She

...is reaching for toys already. She has discovered her hands! Can you believe it? My little Adriana is 3 months old!

 

Home

Finally, it feels like we're stopping at home. We haven't gone too far for too long, but we've gone so much it certainly feels like an awful lot of time. And so, we try and pick up where we left:

*Christmas cards are here! We order them so early so as to make sure we can timely send those that are headed to Guatemala.

*Elena is now sleeping in her very own bedroom!!! And to add to the success, she is sleeping in her very own toddler bed!

*I had the best sleep last night than I had had in a while. I was in bed by 10.30 (unheard of in this house!), Adriana slept well in her basket until about 3 a.m. when she nursed and very satisfied (to my surprise) stayed back in the basket until around 5.30!! And Elena didn't fall off her little bed or woke up until 6.45 a.m.! So, it is 8.30 a.m. and we are all dressed and have already eaten breakfast!

*Yesterday we walked out of church with a new car seat for Adriana, a bag of clothes for Elena and a sleeper couch (well, this one we still have to go pick up but it was offered to us at church)! I am a very happy wife as I look forward to upgrading our furniture a bit. When we got married we kept an old couch Ben had gotten from someone a while back. It is big and comfy, but rather old and dirty and it's not in so great shape anymore. In moving downstairs we inherited Grandma L's couch that had been sitting at Mom and Dad L's who kindly passed it on to us. However, we were still looking forward to get a sleeper as we were looking ahead at having my family come spend Christmas with us (and all the guests we receive throughout the rest of the year!)... now we have it! As for my family coming for the Holidays, well we're not sure anymore, but, that's another story and I'll share it with you later.

Transformations

So, I know it isn't so clear, but this is the BEFORE picture (you know, back a few months ago when this room was our living room).












and this is the AFTER picture (pardon the blue tape still on the trim). As you may recall (or not), this is becoming our girls' bedroom. Sooo exciting!!!!






 

Here I am...

Exhausted from a very busy and long week but looking forward to the rest of this season as we now figure out life with two babes on our own. Now that the eager arms of "Pita" (long story, but that's what Elena calls my mom) we are trying to discover new distractions to keep our little ones entertained while life needs to happen. If you must know, I am only able to sit here for a few minutes now because Adriana finally fell asleep on the carrier where I'm holding her and Elena is enjoying her "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". I could fill this post with all the little details of the days that have past, which are many, but I don't want to bore you so I'll just say that we have been reminded afresh of God's personal and intimate care for each one of us. Not only have we seen Him work miracles as my brother, Josue, was returning from a missions trip to Europe (another long story that I'll share some other time), but in the midst of all this busy-ness. After a very emotional Monday and Tuesday I really, really wanted to get prayer during ministry time. It was one of those times when I couldn't really sit through the message because of two exhausted little girls who needed a break and my only request to the Lord at that point was "I am just hungry to be hungry". But so it happened that my husband had the same urgency for prayer and we both came up together. It turned out that God gave us such an amazing word that came in such a timely fashion. God spoke of so many things that brought refreshment and encouragement to our hearts. He is so intimate and so personal! I can't say it enough. I hate to leave you with nothing but ramblings about these past few days but it just so happens that that's exactly how I feel right now... I feel I'm just rambling through it all, but as I sort things out I'll be back and try to share something more substantial.

Dedication

It was Adriana's dedication, but Elena managed to charm the audience (and cameras)... Adriana didn't mind though!

Our little family as Pastor Jim prepared to pray for us.
Adriana didn't really like the whole thing... there was only one thing she was interested in: eating!
but we still enjoyed it all! 

The gift of interpreting

Those pics. I posted yesterday are not showing on my blog... Go figure! Here I was so happy thinking you'd see them and alas this thing is throwing fits at me again! Oh well, I'll give it a try on another day that finds me more patient =0)

As to my title... these are the days when I feel as though I desperately need the gift of interpreting tongues as my sweet little girl comes up with a new word each day. You know, she enrolls in these ellaborate convesations that make her look so cute but unless you have followed every single one of her little steps you probably will have no clue as to what she's talking about. Then add to that the "bilingual" element and you first have to try and figure out the language and then what she might be trying to say. It is so comical! Especially when she has been gifted with both her parents' ability to talk anyone's ears off! How amazing to see her evolve into this little person who has stories to tell and questions to ask! And I can only pray that I am perceptive enough to know what she means!

where we've been and where we're going

• We dedicated Adriana on Sunday at church and decided to "kill two birds with one stone" and although our "house" is still far from perfect we had an Open House after church. It was amazing!!! It was the first time we hosted SO MANY people in OUR VERY OWN house! I loved it! We are still exhausted, especially because the days of food preping began around Wednesday considering the very little times I get to do these kinds of chores. Between the daily to-do's, baby feeding times and the attention that Elena requires, unless I cook from 10 p.m. till midnight, nothing really would've gotten done. We had fun though, I really like having people over.
• We don't really live close enough to our "shopping" places to run to the store at any time, so we do our shopping every other Monday. Yesterday was our shopping day and we also met with our friends, the Falcos who tagged along with us to a few different stores. We are so grateful for their friendship! It is really so good to just "hang" knowing there are absolutely no expectations but that of being yourselves as tired or sick as you may feel =0) We love them!
• At church, we're getting ready for a weekend of special meetings. This morning we had a prayer meeting which will be followed by more tonight, tomorrow morning and tomorrow night.
• After that, on Thursday, we will take my mom for a foliage drive around the Adirondacks as she has never seen the beauty of the fall in full "bloom". That is pretty much our last real outing so we are kind of doing her "send-off" day. We'll start with breakfast at a nice diner about an hour from here, then a couple hours of driving up into the mountains, maybe a picnic up there and then we'll head back home for a special dinner.
• The weekend will have us busy with morning and evening meetings that will go up until Wednesday, so in the middle of those meetings we'll say good by to my Mom and start praying for their making it up this way for Christmas.
• Here are some pics. of the dedication...

Take my moments

"Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee."

My moments and my days... all that came to mind was the numerous times we've been addressing "obedience" issues with Elena and those little battles that I know I need to win but feel extremely tired and overwhelmed to do it. Oh how we need Him!!!

My mom leaves a week from tomorrow, I am nervous and anxious as I look ahead at not having her help around. I am going to miss her help and how wonderful it has been to walk away from the little messes of everyday life only to have them "magically" disappear! She has helped us so much! But more than anything I'm sad because I will miss her, her company, and her friendship.

Projects ahead and behind

Today the "cable guy" comes to set the downstairs up for our computer, TV and phone. That should free up the girls bedroom-to-be and we'll start working on it. Of course, my mom and Ben worked late last night and early this morning to finish painting the room where we're setting all that up. The only problem is that I like the way that room looks much, much better than our living room and am trying to convince Ben of painting it the same colors soon! He is good to me. Our past few nights have been rather long... we are fighting colds, even little Adriana is all stuffed up! Oh well! The days are looking beautiful outside and next week we'll take my mom for a "leaf-watching" drive as she has never seen the fall before. I have so much more to write, but hardly any time or energy, so pray for us, bear with me and don't forget me!

2 months

Adriana is two months old today. Our day began at 4.30 a.m. when two little girls woke up. The "littlest" was happy to nurse and snuggle to go back to sleep while the other one was "done" sleeping. She had her cup of milk and we kept her in bed with us to no avail. Needless to say, she needed more sleep than she got last night (as it seems we all did!). We spent the morning visiting cousins, then we ran errands and didn't make it home until about 3.30 p.m. We were all spent! Want to guess what we did the rest of the afternoon? NAP!!

Ben couldn't resist the "moment"
(notice Elena's "bee-bee" napping with us)

Let photos do for the moment...

*Edit*

When and how did this happen? They are growing so quickly!!! Just about a week and a half ago Elena's fingertips would barely brush the banister of our staris. She couldn't even dream of turning the shower "on". Yesterday I was coming downstais with her and was speechless to see her hold on to the banister without any difficulty. Later on I was giving her a bath and while I turned to get the soap I heard the water running again! Every day she attempts new words that make us guess and scratch our heads while we figure out what she's trying to say. In the meantime, Adriana is happily smiling back at us and starting to "coo" (sp?). I'm afraid to blink and miss something!

I don't really have time to post, so enjoy this pics. while I get back on track!

We learned how to use the fork and knife...

the challenge now is to transfer this wonderful skill

to the table at meal times!

Grateful!

• Grateful for the freedom of worshipping without fear.
• Grateful for having enjoyed amazingly perfect weather for 28 years of my life.
• Grateful for having grown up wrapped in the colors and beauty of Spring.
• Grateful for all the history that paved the way for the establishment of my family and my life.
• Grateful for a country that though not perfect was the wonderful setting of my childhood and part of my adult life.
• Grateful for 185 years of independence!

Can it get any worse?

• Kept reminding myself of a specific date to remember a birthday... the day came and went and I never realized what date it was! So technically, I forgot the birthday!
• Kept telling myself to send a card to a young mother from church that I hadn't seen since before Adriana was born. I wanted to send a note of encouragement to let her know she was in my heart. Sure enough, I stumbled upon her in town!
• Going over all my "decorative" stuff that was put away while I had room to display it I found a wedding gift I was supposed to have sent a year ago!!!
• I still have sitting in my room some souvenirs I brought from Guatemala in January, I haven't mailed them...
• I can't figure out how to make the sewing machine work and now I have all the unfinished nursing blankets I started. These were intended as gifts and some for myself.

Instead of being on top of things I sometimes think things are on top of me! Is it possible to forget something else?

On another note, I am excited to know that very dear friends of ours are expecting their second baby!

A Milestone?

It is public knowledge that I am no baker. It wasn´t exactly a part of my life growing up. I learned how to cook, but save for a couple of cakes here and there that was it. I also come from a home of very picky eaters and where dessert was very rarely on our table. Of course, I married someone who likes to have dessert and I live in a world where everybody bakes for everything. So soon after getting married I was determined: I shall conquer baking! Out of embarrassment I won´t tell you how many batches of cookies have remained uneaten in our home but today I mastered my first batch of brownies made from scratch! I can´t tell you how thrilled I was when we tried them and they actually tasted good! I know, it is silly... but I am happy!

Pics. from camping trip

Bannon and Elena, she took to trying to imitate what he did.

The Moores

My tired girl

Two little cousins playing together

wearing the matching fleeces their "Maama" gave them

Pheww!!

Long fun days! Last week we had some family vacation time and went here for a couple days. We "camped" on their cabins with Dad and Mom L. who hosted us in their cabin and with her family who were staying in the next cabin. Then on Friday, we joined our youth group on their outing here. Of course, my mom and I just walked around at our own pace and took Elena to the kiddie rides that she could do, while all of the big guys (my husband included b/c he was one of the chaperones) did all the fast and exciting rides. The whole week was a very welcomed break from the non-routine we have been having, especially because it just happened to be my 6th week after having Adriana. Now, I have been very, very spoiled! My mom has been here really watching over me and making me take it easy these 6 weeks. The way I see it, this past week was the best way to close my "forced vacation". Now I look ahead at a very long list of projects I want to get done but the good news is I can do it myself! I am not required to lay low and take it easy anymore. So hopefully by the end of this week the two apartments will be finally "integrated" and we´ll be completely "spread" out through both floors in more of a house fashion. Home will feel like home!

Final good bys

First of all, before I forget: to all those who have spaces on MSN, the new changes they´ve done to the sites don´t let me leave comments, but do know that I´ve read you and once I figure out how to post comments again I´ll be letting you know.
I can´t tell you just how many times I´ve sat and began writing to be cut short by a baby who wants to nurse again or a little girl that demands my attention, so I´d better be quick this time!

Moving here I find myself constantly coming to terms with the fact that there will be many loved ones and acquaintances that I´ve left behind whom I´ll probably never see again. No final good bys, no seeing them pass on from this life. It is hard... it was hard when I´ve heard about two of my primary school teachers who passed away within a week or so from each other though I hadn´t seen them in years. It was even harder these past few weeks as we waited to hear about my 93-year-old grandmother who has been dealing with pneumonia and going in and out of critical moments that we´ve all thought could´ve been the last. She´s much better now I´m told. But today what lingers in my heart is how hard it is to show my love and support to those left behind by their loved ones.

The mother of a dear uncle passed away yesterday... my brother was kind enough to call us once he got to the funeral home and both my mom and I were able to talk to him. But how do you attempt to bring comfort to someone who can´t see you? How and what do you say when usually it is the warmth of the embrace that soothes? I know he knows we love him. I know he knows we´d be by his side if we could yet we are left with the coldness of a crackling telephone connection that won´t let us see into each other´s eyes or hold in a silent embrace that would speak so much more than words... that is one I didn´t see coming and my how tough it is!!

My little girls

Three + weeks...

It has been a bit over three weeks since we got home. Some days I feel full of energy and projects and ready to take on this place and finally make it "home", some other days I would be the happiest just sleeping! I don't think I'm loosing more sleep than I lost with Elena, the big difference is that I can't bring myself to "sleep when my baby sleeps" as I did the first time around because I have a darling little girl who needs me too and I rather be awake for her than missing out on her day because of catching some z's. So, here I am... trying to make the best of what I have before me, living one day at a time.

On my days of energy nothing seems to phase me, on my tired days anything and everything can. One of the things I find myself dealing with this time is the usual question posed, mostly by strangers: "Is she a good baby?" What is one supposed to answer? "oh, no... she's awful, she wakes me up when I'd like to sleep" Are you kidding me? A baby does what a baby is supposed to do... some sleep a little longer, some cry a little less but I do not think you can label them of "good" or "bad" because of that. Now, I know there is probably nothing ill meant by the question, but it really gets to me... some days more than others. At any rate, regardless how little sleep I may get, regardless how long my baby may cry and regardless how little my babies like slings, swings, carriers and any other contraption designed to hold them while mom does something else, I always think they are a wonderful, awesome blessing and I never grow tired of admiring and loving them... I think I'm biased!

Another before & after

Before...


After... (notice we moved the fridge)
Another angle from the kitchen... (this is were the fridge was originally)
Pardon the mess... we´re still working but you can appreciate the major changes!

We're still here...

Life is busy yet I'm still "required" to lie low, so all my "to do's" are being accomplished at an amazingly slow pace. I'm not complaining though... I know it is just a season and it will be over sooner than later and I really want to enjoy my newborn!

The kitchen is almost finished. At least everything has been moved down and our meals are being had there. We still need to work on the organizing of everything in and around it and finishing touches to make it feel "mine" but that will probably take a bit of time. One or two details a day is all I have managed so far but I'm happy. I'll post before and after pics soon.

Elena's bangs were getting into her eyes again... I braced myself and came to terms with the fact that we won't be able to have someone experienced, let alone professional, take care of it. So yesterday before giving her a bath I thought I'd try to trim it myself. After all, how hard could it be if I stuck to just trimming very, very little to get it off her eyes. Got myself a pair of sharp scissors (or so I thought), combed her wet bangs and got to it... except I forgot my sweet girl is no lifeless doll and she moved at the wrong time. Well, now my little toddler's bangs are ridiculously short, I feel so badly!!! Oh well, live and learn... if you see her, please don't comment on her bangs, I feel so awful and am still so emotional that you might see me burst into tears at any comment... he,he,he...

Hole in the wall!!

This is one I never thought I´d be happy to say: "We have a hole in the wall!!! Hooray!!"

If you could visualize this, you are standing in front of the "hole in the wall" that connects now the downstairs apartment to the upstairs we´ve been living in. It leads into the main bedroom of the apartment, which we will obviously be loosing but have a vision to turn into a dining room some time in the future. From this standpoint, our main entrance would be to your left and the stairs to go upstairs would be to your right.

And this:

is our very own back porch!!! Hopefully tomorrow we´ll have a "cleaning day" with some wonderful friends who´ll come and help us and if everything goes well, we may be moving the kitchen down as well. That will free up space up here amazingly and will also keep this apartment so much cooler.

We are a happy bunch!

Pics.

Sunday morning...

We went to church this morning. It seemed to me as the most natural thing to do until I was getting off the car and received this comment from a gentleman: "Are you kidding me? You just had a baby!" then he said, "when we had babies my wife would be completely off her feet for over a week or so!" Since I wasn´t planning on engaging in a physical activity per se, I hadn´t seen the need to stay home. Going to church, in my book, engages you in a spiritual activity more than anything. Of course, there are physical expressions that, more likely than not, will accompany your worship and your participation in service, but those aren´t mandatory and you may do without them if you must. I had the choice between sitting in my living room couch by myself this morning lamenting how little I slept last night and having my own pity party or sitting in the sanctuary surrounding myself with worship and the Word. My options made it easy.

Now, I understand that there are times when you absolutely need to stay home and I don´t intend to bring about any condemnation upon those who feel they must stay home at times when I would chose the opposite. We are all "wired" differently, even in the spiritual. In my own personal experience, church is always the last thing I "drop". It is not because I am the Assoc. Pastor´s wife, it is because I benefit from church. Throughout my life, even when I was "just one more face" in a crowd of thousands I have always been ministered to in the corporate setting. God has always spoken to me personally and directly through the Word preached from the altar. I have always found release, healing, and victory through corporate worship. I have witnessed the power of corporate prayer. I have been nurtured spiritually through the Word. During the most difficult and challenging times in my life, I have found God in church. I can still find Him at home, but there is something powerful about the congregation... about meeting with the faithful and pressing into the presence of God together.

So, on a day like today when I finally managed to go to sleep at 6.00 a.m., nursed all night long, and ended up with two little ones on the bed with us in order to be able to sleep a little after 6 the last thing my body wants to do is get up, get ready and get going. But on a day like today when I am so much more vulnerable than ever to find reasons to feel sorry for myself, church will be the very last thing I´ll drop! In the altar I was refreshed, worship reminded me that I am so very blessed and the Word encouraged me to find the rest of the Lord!

Another quick one...

Let's see... it has been exactly one week and I could write very long about my week but I'll summarize it for you in a few highlights and pics.

• Came home on Monday

• Have enjoyed the most wonderful variety of fabulous meals. What a blessing to have a church family!

• Tuesday, while enjoying a great dinner we were all sitting at the table. Most of us eating and one tiny one nursing =0) Ben was opening the bottle of hot sauce to add to his meal and when he opened the bottle it shot a squirt of hot sauce straight in Elena's face. Now, luckily it was on the side of her head, part of her cheek and her ear, but knowing how hot that sauce was chaos broke loose! I had a nursing baby on my lap and couldn't really move fast enough; my mom was trapped between the table and the wall so her reaction was hindered as well. Ben rushed to get her and tried to start cleaning it off in the kitchen sink. The whole thing got Elena startled and, sure enough, she rubbed her eye! Next thing you know, nursing baby was quickly released into "Pita's" (Elena's name for my mom) arms and Papi and Elena were under the shower as we tried to flush the stuff off her eye. It was quite an ordeal but we calmed her (and ourselves) down and the meal was too good to not go back to it (thanks Maureen!).

• I feel like I've been nursing 23 hours a day and only managed 10 minutes of sleep!

• Elena is so sweet to her little sister! We are so blessed to see such a loving attitude towards her as so many changes have been happening. It is so wonderful to see them together and realize how much Elena has grown and now fills the hat of "big sister".

• Today, our downstairs apartment has been vacated and we are ready to move in! Tomorrow I'll walk the place writing a list of all the cleaning that needs to be done and hopefully recruit the help of some friends who have kindly offered their time for a cleaning day this week. Ben has begun to evaluate the opening of the wall/doorway to connect both apartments and we are looking forward to moving our living areas down there ASAP... it is so much cooler down there and just having the added space will also give us a sense of freshness and feel most definitely cooler!

Off to try to get some rest! Once again, I´m having problems with the posting of pics. I don´t know why, but my time here now is too limited to try to figure it out... sorry, I´ll try again later!

A new family...

We are home! After the longest imaginable "first stage" of labor, the rest of it went pretty quickly. We arrived at the hospital with contractions every 3 to 5 minutes at 4 p.m. By 6 p.m. I didn´t want to leave the tub as contractions were almost a minute apart. Now considering my first experience (8 hours of "transition"), that didn´t necessarily stroke me as good news. However, our nurse came in with the news that my doctor was there and was offering to examine me and, if everything was ok, go ahead and break my water. Everything was good and perfect, water was broken at around 7 p.m. and Adriana saw the light at 7.30 p.m.! I´ll post more later but thought you might enjoy a few more pics.

First pictures as a Family...

I meant to post more pics. but, as it is, it has already taken me a day to manage to upload these two... Sorry... will try later!

She has arrived!

Adriana Hope Levendusky
7/22/2006
7 pounds, 4 ounces
18.5 inches

All is well with mom and baby!

- Ben

Not here yet...

Our baby, that is... as you all know, my due date was on Monday and we're still counting days. I'm at peace, though, at least as much as I can be considering how hard it is to live normal life with such an impending event! But I am learning and eager to "walk the line". I'm not trying to undermine the challenges of being "in-labor-but-not-really". I can't deny the challenges of having contractions on and off and wondering if this "bout" of contractions will finally kick things into high gear and going to bed just to wake up later and realize that "we're still here". However, I don't want to walk through this aimless and hopelessly feeling sorry for myself and the overall discomfort I face. I know that He has a reason for everything and I so much want to grasp everything there is in this process to draw me closer to Him. I have learned so much of His love through the love of those around me from my husband and my mom to everyone at church. Everyone has been so gracious and supportive. We haven't had to cook a meal for the past couple days as people are already bringing us food. As eager as I am to meet this little person I don't want to rush the process God is using to make me grow. I will continue to update you as I am able to do and soon enough you'll hear the news!

News reports

This will most surely be my last posting until after the baby is born. I will be 40 weeks tomorrow and I can definitely tell that things will "kick in" sooner than later though, as you may know, there is no telling exactly when. So our bags are packed and we´re ready to go but we are making the most of the last moments/days of this pregnancy as well.

Friday night, my mom and I were settling for a night of P&P and Ben was leaving for youth group. About five minutes after he had gone, I heard him coming back up the stairs carrying something... Much to our delight, this is what had just been delivered:

We were thrilled! Thank you, you, and you! What a wonderful and precious gift to bless this baby with! I love you!

It turns out that all the time I had been going on and on about not having yet a bassinet, my husband was in on the surprise and this moses basket was being expected! Now we are indeed ready for this baby to come!

To add to our news, our downstairs neighbors have found an apartment to move into and will be moved out by Aug. 01. Now, I was hoping to have this happened before the baby came, but once we knew it was going to take them a bit longer I had resigned myself to the idea of not having the apartament available until after mid August.

Now, as I said earlier, I won´t be posting anymore until our new baby comes. Please keep us in your prayers as it could be anything from a few hours to a few days for the arrival! I will try to post as soon as we have news!

One more week

We've made it one more week. My mom arrives tonight and I'm happy and excited. It will be hard to be all crammed up in this little apartment but we will make it work. Our downstairs neighbors haven't found a place to move yet so in a week or two it will be five of us in this little space. My gracious husband has been so understanding of my culture, our need of proximity and the loss of privacy that comes with the territory! I know for a fact not everyone would understand, let alone appreciate having their mother-in-law move in for such extended periods of time. Guatemalan people don't know about doulas, it is usually customary for one of the mothers to move in with the new family to help with the new baby and all the household tasks. When this doesn't happen, it is usually because they live close enough to each other that mom shows up on a daily basis. Blending in the privacy of my husband's culture with the lack thereof of mine has been interesting. But as many other things we have faced in creating our own "home" culture we work at it one day at a time and understand that God is in the midst of the making of our home.

At any rate, we will continue to keep you posted about our new little Levendusky timely!

Quick Update

For those of you whose only means of information about our family is this space in the web and who are wondering about us, let me update you: we don't have a baby yet, I am still very pregnant and we expect to stay like this for at least one more week. My due date is not until the 17th and the doctor has warned me not to be surprised if we go a couple days later because all along this baby seems to be smaller than their "age". We are happily enjoying these last few days. VBS is obviously over, the Mexico team is half way through their trip and my mom is expected to arrive on Monday night. Some pics. for your enjoyment (hopefully)

*********

Para aquéllos cuyo único medio de información de nuestra familia es este espacio en la red y que se están preguntando cómo estamos, déjenme actualizarlos: todavía no tenemos bebé, todavía estoy esperando y "esperamos" permanecer asi por lo menos una semana más. Mi fecha estimada para dar a luz es el 17 y el doctor me ha advertido no sorprenderme si nos pasamos un par de días porque este/a bebé parece estar un poco más pequeño que su "edad". Estamos felizmente disfrutando de estos últimos días. Obviamente la Escuela Bíblica de Vacaciones ya termino, el equipo que viajó a México está a medio viaje y mi mamá viene el lunes en la noche. Le pongo unas fotos para que disfruten (ojalá)

Our little girl...

Nuestra niñita...

This is our doctor...

Este es nuestro doctor...

My husband as he was dressed up as a firefighter during VBS...

Mi esposo vestido de bombero para la escuela de vacaciones...

In the process of being dressed up...

En el proceso de disfrazarlo...

38 weeks pregnant...

38 semanas de embarazo...

En la recta final... (Please scroll down for English)

Estamos en plena Escuela Bíblica de Vacaciones y ha sido todo un éxito pero demanda mucho de nosotros. No estoy involucrada de manera que requiera que esté allí todo el tiempo, pero Ben si tiene que estar allí todo el tiempo y si nosotras no nos le pegamos y tratamos de estar donde él esté casi no lo vemos. Asi que tratamos de mantener el ritmo con él tanto como podemos dado que estoy en la semana 37 de este embarazo. Aunque no hay razón alguna para pensar que voy a tener al bebé antes de tiempo, puedo sentir que mi cuerpo se está preparando para el trabajo de parto. Asi que hoy, Elena y yo nos perdimos de la Escuelita y nos quedamos en casa a "descansar". Mientras hice todo intento posible de ignorar todo lo que había que hacer para poder descansar estuve pensando en el inminente acontecimiento. No puedo decir que estoy ansiosa de llegar a la hora del parto (es decir del trabajo de parto en sí mismo)... Estoy MUY ansiosa de conocer a esta personita, de averiguar si es niño o niña, ver su carita, tenerlo/a en mis brazos y recibirlo/a en nuestras vidas. Sin embargo el trabajo de parto es esa "zona nebulosa" que debo atravesar para poder llegar a tan deseado evento y mientras mi cuerpo se empieza a preparar para enfrentarlo me doy cuenta de que mi espíritu y mi corazón también necesitan estar listos. Mi cuerpo sabe por instinto qué hacer y lo hará con o sin mi ayuda, pero ese no es el caso con mi corazón y mi espíritu. A esos los tengo que preparar yo misma.

No tengo manera de controlar las circunstancias del trabajo de parto, es decir cuánto tiempo dure, cuándo empiece, etc. He aprendido que esas cosas están más allá de mi control y que mi Padre no permitirá en mi vida algo que no vaya a obrar para bien. Lo que sí puedo controlar es mi actitud... mi corazón y mi espíritu están sujetos a mí y a lo que yo escoja que los influya. La intensidad del dolor, la duración de las etapas, la hora a la que vaya al hospital y todos esos factores no tienen que determinar si tengo un trabajo de parto "bueno" o "malo". Ni siquiera deberían intimidarme o ponerme nerviosa o ansiosa. Viendo las cosas desde una perspectiva más grande hay tanto más que los días u horas que tendré que atravesar para permitir que esta pequeña vida vea la luz. De hecho, la Escuelita de Vacaciones me ha estado ayudando, aunque no lo crean... estos son los versículos de cada día:

• Lunes: "Asi que, como tenemos tal esperanza, actuamos con plena confianza." (2 Cor. 3:12) Pablo está hablando sobre nuestra esperanza de la gloria del Nuevo Pacto en comparación con la gloria del anterior. Permítanme, por favor, algo de libertad para aplicarlo en mi beneficio: Traer a un nuevo ser al mundo es un evento glorioso, sin embargo palidece ante la gloria del sacrificio perfecto que me ha dado vida eterna. Mi esperanza es en Él, en la vida gloriosa que Él me da y no puedo siquiera empezar a imaginarme lo que Él tuvo que sufrir para que yo tuviera esa vida. A la luz de eso, ¿cómo puede ser mi trabajo de parto intolerable? ¿Cómo puede mi "sacrificio" para dar a luz y luego nutrir a este bebé durante noches y días interminables siquiera compararse con Su máximo sacrificio por mí? ¡Debo tener plena confianza porque tengo tal esperanza!
• Martes: "Dios hacía milagros extraordinarios por medio de Pablo" (Hechos 19:11) Mi Dios es el mismo Dios que Pablo tenía y Él ha escogido hacer un milargo extraordinario a través de estas vasijas. ¡Dios permitió que Su poder creador se ejerciera a través nuestro para traer una nueva vida! Él es el creador de la vida y solamente Él sabe por qué el proceso puede ser tan insoportable pero, ¡yo sé que Él sabe mucho más que yo y está haciendo un milagro extraordinario a través mío!
• Miércoles: "El Dios al que servimos puede librarnos." (Daniel 3:17) Una vez más, Él se asegurará de que logre hacerlo, independientemente de cuán largo sea el proceso.

La semana todavía no se termina y a mí todavía me quedan unas cuantas semanas más de embarazo, pero si Él me ama (yo sé que sí me ama) y si creo que Él nos da la gracia que necesitamos para cada día (cosa que creo con todo mi corazón) entonces, ¡sólo me queda no perder mi enfoque!

The Last Stretch

We´re in the middle of VBS and it has been very successful, but it is very demanding. I am not involved in a way that requires me to be there all the time, but it does demand a lot of time from Ben and if we don´t tag along and try to be where he is we barely see him. So we try to keep up as much as we can given that I am on the 37th week of this pregnancy. Though there is no indication that I may go early, I can tell my body is gearing up for labor. So today, Elena and I missed VBS and stayed home to "rest". As I purposedly ignored all that needed to be done so I could actually get some rest I kept thinking about the imminent event. I can´t say I am looking forward to it ("it" being labor in and of itself)... I AM very much looking forward to meeting this little person, finding out whether it´s a boy or a girl, seeing their little face, holding them and welcoming them into our lives. Yet labor is that "twilight zone" I must go through to get to the desired event and as my body starts warming up for it I realize my spirit and my heart need to be ready as well. Now, my body instinctively knows what to do and will do it with or without my prompting but that is not the case with my heart and spirit. Those I do need to prompt and prepare myself.

I have no way of controlling the circumstances of labor, that is, how long it will be, when it will start, etc. I have learned that those things are beyond my control and that my Father will not allow in my life something that will not work for good. What I can control though is my attitude towards it... my heart and my spirit are subject to me and whatever I choose to let them be influenced by. The intensity of the pain, the length of the stages, the time I go to the hospital and all those factors do not have to determine if I have a "good" or "bad" labor. They shouldn´t even intimidate me or make me nervous or anxious about it. In the greater scheme of things there is so much more than the days or hours I will have to endure to allow this little life to see the light. Actually, VBS has been helping me, believe it or not... these have been the daily verses for VBS:

• Monday: "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold." (2 Cor. 3:12) Paul is talking about our hope for the glory of the new covenant in comparison to the glory of the previous one. Please, allow me some freedom in applying it to my own benefit: Bringing a new being into this world is a glorious event yet it fades away in the glory of the perfect sacrifice that brought me everlasting life. My hope is in Him, in the glorious life He gives me and I can´t even begin to imagine what He endured for me to have such life. In that light, can my labor be too unbearable? Can my "sacrifice" in giving birth and then mothering this baby through endless days and nights remotely begin to compare to His ultimate sacrifice for me? I must be bold for I have such a hope!
• Tuesday: "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul" (Acts 19:11) My God is the same God that Paul had and He has chosen to perform an extraordinary miracle through these vessels. He allowed for His creative power to be executed through us to bring about a life! He is the creator of life and He only knows why the process can be so excrutiating but I know that He does know so much more than I do and He is doing an extraordinary micracle through me!
• Wednesday: "The God we serve is able to save us, and He will rescue us" (Daniel 3:17) Once again, He WILL see me through, regardless of how long the process!

The week is not over and I still have a few more weeks to go, but if He loves me (which I know He does) and if I believe that He gives us grace for each day (which I do believe) then I just need to stay focused!

pictures

Check out our flickr for new pics.

Revisen nuestro sitio en flickr para ver fotos recientes.

Feet

Ben took Elena for a walk yesterday as he has been doing lately. We put her on the back pack carrier we got him for father's day and they walk up to Mom and Dad L's. Once they get there they call me and I go pick them up. We visit with them for a little while and then we come back home. Don't ask me why, I didn't put any shoes on her yesterday. I guess because I wasn't expecting her to walk herself but just to ride along her Papi's back. Long story short, once at Mom and Dad's she wanted to go outside and play. It may not be a big deal to the normal, regular, northern New Yorker but as it turns out it is a dilemma for me. Since I want to bless my daughter and there was no justified reason to keep her from enjoying the outdoors I allowed her to go out on her bare little feet and she had a blast, but as we were wiping her feet to strap her back in the van and get going I began to think about my peeve. Dirty feet bother me. It's that simple.

As a little girl I would long to get muddy and dirty but would never handle to stay like that for too long. Soon after the fun was over I'd head into the house and either shower or wash my feet. You will hardly ever find me walking barefeet even in my own apartament. I can't stand dust or dirt, wet or dry and I most definitely can't walk on grass. Consequently, my family's feet need to follow my own personal standards.

Be it because I am a "city girl" or because I am a Guatemalan or simply because I am particular about certain things (say OCD), for as long as I remember feet speak about their "bearer" as do hands and overall appearance. For some reason dirty feet have always spoken to me about negligence, carelessness and even a lack of self respect. Relax, though, before you start thinking that every time I see you I'm trying to judge your feet... I've come a long way. First of all I know that now I live in the country and everything is more laid back, and then, even if it weren't it is none of my business to decide what kind of person you are because you happen to have enjoyed feeling the grass between your toes! It would be as unfair as you expecting me to do it just because you do. At any rate, all that to say I would never stop my children from enjoying their environment just because of a foolish peeve, but I will make sure those little feet are clean as immediately as possible!

******************

Ben llevó a Elena en su caminata como ha estado haciéndolo últimamente. La ponemos en el cargador-mochila que le regalamos para el día del Padre y se van caminando hasta la casa de mis suegros. Una vez allí, me llaman y yo voy a recogerlos. Visitamos a mis suegros unos minutos y luego volvemos a casa. No me pregunten por qué, pero ayer no le puse zapatos a Elena. Supongo que porque ella no iba a caminar sino sólo a dar el paseo en la espalda de Papi. Para no hacer muy larga la historia, una vez donde mis suegros ella quería salir a jugar afuera. Para el neoyorquino del norte común y corriente esto no es fuera de lo común pero sí resulta ser un dilema para mí. Dado que quería bendecir a mi hija y que no tenía una razón justificada para no permitirle salir a jugar, le permití salir a jugar con sus piecitos descalzos y ella se lo disfrutó al máximo pero mientras le limpiábamos los pies para meterla al carro me puse a pensar en la razón de mi molestia. Los pies sucios me molestan. Es así de simple.

De pequeña anhelaba meterme en el lodo y en charcos pero nunca aguanté estar así mucho tiempo. Tan pronto como se terminaba la diversión me iba a bañar o al menos a lavar los pies. Difícilmente me encontrarán caminando descalza aún en mi propio apartamento. No aguanto tener polvo o tierra, seco o mojado en los pies y definitivamente no puedo caminar sobre la grama. En consecuencia, los pies de mi familia deben seguir los mismos estándares.

Será porque soy citadina, porque soy guatemalteca o sencillamente porque soy peculiar sobre ciertas cosas (o quizás Obsesivo-compulsiva) pero desde que tengo memoria los pies hablan de sus "portadores" tanto como las manos o la apariencia en general. Por alguna razón cuando alguien tiene los pies sucios me sugiere dejadez, descuido y hasta falta de respeto hacia sí mismos. Pero no se me achicopalen, antes de que empiecen a pensar que cada vez que los veo les juzgo los pies... he madurado mucho! Primero que nada, sé que ahora vivo en un ambiente más campestre y que todo es más relajado, y de todas formas, si no fuera asi, ¡no es asunto mío decidir qué tipo de persona es cada quien porque disfruten de sentir la grama entre los dedos de los pies! Sería tan injusto de mi parte como sería que ustedes esperaran que yo disfrutara caminar descalza en la tierra sólo porque uds. lo disfrutan. De cualquier modo, luego de todo esto, no pienso detener a mis hijos de disfrutar de lo que los rodea por una tonta molestia mía, ¡pero sí me voy a asegurar de que esos piecitos se limpien inmediatamente!

Days like today...

I find that days like today are a little hard to handle for me. I get up with the idea of all the things I want to accomplish in this little space we call "home" and end up quite disappointed when I realize my plans were more ambitious than my body would perform. I find it encouraging though, to realize that I am not the only one who deals with these kinds of days as there are friends who struggle with similar situations. Yes, I am particular about the way I´d like things to look around here and it has been a while since I managed to get them that way. I like my sinks, tub and toilett to --literally--shine... no, they´re not. I like to go into a room and have it smell clean... no, they´re not. I dislike, very much to have dirty dishes in the sink, especially since that is the first thing anyone who comes in sees, more often than not there are dirty dishes in the sink, on the ctove top and on the counter. And though I find it hard to be a happy person when I haven´t accomplished to have my house looking the way I want, I am making myself learn to live with it. My list for today? It was:

• clean the living room floor
• bring the twin bed in
• run a few loads of laundry
• clean the tub
• clean the bathroom and kitchen floors
• re-organize clothes in the bedroom to bring out newborn clothes
• plus the usual daily running of the apartament
• etc.

What did I accomplish? Well, the bed is in and that would be pretty much it. My back was hurting to much to manage doing much more... oh well.

"Yapping"

There are so many things going through my mind lately and I don't seem to be able to put my thoughts in order, so bear with me while I just "yap" my way through this entry...

• It is funny how sometimes I seem to forget how good a "real" shower can be, especially at this stage of pregnancy! Twice this week Ben has been home and I have gone in the shower without having a little one toddling in the bathroom, wanting to get in with me or without having to come out quickly before she gets into trouble. Needless to say, I took a very, very, very long shower!!!
• We bought a dresser (hooray!) no bassinet yet, but as soon as we bring this dresser home I'll at least be able to start figuring out how to organize our clothes in the room and open space for the newborn clothes.
• Mom L. has offered to give us a twin bed that we will be bringing in soon to accomodate my mom who is scheduled to come on July 10th.
• I am now a "Permanent Resident" of the U.S. (I was a resident before, but under a "conditional" status). This comes as a relief because we filed the paperwork in January, as required, 90 days before my conditional status expired. However this seemed to be a longer process and not knowing exactly what it would entail, we wanted to have it out of the way before the baby came. We were notified yesterday that our paperwork has been approved and already did everything else we needed to do so I am good to go.
• We found out I would be elegible to start the naturalization process in January 2007 if we want to. The naturalization process is what one needs to do in order to become a citizen. This is a surprise because we thought all along I wouldn't be elegible until after 5 years of residency but it turns out that it is only after 3 years in my case. Still don't know if we'll do it right away, especially since it feels as though we just paid a lot of money to have to come up with another big check right away, but it is good to know we have done everything right.

I guess that about sums up some of my mind's latest ramblings...

**********************

Tengo tantas cosas en la mente últimamente y no parece que logre ordenar mis pensamientos, asi que tendrán que tenerme paciencia mientras hablo de todo un poco en este blog...

• Es gracioso que a veces se me olvida lo bueno que puede ser un buen baño, es decir, uno de verdad, especialmente a estas alturas del embarazo. Dos veces esta semana Ben estaba en casa y me he podido bañar sin tener que controlar a una niñita que está traveseando lo que encuentra en el baño, tratando de meterse en la regadera conmigo o sin tener que salirme rápido para que no se meta en problemas. ¡No hace falta decir que me tome todo el tiempo del mundo!
• Compramos un gabetero (¡yey!!!), todavía no tenemos cunita de recién nacido pero tan pronto tengamos el gabetero en casa, podré empezar a organizar la ropa de manera que pueda abrirle espacio a la ropa de recién nacido.
• Mi suegra nos ofreció una cama imperial que tiene en su casa y que estaremos ubicando para recibir a mi mamá que está por venir el 10 de julio.
• Ahora soy "Residente Permanente" de los E.U. todo este tiempo había sido "Residente Condicional". Esto viene a ser un alivio pues metimos toda la papelería como correspondía en enero, 90 días antes de que se venciera mi estatus condicional. Sin embargo este fue un proceso más largo y puesto que no sabíamos exactamente qué se requeriría, queríamos tenerlo finalizado antes de que nazca el bebé. Ayer recibimos la notificación de la aprobación de la papelería asi que de una vez hicimos lo que necesitábamos hacer para terminarlo todo de una vez.
• Nos enteramos ayer que en enero de 2007 seré elegible para echar a andar el proceso de naturalización. El proceso de naturalización es lo que uno necesita hacer si quiere hacerse ciudadano de este país. Nos sorprendió porque todo este tiempo pensamos que necesitaba ser residente 5 años antes de ser elegible, pero resulta que en mi caso sólo son tres años. No sabemos todavía si lo haremos inmediatamente pues sentimos que recién acabamos de pagar un montón de dinero por este trámite como para ahora tener que sacarnos otro cheque de la manga para este otro, pero es bueno saber que hemos hecho todo bien.

Al momento estas son todas las cosas que ocupan mi mente...

94 years!!!

With tiny little eyes that can´t see very well but have seen decades of history go by and silver threads that could tell countless stories of a lifetime she reached her 94th birthday this week. Happy Birthday Mamita!
*******
Con pequeños ojos que ya no ven bien pero que han visto pasar décadas de historia y con hilos de plata que contarían historias sin fin de toda una vida, alcanzó su cumpleaños no. 94 esta semana. ¡Feliz cumpleaños Mamita!

What do you do?

For those who don´t know, we have been looking into buying the apartment house we have been living in for the past year. It has four apartments of which we´ve been renting one of the upstairs apartments. Now, of course, one of the reasons we began looking into acquiring some property was so that we could expand and have at least one more bedroom for Elena and the new baby. We realized it was a great idea to join together two of the apartments and it just so happens that it can very conveniently be done by opening a doorway downstairs thus communicating our current upstairs apartment with one downstairs. In doing this we´ll be able to take out this kitchen, turn it into a family room and opening up the "living room" to turn into a big kids´ bedroom. Downstairs we´ll have an eat-in kitchen, a living room, bathroom and though we will be giving up a bedroom with the opening of the doorway, we still can use the space for office or sitting space and we still have a small room that we will leave for a guest room. Now all of this has looked awesome as we´ve planned and dreamed about it but as we have "gotten the ball rolling" our neighbors have been notified of the upcoming change and we have had to do the unthinkable... we needed to evict one of the downstairs apartments. And so, today my dear husband stumbled upon the neighbor in question who has been given the "heads up". Of course, we haven´t "officially" evicted them and as of now we aren´t expecting them to leave until August 01 but as excited as we are for the prospect and possibilities of expanding into the new space we feel awful for having had to ask them to leave. Please help us pray that they will soon find the most awesome and perfect abode!

****************

Para quienes no lo saben, hemos estado viendo las posibilidades de comprar esta casa en donde hemos estado alquilando un apartamento por poco más de un año. Una de las razones por las que empezamos a considerar adquirir una propiedad es la necesidad que tenemos de espacio para poder tener por lo menos un cuarto más para Elena y el bebé. Nos dimos cuenta de que era una muy buena idea juntar dos apartamentos y resulta que sale muy conveniente abrir una entrada abajo para unir nuestro apartamento y uno de los del primer piso. Al hace esto, vamos a sacar la cocina de aquí y convertir el espacio en sala familiar, y podremos convertir la "sala" de aqui en un cuarto para los niños. Abajo tendremos una cocina-comedor, sala, baño y, aunque vamos a perder un dormitorio con la apertura de esa entrada, todavía podremos usar ese espacio para una oficina o salita y nos queda un dormitorio pequeño que usaremos para visitas. Todo esto se ve fabuloso mientras lo hemos ido planeando pero al echar a andar los planes nuestros vecinos ya fueron informados de los próximos cambios y eso nos lleva a nosotros a hacer lo impensable... necesitamos desalojar uno de los apartamentos de abajo. Y es así como hoy, mi dulce esposo, se encontró con el vecino en cuestión y le tuvo que "anticipar" los planes. Por supuesto, no los hemos desalojado "oficialmente" y no esperamos que se vayan antes del 01 de agosto pero mientras nos entusiasma mucho ver las posibilidades que tendremos delante nos sentimos horriblemente de tener que sacarlos. ¡Por favor ayúdennos a orar para que ellos encuentren pronto el más fabuloso y sorprendente lugar para ellos!

Nesting?

I´m 6 weeks away from my due date and God-only-knows how far away from getting to meet this new little person. We still don´t have a few things that I´d really like to have right now, nor have we taken care of other things that I´d very much like to see taken care of sooner than later, but I am resting assured in God´s perfect timing. Yesterday we went out to shop for a few needed things and we finally found a bassinet that we liked... we didn´t buy it. Don´t ask me why, we just didn´t seem to be able to decide to buy it so we don´t have it. I´ve cleared the space for it in the room quite a few times and it inevitably gets cluttered again. I haven´t even thought of unburying from out of our closet all the newborn clothes because we don´t really have any room for them and I haven´t figured out what we will do to make it work. I know I still have a little over a month but I guess that nesting instinct is kicking in because I seem to have this urgency to get things done... even things that we hadn´t considered doing are suddenly becoming so important and urgent to me. Oh well, there will be time for all those things at some point, I´m sure!

************

Estoy más o menos a 6 semanas de mi fecha estimada de parto y sólo Dios sabe a cuánto tiempo exactamente de conocer a esta nueva personita. Todavía no tenemos unas cuantas cosas que realmente quisiera tener, tampoco hemos terminado otras tantas que quiero terminar lo más pronto posible pero estoy descansando confiada en el tiempo perfecto de Dios. Ayer fuimos a comprar unas cosas que necesitábamos y finalmente encontramos una cunita de recién nacido que nos gustó... no la compramos. No me pregunten por qué, pero por alguna razón no pudimos tomar la decisión de comprarla asi que no la tenemos. He ordenado el cuarto y desocupado el espacio donde deberá ir tantas veces e inevitablemente termina otra vez lleno de chunches. Ni siquiera he pensado en desenterrar la ropita de recién nacido de nuestro closet porque realmente no tenemos espacio para ponerla y todavía no se me ha ocurrido qué hacer para solucionarlo. Sé que todavía tengo poco más de un mes pero creo que el instinto de "anidar" me está pegando fuerte porque súbitamente tengo esta urgencia de terminar cosas... tengo urgencia hasta de hacer cosas que ni siquiera habíamos considerado pero que de repente me urge hacer. En fin... ¡No dudo que tendremos tiempo para todo eso en algún momento!

A mix?

If you combine this little boy (center, of course!)















With this little girl...






















This is the result!

What do you think?