M&M plus 2

Mommy, mommy, mommy!

2012-02-09T18:40:00.001-08:00

There are days when being a mommy is everything magical and wonderful and happy. Then there are days when you wonder how you're going to make it through the next few years until kindergarten.
Today was the latter. (lol) Ugh...

I know I can't be the only one who feels like this so I am going to be brave and put it out there for anyone else who needs a "hey, I'm right there with you" pat on the back.

"I don't even feel like a real person" is the thought that often goes through my head as I wearily put kiddo #2 down and trudge back into the kitchen to prepare an "adult" dinner. What is a real person, one might ask. Well, in my mind, a real person is someone who doesn't have a delightful tube of stretched out skin around her middle; fixes her hair more than she wears it in a ponytail; showers whenever she'd like to; doesn't constantly smell of baby drool; can hold a conversation with other adults without being constantly distracted; is still confident in her adult social skills; smells of sexy perfume(s); can go out when she wants to where she wants; listens to "her" music; is called by her first name; etc. Basically, a real person is someone who is not a mommy to small children. What is it that captures your former identity and holds it hostage, thereby negating your status as "real" person? One word--mommyhood. First, you loose your body (and only a lucky few get to have it all back). Second, you loose all free time including your nighttime sleep hours. Third, you slowly loose your social skills (or at least feel like you have). Fourth, you loose your hobbies (I used to dance! Oh it hurts my heart...) Lastly, you even loose your name (I don't even remember what my name was before "mommy"). Then one day, it hits you.... I no longer feel like a "real" person. I have been taken over by two small, albeit incredibly adorable, people. (sigh) It is on days like today where I am reminded of my lost identity that I sigh and remember that right now my biggest responsibility, my biggest calling, my biggest ministry is to raise these two precious kiddos with God's help. One day they will not need me as much as they do now. One day I will again shower, wear makeup, do my hair, wear fancy clothes, smell good, converse uninterrupted, SLEEP, and maybe (let's be really hopeful now) look close to how I did in college. Just maybe! Until then, I'll roll up my sleeves and dive back into this mommy business with a strength that I know is only from above.

Keep trudging mommies! One day we will earn our names back!

Musings and kiddos

2012-01-25T12:10:00.000-08:00

PARENTING PHILOSOPHIES

There are so many different parenting philosophies out there. Some out of fear and punishment and others based on love and acceptance. I wonder why these are separated and there isn't one combining them both? Not that I want my kiddos to ever be afraid of me, but I do believe kiddos need to have a healthy "fear"(aka. respect) for their parents. Do we not as Christians have a healthy fear of God? We know He loves us unconditionally but we are clearly told not to test Him either (Luke 4:12). In life there are consequences for poor choices so why would we want our kiddos to wait and find that out the hard way when they are older? I've often seen parents who cover over the offenses of their kiddos and/or even excuse their behavior. Then this parent wonders out loud why the child has tantrums or is defiant! If the threat of time out is only a threat and never a reality, the child will call the parent's bluff every time. Kiddos need boundaries (Proverbs 22:6) and actually appreciate the structure they set. All of that being said... it's hard to be a parent. Just the realization of the responsibility of molding and influencing a little life is overwhelming at times. Praise God for His wisdom and guidance! Heaven knows how many times I ask God to help me figure my kiddos out!

THANKS TO THE NEW TIMELINE...

I'm really bad about regrets. Anyone else? Oh, those regrets that haunt you for years . . . Thanks to the new FB timeline I got to relive some awful regrets that torment me to the point of making my stomach physically hurt. (ugh) If a time machine were ever invented I know exactly what times in life I would zap back to and fix. If only . . . Thinking about what I wish I would have known then that I know now makes me wonder--what should I be more aware of now that I'll wish in the future I would have known? This awful cycle of thoughts was only quieted by the one promise I know to be true. (Jer. 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,declares the Lord...")

I'm sure there is a reason that God has not allowed the human race to figure out time travel. Even if I did know the future, I'm sure I'd still mess it up with another decision. My only hope rests in the sovereignty of God and His guidance.

LITTLE MR AND MISS

Well, enough of my serious ponderings

Now for the kiddos....

Little Mr. is right on the verge of his half birthday. Yay! We are half way through the first year! I can not wait to be rid of bottles and diapers .... we're getting closer! Ezra is just a little snuggle bug. He is always content to be held and loves to snuggle. He is getting closer to crawling, albeit on his back. The little guy refuses to try to move forward while on his stomach. If placed on his stomach, he will flip over and push himself with his legs while on his back. It works for him! The little guy can zoom from one corner to the next rather quickly doing that! He is still working hard on sitting by himself. He can sit unsupported for a minute but will topple the minute he reaches for something to the side. He also inhales quite the bowl of baby cereal! I have never seen a baby eat so much before! Oh my little guy ... he's a chunk of snuggle love :)

Little Miss thing is bursting with personality the same as always. Her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds! It's amazing to hear how well structured her sentences are already and how quickly she picks up new words. She has recently started reading books to me for story time! I love hearing her "read" the well loved stories she has obviously memorized by now. She also recently started jumping with both feet and it is one of my favorite things to watch. Squatting down like a frog, she hops into the air and lands with a big smile to start all over again. What a spunky little princess I've been given :)

Mommy pride

2011-12-11T18:46:00.001-08:00

The quiet

One of the many miracles of having two small children is having any type of alone time. Hence, the lack of blogging. Not that I was/am the most devoted blogger anyway. Currently, I am experiencing this miracle of quiet... How wonderful it is to have both kiddos asleep at the same time, the kitchen closed for the evening and all the laundry already folded. (sigh) I am actually sitting down to do something completely unnecessary and it is not even 10 pm!
Yes, slowly but surely we are settling into a more predictable life once again. Praise God! For those that know me well, I am not a spontaneous person. I do not enjoy "going with the flow." I like predictability and I thrive on schedules. Such is not the ideal personality for life with a newborn, but with God's grace we have made it through those harrowing first few months. Believe it or not, the little guy is already 4 months old.

We have already enjoyed the milestones of increased focus, muscle coordination, laughing, smiling and today we started baby cereal. Woohoo! Currently, we are working on the "sleep through the night" milestone! Come on, Ezra! Mommy is SO ready for 8 hours! God willing, sleep training will go quicker and more smoothly this time around since we have a little bit of an idea of how to get the ball rolling.

Having two

Just as I was told by those mommies of two before me, having two really just takes time. There is no magic formula or perfect parenting tips. There has been a new little personality added to the mix and it just takes time to figure out how it all works. I have discovered that there is no one point during which having two is "easy," but there is a time frame in which life becomes more predictable. This predictability or daily pattern is what makes life feel as if it has become a bit easier. Who doesn't like being able to know what's coming next (more or less anyway)!
That second month was a killer! (whew) I do believe I cried on a daily basis during that month! Once Ezra turned 3 months, we started to turn that predictability corner. Just in time.... !!
I can now safely say that the three of us enjoy most of our days :) We still have some rough patches, but overall God is helping me figure it out a little bit more. Plus, I have a little girl who has been quite taken with her little brother...

Big sister

I can honestly say that I am SO in love with this face..

We had our rough times during her infancy but her toddler years have been my absolute favorite! I love watching her imitate life, have a "conversation" with me, dance, pray and most recently, "take care" of her little brother. She is the sweetest big sister and loves to help with Ezra. The moment she sees spit up or drool or really anything come out of his mouth, she runs to grab a burp cloth and wipes his little face. He is one of the first things she asks for in the morning and one of the last kisses she needs to give at night. The second she hears him stir from his morning nap, she wants to jump up and run into his room ( of course I have to discourage this since a lot of times he is not really awake yet, just dreaming). God has blessed me with a little girl who has a heart the size of this entire planet! We have been saying bedtime prayers since she was ity bitty, but she has just recently started to pray herself at bedtime. She blesses her friends from playgroup (and their playdough); asks for healings for those she has heard mommy and daddy talking about; and always remembers to bless her family. Elisa is my favorite toddler in the whole world and I couldn't have imagined when she was born how much I was going to love being her mommy today.

Finale

Well, I think that about wraps up this longer update.
In adult updates, Maher and I will be celebrating our third anniversary this month. Yes, that's right! Three years of marriage and 2 kiddos. We can officially check off the Biblical commandment of being fruitful and multiplying. :)

Merry Christmas and Happy new year everyone!

Next update

2011-09-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

There are those who blog well and those who don't. I apparently fall into the latter category. I so admire those who not only blog well but are such clever writers! To those of you who continue to read my updates regardless of the lack of frequent updates and entertainment, here's your newest post to enjoy...

UNDERSTATEMENT
I was warned by several moms that having two close together is hard. In particular, the first few months are REALLY hard. Yes, well, "hard" is an understatement! Elisa is such a bright, high energy little girl who is already hard to keep up. Add the challenges of a newborn and ta da, you have one extremely exhausted momma! Ezra, himself, is honestly not that challenging of a baby. Overall, he's rather mellow and just wants to snuggle all the time. What makes it so tough is that he becomes overtired because it's impossible for me to allow him a peaceful environment to sleep every two hours. Bless his heart! Plus, I constantly feel guilty about neither of my kiddos getting my full attention. Granted, I know this is impossible since I continue to be one normal, mortal person, BUT they each deserve the best of me and it pains me to feel like neither is getting it! Bottomline, yes, two close together is hard. Understatement.
To those of you moms who make this look seemless, big kudos! I strive to follow in your smooth footsteps one day!

Here's the best news... as always God provides! I have been surrounded by family who are both eager and willing to help me especially these first few months. I can't imagine being without my loved ones! It has once again given me a whole new respect for the single mom. I hope to one day be that major help for a new, overwhelmed and lonely mom whenever God gives me the opportunity!

MY FAVORITE SEASON
Fall has finally graced us with its presence! Not necessarily with the cooler temperatures and colors of the north, but at least with a high of 90 instead of 100! As always, my heart grows excited with the first official day of fall because a slew of celebrations are about to start. Three birthdays are just around the corner with Elisa's 2nd birthday rounding out the fall birthdays. Then, of course, there's the deliciousness of Thanksgiving and the excitement of Christmas! Last but not least, my wedding anniversary will mark the end of the calendar year and the end of 3 lovely years of marriage to my best friend. Bravo Fall! I am so glad you are here!

He's here!

2011-08-21T19:34:00.001-07:00

As most of you already know, Ezra arrived on Aug. 6! He was a big baby (over 9 lbs) and hard to get out of mommy's tummy! All I could hear on the other side of the curtain was how they had to continue cutting me open further to try to remove him. I felt as if they were going to completely slice me open from one hip to the other! The recovery has been a bit longer this time around probably because of that reason, but praise God I am still doing well :)

Sleep deprivation with a newborn is already hard but quite a bit harder when you have to be up to take care of your almost 2 year old the whole next day. I knew this phase was going to be hard but it's a bit more than I expected. Than again, being a mom is way harder than anyone can ever prepare for!
God has blessed me in so many ways--allowing Maher to be home for a month, having my family close by, having neighbors and friends who were so thoughtful to help out with dinners and blessing us with a little one who sleeps 3 hours at a time (usually) during the night.

I am definitely nervous about how I am ever going to handle everything by myself when Maher isn't here anymore, but I guess I'll keep reminding myself to take it one day at a time. To those of you keeping me in your prayers these first few months.... THANK YOU and please don't stop praying! :)

Final post before Ezra?!

2011-07-21T20:01:00.001-07:00

Yes, quite possibly this may be the last post in our pre-Ezra life!
We are down to 3 weeks! If he doesn't come out before, his C-section is scheduled for Aug. 11 or 12. It feels surreal that it is this close! As with Elisa, Maher will be updating facebook so be watching his status for the arrival announcement!

I had another check-up this week and was informed that I've only gained 18 lbs this pregnancy! Praise God! I definitely have been praying that He would help me manage my weight better this time around! It was such a great number to hear :)

The only unfortunate news with this pregnancy has been my lower back and hips. It was discovered that my abdominal muscles never fully healed/strengthed from Elisa's surgery so they have been doing a whole lot of nothing to help support my big belly. I have been carrying all this baby weight around with my lower back. No wonder I have had nights where I have been in so much pain that I could not move.

I did get to go to a prenatal massage during which I was informed that my lower back is in such bad shape that if I don't do some massage therapy after Ezra's birth, I may develop chronic back problems. Well then, I suppose I will just have to get a massage on a regular basis. What a sacrifice that will be! ;)

Recently, I was very blessed with two baby showers! Since this is my second kiddo, I wasn't sure if I would have one at all, but it was such a wonderful surprise to have two!
The first was a neighborhood baby shower with my lovely neighbors who blessed Ezra with quite a bit of stuff!
The second was hosted by my mom, sister and mother-in-law and filled with lots of love from family friends and college girl friends. :)
My little guy was incredibly blessed with a massive wardrobe! Between the two showers I don't think we'll need to buy any clothes until after his 6th month! What a blessing!

The nerves are really starting to kick in now... The realization that I'll have two kiddos to take care of is definitely a daunting one. I suppose this is really the time to take it one day at a time and focus on God's strength, not my own!
It will be exciting to finally have him here and to start our brand new life as a family of four!

Of course, prayers for a successful c-section, recovery and recuperation are always appreciated!

Summer update

2011-06-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well it is officially summer in TX! The last several days, today and the next 10 day forecast all have one thing in common--high of 100! Oh goody....
Praise God, I honestly have not been too badly swollen thus far. This is a miracle, especially considering that when I was pregnant with Elisa I was so swollen by 5 months that I couldn't wear my wedding ring anymore. I am right at 7.5 and I'm still wearing it! :)
What I am dealing with more this time around are a series of Braxton Hicks contractions. I can't remember how this many, this strong, this early with Elisa, but maybe I did. All I know is that I definitely felt like he was trying to force his way out the other night and all I could was pray that he settled down a bit!

Slowly, but surely, we are collecting things for Ezra. He has a handful of little outfits and his first box of diapers. We REALLY need to get started on setting up Elisa's new big girl room. Plus buy some more appropriate boyish bedding for Ezra. Maybe he doesn't care too much about sleeping in pink and yellow sheets, but I'm thinking his daddy would!

Unless God says otherwise, this will be our last kiddo. I think a girl and a boy will be just fine :) I am definitely ready to have my body back and start trying to get it back into shape. I was just starting to work hard on that when I got pregnant again :P I definitely don't look anything like I did in college, and not that that is my ultimate goal, but it would be nice to look similar to that at least for the next few years :)

That about does it for this update. We are all just getting ready for Ezra's arrival!

Rainy night

2011-04-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

Two posts close together! No way!

It's a rainy night with both of my loved ones sleeping so I figured why not...

After reading Cherry's recent article in the Examiner about the memories of the awkward high school years, I started thinking about the past in general. I do not believe there is any amount of money someone could pay me to go back to those teenage years. I have paid my dues and lived those experiences once. And believe me, once was more than enough! I would however, go back and relive my ACU years. Overall they are mostly wonderful memories with a fair share of mistakes as well. It would be interesting if I could go back in time and relive years with the knowledge I have now. I actually told Maher the exact situations I would change and the decisions I would not make. Of course, then there is the inevitable, what if I drastically mess up my current future with the relived decisions. I guess we'll never know.... I do know one situation that would be impossible to be patient with--Maher as my husband! We had such great years at ACU as friends and having the knowledge I have now, I don't know that I could wait to be in a real relationship with him. He's such a fantastic man and I know I'd want to find him on campus immediately (and then probably scare him to death with a kiss).

All the reminiscing and what if's did make me start to wonder about the future. I wonder what will I know in 5 years that I wish I would have known right now--right this very instant. Maybe how to have been a better mom...wife, etc? Maybe better health decisions...friend decisions...ministry decisions? The list could go on. How I wish I could have that knowledge now. But then again, what if I knew something that could make me impatient and rush a future that I'm not ready for? I supposed that's why God, in His infinite wisdom, does not allow us to see the whole future. In discussing these thoughts with Maher, he simply answered,"Ask God for that future wisdom." And that is probably the best thought there is.

Happy Resurrection Sunday! Happy rainy night :)

Boy oh boy!

2011-04-12T17:43:00.001-07:00

Most of you who read my blog will already know this from facebook, but just in case... We are having a boy! Ezra Maher will be joining us on August 11 via C-section, God willing. Apparently, the risks of trying to have a natural delivery after a C-section are too great so my doctor is not even giving me an option. I'm glad I was told way ahead of time so I wasn't thinking about which one I wanted. I am feeling so much better this second trimester! I can eat almost everything I used to (still no steaks for me) and have not been nauseated in a while! Thank God :) I am hoping that the rest of the pregnancy will be a smooth one and that this little guy will love sleep as much as I do! (Unlike his sister) In other news... Maher and I were blessed to take our very first vacation since our honeymoon this past month. We went to the AT&T Summit conference in southern California! The resort could not have been nicer and the time off as parents was much appreciated. I can not even begin to explain how wonderful it was not to have to cook, clean or do any of the other everyday chores for a little while. What a great way to refresh ourselves before taking on baby number 2! Also, this coming Thursday we are getting some special visitors from Cali :) My older sister, Angie and her family are coming down for a visit! We are very excited to be spending some time with them and especially for Elisa to meet her cousins. Look forward to fun pictures of the girls via facebook. Lastly, on the pregnancy front again... it has finally happened. I, for the first time, am craving pickles. Just all of a sudden, pickles sounded really good to me. So I am now the pregnant woman with the jar of pickles in the frig. So stereotypical, I know, but ... they're good! Happy April everyone!

Days with Daddy

2011-02-03T17:15:00.000-08:00

This picture pretty much sums up our last few days completely iced in.
While we are experiencing a bit of "cabin fever," Elisa and I have really enjoyed having Maher home with us.
Bless his heart, he did try to go to work yesterday, but neither of us has a 4 wheel drive so he got stuck trying to get out of our neighborhood.
We are supposed to get more snow tonight and tomorrow. Not sure that I'm very excited about that, but.... we'll see what happens.

Happy ice days everyone :)

The newest little one

2011-01-21T16:44:00.001-08:00

Well in case you haven't heard... I'm pregnant again! While we had talked about trying this coming summer, we weren't expecting this Christmas surprise.

After having taken two pregnancy tests and both turn out negative, I was beginning to wonder what the hold up was. I felt sick almost everyday and started to have night sweats and terrible cramps. Then almost 3 weeks late, I decided to take one more test... this time it was positive! I walked out into the kitchen and told Maher, "we need to start saving for our electricity bill for this summer." Puzzled he turned to look at me and asked why. I then stated that because I was pregnant I would probably need to turn the air up quite a bit more than usual. Surprised, but excited, Maher was happy to become a father, again. :)

We waited until the family Christmas celebrations to share with our families. Both sides were excited about another grandbaby. :)

The pregnancy thus far has been nothing like Elisa's. With Elisa I had just a bit of nausea at night but other than that was mostly comfortable the first trimester. This kiddo has caused me so much drama that I am praying trimesters 2 & 3 are easy sailing! I have never been so nauseated in my life! Every day...all day long...and nothing sounds remotely appetizing to eat. Meat? Chicken? Forget about it! Just the sight of one of those two and my stomach goes reeling... So much for a balanced diet thus far. I eat whatever I can keep down that day! Those of you who are prayer warriors, say a prayer for my nausea whenever I pop into your mind!

Boy or girl? Well, rumor has it that boys cause quite a bit of nausea so if that old wives tale proves true, we will have a mini Maher this coming August. Honestly, as along as he/she is a healthy baby we don't mind either gender.

So readers, here's your turn... if you're a momma or more than one kiddo, please start sending advice and suggestions my way! Elisa will be 21 months, God willing, when #2 arrives and I know we will have quite the handful with both of them. One day at a time....

Aug.19... we're waiting for you!

Happy new Year

2011-01-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New year!

This year promises to have lots of changes. For starters, Maher and I might actually get to go on vacation for the first time since our honeymoon two years ago. I can not even begin to describe how wonderful it would be to spend a few days away. I very much enjoy spending time with my husband, so any time together is much anticipated.

We might also get to buy a new car! This one is really still up in the air but boy would it be nice to have a bit more room for Elisa's ever growing needs. :) While Maher loves the "swagger wagon" commercials, he is still not sold on the idea of actually driving a minivan.

We are hoping for Elisa to grow in some more hair! She was born with quite a bit and progressively lost a lot. I'm anxious for it to be long enough to put up in a ponytail and/or pigtails.
Our lives are so much different now than they were this time last year! We have a child who, praise God, sleeps through the night on a regular basis; can walk and "talk"; is almost off bottles; enojys riding in the car again; and purposedly recognizes and loves Maher and I for being "daddy" and "mommy." Oh how those sleepless nights seemed to have no end this time last year. We are truly blessed to have such a smart and healthy little girl. :)

Maher and I celebrated our two year anniversary this December by going to ICE at the Gaylord Texan. While I have attended before and warned Maher of the frigid temperatures, he gravely underestimated how cold he would feel. Which meant that instead of casually enjoying the sculptures, he had us racing through the exhibits as fast as possible, lol. Oh well... From the bit I did get to see, it was quite enjoyable :)

We have had so much happen in our two years of marriage. I can't imagine what's in store for our third. All I know is that by God's grace we grow in love more everyday. I couldn't have made a better quality list for Prince Charming!

Happy New Years fellow bloggers and followers. May you follow God's direction in your lives for this new year!

Birthday blasts

2010-11-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday ... to Dad then me then .... ELISA!!

Her first year has already come and gone. This coming Saturday she will officially enter "toddlerdom"! I'm going to be honest and admit that I am so excited for the coming years. Arts and crafts, coloring books, barbies, tea parties and all the other things little girls play. Not to say that I haven't enjoyed this past year, but I am looking forward to many more years with my little bundle!

Yesterday was just perfect! I have the most wonderful sister who volunteered to spend the day with Elisa so that Maher and I could go out. We really didn't do anything too "special" other than go on a shopping spree with my birthday money and then to the most fabulous dinner ever! Honestly, it was just great to spend an uninterrupted day with my husband. We had a good time shopping, talking and just hanging out like we used to. Then that evening he took me to Ruth Chris steakhouse for dinner.

---Advertisement time! If you have never been to a Ruth Chris steakhouse, go! Possibly the best steak dinner I have ever had! Plus you simply must try the sweet potato casserole. SO GOOD!--

It was just a wonderful evening of good food, good company and no early bedtime!

In other news, we have settled quite nicely into our new home. I have almost every picture hung. The office is still a diaster but it's a room that I'm ok with leaving until everything else is done. For those wanting pictures, I am getting to.... eventually ;)

We are looking forward to this upcoming holiday season and the opportunity to decorate and entertain any guests wanting to pop in for a visit :)

Elisa's birthday preparations are going well! This Saturday we plan to host a duck themed birthday party in honor of her favorite animal--rubber ducky. The house will be filled with rubber ducky decor and she ought to be pleased with the number of times she can yell out "duck!" :)

Oh my little energetic Elisa... I love looking at how much you've grown! Happy early birthday to you, my snugglebun!

We moved!

2010-09-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well! It's official! We are now settling into our new little home :)
I love all the space we have, but I am also a bit nervous about not being able to see Elisa as easily as I was able to in the townhome. She has so much space to roam around in! I know we'll get our groove soon and I won't be so nervous about following her around so much.

It really is a lovely little home and we are so thankful to be here. The neighbors are so sweet and mostly close to our age so it should be fun to make new friends. They actually do street get togethers for the holidays and other random occassions. We received our first neighborhood get together invite just yesterday actually. I'm hoping this is the start of some good friendships and maybe even a walking buddy!

Speaking of which, Maher and I went for a walk around the neighborhood with Elisa yesterday and I was terrified of this massive black dog that suddenly started barking at us through his fence. I quickly glanced down the fence's remainder to look for any possible points of escape. Heaven knows if this dog were to escape and come towards me, I might die of a heart attack. The good news is that it was the only fence that we passed that had a dog bark at us! Maybe if I simply skip that side of the street I can go out on my own ... :)

Elisa had tooth #7 make it's appearance about a week ago. I think #8 is not too far away either! I do believe that my child might possibly have all her baby teeth by her first birthday at the rate she is going!
She is starting to be more steady on her feet. Yesterday she stood up on her own and only grabbed one of my hands to walk toward Daddy. It'll be nice to have her on her two feet and not worry so much about dirty hands on the ground!

Well... I'd better finish some more unpacking. :)

My 9 month old

2010-08-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

Elisa seems to gain new skills in leaps and bounds these days. She took her first 3 steps 3 days before her official 9 month birthday. So she beat me by 3 days ;)

Unfortunately, I was not prepared for her to do that so I did not have the camera ready. Of course anytime I do have the camera out, she refuses to try to walk and simply crawls around instead. For the most part, she is still mostly wobbly and can only take a few steps at a time.

Her favorite is to either push around her rolling lion or walk around the edges of the sofa.

I was beginning to wonder if my daughter had teeth behind her gums but sure enough, all at once she sprouted 6 teeth! Her very first one to make its grand appearance was her top left canine. Yes, that's right! Her second tooth was her top right canine. So, for a day or so she looked like a little vampire. Then her two bottom teeth popped up together and last by not least her two front teeth are now fully in. So within a week she went from no teeth to 6!

Unfortunately, she seems to be part beaver as we discovered when we walked into her nursery and saw her crib railings completely marked by little teeth. Poor crib! Every side of her crib is now covered with a crib railing cover. I just wish I had known about those before she gnawed all over that beautiful wood finish!

Her vocabulary also continues to increase with the latest additions of "bubble, cookie and dada" to the first word of "mama" :) She says a lot more, but I have yet to decipher what it is that she is actually saying. She sure thinks she's saying something!

Maher and I had a miracle pop into our life... next month, God willing, we will be moving into a beautiful, 4 bedroom house. Praise God! While it is still a rental, it is brand new and in a neighborhood that we never thought we'd be able to afford. I can't wait to have a playroom for Elisa and a whole, huge family room for her to roam around in. Plus! Just in time for the wonderful weather of fall, we will finally have our very own backyard. I am so excited!

In closing, I'll leave you with (what else) but pictures of everyone's favorite little princess...

Oh and maybe a little video too :) I love it when Maher tickles her!

A little update

2010-07-10T13:16:00.001-07:00

I honestly don't know how many readers I have, but just for the sake that my last post was dated several weeks ago, I've decided to quickly update.

Elisa is now 8 months and is moving around a LOT! She not only crawls very efficiently now, but also has mastered pulling herself up on everything. This week she has stood by herself for just a few seconds! I imagine that walking is not far in the future! Apparently I was walking by 9 months so I suppose Elisa is following in my footsteps! :)

I have been blessed with a couple of "mommy breaks" recently. My wonderful sister coordinated a girls' dinner where I got to get dressed up and just have a good time laughing with some old friends. Wow, I did not realize how much I needed that until I was there! I kept reading different tips in magazines about the importance of just getting away with the girls but it didn't register how important that really was! I am hoping to make it more of a regular occurrence now. :)
Plus...
One of my favorite holidays is the 4th of July. I think the positive connotation came from my summers in WV, and because I LOVE fireworks! I will happily go to a baseball game with Maher simply to watch the fireworks at the end :)
So, Maher, being the amazing husband that he is, arranged to take me on a mini vacation for the 4th this year. We got to spend the night at the Gaylord Texan and just hang out. It was wonderful! So nice to sleep past 6 a.m. and to be able to simply lay in bed when my eyes did finally open. Oh the little things that I used to take for granted!

We also recently took professional family photos (finally, I know) with the talented Brooke and can not wait to see how those came out. Unfortunately, Elisa was at the end of a nasty double ear infection the day of the photoshoot so she wasn't all that thrilled about being photographed. I am crossing my fingers that we still got some good ones! :)

I guess that's about it for now!

My favorites

2010-06-17T08:33:00.001-07:00

I love her cheesy smile :) We have taught her to smile anytime someone holds up a camera and says, "Elisa, say cheese!"

She crawls!

2010-05-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

Elisa officially crawls! In my last post I mentioned that she was crawling backwards but now she can crawl backwards and forwards. Maher is shocked at how fast she can get herself somewhere. Needless to say, when Daddy is baby-sitting he is going to be a lot more watchful!
I really need to be better about remembering the exact ages when she completes these milestones so that I can write them down in her baby book. Really I should write them down the day they happen, but cleaning the house, making dinner and then cleaning the kitchen get in the way instead.
One of my summer goals is to go through her baby book and update like crazy! I need to print out pictures and fill in all the cute questions.

She still has yet to say "mama" but she is showing her love in a whole new way these days. She definitely intentionally reaches for me now. (insert big smile) While I knew she loved me when she smiled at me, and when we went through our first round of separation anxiety, there is just something about seeing her reaching her little arms out toward me. Love it!

My daughter is quite the character. I've mentioned this before, but now we have a new thing to add. Apparently she has a foot fetish. Since she started crawling, she has purposedly crawled toward my feet on several occassions. Why? I'm really not sure, but she sure seems to love to grab my toes!

This summer I am really hoping to get to do some fun things with my husband. This will be the second summer that we've been married and last summer we didn't get to do anything at all (since I was pregnant). I'm ready to ride some roller coasters! Hopefully we'll be able to make sure to squeeze in some "fun" married time in between being parents to this little joyful blessing.
I'm definitely ready to spend some non-pregnant summer days together!

It's your half birthday!

2010-05-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

Happy half birthday, Elisa!
Today, my baby bundle is officially 6 months old.
Apparently this age came with a string of possible achievements, thereby having created some REALLY rough nap and bedtimes (sigh). She has not behaved that badly for nap/bedtime in a really long time. Definitely not my favorite reaction to your upcoming teeth and mobility. Today was the first day in a while that we didn't fight about the sleep thing... Yay!

My daughter crawls backwards! I really need to video and post it. She can get up on her hands and knees quite well and rocks back and forth until she ends up finally pushing herself backwards. She scoots everywhere going backwards or simply rolling around until she ends up where she wants. I guess one of these days she'll figure out how to move forward.

Everyone has told me that she definitely has some teeth coming in. How soon they will make their grand appearance, I'm not really sure; but she drools SO much and chomps down on ANYTHING she can get her hands on. We have tried the Baby Orajel and that does seem to soothe her a bit.

Elisa seems to grow closer everyday to saying "dada" first. NO! I practice everyday with her to say "mama" but she simply smiles and replies "goo" (sigh). I suppose "dada" is a good first word. Except he is not the one who spends every minute of every day with her! Oh well... She really does adore her daddy and I love watching them together. She's got a good one after all :)

I have finally started exercising again and actually eating healthy. I know that it's going to take me a while to lose the amazing amount of weight that I've gained, but I pray that slowly but surely it'll go away. All you skinny mamas out there, enjoy it!

My dear Elisa, happy half birthday and may God help you sleep peacefully tonight... :)

Just for the sake of updating

2010-04-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

I feel that Elisa has grown in leaps and bounds these past weeks! When she was a newborn, it was the same old cry, eat, dirty diaper, sleep... Now almost everyday she has a new talent to display. She rolls over effortlessly from tummy to back and vice versa; is starting to push on her hands and knees; and tries to jump to the moon in her beloved jumperoo. Needless to say, I'm loving this stage!

Everyday I ask her to say "mama" but she just smiles at me instead. I can't wait to hear that word!

In just 3 weeks she will be 6 months old... Wow! We are almost to that special 1st birthday. In Guatemala, everything is a huge celebration but a baby's 1st birthday party is something amazing! I believe mine was at a country club complete with one of my grandfather's larger than life pinnatas. Not that I remember my big birthday party but my mom has the pictures to prove it.

I have decided that Elisa will have a duck theme for her 1st birthday. She seems to really love the little yellow quackers for some reason. Now all I have to figure out is how to get one of those giant pinnatas up here from Guatemala... (lol)

Most Important

2010-03-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

Journaling has always been the best way for me to release all my thoughts, worries, fear and the only way I have ever been truly still to know that He is God. I got away from it for a while because of chores and well, the baby (lol). Let's be honest, moms, how many of us jump to get something, anything done the moment our little ones shut their eyes! I realized that by sacrificing my quiet moments my days and attitude were simply getting worse. I was reminded at my small group about how important those moments with God are. Then God reminded me about His faithfulness in that even when I gave up a whole naptime to spend quality time with Him, that day I was somehow able to finish all of the chores plus had time left over at the end of the day to just... relax. What?! How easily we can be distracted and think that it is worth our while to give up the most important part of the day...

This particular psalm touched my heart so I thought I would share it in hopes that it would touch yours...
Psalm 33
Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright.
2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
4 For the word of the LORD is upright,
And all His work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
13 The LORD looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
14 From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works.
16 The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
19 To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
22 Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.

Just a little update

2010-02-26T18:42:00.000-08:00

I decided to start this post off with the most recent video of my baby bundle. You may or may not watch the whole thing. I think it is about 4 minutes long. She usually doesn't keep "talking" when I pull out the camera but this particular morning, she did :)

Right now we are working on the "M" sound so that hopefully her first "official" word will be "Mama" :) I suppose if she says "Dada" first I won't be too broken hearted though! I pulled out my baby book and was reading where my mom had written my first words. Like the true lover of food that I am, I sheepishly report that one of my first words was "cookie." Maher and I got a kick out of that! As of this moment, Elisa's only consonant sound is "ga" with mostly "ohs" during her conversations with me. My mom and sister insist that she is singing, since most of the time when I talk to her I speak in a sing songy manner making a song out of a lot of our conversations. Who knows! Maybe she will be a beautiful singer :)

My little baby will be 4 months soon! I am enjoying watching her learn new things everyday. I especially love watching her play with her Daddy. They enjoy their time together so much!

We bought her a bumbo and a jumperoo! She is still a bit tiny for the jumperoo but is enjoying her bumbo thus far! What a wonderful invention! I can sit her in it and fold laundry or vaccuum or do a myriad of other chores without her getting fussy because she can contently sit there and "talk" to me the whole time. Oh it has been an excellent addition to the household!

In other news, we are thinking about starting the house hunting process again (sigh). As always, we will just leave it in God's hands and see if this year is the year for us! It'd be so wonderful to have our own house where we can paint the walls and finally unpack every single box. Maybe...just maybe :)

Elisa is 3 months!

2010-02-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

It's raining... has been all night I think. Makes me want to crawl into bed and watch a movie. If only Elisa appreciated rainy days the same way!

My baby can officially laugh now. Before she would try to chuckle but the other day she giggled with her daddy. He was so excited! Apparently he made up a little song about Elisa being a space cadet (while he "flew" her through space) and she just giggled and giggled. I was so glad he got to share that moment with her :)

In other news she has thrown us for quite a loop when it comes to her sleeping pattern. Why she decided it was a good time to start waking up at night again is beyond my comprehension. However I have been reassured by several other parents that she will sleep well again shortly. The only thing I know to do is to pray! Thankfully for the first time in several weeks, she slept from 7:45 p.m. to 5 a.m. last night! I hope it will simply to continue progressing from here.

Oh how life changes with a baby! I remember the Johnson and Johnson commercial saying that everything changes with a baby, but I strongly believe now that this statement is a gross understatement! Life does not simply change with a baby. Life is turned upside down, twirled about, and swished from side to side with a baby! Then your child smiles at you and suddenly everything is okay in it's own "new" little way :)

Fatherly Love

2010-01-17T16:25:00.000-08:00

I wander from God's love at times. With a house to keep clean and a baby's constant care I find myself only praying my routinely AM and PM prayers. No stopping to listen. No being still to acknowledge that He is God. Just get it done. Then I wonder why I feel so empty inside.

This afternoon with Elisa sleeping in her swing I heard a still, small voice again. "Maria, the same way you find yourself longing to know that Elisa smiles for you because you are mama is the same way I long for you to stop and smile with Me because I am Abba Father." Wow! God is Almighty, Infinite, All Powerful, Redeemer, Friend, Discipliner if needed, constant Provider; but above all He is still Abba Father--Daddy. How easily I forget this. How little I realize it. How much more I wish I held on it. He is my Father. He does not wait for me to mess up to "thump" me. He does not mope around for days ignoring me because I've been bad. He does not simply hand out money and answer prayers because He has to. He is not satisfied with my "Hey God, what's up? Keep my loved ones safe and help me make it through today." Just like I look down at Elisa in her crib and wait for her to open her eyes and smile at me because I am mama, God waits for me to open my eyes and say "Good morning, Father."
Why I fear Him more than I love Him sometimes bewilders me.
Yet I am thankful that He continues to use my baby to teach me more and more about Him and His Fatherly, unconditional love every day.

Starting a new year

2010-01-11T16:04:00.000-08:00

I admire all of you who have figured out how to make your blogs look so cute! I finally had some free time today to play around with mine a little. I think it looks cute but I wish I could figure out how to use those cute headings. I can either use the blank cute heading or I can have a personal picture. I can not figure out how to put my picture in the cute heading. I read and reread the instructions on the shabbyblogs page but it didn't help. If any of you with the cute headings would like to try to leave me simple instructions you're welcome to :)

Cooking is not a favorite hobby of mine. I am not sure if I actually dislike the cooking process or dislike the cleaning up afterward. Possibly both. It just seems that after I spend all that time cooking the meal, it suddenly no longer seems appetizing. Hmm... my theory is that I have spent too much time inhaling all the smells and my palate has been simply saturated by the time we sit down to eat. Who knows...? Or maybe it is simply that food always tastes better when someone else spent the time making it. One of Maher's friends said it correctly when he stated that his wife's love language was eating out. Ha! I think that may be an additionally love language for many wives out there.

I do have to be careful and remind myself to be grateful that I have a kitchen with appliances, the food to cook and the ability to cook it. How easily it is to become ungrateful at times...

January has arrived and the reality of starting a whole new year. So much happened for us last year. How true it is that so much can happen in just a year! Heaven knows what is coming up for us this year, but it will be exciting to watch as Elisa grows.

Speaking of my beautiful baby girl, she is scheduled for her first shots this week. Poor baby. Maher is not sure if he has decided that he wants her to get shoots! He can't bear to hear her cry. After my summer of research and skimming through Dr. Sears' vaccination book I pray that God has given us wisdom to select the delayed scheduled for her shots. I just cannot bring myself to believe that giving a baby her size that amount of unnatural chemicals (referring to the normal CDC schedule) is a healthy decision.

Elisa is already quite the star. I believe this little girl has more videos and pictures than anyone else I know. I love seeing all her new develops and can't wait to hear "mommy" one day :)

Once a month

2009-12-30T15:58:00.000-08:00

It seems that I only update once a month. I believe having a 2 month old (almost anyway) is a good excuse for being a bad blogger.
I have a camera full of pictures that need to be uploaded but they will be here soon.

Our baby bundle is officially in the double digits! Her last weigh-in was 10 lbs 3 ounces! We no longer fit into the newborn outfits.
Slowly but surely she and I settling into a routine. Her sleep periods are getting progressively longer! Thank God! I have found that honestly He is the only reason she has good sleep nights! I don't think any special schedule or formula can receive the credit. It is just by His grace that we are learning how to encourage her to "sleep through the night." :)

We have lived in Fort Worth for quite some time now but just recently visited a church that just might be the place for us. It has been quite the discouraging journey to visit church after church and know that there was still that something missing. We hope to keep visiting this particular church and finally have a place to keep involved in!

My greatest "after the pregnancy battle" now is these terrible stretch marks! Grr... I have been using a particular lotion that claims to reduce the appearance of the marks but I wonder if they will ever go away. Did anyone out there find something to get rid of them completely?
As of right now my stomach will never see the light of sun ever again!

Maher and I celebrated one year of incredible marriage this past Monday. One year ago we were in Cozumel on our honeymoon. Never in a million years did I think then that right now I'd have a baby. Surprise! But a good one :)
My parents were kind enough to keep Elisa so that we could have some couple time to celebrate. It felt strange to be without her but the alone time with my husband was very much needed! He is my best friend and I adore every minute with him!

Happy New Year!

Happy One Month

2009-12-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

Happy One Month to my baby girl!

I thought for sure she would be out of her newborn clothes by now but there are still some outfits that she fits into. We are borderline newborn and 0-3 months size :)

Slowly but surely she and I are figuring out a routine. I never in my life have had such a pile up of chores, but I am learning that everything else takes a backseat when you have a baby. I do try to have at least the kitchen clean!

Technically I have two weeks left on my C-section recovery but I am pretty much doing everything normally again already. Maher still insists I don't vacuum or at least carry the vacuum up the stairs...

I have learned that it is true that you learn to see God and your relationship with Him in a whole new way once you become a parent.

I was rocking Elisa back to sleep after a 2 a.m. feeding and it suddenly hit me just how much I love this baby bundle. The child can do absolutely nothing productive for me. In fact she does the opposite! She wakes me up at night, whines when I don't hold her, screams for food, can't clean up her own messes (aka. diapers) and the list goes on... yet I really do love her. It was then that I heard that small, still voice say "Just like I love you." It was a pretty powerful revelation to me. I'm not always a "good" Christian nor always the most productive, and heaven knows I whine; but He still really does love me. Now I understand why. Because I'm His daughter. Just like Elisa is mine.

Merry Christmas :)

Encouragement

2009-11-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

Elisa is sleeping... hmm... :)

Today has been our first trial run as just the two of us. Maher had a conference to go to and Mama Smalls (my mom) won't be here till this afternoon. I was a bit nervous as to how I going to eat breakfast, clean the kitchen or really do anything.

--Which reminds me... opinion question of the day: Of all the infant carriers (moby wraps, slings, etc.) which one is the best? I need to get something to carry this little one around in!--

Slowly but surely I figured out how to hold her with one side and do everything else with one hand. Thankfully she was calm enough on my lap that I was able to eat breakfast and do my devotional! Not long after I finished, she was asleep enough for me to put her down and actually finish the dishes and the laundry. Praise God! I know I ought to be sleeping when she's sleeping but it is such a nice feeling to have gotten some things done. I'll sleep this afternoon...

Being a new mom comes with so many different emotions! I have been thinking a lot lately about maybe starting support groups for new moms (single or married). It is nice to have someone to compare notes with, talk to and be encouraged by other women who are going through the same emotions at that same time. It is a blessing to receive advice from those who have already passed through this phase but there is something special about sharing an experience with someone at the same time. Maybe it is a ministry that God has for me sometime in the future. All I know is that it has been on my heart a lot lately! I can not imagine (nor do I want to) how incredibly difficult these first weeks are for moms who do not have the type of family support that I have had. The total physical, mental and emotional exhaustion must be tremendous and I pray for a supernatural peace and strength for all those going through this alone right now.

My devotional was Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

This verse definitely strengthened me today :)

My little girl is starting her hunger whimper so I'd better go get a bottle ready so she can look like this...

Sleep

2009-11-16T14:58:00.000-08:00

Sleep is a precious commodity. I will never again underestimate the pricelessness of a solid night's sleep.
Overall Elisa is doing well but she has her nights when she wakes up every hour on the dot. I've heard so many philosophies about how to help your baby sleep through the night sooner. It is hard to decide which one is valid and which one is not. Any moms have suggestions?!
I am trying to sleep when she does but sometimes it's really hard to feel like I'm not just completely wasting away my day.

God is continuing to help me heal. Overall I have been relatively pain free! After this week I hope to have some of my mobility restrictions lifted so that I can start to live "normally" again. Trying to be responsible and follow all of the C-section restrictions and having a new baby is not the best combination.

I can not express how thankful I am for my husband, mom and sister. Cristy took care of me so meticulously at the hospital and my mom has come over everyday to cook and clean. I never think a girl is old enough to not need her mama! I don't have to worry about how things are being cooked or cleaned because she is who I learned my habits from! Then of course just having Maher with me everyday has been such a blessing since he can always calm my nerves. I am so in love with my husband!
I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have here helping than these three.

We are grateful for all the prayers, comments and congratulations! Forgive us if we can not always respond right away :)
The continued prayers for Godly wisdom as we figure this parenting thing out are always appreciated!

--Was going to close with a few pictures but the computer is having uploading problems and I don't have the time to wait for it to be fixed--

Life with Elisa

2009-11-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

On Thursday evening, after having learned that morning about the changed from an induction to a schedule C-section on Saturday (Nov. 7), my water broke at 12:37 a.m. Apparently Elisa decided not to wait until her scheduled arrival on Saturday! Honestly, I think the truth of the situation is that God is so gracious and knew that I wanted to experience something "natural" about childbirth so He let my water break before the scheduled surgery.
Maher was quite anxious about getting to the hospital immediately even though I really wanted to clean up the mess from my water breaking before leaving. I figured I had time since I would have to have a C-section when I got to the hospital anyway. Cristy had decided to spend the night with us that evening so both she and Maher anxiously ushered me to the car.

As always, God's ways are higher than our ways so He knew that the C-section was ultimately the best option for my health and the baby's. Everything went amazingly smoothly during the surgery and the recovery. On Sunday I told Maher that I had the realization that I still had a supernatural delivery, just like we prayed. It wasn't a natural delivery but all of the doctors and nurses constantly commented on how quickly I recovered from the surgery. Elisa was born on Friday morning at 3:30 and by Friday evening I was already able to stand up and walk to the restroom (with support). Apparently most women are not able to accomplish this until later. I also received constant comments about the amazing healing of my stitches, lack of pain, no constipation and alertness. He really did answer our prayers! I may not have had a "natural" delivery but He sure did give me a supernatural delivery!!
I hope this testimony serves someone else as a great reminder of His faithfulness even when we don't realize it at first!

Life since the hospital as been a bit challenging since I am very restricted on what I am allowed to do, but I have an amazing family and husband who are helping me beyond what I could think or ask for.

Final Pregnancy Update

2009-11-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

Well... we have some good news and some bad news....
At the doctor's office this morning we were presented with the reality of the fact that there are some complications that have unfortunately surfaced. After having discussed all possible options and consequences, we had to decide to elect a C-section. The doctor ultimately informed us that she was not comfortable at all with allowing me to try the stress of labor. The reality of the situation is that my health and the baby's would possibly be too much in distress if I tried to proceed with labor.

The good news is that I will have Elisa in my arms by Saturday afternoon :) (C-section scheduled for this Saturday morning)

I have mixed feelings about the whole situation. I have never reacted very well to medication and am a bit nervous about the amount of medication that is about to be in my system. I know that God has plans to prosper us and to give us a hope and future (Jer. 29:11) but sometimes it is hard not to wish that He would send an email explanation of what is going on.

If I could ask for prayer requests this is what I would ask for...
-Successful surgery (no complications)
-Healthy baby (no complications)
-Easy recovery
-No negative reactions to the medications
-Successful start to breastfeeding

Thank you to all those praying for us!

One week--or less!

2009-10-30T11:17:00.001-07:00

We had our doctor's appointment yesterday and were blessed with wonderful news. Elisa is a healthy little chunk of a baby with plenty of diaphragm movements (which apparently means that her brain activity is healthy, normal and preparing her to take her first gulp of air)! My sugar numbers have all been normal and the level of fluid is that of a normal pregnancy not a diabetic one. PRAISE THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY! Maher and I are forever grateful for these healthy reports.
With all of that good news, the doctor is still concerned with my being so small and the baby being larger than average in her opinion. Therefore it has officially been scheduled--I am being induced next weekend at 39 weeks if Elisa has not appeared by then. She said that because I am dialating she will let me go for a vaginal delivery before wanting me to consider the C-section.
I have such a feeling of relief to know that by next weekend, God willing, I will have a precious little girl in my arms and not in my tummy!
Now for all of our prayer warriors out there... we are asking that you continue to agree in prayer with us for a supernatural labor and delivery without any complications or any medical interventions. We know that the Bible is filled with promises for our good and not for evil so we are claiming those promises now! That I may be able to give testimony to the miraculous power of God to the doctors, nurses and anyone else following our story.

Once again, thank you for your continued prayers!
Maher's facebook status will be updated as soon as we make our way to the hospital!

Pictures!

2009-10-28T19:34:00.001-07:00

As promised here are some nursery pictures!

Our Princess pillow

Her passed down collection from Mommy

Here is Tia Cristy with the boppy pillow

Our precious babyland

Still waiting

2009-10-26T10:19:00.001-07:00

I don't know that there is anything more frusturating than having contractions every morning and then having them stop. Ah! Yesterday at church we thought for sure I was going into labor but then after lunch they stopped. God willing, at least I'm dialating! God willing, if we make it to this week's doctor's appointment I'll be at least 2 cm or more dialated.

My birthday is on Sunday and I am really hoping she makes her appearance before then! Due to the fact that the doctor said I had gestational diabetes (which God healed me from, praise Him!) I am still being careful with my sugar intake. I would love nothing more than to have an extra delicious slice of chocolate cake for my birthday but if she is not here by Sunday I guess I will have to postpone my birthday deliciousness until later.
As of right now, the plan is still to induce me Nov. 7 if she has not come on her own.

My parents bought me a beautiful rocking chair for my early birthday/Christmas present! I didn't think I was going to get a rocking chair for the nursery just yet but this was a special surprise :) I really ought to take pictures of the nursery to post.

Once again, we (Maher and I) really appreciate your thoughts, prayers and comments!
Just keep watching facebook....

Progression

2009-10-22T11:47:00.001-07:00

Praise God! I am officially starting to dilate and checked in at 1 cm this morning at the doctor's! :) I hope He is bringing her soon!
Another praise--she continues to be healthy and just a tiny bit larger than average (as compared to the original suspicion that she was going to be huge). We are so thankful for all these wonderful reports!
I am considering a pre-natal massage since the benefits of it seem to be scientifically backed up. We talked to the massage therapist yesterday and she explained how she would massage to help me loosen my hips, pelvis, back and encourage my muscles to expand gently as labor progressed. Sounds good to me :)

Once again we so appreciate the prayers and thoughts from those who have taken the time to let us know they are thinking of us. Please continue to pray with us for a supernatural delivery! Don't forget to check Maher's facebook status as that is where we will post the news of my hospital check-in.

Once again, God is so good!

2009-10-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

I feel that it is so much easier to remember to ask for prayers then to remember to give praise. With all the worry about having the finances to provide for the baby, what labor is going to be like, and moving to a new home, it is so natural to be in constant "ask" mode. "God, we need this or that..." And amazingly enough, He has the patience, kindness and love to actually provide everything beyond what we could ask or imagine and not get frusturated with whining, little me. Why do I constantly underestimate God or worry that things are not going to be okay when the Bible very clearly says on more than one occassion that God provides for His children? Praise God for His immense grace and compassion!

The nursery is officially ready :) I have probably the most wonderful parents, sister and husband ever! They took it upon themselves to paint and decorate the room while Maher very proudly assembled the crib. Cristy even added the stroller and car seat to the room on Sunday much to my complete surprise!
We now have a "baby land" in our little home now and it feels wonderful. (Pictures coming soon)

Elisa continues to grow quickly but healthy, praise God. :) I had some contractions on Friday, but was told that if I were to go into labor now (since she is full term on Saturday) I would be allowed to continue on naturally. I was so thankful to hear that!
For those of you who join us in praying for a miraculous delivery, thank you. We greatly appreciate those prayers!
God willing, it is just a matter of days now...

Baby love

2009-10-05T09:51:00.001-07:00

God always provides! I wasn't sure if I was going to have any baby showers and then in the course of 3 weekends had 3 baby showers! What a blessing to spend time with friends and family and celebrate the ever anticipated arrival :)

The lovely hostesses of the "girlfriend baby shower" as I call it since it was a wonderful opportunity to get to see a bunch of good friends

All the girls

This little hat has quite the story. Cristy likes to make things by hand but overestimated the size of Elisa's head maybe just by a bit ;)
Eventually it will fit her!

The delicious pacificer cupcakes

Cutest idea! Wishes for Elisa that I will read to her one day :)

The Latin baby shower with my mom's friends

Cutest little decorations

Prayers are always appreciated as the due date grows closer. I look enormous as Elisa is a bit bigger right now than she is supposed to be, apparently. I may only make it a few more weeks before the doctors want me to think about alternate ways to bring her into this world. Scary but God is our ever present help and I shall not be afraid for He is on our side!

Elisa's first shower

2009-09-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

There are people who talk the "Christian talk" and those who "walk the Christian walk." This particular group of ladies from my parents' Sunday school class are the type who walk the walk. Even though I had never met any of them they were kind enough to host a baby shower for me. Here are a few pictures from that shower.
Plus the first picture is of Elisa and I finally at 8 months!

In the name of love

2009-09-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

Pregnant with my first child I came to the realization that no child truly understands what a mother must go through to give him/her life. There are so many complications that can happen due to pregnancy. A woman who was once terrified of needles must continually be stuck, or give up a beloved food, or even trudge through days of bedrest. All of these sacrifices made without a second thought simply because of the call of motherhood. My mother used to constantly tell me that I would never understand until it was my turn to be the mother. I now understand perfectly what she was trying to say.

Thanks Mom...

Diapers

2009-09-04T17:50:00.001-07:00

Maher has mentioned that he is not too sure about the special smells associated with babies. He is however willing to try and I have promised to teach him the best tricks. Let's just hope his reaction is not as bad as these dads...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTij4txO8Uk

The zoo

2009-08-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of summer Maher had promised to take me to the zoo the first day that the weather was not insufferable. Finally, this last Saturday we had the most beautiful day :)
Here are a few pictures from our zoo day!

Tanning warthog.... I was half expecting it to start singing "Are you aching...yup yup yup...for some bacon..."

On another note.... Elisa is more or less 75 days away God willing! Here is a picture of me at 7 months and one week

Psalm 3:5

2009-08-27T08:47:00.001-07:00

Psalm 3:5"I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me."

Not a necessarily long verse but one that really spoke to me today. With a new school year starting for many and other new opportunities starting for others, it is so easy to get into the "day to day" mentality. As Christians we should wake up with the joy of the Lord but this isn't always the case. We all have those days where we would rather roll over and go back to sleep!After reading this verse this morning I was moved by the realization that the ONLY reason I wake up in the morning--morning after morning--is beacuse God sustains me; and if God sustained me for another day that must mean that I have yet to fulfill my purpose here on earth. To know that God has a purpose and I am not simply walking around aimlessly everyday is a refreshing reminder. So the next time I am tempted to groan at the start of another day I'll think instead, "I woke up! Which means I have yet another purpose filled day to live through."
Isn't God great!

Immunization UPDATE

2009-08-14T17:54:00.001-07:00

For those of you who read the previous post about my opinion of all these new vaccinations here is an update...

http://www.vaccineinfo.net/harassment/index.shtml
The above link will take you to a site by an organization called PROVE (Parents Requesting Open Vaccination Education). This particular page has quite a bit of useful information about parental legal rights in TX for us moms who are choosing a different vaccination route. Thought I would pass along the important information!
Let's keep government out of our private, family decisions!

Sand animation

2009-08-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

My dad sent me this link and I was completely blown away by this girl's talent!
Who needs to build awesome sand castles when you can do this with sand?!
God is so amazing how He gave us so many different gifts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=518XP8prwZo

If it calls for an egg, it's necessary

2009-08-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

If you know me well you know that cooking is not my strong point, nor is it my favorite thing to do. If we had the choice of hiring a cook or a maid I would most definitely hire a cook.
This preface being set I thought I would share my latest cooking blunder...
I am quite the chocoholic and decided to make a fairly simple Betty Crocker brownie mix. The ingredients are simple: vegetable oil, water and one egg. Unfortunately for me, I did not have that one egg. I figured that since the recipe only called for one egg maybe it wouldn't be a big deal to make the mix without the egg. Complete and utter d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r! Instead of delectable, moisture rich brownies, out of the oven came rock solid chocolate flats. (Sigh) So much for fixing my chocolate craving.

In conclusion, if the recipe calls for an egg... even just one egg, my recommendation would be to include it.

Baby research

2009-08-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Having been a teacher with constant papers to grade and lessons to prepare, summer was definitely a nice, slower pace. I have to admit that there have been days when I have been bored, but God has given me plenty of time to do a whole lot of baby research. Being the planner that I am, I want to make sure I am aware of everything I need to be aware of before Elisa arrives. It is amazing how much there is to know about being a parent.
One of the things I have done quite a bit of reading about is child vaccinations. There had been controversy in the media about the link between autism and vaccines. I think Oprah even did a show on it. From everything I've read there seems to be quite a direct link between the giant increase in autism cases and the increase in the number of required child vaccinations. One terribly sad case I read about was the case of Hannah Poling. Apparently a healthy, happy, normal 9 year old girl until she was required to have 9 routine child vaccines administered all in the same afternoon. Within 48 hours she was autistic. Can you imagine the heart break of the family? (Source: Vaccine case draws new attention to autism debate - CNN.com )
Of course the CDC will never to admit to a link between vaccines and autism since doing this would create a panic among parents. I think their biggest fear is that no one will be vaccinated.
My personal opinion after having read several articles by pediatricians and news reporters is that there is always something healthy about moderation.
Maher and I had certain vaccines and came out fine as well as the majority of our generation. We were not required to be pumped full of possibly harmful medication. If we all are just fine why is this new generation being filled with unnecessary medication?
There is what is called a "delayed vaccine schedule" which parents can opt to use for their child instead of the timeline recommended for the CDC. I have decided to go this route. It seems to be the perfect combination of moderation. I see absolutely no reason for Elisa to be given 4-6 vaccines all at once! I'd rather provide my child with a healthy diet, living environment, vitamins and a good understanding of the significance of washing her hands, then injecting her with heaven knows how much mercury and other terrible chemicals.

Just my opinion anyway...

Be of BIG faith

2009-07-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

Everytime I pray for something and then start to worry about how it's going to get done I hear the words "O ye of little faith".... I hate being of little faith. I don't want to be of little faith. Yet when things don't turn around suddenly or I find myself wondering how I can help God I realize that yet again I am being of little faith.
I have recently heard a few people talk about the importance of faith when you pray. Some people go so far as to say that if you don't have enough faith than that's the very reason why your prayers go unanswered. If that's truly the case than I am in a world of trouble! A genetic worrier, it takes me a lot of effort to simply let go of something.
Then of course there are those that remind us that all prayers are answered--yes, no or wait. I hate "wait." I hate "no" more though I think. At least with wait I have the hope that a "yes" will come eventually.
It is so easy to read about the Israelites and roll your eyes at the fact that they so quickly lost faith after some really awesome miracles. Yet, as I look at my life... how I married a man who has qualities that I didn't even think to put on my "Prince Charming list"; how I finally found my niche teaching after two strenuous jobs before; how my relationship with my parents is better now than before the terrible breakdown--I am reminded of the miracles in my own life. After all the Bible promises that if God looks after a bird or the grass how much more would He look after me ... and Maher ...and Elisa since we are His children.
"O ye of little faith..."

So I have been convinced

2009-07-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have noticed that the trend seems to get a blog after you get married. Since most of my time has been spent grading papers and planning lessons I didn't think too much about a blog. Now that I find myself with tons of extra time I started thinking about it again and after some friendly persuasion decided to give it a try.

Biggest event thus far in our marriage is definitely having Elisa put into our lives...rather unexpectedly I might add. After only two months we discovered I was pregnant and Elisa is due this November. While it was a huge shock at first we are very blessed to have this little life and know that God always a reason for His timing. :)

Of course the grandparents are thrilled and I am sure this little princess is going to be amazingly spoiled.

My tummy seems to grow by leaps and bounds now so I am trying to keep the pictures updated. Here is the progress thus far...