Back to school, to prove to dad you're not a fool!

Dear Emily and Leo,

There I stood, same usual place and time to wave goodbye to Daddy, but today it was different. It was so quiet that I could hear the morning runners’ feet pad the sidewalk. As I looked out, your two tiny faces were craning to wave to me from the backseat squished with a princess backpack, nap mats, lunch boxes and a “nigh-men-men-keen” (lightening McQueen) backpack. It’s the first day of school. I held back a tear and showed my best smile and mouthed I love you.

Emily you’re a lucky girl. All the 8th graders at your school (classmates of Aunt Teresa) practically shove through a crowd to yell hello and ask for a hug. You love all the extra attention, and pride yourself in being your teacher’s “good helper girl” since you know the drill from last year. For the past couple weeks, you’ve awakened with the squeaky yet raspy voice of a 4 year old asking “today, mama? Can I go to school today?” You’ve had your uniform set out for weeks, have been planning to spend lots of time in the home center and hoping the boys don’t take over the block center like last year. I can’t wait to hear all about your new friends and what new tattle tales you’re excited to tell me.

Leo you‘re a lucky boy too. “Pe-NA, mommy? Fwiens?” Yes, Leo, you’ll have a blast with Mrs. Pena and your friends. At the meet the teacher day, without any prompting from me, you marched straight up to your teacher and said Hi Pe-Na with a big hug. She already loved you and couldn’t wait to meet the nephew of her former students. You went from 2 yr old to 2 yr old waving, hugging, saying hi. I knew from that moment that I just have to stand back and marvel at all you can bring to the world. Mr. Independent--not afraid of being curious, sensitive, generous, rambunctious. This morning you’ll insist on buckling your carseat all by yourself and carrying your very own big and heavy backpack. I can’t wait to see you grow up to be a boy full of character, but for today (and everyday until the new baby is born), you’re still my sweet baby boy.

I love you,
Mommy

Terrific Two's

The first year of a child is a constant whirlwind of changes and milestones. As new parents, your entire world has been flipped upside down and you begin to obsess over how much or little your 10 lb. chub eats or sleeps. Over time, the sweetness develops some kind of sleep pattern, and you sigh with relief after crossing the first hurdle of parenthood. Whew, you think to yourself, thank goodness I'm such a great parent and totally have this new baby thing under control. With each new challenge mastered, you pat yourself on the back and march forward with your chin up. Each new milestone is documented with 127 pictures and carefully marked in the baby book. When Emily first rolled over at 8 months, I called my parents so excitedly that they thought we won the lottery. All of the hours reading child development books have paid off!

But then, something very strange happens:

The age of 2.

You see, kids are smart and they've heard about the infamous terrible twos, and they know they have to bring their A-game. They don't mess around. There's only 365 days to live up to this terrible two phenomenon, and boy are they going to live it up.

It's all gotta start somewhere. They make one sly move of independence just to catch their parent off guard, and then BAM! It's on.

When Emily turned two, she got lucky. Eli and I were drowning in a pool of new baby Leo plus buying our first money-pit (errr...house) Nothing quite says "now is the time to make my 2 year old debut" as 2 adults running around like chickens with their heads chopped off.

So wouldn't you know, Emily took charge of her life on August 11, 2009. That night, she decided that she was just flat out too old to sleep in a crib. In fact, she's too old to sleep period. Absolutely no naps ever again. And while she was thinking about it, she decided to refuse the high chair too. And sippy cup. She was on a roll. No more diapers. She'd rip that sucker off with disgust. "I dooooo eeet" was her favorite phrase.

Have you ever met a 2 year old? She weighed about 20 lbs and couldn't reach the door handle. I'll show her who's boss, I thought. I'll whip her into shape in 5 seconds flat.

At least, that was the plan.

The next 2 years were slightly a blur.

Leo's 2nd birthday brought the gift of stubbornness. He's slowly unwrapping it, savoring each moment. You see, he has an older sister who's still hanging onto that 2 year old gift of stubbornness, and she's about to be 4. So he's got plenty of time to use it up and wear it out.

Looking back on pictures, I have to tell you the truth. I'm a bit scared of the future. 3 kids, 4 and under. We're definitely outnumbered now. However, there will come a day when Emily will harness this fortitude and perseverance into something positive. And absolutely nothing will stand in her way. So watch out world!

Here's a look back at some of Emily's favorite ways to assert her independence and creativity:

The facial.
We'd had a long summer of applying sunblock, and by then it was just second nature to rub something all over your face. Nevermind if it was lotion, mayonnaise, glue, or diaper rash cream.







The Sneakout.
Remember how Emily liked to protest cribs and naps? We'll just skip the part about her extreme sleep issues all together and look at these cute pictures. Even as an almost 4 yr old she still fights sleep with all her little might and continues to be an insomniac. I'd go to her room in the middle of the night and discover her missing, panic, then find her sleeping under a chair or on a shelf.
Or on the cold tile floor.


The Robbery
We finally drew the line on the pacifier when we realized, hey! You're completely potty trained...you're too old for this! Then commenced the frequent sneak into baby brother's crib and take the paci right out of his warm mouth.


The Baglady
This phase followed an intense basket-lady period wherein an urge to clean turned into hording and clearing out drawers and cabinets compulsively. Personally, I loved all the time spent working diligently to fill the laundry baskets. If ever a friend or family member gave me the "I'm in the neighborhood and would love to swing by and see your new house" I'd put her to work. Not so handy if you're looking for your toothbrush or keys or clean underwear and need to sift through 10 bags real quick.


As you can see, Leo has some very large 2 year old shoes to fill. He's not quite as willful as his sister, but he's a boy. And I hear that's a whole different ballgame. Wish me luck!

The best is yet to come, and babe wont it be fine!

Happy New Year! 2009 was an unforgettable year that brought more excitement and joy to our lives than we thought possible. Last January we had just settled in San Antonio after living in Dallas on and off for six years. I was a ball of bittersweet feelings--thrilled to be living close to (actually in the same house as) my parents, but bummed to move away from all our UD and mommy friends. Slowly we adjusted to our new life, and now I can't imagine what our lives would be like if we never made the move!

Emily learned how to walk, climb and run. From the moment she awakes in the morning to the second she falls asleep at night, she is in motion. Her mouth also is constantly moving. She not only speaks in complete sentences, but she has a sense of humor too. Diapers, cribs, and pacifiers were proudly left in 2009. The independence and will power of this little girl regularly surprises me. Today she unloaded the dishwasher and then loaded her dirty dishes without me asking. I had no idea how loving a small child could be! She takes better care of Leo than of herself. This morning I heard Leo over the baby monitor just talking up a storm. When I went in to get him, I found Emily snuggling with him in his crib. It is not uncommon that she will try to change his diaper. In daily mass she kneels during consecration, says a very sweet prayer to Jesus thanking him for whatever random thing she can think of, and walks down the isle without hand holding for a blessing during communion. Sometimes it seems like she’s more adult than toddler. And boy--she is adorable singing Twinkle Twinkle and the ABCs.

Leo is on the move. Everyone always says all the milestones come too quick with the second child, and I couldn’t agree more. I still can’t believe that he’s able to sit up and is on the verge of crawling. He can scoot clear across the room like no one’s business. Santa brought him baby food in his stocking, and by the way he chows down, you’d think that he was born with a spoon in his hand. I love his easy-going personality, and the way he tries to grab Emily every chance he gets. His hair is coming in and his sleep stretches are getting longer. It won't be long before he's following his sister's example and getting into lots of trouble!

Eli began his new job with a fantastic company and had lots of free time on his hands after graduating with his MBA. All this free time translated into a very close relationship with the kids and a very happy wife. Oh yeah and that whole house project. Kudos to Eli for painting 50 gallons worth, installing a front door, patching the 2” x 3’ crack in the drywall, assembling numerous blinds and curtains, laying a stepping stone walkway, just to name a few projects.

As for me, I’d say I’ve been busy too. Life with a 2 year old and baby is sometimes hairy, but never dull. There is definitely less time to do, well, any hobbies I had thought possible. But there is definitely lots of time to spend falling in love with my beautiful family. 2010, here we come! We're ready for some new and exciting adventures:)

Beautiful Progress

Fall has finally hit San Antonio and the weather is beautiful. I've yet to see many changing leaves, but the temperature really drops down in the evening. The continuous rain really saved us after almost 60 days over 100 degrees without rain (the last 2 months of my pregnancy!) We've been spending more time going to different parks around the city and just can't wait to have a free weekend to go out to the hill country for a hike.

Emily surprises me all the time with her fearless attitude on the playground. Last week we met Eli for lunch at the park and she climbed up a huge rock-wall without any help! I love to watch her play. She's totally into building blocks right now, and of course still loves playing mommy. If her attention span is good, she'll pretend to grocery shop, cook, feed her baby doll, change her diaper, sing her songs and rock her, read her books. She radiates with love around Leo, who she still calls "brudda". Whenever he starts to whimper she dashes to give him the pacifier and tries her best not to suffocate him with her hugs. She's really becoming a big girl with a new bed and potty training.

Leo is growing up fast--it's hard to believe he's almost 4 months old. He loves to roll and try to sit up alone and is really reaching for toys now. His intensity is really cool...you can tell he's going to have a lot of drive. He's a fantastic sleeper and is packing on the pounds. I think he could give us some pointers on patience!

Our lives lately have been revolving around trying to get our new house fixed up. Eli and I have been heading over after putting the kids to bed at my parents' house. The biggest project we've accomplished is painting--everything from walls to cabinets to garage doors, outside shutters, bathtub/showers, interior doors, all door frames and baseboards. I think it's safe to say we're kind of tired of painting. We lost track of how many gallons, but it's at least 30 gallons. We got new carpet, which really brightens up the place. We've fixed drywall, faucets, pulled out tree stumps, repaired the roof, took off popcorn ceilings, installed new hardware, and put up blinds. Whew...and we've still got a lot of work to do! If we keep working at this same pace, we hope to be moved in before our trip to Mississippi for Thanksgiving.

Other than that, Eli's still traveling almost every week. I dream about the day when I can sit and read or just be bored for a minute. Life however continues to speed by, and we have to enjoy every moment with the kids! At some point I'll post pictures! Emily and Leo enjoyed Halloween as a caterpillar and butterfly and have enough candy to last them until next Halloween!

Family Updates

I just realized today that I haven't posted any news in almost 2 months. The days go by very slow sometimes, but looking back, the months have gone by super fast.

Emily has acquired a whole new slew of words and finally speaks in full sentences. I am literally shocked everyday at her energy level. Trying to wear her out is just impossible, and she tends to get faster and louder and crazier the more tired she gets. Luckily I was able/forced? to learn to juggle 2 kids alone sooner than I felt comfortable. By the time Leo was 2 weeks old we were out and about and I never had time to be afraid. We are ready for the hot weather to end so our outings will be a little more enjoyable:) Emily turned 2 in August, so now we're trying to potty train her. So far she's scared of the potty and now scared of pooping on the floor. She has had a really hard time getting used to all the changes around here and very often acts like a baby and wants to be carried everywhere. I think we're going to hold off for a few weeks on the potty.

Leo is growing into a little chub. I'd guess that at 8 weeks old, he's about 15lbs. and wears the same size diaper as Emily. He's your typical baby...feed him and hold him all day and he's happy. As soon as we can get to our box in storage, I'm pulling out the baby sling. I think he's started to regulate his sleep a little bit with blocks of 3-4 hours of sleeping or being awake at a time. We've all been sick with a cold for the past week, so he could just be trying to recover. He gave us his first smile around 6 weeks, and this morning he started to laugh at me with a towel wrapped around my head. He's such a cutie!

Eli's doing well and excited that we found a house! It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in a nice little neighborhood about 3 miles away from his work, my parent's house, church, and school. The great thing about the house is the space--it is 2200 sq ft! All 4 of us have been living in my childhood bedroom at my parents house for the past 9 months (which is awesome because we were able to save up our money, but a little cramped:) We got an unbelievable deal on the house because it's a foreclosure. I think we've got our work cut out for us, but are excited for the potential. We close September 22, which is Eli's 26th birthday. We're hoping to move in by the end of October.
The other big changes around here are that my sister Mary Clare left for Rome to study with UD at the end of August. One week later my sister Lauren left for Rome too, taking a job as an au pair. My other sisters Teresa and Annie have started school and my mom went to work teaching a spirituality class at JPII, the new Catholic high school in San Antonio. All of a sudden the house is pretty empty most of the time!
Unfortunately I dont have the time to post pics at the moment since Emily is waking up from her nap, but I just posted a new album to facebook that you should check out!

The most beautiful time in San Antonio

Life with a toddler is very entertaining to say the least! Emily has really blossomed in San Antonio and is far from the baby she used to be in Dallas. I think she was putting so much effort into learning how to walk that her verbal and comprehension skills were on hold. Today she can understand a lot of basic commands (drink your milk, sit down, etc.) and selectively ignores others (don't eat dog food, don't climb on the table, etc.). Her vocabulary is starting to form, and she learns about one word a week--pretty darn good for a preemie! Our temporary home is tons bigger than our old tiny apartment and is far from baby-proofed, so she has a lot of fun getting into everything all day long. Unfortunately that means that I rarely sit down, but hopefully Emily will begin to learn a little discipline:) We had our 20 week ultrasound with the perinatologist a few weeks ago and I was amazed at how much this baby was moving. We could barely get any measurements (and I couldnt get any good pics) because for the full 30 minutes he flipped frontwards and backwards. I say "he" in the generic term because we are hoping not to find out the gender. When we finally got a headshot from a birdseye view, we could see his little ears sticking out:) I've started to receive weekly shots of progesterone as a preventative measure against preterm labor. The shots are not a guarantee, but we'll do anything we can to go the full 40 weeks. Please keep us in your prayers! More than ever now I'm starting to feel the "ok-i-think-i'm-in-labor" with back pain and contractions, but after seeing my obgyn yesterday, she assured me that for right now, everything looks fine. I'm trying to take it easy but am finding myself a little crazy at the end of the day if I dont get out of the house. This month has really flown by while we made it our goal to enjoy some of the wonderful things about San Antonio while spring has sprung! Emily and I have been to the zoo a few times with family and with our new friends Nicole and Lucy (10 mo.) Downtown at San Fernando cathedral we had a special blessing by Archbishop Gomez for Emily and the new baby. We've been to Austin a few times to see Eli's family, and they came down to the zoo once too! One weekend we visited Dallas, which just made me really sad that I don't have my friends and 2 sisters nearby anymore. Emily had a lot of fun playing with her baby friends Caroline and Sophia. Here in San Antonio we're trying to meet new people, but I've found that it's a lot harder than I thought. I guess it may be because most 24 year olds are not married with a toddler and pregnant with their 2nd baby. But nevertheless we will continue to thank God a million times a day for His blessings! We'll post pics soon...just put a new album up on facebook!

Family Updates

Eli loves his new job and comes home in such a great mood everyday. His schedule right now includes working in Austin on Thursdays and Fridays, meaning he'll be able to see his parents every week. Also sometimes Emily and I will be able to join him and stay the day in Austin to hang out with Grandma and cousins. (I'm writing this from Austin today!) He really loves spending time with my dad and working on all his home projects...most recently cleaning out the garage and installing shelving. It's nice to have someone to watch football and drink a beer with every now and then too! (that used to be me, but I'm so worn out on football). One cool thing about his new job is that it's about 2 minutes away, meaning he can wake up later and also come home for lunch.

It didn't take long for Emily to get used to her new home, and now she's by far the happiest she's ever been. My parents' house is one big adventure that needs to be explored, and what better way to explore than by WALKING!! That's right...actual walking. One day Emily went from not take a single step alone, to walking 33 steps for the first time. After that, it took only a few days to make the complete transition to fully walking everywhere she goes. I'm going to miss that cute little crawl she had...but am happy she can walk mostly so I can put her down in public places if need be. Right now molars are cutting, which will make 10 teeth (that's a lot since September when she got her first one!) She loves to listen to music and dance, play outside on the trampoline or swing, open and close cabinets and drawers, and is attached to her baby who she pushes around the house. We have met another little baby named Lucy who is just a doll and is fun for Emily to play with on Tuesdays after bible study. Emily's new physical therapist is so sweet, and at the moment is only concerned with her lack of speech. Recently she's finally be able to comprehend what we're saying and is following directives. Her favorite words are baby, dada, eetie (for sweetie the dog). She also can point to Nana, Grandaddy, Aunt Teresa and Auntie Annie.

I'm feeling really great these days and can feel a little rumbly in my tummy everyday. We had a miscarriage scare in early December, with dilation and heavy contractions, and it was suggested that I go on bed rest until July. I was just torn to pieces and emotional for a long time, but the contractions subsided after a few weeks and I've felt pretty good ever since. I'm about 16 weeks along and have a new high risk OBGYN who I feel comfortable with, and I'm going to see a perinatal specialist soon to determine if I need shots to maintain the pregnancy to 40 weeks. I'm so thankful for my mom and dad and sisters who have really helped me out with watching Emily so I could take it easy. At our next appointment we'll be able to tell the gender of the baby, but I really love surprises, so I think we'll wait until the actual birthday (that is if Eli doesn't go crazy with curiosity beforehand).

Emily has a new girl cousin, Adelina Joan, born to Eli's sister Olivia. She favors her older brother Felix with dark curly hair, and weighs just about the same as he did: 9lbs 9oz. Labor was tough and long, and I was just so worried (my hormones are on overdrive right now). We're so excited to meet her today, especially since this is our first niece!

Prayer Requests:
For my brother-in-law Kyle, as his kidney disease has rapidly progressed and dialysis and transplant are in the near future. (also of course for his wife Teresa!!) Eli's brother Fred and Grandpa are leaving on a 2 week cruise to Antarctica tomorrow. My sister Lauren's theology thesis is due very soon, along with comprehensive exams. Eli's parents are awaiting the arrival of a sibling group for adoption very soon.