Fascinating

I know you, mothers of more than one, will relate and maybe even know better about this as you may have had more opportunities to observe your older-than-mine-children. I´m sure you´ll agree with my guess that the fascination and amazement never ceases, even at the most simple of things. Here are two little girls, grown in the same womb, nursed by the same mom, being raised by the same two parents under the same principles, yet they couldn´t be more different than each other!

*If offered bagels for breakfast, Elena wants hers with butter and jelly, while Adriana eats it with cream cheese.

*Elena will do anything to eat a chocolate chip cookie, and though Adriana does like them, she would much rather have chips.

*When served a meal, Adriana will more likely eat the greens while Elena will devour the meat, or chicken.

*Except for cantiloupe, watermelon, sometimes apples and very occasionally mango, Elena is not too keen on fruit. Adriana will pretty much eat any fruit I give her.

*When we take them outside to play, Elena will keep her sweater and shoes on. In fact, sometimes she won´t even want to take her sweater off once she is inside. Adriana, on the other hand, will rid herself of anything that makes her feel restricted. She totally loves to run barefoot on the grass and hates wearing sweaters and such nuisances.

*We never make it to our destination without having to rescue Adriana´s shoes from somewhere in the van, having to re do her hair and doing a search for her cup and any snacks she may have had. Whereas Elena has everything in its rightful place.

*Adriana will watch a show for a little bit of time and then get distracted by a toy or just any person that happens to be around. Elena focuses attentively on any show she may be watching and she can almost quote lines of certain movies right before they come on.

*Elena quietly enjoys music, Adriana will attempt to sing anything off the top of her lungs even if it is the very first time she hears it.

*Elena likes her own personal space. She is very loving and affectionate but only when she feels like it. Adriana will make herself fit in any space as long as she is on top of you, this includes when she is sleeping.

*Although they loved both of us deeply, Elena is totally and completely in love with her Dad, while Adriana could never live without her Mom.

And so the list goes on, and on and I am sure it will only grow as time goes by. I am just amazed by it and can only wonder... what is this next little person going to be like?

Blah...

Yesterday was that kind of day... blah, at least that is how I felt. Mostly because I was tired from a poor night's sleep. One thing about pregnancy is that I get all these weird dreams that usually make me more tired than I was when I went to sleep. I don't know why, but I don't get as many weird dreams when I'm not pregnant.

Elena woke up at 4 a.m. crying, I guess she'd had a bad dream. She usually asks for Ben, so he went to check on her, but this time she wanted me. I went over, kissed her, told her to go back to sleep and so I thought she did. When I was finally drifting back to sleep myself I felt her little hand tugging at my shirt. As I turned to look at her she triumphantly whispered her announcement; she had just gone to the bathroom! Followed by the request to climb in bed with us. I let her.

She was quietly next to me, trying to go back to sleep when Adriana woke up and asked for her milk. I gave her what was left of it and told her to go back to sleep. And so it went, with them taking turns to say something or do something until at 6.30 I finally gave up. It normally doesn't happen with lack of sleep but I was cranky this morning. Fortunately, Ben had the day off so once he was done with his training run he let me go back to bed and I took a nap.

Now, I don't know if it was all that's on my mind or just the messed up sleep schedule but I never quite felt 100% and the rest of the day went blah. To top it all off I had a dentist appointment, at least it was only a cleaning.

I have to admit I am caught in thought and a little worry. I need to remind myself of God's sovereignty. I need to remind myself that as much as I love the people I love, God still loves them more. I need to remind myself that He can intervene where I can't and that my prayers are more powerful than my words or my actions can ever be. Finally, I need to remind myself that no matter what decisions people make, He is still in control.

Catching up

I am very much amazed at how fast time is going by. I know it always happens once spring really kicks in, but it always amazes me in the end how quickly the weeks seem to go by. There is nothing much going on on this front... let's see:

++ special meetings at church last week from Saturday night until Wednesday night

++in between meetings we had a grocery shopping trip on Monday; Ben had a meeting on Tuesday at 6.30 a.m. followed by a guest for breakfast here at home; lunch out with our guest speaker on Wednesday

++Thursday was clean up day. Not only did we need to prepare our home to receive my aunt and cousin visiting from Guatemala, but we needed a desperate spring cleaning since I had been so sick and unable to keep up with the house. Little beds were moved around the girls room, laundry was caught up, odds and ends were distributed to more hidden places (the attic or basement) and our house looked tidy and felt peaceful.

++Our guests arrived at midnight. I picked them up from the airport and we begun a whirlwind of activity. Probably what would best describe the visit would be FOOD! It felt like we ate at every turn, but it was fun. The girls enjoyed having them as did they the girls. We did everything from shopping to watching a couple movies and even a bonfire at some friends on Saturday night.

++Their departure came too quickly on Sunday morning and by church time it was already a new page in our little book. We couldn't make a much awaited birthday party after church due to over tired little girls, but we rested at home.

++Memorial day we decided to stay home and rest. A down day was a nice change of pace. Mom and Dad bought ribs that Ben made on our grill and we had a nice end of the day with a picnic in the backyard with our family.

++Yesterday we had our doctor's appt. where we got to see our little one again! How fun and exciting and amazing! Our little one is moving all over the place although I can't yet feel them.

To sum it all up, we are blessed and happy for the gift of life, the gift of family and the gift of friendship!

The progress of life

Our robins in the bush

Sweetest Elena

Cutest, dramatic Adriana
("Tía Mariel" is in the bathroom and she is
so very upset that she can't go in with her...)

...and out tiniest baby

I never imagined...

Being in one of those weird I-can't-sleep-so-I'll-think moments I began thinking about life, how it changes, how it surprises and how much it challenges. Some of my thoughts were deep, some not so much and some were simply fun and interesting... I'll share some of those:

I never imagined:

**that I would be taking prenatal vitamins non-stop for over three years (so far). From getting pregnant with Elena through nursing her, getting pregnant with Adriana, nursing her and having weaned her once already pregnant with this baby, I began taking prenatal vitamins in May of 2004 and am still taking them.

**that I wouldn't be able to even remember the last time I slept all night through without any interruptions. I can only go as far as to say that it was during my pregnancy with Elena.

**that even when I can't remember when the last night of uninterrupted sleep was I would still function normally through the day.

**that my closet would be full of clothes in about four different sizes and I still have days when nothing fits me!

**that a day would come when I wouldn't have time to do my hair (or make-up) and that it wouldn't matter all that much.

**that two adults and two toddlers snuggling in one queen sized bed could be so precious and sweet even when there is so little room.

**that my heart can swell afresh with love and all kinds of tender feelings every time I see my precious little ones.

**that while at the same time simple and complicated, life could be so full of happiness and blessings!

Backyard discoveries

The first discovery was in the attic. I still don´t know how Ben spotted it there but he did. This robin´s nest can only be appreciated like the picture shows if you are actually in the attic looking out, which is how Ben took the picture.

Now this one, is just sitting in a bush next to our front door (which we never really use). How cool is that?

And the most exciting one (for the girls, funny for us) is this baby mouse found in the yard.

Nothing much

I am feeling much better but inevitably tired. Therefore I am very lazy and slow lately. After I make a meal you'd think I just cleaned my whole house because I just have to sit down and if left too myself for too long (5 minutes usually is all it takes) I will fall asleep.

Our time has been split between being outside, doing some watercolor painting and watching "Pokicondis" (Pocahontas).

Elena and Adriana have both taken on to "act" pregnant... I guess I must be quite the role model.

If there is one thing I despise in life it is throwing up. I will avoid it at all costs and I remember my mom's advice of breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth slowly being somewhat effective, so I'll try that and anything else that offers some hope. At the urgency of feeling like throwing up I seem to have developed a routine that Adriana is more than happy to play out through the day for me. According to Adriana's interpretation, I apparently put my hand on my mouth, bend over (from a sitting position), and breathe heavily... I don't know what to tell you.

Elena, on the other hand, is constantly informing me of her baby's different needs. "Mama, my baby needs chocolate" or "My baby doesn't want to ______ (fill in the blank with the task at hand: eat, sleep, go potty, etc.)". When asked about this baby of hers, her reply was that Jesus put a baby in her belly. I guess it makes sense that she'd think like that since after the miscarriage when she'd ask when I'd get another baby in my belly our response was that we needed to ask Jesus to put another baby there. So if it works for me, why shouldn't it work for her, right?

Happy Mothers Weekend!

Mothers Day in Guatemala is celebrated on May 10th always. So with Mothers Day this year being on the 11th I actually enjoyed a Mothers Weekend more than a Day.

My wonderful husband made sure the weekend was a blessing in full.

He gave me a little basket full of gifts on Saturday. He was thoughtful and sweet and made sure I had at least one little gift from each of our babies, including the one in heaven. Yes, you can imagine I was a basket-case. My gifts ranged from books to very dark chocolate bars, a new water bottle and assorted cold tea drinks. The girls wrote in a card for me as well but they had more fun helping me open the packages.

The afternoon followed with a family gathering to celebrate Dad L's birthday. We had our out-of-town Levenduskys join us for the occasion and all the cousins had great fun playing together! The food was awesome too.

Sunday met me with a wonderful french toast breakfast made by my sweet man, even though he had to preach and "run the show" at church for the weekend! After church we came home for naps and then my evening was yet to start. They took me out for dinner at Macaroni Grill... simply fabulous! Since little girls can only be distracted for so long at a restaurant, dessert followed by driving through a Starbucks.

After baths, some laughing time with Daddy and bedtime, Ben and I finished the evening with a movie of my choosing.

I constantly need to remind myself of how blessed I am to have a husband who doesn't just get special days out of the way. He doesn't buy me gifts out of obligation... He truly makes every effort to bless me and make me feel special, especially on days like these. What else can a girl wish for? I am spoiled rotten!

Drumroll please...

As per my ticker... today I begin the much awaited 12th week of this pregnancy!

Meaning: I'm done with the first trimester

Interpretation: I should be feeling so much better from here!

I'm very optimistic and hopeful... promise to keep you posted

Vacuum - phobia

For quite some time our vacuum cleaner has been broken. As you may all remember, Elena has a history of disliking any noise-making-appliances and the vacuum cleaner is high up in the list. So there was quite a relief as for several weeks the only way I could clean our carpets was by sweeping them.

Well, someone wanted to bless us and gave us an old vacuum cleaner, not without first warning us that it is loud. Let me tell you, it is loud! And after the weeks of vacuum cleaner withdrawal, won't you know that Adriana has suddenly developed the same condition of Elena's.

No cleaning session happens around this house without little girls running in every direction, plugging their ears and crying! Their cries are so full of sorrow... it is sad... a tough life for them, you can imagine as they run to and fro saying "No more noise, please, Mama!!!"

When the machine goes off the running becomes more objective. They run to me, hug my leg really tight as they hold these (very cute, I have to admit) pouts in their faces and they whimper as they ask: "You all done, Mama?" What can I say, it is quite the adventure!

Pregnancy

What an adventure pregnancy is! Just as I am nearing the 12th week I am certainly feeling much better. I'm not as sick and food doesn't seem as repulsive as it did just last week. As if I needed any more confirmation about this little person growing inside of me, I do find it amusing to have so many quirks to deal with from hereon:

*I am exhausted half the time and the other half I'm just plain tired. Although I can't complain about not sleeping well because at least these past couple nights I've slept pretty well, I still wake up feeling like I didn't sleep enough and can hardly wait for nap time.

*I don't think I'll ever understand why prenatal vitamins are so huge! Don't they realize that pregnant women (me, more than anyone else!) tend to have an over sensitive gag reflex? Why do they intend for us to swallow such large pills?

*Another thing that strikes me about pregnancy is the mood swings. I can be bawling my eyes out one minute after just having read some silly magazine article. Fast forward a couple minutes and I am about ready to throw the phone against the wall because I can't call Guatemala! I mean, really... I feel these surges of emotion that I never thought possible in me.

*I can't possibly tolerate Paula Abdul! I don't know the woman, she never did anything to me, yet I can't stand her! So we watch American Idol after-the-fact so I can ask Ben to fast forward any time she has to speak.

*My friends have been looking at me funny when they realize that I will put pineapple in my salad when available. I soak the salad with balsamic vinagrette and generously sprinkle it with salt... what can I say!

*I can't stand water unless it has some kind of flavor to it. Hence my water pitcher in the fridge with lemon slices to encourage me to drink some water through the day.

Those are just a few of the quirks I find myself fighting during this season. Some of them are funny, some of them not so funny and I do have to keep myself in constant check to make sure I don't hurt feelings or find just about any reason to be offended or angry at something or someone. Very interesting, I think.

Tah-dah!!!!

Look how much s/he's changed in only 4 weeks!!!

Here, the baby seemed to be looking straight at us!

For those who may be a little challenged by ultrasound images
(aka Josue...)

Some more explanation of details