an eye exam. The doctor was this beautiful young woman, which I found quite perplexing until I realized that it will be 15 years from my highschool graduation next year. So it is ok to have doctors looking my age, or even younger, had I chosen to be a doctor that's exactly what I would look like. At any rate, she asked to make sure I had my eyes checked in a year because I was past due my check up this time. I replied I had intentionally missed my last check up due to the fact that I was pregnant at the time and didn't think it worth it as my eyes behave differently during pregnancy. Being as good a doctor as she could she strongly recommended to have regular eye checkups. Now mind you I have no plans of having another baby yet, but I do want more babies in the future, so I innocently asked: "Should I still have them checked during pregnancy?" She looked at me sort of puzzled and though I can't bring to mind her exact words her tone was enough to realize that she was surprised that I wanted more. I guess in some people's eyes I've filled the "quota" of a familly.

Then as we were paying our bill as Ben and I switched girls back and forth with the respective strollers and "accesories", the lady looked at us and smiled. "I remember those times" she said. "But don't worry, soon enough you will realize having them together was a good decision. I did it myself and now that my children are grown I'm still young and can enjoy life" (emphasis mine). Puzzled by her comment as she didn't look past her early forties we asked her grown children's ages. "Ohh, they're 9 and 11!" she said. Now, there was no point in even hinting that we "aren't done yet", not that I think she is for at such grown up ages of 9 and 11 it is my humble opinion that her children still need her, but hey, what do I know, my oldest is only 22 months old!

And then there is this. I don't know what the laws are and I have flown Delta before with a nursing baby. I don't know if people give me looks or not, I don't care and I don't pay attention to it anyway. Now I am always covered with a blanket and in the rare ocassion that I forget one, I do always wear a nursing camisole under my shirt to make sure I'm completely covered, but that is only a personal preference. Now, I am not an activist of any type so this is not a suggestion for any kind of boycotting anything. I am all for nursing my babies and am glad I wasn't the one escorted out of the plane for I don't know what a godly response to that would have been. I am just bringing it up as another illustration of the huge difference between My Own little world and this world we live in.

Ohh well...

Catching up again

Well, I can´t tell when last week finished and this one started for we continue having a full schedule and something planned for every single day. Even if it is only one activity, our days are busy further than my mind can keep track! Let´s see what I can share, that is, what I can remember!

This whole weekend with Ben gone to the conference and all the bumps I found attempting to accomplish a peaceful bedtime routine with the girls left me with more than mere tiredness. I have been reminded afresh that as I release my husband to be filled of the Lord and stay in the homefront, it´s not just about making sure things get done, but it is also about fighting the good battle to foster a good environment for him to get back to. Instead of lamenting how he got to go and I got to stay I need to strive to keep my fire burning so that when he comes back I´m ready to take all the new things he brings and run with them. We are one, so as he is filled so am I. I fought my battle as the enemy tried to distract me from the things that really matter.

On another note, I got to meet my prospective sister-in-law! It´s another one of those long stories that I just don´t have time to share but, here it goes in a nutshell: Josue went to Colombia with CRM last year and met there a young girl from Connecticut who was serving temporarily as a missionary at an orphanage. God spoke to several people about the matter but it was His leading to let things rest for a year. Now, a year later, as the opportunity to pursue a relationship arose, he was sent back to Guatemala as his visa status was no longer satisfactory to the immigration authorities. At present, he is in Guatemala trying to figure out the next step which involves applying for another type of visa. There were plans for them to meet here in our end of the woods this week, as CRM had a scheduled visit to this area but with Josue unable to come into the US yet she is actually going down to Guatemala. She came on Saturday and spent a couple nights with us. She´ll be traveling down to Gatemala on Friday for more extensive and final "talks" but it is pretty certain that they think of getting married next summer. Can you believe that? My little brothers ARE men now!!! When and how did it happen?

The mystery of life

I love how God has decided to keep to Himself both the time when one life begins and the time it is to end. Nobody else knows, no matter how hard they try to! I know I've said this before but I´m continuosly awed by His sovereignty in this sense. All that to say, she had her baby today! It was a long day, and I don´t have all the details yet, but I can share with the world that it was a girl who came in weighing a good 8+ lbs.! Both mommy and baby are doing well and I´ll hopefully get to meet her tomorrow.

On another note, going without a nap has worked well for Elena. Though she has still fought upon realizing it is time to sleep, last night it only took me one hour and today it took even less!!!

Well my baby cries for me... I´ll write again later!

I love my babies

*Edit* Since I wrote that earlier, we´ve been doing better. I´ll give it a try and keep Elena awake all day long in the hopes that she´ll be ready to go to bed at bedtime. In the process of it all last night it hit me that she may just be as full of energy as her dad and could live through the day without a nap. That may make bedtime easier on an everyday basis.

On another note, how can anybody´s heart stay discoraged when you have a Father who lavishes upon you so much and a husband who is ever thinking of you... I just got a knock on the door and a lady from our church delivered some beautiful roses on behalf of my husband. He had called her and asked her to do that for him. She accompanied the flowers with her description of how precious she can tell I am for my husband as her own eyes welled up with tears... I am crying again, but feeling much better. How sweet is my husband and just how perfectly awesome is my Father?!

******

Trust me, I do. With all my heart!!! So, could anyone help me understand why yesterday (last night especially) was so difficult? I have been able to go through Elena´s will fights so calmly and collected all this time, not last night though. Last night I was getting angry at her! Angry at her fighting so stubbornly to go to sleep! Angry at not being able to do any better in minding them both by myself! Angry at finally managing to put the little one down to go literally takcle the other one just to have her start crying and waking up the little one again. I started the bedtime routine with a bath for Elena, knowing she´d love it and would probably put her in the mood for bed. By 8.15 I was ready to put her down, I nursed the baby, bundled her on the couch right next to me so I could hold Elena and have her go to sleep. Elena played with my hair, my nose, my eyes and as delighted as I could be by her ability to recognize them I kept reminding her to close her eyes and go to sleep. I will spare you the details and just tell you that by 10 p.m. I was upstairs in their bedroom trying to calm a screaming three-month-old and almost laying on top of a toddler to make sure she stayed in bed. More times than I can count both of them were crying very loudly and I finally got in bed with a still awake Adriana at 11. I feel so disappointed at myself. I cried, through it, after it and this morning I´ve still found myself crying. Ben won´t be back until Saturday night and I really want to be the Mom that can put her babies down peacefully and joyfully! I want to bless him that way, I want to bless them that way, and more importantly, I want to honor Him that way... I just don´t know how... Please pray for grace for tonight... I know that it may sound silly as so many of you, wonderful mothers out there handle more little ones than I do, but please pray for this little house, we will need your prayers today.

P.S. Yeah... did I mention that I haven´t showered?

Bumbo seat

Walking through a store we found this seat that holds Adriana up in a seating position. This pic. is to honor my mom's wishes of seeing Adriana actually using it! She doesn't last long on it, but she doesn't last long on anything else anyway! Trust me though, as tiring as it can be and as complicated as it may get at times when I'm trying to get stuff done, I still love the fact that my arms are the only place where she is truly content! 

Little moments...

It only takes a few little moments for the funniest and cutest things to happen with babies. Sometimes I don´t even want to wink in the fear of missing something they´ll do.

Yesterday Adriana was in the swing while I did dishes and Elena was coming in and out in her little world of play. I have learned to constantly turn to check on them because Elena loves to play with her little sister but doesn´t understand yet that her little sister can´t do all the things she wants her to. Sure enough, I turned around and catch Elena holding a water bottle to Adriana´s mouth.

Me: Elena, what are you doing?

E: Mami, Aana agua! ...ok Aana? OK!

So I explained that Adriana can´t drink water from the bottle yet, but thank you for sharing with her. A few more minutes and I turn again...

Me: Elena, what are you doing sweetie?

E: Mami, Aana cookie!!! (as she holds a cookie to Adriana´s mouth) mmmmm Aana cookie!!

And so my day goes...

As for Adriana, she is quite an intense baby. There is no middle ground for her, it is black or white. She´ll be happy and laughing one minute and, literally, screaming off the top of her lungs the next! This morning, Ben sat in the rocker with Elena, reading her a book. I was sitting on the bed with Adriana nursing. She was nursing very restlessly and I couldn´t understand why. I thought she may have gas and I turned her over my arm to help her release it. To my surprise, all she wanted was to look at her daddy and sister and be a part of their time together, for she was content just looking at them and addressing her own little "conversation" to them as well. How amazing that they have such unique personalities that can be appreciated at such a young age!

I love my two girls!