February 27, 2007

Last night freaking SUCKED! Sullivan was only asleep when he was attached, and even then there were 2 hours in there where he decided he just wasn't tired and I needed to deal with it. It was the night that never ended. Especially when you add Adeline's 'my tummy hurts' wakings into it.

I *Still* got up at 6:45 and went jogging though. *go me!* We started last wednesday, so I have officially done it for 1 week. Not only am I not dead (which I fully expected) but I am a little addicted to the way it makes me feel. I'm WAY more energetic during the day - and also WAY more tired at night. Which is a big change and a nice combo.

Today I attempt to make a baby carrier. I'm not the best seamstress, but its worth a shot, right?

I'm keeping the kids home from preschool. Partly just to give them a break (and their immune systems too) and partly to get myself off the hook - you know which hook I'm talking about. Its the hook that makes me dress all 4 of us, find Guthrie's homework he didn't do and have him do it quickly, force-feed breakfast and drive 15 minutes to the school. THAT hook. (hahaha, here I am talking about not wanting to do that stuff in the same entry I raved about having more energy. Obviously there is a BIG difference between energy and motivation - otherwise my house would look stellar, right?)

Did I ever mention that Sullivan started crawling a couple weeks ago? I'm not entirely sure when the normal age is to start crawling, but G and A both crawled (real crawling and hands and knees) at about 9 months. So - at 8.25 months, I'd say Sullivan stayed right in line. If he keep the same time-table they did he would be walking about 7 weeks from now - at 10.5 months. (or at least taking multiple unassisted steps!) yikes - that is just scary to think about.

I still love him even though he is keeping me sleep-deprived at 9 months old. I liked Serin's reminder (from her blog) that soon enough he'll be crawling into his own big bed and sleeping all night long without me. I need to cherish the moments. For the most part, I think I do cherish them. It must be hormonal right now - next week at this time I will be fine. (AHA moment - supply dip prior to my monthly friend. . .totally explains wanting to eat all night!)

I didn't see much of Kyle yesterday. He got home from school around 3:30 - studied until 6:30 and then ate dinner w/ us. Back to studying from about 7 until midnight when he finally came to bed. (and turned on the TV and therefore gets a little of the blame for the bad night with Sullivan, but I won't say that to his face - I'll just wait innocently until he comes here and reads this.) On the one hand - I'm proud of him for sticking to his resolution to study as much as he can during the week. On the other hand - my days suck when we don't get any time. Yeah, I know. waaaaah, wahhhh, Hanna.

February 25, 2007

Ugly butt!

There is this hilarious infomercial that comes on TV at least once a viewing session - and I really don't watch all that much TV. Its for these jeans that are obviously a latin-fashion thing. They take a perfectly normal butt and, through the magic of oddly located pleats, widely spaced pockets, and some strategic fading - make the aforementioned BUTT look like its 4 sizes bigger and abnormally perky! Seriously hilarious and super-strange all at the same time.

I honsestly tried to find a picture for you. . .but as a public service announcement I have to warn you. NEVER DO A SEARCH TITLED: "latin booty jeans". It ain't pretty!! :o My eyes!!!!

Sunday bliss!

Today was super relaxing. Sullivan woke up a little before 8, and Kyle actually took him out to the family room and let me recuperate a little longer. The poor baby has a cold that has his nose and eyes just dripping and crusty, which made sleep a little difficult. Normally he wakes up, eats, and goes right back to sleep. Last night, however, he just cried this sad 'I'm so uncomfortable' cry. I think at one point he was feeling okay, but was awake anyway. He kept trying to play with my face and I'll admit it was SO annoying. He was seriously trying to peel my skin off so he could play with it. I tried turning my back to him thinking he would go back to sleep, but then my hair became his toy and that wasn't any fun either. He settled down after a little while - but it was at that point that I was about to snap from no sleep. (normally I would have found it endearing and funny, for sure ;) )

Anyway - sleeping in a little was nice. When I got up, I took the kids down to breakfast and then lounged the morning away. Sullivan was fussy the whole time, and I figured maybe he needed some more sleep - so I put him down for his nap. HE didn't put up a fight at all, so I think I guessed right.

When he woke up, we took the kids for a drive around the city. We were trying to find a neighborhood closer to the hospital that would be cheaper. We did find a place that looked decent and cheap - so we'll file the information away for future reference. I think during Spring Break we'll look a little more seriously.


Kyle and I managed to go to a movie on Friday night. Lupita showed up late (which was lame) and kind of put me in a bad mood, but Kyle talked me into going anyway. Sullivan did pretty well without me - and we managed to watch the movie and relax. It was *so* nice. And of course, the house is always nice and clean on Friday nights and that made it feel better.


Overall, I think I'm pulling out of my whiney 'i don't get to live in the USA' phase I was in. Tanya helped a lot by suggesting we start to exercise in the mornings. We went at 7 a.m. all last week and jogged for a half hour. I have been totally pooped at night, but during the day I definitely feel more energetic and inclined to get things done. I'm dead-set on keeping it up, at least until the end of the semester. I really like having someone go with me, and Tanya will be gone in June.

Boring entry, I know. I just felt like I needed to write something and now that I've taken care of it I can focus on other things next time.

February 19, 2007

A friendly note . . .

Yes, I'm using real names. . .that got WAY annoying.

To aid in equilibrium. . .

I'm moody - and thus far our little blog has been altogether too neutral (leaning cheerful), so I'm going to go ahead and let it all dribble out to get things back on kilter.

I 'bugged' Kyle today by half-teasing that I was going to book tickets to fly home. I don't know what brought it on, but I'm sure it has to do with the final decision on the transferring thing. Maybe I just need time to mourn the loss of the possibility, ya know?

When it came up, I made SUCH an effort to remain neutral (look, that word - twice in one entry) and leave the ball in his court. I guess the fact that I didn't do happy, hopeful dances around the kitchen when we were talking about it somehow gave the impression that I wasn't all giddy inside at the thought of the grand ol' USA. I can't help it - I had these thoughts of how full my days would be again. I miss reading (libraries), shopping, mall playplaces, family, parks. There's just this little hole in our lives while we're here in Mexico - and I guess maybe its my own fault for not going out and finding those things that would replace those activities - but being afraid to drive more than a few miles from home (police) doesn't help much in that respect.

So there, I said it. I'm disappointed and it doesn't mean I don't love him, nor does it mean I won't support him. Its just that - disappointment.

And lest it seems that he actually wears the pants - I should note the decision was mutual. There really WERE too many advantages to staying to ignore them (no matter how hard I tried) and we had to go with it. (And that's saying a lot when I reflect on many irrational decision made in days gone by.)

And to top it all off, I can think of a list of 10 things that would make me feel better (maybe short-term, maybe longer) but all of them require a little thing we like to call PESOS - and those are in short supply lately. (Just in our life, not on the economy or anything - don't want to terrify any Mexican investors who are stupidly looking at my blog to assess the weight of their portfolio.)

So let me be moody, hell - let me cry a little.

February 17, 2007

Kyle and I went to dinner last night and I think by the end of dinner we had talked ourselves out of transferring. :(
I feel slight disappointment at not getting to go home to the states, but I was also able to analyze my feelings a little more and I came to the following conclusions:

A) If we transfer, Kyle WILL have to go to Miami for as few as 12 weeks and possibly as long as 6(?) months. I REALLY do not want to move my family to Miami for such a short term, but I KNOW I would go crazy being a single mom during that time. The months we spent apart last year (while I was having the baby) were seriously the hardest months of my married life. It took us *so* long to get back to having a good relationship. Things are better now than they have ever been, and the thought of making a conscious decision (tranferring) that could possibly jeapordize that makes me a little sick.

B) If we transfer, there's a good chance I will end up living w/ my mom for several months. I love my mama, but its really hard to live in someone else's house. I have already pictured in my head how they would have to make someone park on the street away from the house to make room for my car, how she'll have to make sure my little bro moves out before I get there, how my kids will make messes and if I'm having a bad day and don't clean up - everyone would have to deal. Of course, there would always be the option of trying to find a short-term rental, but then we run into the financial problems of trying to maintain a house in Arizona AND funding Kyle's life in Miami. We barely get by on our $ here in Guad and we're only 1 household. Not to mention that a house by myself w/ 3 kids would be lonely w/out Kyle.

C) Transferring will cost us more money in the long run.

D) There will be a stigma attached to Kyle as a foreign med. student in US rotations. If we stay here, he will not only have the opportunity to practice VERY hands on medicine, but he gets this creepy respect from the patients and physicians in the hospital. It sounds nice to put off the stigma-thing until residency.

E) I've really like having Addie in preschool. To get the equivalent preschool in the states it would cost us 5 or 6 times as much.

F) Overall, being in Mexico keeps things safe, secure, and overall more comfortable for ME and KYLE.


Of course there were obvious benefits to transferring too:


A) Guthrie could start Kindergarten in the fall and finally get to interact w/ other kids his own age on his same level phsyically and mentally. I sometimes worry about how he's going to turn out if we stay here. Will he have a hard time relating to other kids his own age? The kids in his current class here in MX aren't very nice to him (yet, he still insists that he loves school?) and the children of my friends that he plays with are all younger than him. I don't want him to be that weird kid in the 2nd grade when we finally get back to the states. I would feel like it was my fault for not providing him more chances to interact. . .ARGH - THIS is the biggest thing that makes me want to transfer.

B) We would finally have access to libraries, safe parks, and even *gasp* public assistance. The financial help would come in SO handy, and of course if we had libraries, parks and mall playplaces, I might not miss Addie's preschool so much.

C) If we transfer, we will probably end up living in some random city in the US for a while, but we could probably find something a LOT cheaper than NYC would have been. (And obviously transfer= NO 5th pathway.)

D) Transferring means we're back in the US - and that means that when things get frustrating or hard, we have the support of family and the obvious ease of being in the US (where things seems to make more sense than here.)


You know, now that I look at all that - it seems like all my reasons for wanting to stay are to benfit me and kyle and all my reasons for wanting to go are to benefit the kids. *yikes*

Are we being selfish then???I thought I was all convinced to stay here in MX, but I guess not. I feel torn again. *sigh*

February 16, 2007

Another *another* week gone by.

Didn't I just mention how the weeks were going by, and here I am on a Friday afternoon. Goodness, its flying. Too bad most of this week ended up being a waste for Kyle on the studying front. I guess their professor had some "paperwork" issues and couldn't get here from the states, so they cancelled class on Tuesday and Wednesday, and finally changed that class out for another so they could start on Thursday. So, the much-anticipated Pathology has been put on hold. This worries Kyle because he really needed to get to the meat and potatoes of the USMLE subject matter prior to taking the midterm (which is a mock USMLE exam). Instead, they are working on the lower-yield (but important none-the-less) Anatomy.

This week has also been an interesting one on the 'what will the next 2 years bring?' front. We have always intended to stay at UAG for the entire 4 years and then go to NYC for their 5th pathway program. This week though, our friend (from AZ and also attending UAG) went to interview at a different school and has applied to transfer. He came home so excited about it, and as hard as we tried, we couldn't help but wonder if we were doing the right thing by insisting on staying. It would take WAY too long for me to detail out all the pros and cons of going vs. staying and to be honest, I'm very conflicted about it all. At this point though, we've made the tentative decision to apply soon and hopefully we'll have made a definite decision about going or staying by the time he is scheduled to fly to his interview.

The biggest pro about transferring would be : MOVING BACK TO THE STATES!! :o I can hardly imagine being home again.

I have this monster bruise on my boob. (Yup, you wanted to know that, huh?) I can't decide if Sully was nursing on the wrong spot or if its the result of a nasty bite. (Neither would be surprising.) Either way, it looks pretty painful, but isn't too bad.

I kept the kids home from school yesterday. We had a late night on Valentine's Day (Wednesday). The kids were over at friends' house w/ a babysitter until 10:30 while we had 3 couples over for a homemade Valentine's Dinner. We barbecued steaks and had sparkling cider. Kyle and I set up the table out in the backyard and put our tiki torches around the yard w/ candles on the table. It turned out to be such a good date. We had originally planned to watch a movie on the wall w/ our friend's projector, but we spent so much time talking and eating that our dinner took all night and we all left to collect our kids and get them to bed.

I kept the kids home today (Friday) because I'm pretty sure Adeline has a bladder infection, and Guthrie says he has a sore throat. They've been cute and so far its been a pleasant day. We have a babysitter for tonight. We decided that Friday night dates would be what we spent our Christmas Jar money on. ($ that we got from Kyle's parents w/ a cute book. The idea is that you use the money the year you receive the jar, and throughout the year you collect all your pocket change in the jar and at Christmas you give it away to someone who needs it. Cute, eh?)

February 10, 2007

Another week gone by!

I am *so* happy to find that the weeks are flying by. Its crazy how quickly the time has gone since we got back to MX.

A little update on the situation at the school. We went to the principal and told her what #2 said. At first she was defensive and just insisted over and over that it never could have happened. then she softened up, and realized we weren't angry, just concerned.

She said that she *did* think there was an incident at school on friday that involved our daughter pushing another girl. The teacher took #2 and had her stand against the wall, but the principal insists that not only would the teacher never spank a child, but even if she wanted to there were SEVERAL other teachers around. In the end, we talked to #2 some more and feel like she was maybe just upset about the timeout - and not actually spanked. The principal told us she would talk to all the other teachers just to be sure nothing really did happen, and she would observe #2's class for a few days to see how things were going. She also said she would keep our concerns private (not tell the teacher) until she had a better idea of how things go. I REALLY appreciated all of that.

I should mention that in all my observations of this teacher she has always been patient, gentle and kind. Its just that weird comment from #2 that has me uneasy.

_____________________________________________________________

Somewhere out there a romantic husband booked a surprise 2-night weekend for his lucky wife. Due to said husband's actions, THIS wife(as in ME) had the pleasure of an added child for the last 28 hours (but who was counting?).

Its not that it was all bad. The little boy is the same age as #2, so in many ways it was like having twins. who don't like eachother. . .and want all the same toys. . .you get it.

We let the kids all watch movies last night, then left them w/ the babysitter for alittle while and brought back some Dairy Queen for them. BEdtime wasn't too bad, although it did take a little longer than usual. Thankfully, they all slept all night (well, not the baby, but i figured that was a given.)

This morning, TheMan left for his softball game at 8 or so, and I waited for all the kids to wake up and took my time getting them all dressed. AFter they had eaten breakfast and we were ready, I loaded them up (it takes a lot longer to load 4 then it ever does 3.) and took them all to the softball game. They played pretty well for about an hour and half while we were there.

I was exhausted when we got home, but still had more daylight left so no rest. I laid the baby down for his nap, then husband and I showered (not at the same time:p) and got ready. At 1, we loaded the kids into the car and went to pick up the J Family. We went to Colomos park and spent the next 4 hours at a birthday party. The weather was nice, but by the time we got home I felt like I'd run a marathon, and I know husband did too.

We dropped off the J Family and the little boy (she is watching him for the next day until his parents get back) and reveled in the ease of our own 3 children.I think every mother of 3 should borrow a kid or two for a day just to remind themselves how good they have it. If you're looking for one, I have a few available :p

February 8, 2007

Am I in the right place?

I was *so* confused for a minute when I opened the blog. I actually had to stop and ask myself how a perfect stranger could be posting. . .then I realized it wasn't a stranger it was HIM! :p

And to answer the question I KNOW you should be asking yourself: YES, I did noticed the condescending, "i have graced thee with my presence" attitude that was resonating from his words. We're gonna have to work on that.

(to the husband: thanks for making me smile!)

So, I kept the kids home from school today.

Yesterday evening after husband left, I was making dinner in the kitchen when #2 suddenly got serious and said, "Mommy, my maestra is naughty! She spank me on the bum!" ummmm, WHAT?!?!?! I asked her several times about it and each time got the same story. So, now I'm FREAKING out that someone in school has been spanking her or WORSE.

Before we EVER sent them there, TheMan and I had a little meeting with the principal specifically to discuss any kind of discipline. She assured us that they wouldn't use any physical discipline with the kids and that when they misbehaved they were told to do exercises. Umm, okay. Anyway, I've never seen anything wrong with the way they treat her, but there was one time that I came and #2 was crying VERY hard and the teacher was standing right there. I'm pretty sure they had her in timeout on against the wall.

OHHHH, I'm so torn. She always wants to go to school, but at the same time if they ARE being mean to her, she would probably still want to go. Little kids are so forgiving and easy to manipulate, ya know?

The good news is that I know #1's teacher doesn't get angry or spank. He's totally old enough to tell me, ya know? Actually, he specifically said, "My maestra never spanks me or gets mad."

Anyway, I really hope this isn't the beginning of the end of their school year. But, I'm being open-minded to the possibility.

When TheMan gets back from class today he said we could go to the school and talk to the principal about it. (I need his Spanish or I'd do it myself.)

So the Woman is calling me out!

I see how it is. In one breath the woman justifies the mans' absence from home in order to study for his last test and in the next she wants me to be posting emotions, insights, etc. (Note to self: Ask wifey is she would prefer that I blog or be home?) Disregard the latter, the answer is way to obvious. This blog might shrivel and necrose like that cerebral infarct I was reading about earlier this evening if I don't begin to contribute.
In two days I will be done with Basic Sciences and moving on to the USMLE step 1 preparation. I never thought that this day would come. For the first time, I actually feel like I am making a dent in my education. The most important objective now is to nail Step 1. It's in times of accomplishment such as this that I can really feel good about the decision to move the family to Mexico for 4 years. It gives me a glimpse into the future and how it will all be worth the heart-ache, time and effort when we are done.

February 7, 2007

Crunch Time!

And believe me when I say I WISH I was talking about my abs! In fact, its all about the husband and his studying.

*pause to break up fist fight between #1 and #2*

He got his test grade for the test last Friday. He passed and that means that he has officially passed one more class. There is another test on Friday at 10 a.m. and when he gets home at noon, we can have a little celebratory party because he will officially be done w/ all basic sciences for medical school! That seems SO huge to me right now!

Unfortunately, it also means that he's been completely busy and absent for the last 2 days and will continue to be for the next 48 hours. But, in the end its all worth it, right?

He went to class this morning and was back when I got home from the wive's lunch. He studied for a while, then gave a friend a ride to the mechanic to see how things were going with his car repairs. When he got home, he studied (or goofed off, not sure, all I know is I didn't see him :p ) for a little while longer and then got ready for his interview with the Stake President.

He had a High Council meeting at 7:30, so he decided just to stay at the church after his interview (over at 5:30) and study. I just caught him on MSN Messenger and he said that the STake president didn't show up until 5:30!! So, he was a minute into his interview when the next high council member showed up for his time slot. So, basically they talked for a minute and then the Stake President left because of an "emergency" in the stake. Its SO annoying that he blocked out this whole window of time for the President and this meeting tonight and in the end it won't have served any purpose. TheMan was kind of psychic about it all though. Before he left he stopped and turned back to say, "If I get there and the Stake President isn't there yet and makes me wait. . .I'm going to. . .I'll. . .Well, I don't know what I'll do. But just wait, it will happen." Fast forward to now and "ta duh!", he was right.

Anyway, I didn't accomplish much today other than completely throwing off the baby's nap by going to the wive's lunch. The weather was perfect for being outside and the lunch was held in Colomos Park.

I finally decided I better get some cleaning done after baby woke from his nap, but of course he was sad and clingy. I *So* was not in the mood to hold him, but put him in the baby carrier on my back and ended up getting the whole family room picked up, swept, and rug vaccumed. He was so happy back there (except when he saw the balloon on the ground and realized I wasnt' going to let him play with it back there behind my head. I'm such a mean mommy, huh?).

Around6:30, #1 and #2 were acting crabby (okay really #3 was too at this point.) so I put a movie on for them and nursed baby until he was asleep in my room. I put him in his crib and he actually stayed asleep. So, at a little after 7 pm, I had the older 2 happy in their beds and the baby asleep!

Now, if only that messy kitchen wasn't screaming my name. *sigh*

February 6, 2007

Reminiscent of Injuries of the past

When #1 was 9 months old, TheMan was pulling his shirt off and the button (or zipper or something) scratched his little eye. Of course he cried, and it watered, and he cried, but we figured like any regular, old poke-in-the-eye - it would quit hurting and life would go on, right? Wrong. Later that night, he was still crying, rubbing his eye, and it was all red and watery STILL! So, we convinced ourselves to go to the E.R.

After a couple hours of waiting in a germ-infested room w/ way too many non-emergency patients at our sides (come on people, go to the frickin' dr. for that cold!) we are finally seen. We actually didn't have insurance, so they made us pay up front. $275, if I remember correctly. (Thank Visa for being everywhere I want to be - and a few places I'd rather not be as well.)

The dr. puts some drops in his eye and then uses an ultraviolet light to look into it. I guess the drops are supposed to help the abrasion show up under the UV light and sure enough the dr. showed us where he had a nasty little cut on his cornea. Poor poor baby. They put some abx ointment in there and covered it w/ a nifty little eye patch. We kept meds in it and the eye patch in place for a couple of days and then all was well.

So - fast-forward to yesterday. #2's fingernail (still attached to the finger, by the way) ends up in #1's eye. When he was still VERY upset about it an hour or two later I started to think it might be more than just a poke-in-the-eye. Sure enough, 6-7 hours later it is STILL incredibly painful. The poor guy is crying and WAY upset because it won't stop watering and its hurting "soo soo bad!"

Husband looks up a few different drugs and goes to the farmácia (pharmacy for you gringos :p ) and gets some eye drops and some gauze to make a homemade patch. #1 was a little leary of the patch, so we explained to him that he needed to have medicine and keep the eye closed for the rest of the night. Of course he asked why, and in an ongoing effort to talk to him like the intelligent child that he is, we offered the straight-forward answer of, "If that little cut in your eye gets infected, it could make it so you can't see anymore OR if it got really bad, they might have to take out your eye." Resistance is now gone - and the eye patch is in place w/ little complaint.

He wore it all through the evening and night, and this morning when we're getting ready to go to school, for the first time EVER, he tells me that he doesn't want to go. :o He says that the other kids will think he looks dumb! HE says this several times and each time I assure him that I'll take the patch off before school and then we can put it back on when he gets home. When the time comes to get in the car and he's STILL resisting, TheMan digs for more info. When he assures #1 again that he'll take off the patch and offers to do it, #1 gets very upset and says, "I can't take it off or they'll cut my eye out!" :o

AHHHH, poor little man. Can you see the dilema (how the heck do you spell that?) he was facing? Leave it on and be made fun of - take it off and lose your eye forever! (Note to self: in the future tone down the adult-talk in medical situations.)

We managed to compromise and he let us take the patch off for school as long as we promised to put it back on afterward w/ medicine again.

Also, as a side note, he is SO concerned with what the other kids think of the way he looks. (Might have something to do w/ being fair-skinned and light-brown haired in a school full of dark latino children.) Sometimes when I dress him in woven pants and a button-down shirt, he'll make a comment like, "the other kids are going to think I look so 'sharp', aren't they mom?" Seriously! He says "sharp!" I know he gets that from Grandpa H. (TheMan's dad).

Hilarious! I love that kid!

February 5, 2007

I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours.

TheMan DOES have the ability to add entries here, he just hasn't yet. I'm thinking he's embarrased because he knows I'll get to read it. Whe you write things down like this, its this crazy vulnerable feeling. For the longest time I would be HORRIFIED if he found my online journal or read emails I sent to my friends. Not because I'm hiding anything, but because its like showing him once and for all how my mind works, AND because often times its easier to come out with your feelings when you're "talking" to blank cyber-space than it is to your spouse.

So, come on MAN! Out with it. I want sap, I want emotion, I want insight into your brain. Its only fair. I showed you mine - now let's see yours. :p

______________________________________________________-

Now, onto business.

TheMan's softball team (The Toros) have these great jerseys that they had designed last semester when they started their team. TheMan had the seamstress (seamster??? i thought it was a man) make me, #1, and #2 a jersey to match his. #3 was just a teeny guy, so we didn't get him one. We will all wear them when we go to softball games, and if I do say so - we look pretty darn cute.

Today, we needed to go to the seamster :p to order a few more for new guys on the team and we asked about getting one for #3 . They're making him a teeny, little jersey to match ours. AHHHH! I'm so excited! We keep saying we're going to get our family pictures taken in them, and now we really can. It will be ready in 2 weeks.

February 4, 2007

8 month olds RULE

This is #1 at 8 months. HE definitely has the most of my genes. And check out that smile! Melts my heart!
Here we have #3. Excuse the blanket, beanbag, toys, etc. It was a spur of the moment "celebrate my 8-month birthday" picture tonight. He got so excited for each picture, I swear he was posing. I took about 8 in a row, and they all looked identical - w/ that same smile. This little boy looks JUST like his daddy!


And my beautiful baby girl at 8 months. I know she's mine, and I see some resemblance to mine and husband's family, but honestly she looks the LEAST like both of us. She's just enough of a blend to have her own look. LOVE THAT GIRL!






Baby #3 will be exactly 8 months tomorrow! I cannot believe how the time has flown. Before he was born I was altogether dreading the time flying and him becoming a toddler. Then once he was born I was terrified that those colicky days were going to last forever.


Now that he's here and beautiful and hilarious and absolutely charming - I have no complaints. He's been such a different baby from the other 2. He is by far the most willing to cuddle of the 3. I think if I was willing and able to carry and hold him all day, he would probably let me. As it is, I try to take advantage of those wiggly moments to let him get down on the floor with the toys that catch his eye.


He is in LOVE with his brother and sister. No one can get him laughing like they can. The transition to 3 kids has been tough, but thankfully it had nothing to do with sibling jealousy, just the lack of extra hands.


HE has 8 teeth, and is willing to eat small amounts of almost anything I put in front of him. There are very few things that he will eat from a spoon, though. For the most part he wants to grab, feel, and feed himself. A particular favorite has been avocado and today he was in heaven with bites from my yoghurt. Not sure if he's exactly old enough for that yet, but I went with it.




The Most Adorable 4-year Old in the WORLD!

We keep hearing from #1's teacher that he's doing great learning Spanish. She swears he's communicating with the other kids and understands the directions for their little assignments in school. WE feel like he must not know much because he won't use it with us for the most part.

Lately though, TheMan and I have noticed that when he's around other Mexicans he will start to show off what he knows.

We were bored yesterday and looking for something to do. We have been hearing about this "DOLLAR STORE" near the temple for some times now. (Okay, its actually a 13peso store. . .meaning it all costs 13 pesos - but let's not get technical.) So, we're walking down the aisles and #1 points down the next and says, "Por acá." So, we kind of look at eachother and chuckle.

Then when we're getting ready to checkout - they have one of those machines with the claws that fruitlessly lower and get your hopes of winning a stupid toy to rise and fall. (I know you know what I mean.) #1 gets all excited and says, "Papá, Yo quiero uno de estos!" (I want one of those!) He said it SO fast and w/ this little accent that just screamed "MEXICAN!"

We were proud. :p


Different people have been pointing out his good Spanish to us lately, as well. The girl who babysat on Friday night (which by way , turned out pretty good.) and his primary teacher today both made comments.

He still shuts off his Spanish around us, but I feel like we're seeing proof that he IS learning and DOES know it.


*by the way, if you click on those pictures it will show you a clearer view of them*

February 3, 2007

February 2, 2007

Kiss my RUT!

SO - I'm in a spiritual rut. I know this is common and that people go through it. I know exactly what I need to do to turn things around. I actually don't feel all that overwhelmed at the prospect. I know my Heavenly Father loves me, and that he's proud of the person I WANT to be. I know that as soon as I make a slight effort, He will bless me and my life will improve.

So, why can't I do it? Why don't I?

I am afraid of becoming a better person!!! :o I like being able to laugh at naughty jokes. I like watching movies that are deep, twisted, and consequently rated R. I even (oh this is so terrible to admit) like gossip and talking with The Man about other people! :o I am a rotten person! I know.

So, I have this fear that if I fix myself - if I fix my mind and my spirit and my heart, that nothing will ever be funny again. Pretty much everytime I find myself laughing, its either at a movie I shouldn't have watched, because of a joke I shouldn't have heard, or its just plain at someone else's expense.Do you see what a rotten person I am? Can I really change?

What do spiritual people do for fun? Is my quest for laughter and "fun" really the root of my problem anyway? Should I just not WANT that kind of thing?Am I completely irrational? Probably, but I think I'm finally putting into words the little glitch that stops me from fixing myself once and for all.

There, I admitted it. Now, do you think I'm a terrible, shallow, rediculous person???

February 1, 2007

Romance-Killer

When we first got back to Mexico, after #3 was born, I was cleaning the kitchen one day when #1 came into the kitchen with a crayon and wanted me to mark on the wall how tall he was. I vetoed the wall, but figured the refrigerator was a good replacement - as any crayon could someday be removed. This was back in July - so 6 months ago??? Yesterday he suddenly remembered doing that and begged me to see how tall he was again. I put him up the refrigerator and (keeping in mind that this is hardly exact science.) He was nearly 2 inches over the original mark! For a minute I thought maybe my memory was foggy and I must have measured #2 and not #1 originally - so I put her up there and she's way under his mark, so no way. While, I will never know for sure EXACTLY how much he grew, he really did grow.

*Taking a break to measure*

#2 at 3 years and 2 months old is 39.25 inches (I want to say she was 38 inches at her 2.5 year old checkup)

#1 at 4 years 7.5 months is 44.5 inches. (He was 42 inches exactly at his 4 year checkup on his birthday last june!) :o

*sigh* They're growin up.

I got up before the kids and showered this morning. I managed to be dressed w/ teeth brushed and makeup (kind of) on before they were up and needing anything. I dressed all of them, then left #3 with the man while I dried my hair. Fed them breakfast and left for their school. Husband came w/ and we stopped by his school to check some grades - they weren't posted yet.

The man got to studying when we got home and I started soaking my sink (flylady.net) and put the baby down for his nap. I had just finished the soak and scrubbed the sinks out when #3 woke up. Husband took a break from studying and we grabbed some food on our way to pick up the kids. I love when he comes with me to get them because then I don't have to get baby out of the car to go in and get them.

We went BACK to the college to check grades again and the man did REALLY well! Only 2 more tests! One tomorrow and one next Friday. :o He's seriously almost done w/ the classroom! WOOHOO! Bring on the USMLE!

His schedule from this point out stinks though - he has Kaplan everyday from 9-3 including most Saturdays. (ggrrrrrrr!) So, our weekends are going to start to stink. Repeating to myself: its almost over, its almost over, its almost over.

#3 is up on hands and knees most of the time now. He can even manage it on slippery floors, which is a relatively new feat. Still no mobility in that area though. He does "talk" to me all the time. He'll be ALMOST asleep, nursing away when suddenly his eyes fly open and he starts "da da da, mmmmmmm, mmmmmmm, da - AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Its actually quite amusing when I can keep my frustration at the lack of napping in check. (not too often.)

This weekend should be alright. husband's test is tomorrow, so by the afternoon he should be stress-free and ready to take a night off. We found a super cute girl who we made arrangements with to come help with the house for a couple hours on Friday afternoons, and then stay for a couple more and let us go on a date night. :o

Of course tomorrow we won't be doing the date thing - we have a birthday party, so we're just going to have her come with us and hopefully get to know the kids. I'd love if #3 would warm up to her, but I'm not holding my breath. Our "date nights" will probably end up being what they've been for the last 8 months. . .Mom, Dad, and romance-killer. (aka, baby #3.)