I can't sleep. I'm glad that our boys are sleeping soundly while Eric finished inventory at CFA. Here I sit in our hotel room, 331, where we have lived the past 10 months. I'm very glad to be going to a 3/2 apartment but there have been so many memories here that it's even a little sad so say good-bye to the hotel. Isaac was born here (in a hospital) and just recently he has learned to crawl!
Oh, I will miss the people like I've said many time already. I will miss my aguas frescas. I will miss my church that met under a large tent for awhile when we first started going there. I will miss the hotel staff, the ladies who clean our room and whom adore Levi. I will miss Levi running down the hall shouting 'Hola' the staff and guest. MOPS play dates, the zoo, the flea market, Chick-fil-A staff/friends.
We fly out in the morning to Jacksonville and will drive to Myrtle Beach, SC from there. Hoping that Eric and I as well as the boys are feeling up for the adventure. Praying all goes well and trying to be excited about what is next. I think I am excited but I'm tired. Adventures are fun but it means you have to be awake.
Besides moving- shipping a total of 10 boxes and 4 suit cases- Isaac is growing like a champ. One of his top teeth broken through yesterday, he is crawling and starting to be able to pick up and eat cereal on his own! How did we get here so fast, he's only 6 1/2months!
Myrtle Bch....here we come!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Packing up the Hotel!
Eric, Levi and I have been living in Brownsville, TX for the past 10 months of our lives. Isaac was born here and has been living here for the past six month or his whole life :) When we first arrived here I had a few thoughts, one, how soon can we leave and two, we probably won't be here more than a couple months. Well we were definitely here a lot longer than I expected but in the end I'm very glad that we were and in many ways I'm sad to leave- something I never thought I would ever say. I'm thankful for the friends I've made and I'm so thankful for all that I've learned while being here.
A brief summary of our time here in hindsight:
We arrived at the beginning of October from Naples, FL where we had lived the past two months as part of Eric's job with Chick-fil-A. The city seemed small but acceptable. I was 6mo pregnant with Isaac. We moved into the Residence Inn, it was small but we did have two bedrooms. It was weird to spend the holidays away from family and in a hotel. We did go to an employees house for Thanksgiving and the hotel made us stockings for Christmas but overall it was lacking because our family was back home. As Isaac's birth approached the hotel threw a baby shower for me and I've never felt more cared for by strangers. There were at least 30 people at the shower and I only knew about 5 of there names at that point. It was so sweet and humbling. It was a nice break to be with adults :) Besides little perks like that I was starting to really dislike Brownsville. I had already been hospitalized for dehydration once due to food poisoning (and would later get it three more times but without hospitalization), nothing was familiar, grocery shopping felt overwhelming, there was a lack of green and my family was too far away!
But then, right before Isaac was born I found a MOPS group. I had yet to make any friends until this point, mostly because I couldn't find any. I really had tried but it seemed impossible to find anyone Anglo or not, I was willing to learn Spanish at this point, I just wanted a friend. I always feel a little awkward when I first met people but entering into a group of moms and having two moms who were both about to give birth to their second child sitting at my table was amazing! Even more incredible was having those moms take my number and invite me to hang out. I know, it seems normal, but to me it was so so wonderful! I hadn't been able to do that for over three months. In getting to know these moms I started to enjoy Brownsville more- grocery shopping didn't get easier, and the terrain didn't become greener but I finally found people! haha. When we first arrived wasn't sure if it was worth it to try and find friends. I just didn't feel like explaining my temporary slightly abnormal situation, I didn't want to have to later say goodbye and I was somewhat content to keep one foot in Florida while living in Texas. I realize now the value in diving in more so than I have before. Yes, the water may be cold but the sooner you jump in the sooner you will enjoy it! As we start to pack up and move to Myrtle Beach, SC I hope that I won't be scared and just dip my toe waiting until we can leave. I wish I would have dove in sooner in Texas!
Another step that Eric and I took was to join a small group at the church we had been attending- another way of diving into the community that we might soon leave. I do not regret it! I will truly miss all the friends we have made here! The way that people have shared their lives with us here has been a gift from God. I have been encouraged and challenged beyond my imagination. Thank you to everyone in Brownsville for enriching our lives so much!
A brief summary of our time here in hindsight:
We arrived at the beginning of October from Naples, FL where we had lived the past two months as part of Eric's job with Chick-fil-A. The city seemed small but acceptable. I was 6mo pregnant with Isaac. We moved into the Residence Inn, it was small but we did have two bedrooms. It was weird to spend the holidays away from family and in a hotel. We did go to an employees house for Thanksgiving and the hotel made us stockings for Christmas but overall it was lacking because our family was back home. As Isaac's birth approached the hotel threw a baby shower for me and I've never felt more cared for by strangers. There were at least 30 people at the shower and I only knew about 5 of there names at that point. It was so sweet and humbling. It was a nice break to be with adults :) Besides little perks like that I was starting to really dislike Brownsville. I had already been hospitalized for dehydration once due to food poisoning (and would later get it three more times but without hospitalization), nothing was familiar, grocery shopping felt overwhelming, there was a lack of green and my family was too far away!
But then, right before Isaac was born I found a MOPS group. I had yet to make any friends until this point, mostly because I couldn't find any. I really had tried but it seemed impossible to find anyone Anglo or not, I was willing to learn Spanish at this point, I just wanted a friend. I always feel a little awkward when I first met people but entering into a group of moms and having two moms who were both about to give birth to their second child sitting at my table was amazing! Even more incredible was having those moms take my number and invite me to hang out. I know, it seems normal, but to me it was so so wonderful! I hadn't been able to do that for over three months. In getting to know these moms I started to enjoy Brownsville more- grocery shopping didn't get easier, and the terrain didn't become greener but I finally found people! haha. When we first arrived wasn't sure if it was worth it to try and find friends. I just didn't feel like explaining my temporary slightly abnormal situation, I didn't want to have to later say goodbye and I was somewhat content to keep one foot in Florida while living in Texas. I realize now the value in diving in more so than I have before. Yes, the water may be cold but the sooner you jump in the sooner you will enjoy it! As we start to pack up and move to Myrtle Beach, SC I hope that I won't be scared and just dip my toe waiting until we can leave. I wish I would have dove in sooner in Texas!
Another step that Eric and I took was to join a small group at the church we had been attending- another way of diving into the community that we might soon leave. I do not regret it! I will truly miss all the friends we have made here! The way that people have shared their lives with us here has been a gift from God. I have been encouraged and challenged beyond my imagination. Thank you to everyone in Brownsville for enriching our lives so much!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Isaac gets his two front teeth! :)
Isaac's two bottom front teeth have both just broken through. He is only 5 1/2mo and already has teeth two teeth! (Levi didn't get his first tooth until 7mo). We also let Isaac try baby food for the first time- pumpkin (since that was all I had at the time). He didn't eat a lot but he loved it! In other Isaac news- he loves his big brother and watches everything he does. He can scoot around in a circle but no real crawling yet.
Levi updates- he continues to talk more and more in fragmented sentences. He's a sponge for words and is saying new words everyday. Although he is growing up so fast he is still a sweet baby boy and wants to be held, read to and then put down so he can start a new adventure!
Eric continues to work steadily for CFA in Brownsville. He will be interviewing at the end of the month and we are hopeful to have a permanent home soon. The longer we live here the more it becomes like home but we would really like to live in a home soon if possible. The people we've met here are a continual encouragement and I'm so thankful for their friendship!
More soon. Love
Levi updates- he continues to talk more and more in fragmented sentences. He's a sponge for words and is saying new words everyday. Although he is growing up so fast he is still a sweet baby boy and wants to be held, read to and then put down so he can start a new adventure!
Eric continues to work steadily for CFA in Brownsville. He will be interviewing at the end of the month and we are hopeful to have a permanent home soon. The longer we live here the more it becomes like home but we would really like to live in a home soon if possible. The people we've met here are a continual encouragement and I'm so thankful for their friendship!
More soon. Love
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Postpartum Hair loss....again (Don't be jealous)
So, when Levi was around 4mo old I developed two fairly noticeable bald spots on my temple- think receding hairline or something. It wasn't that attractive but I survived. I don't know why this happened and I have only encountered a few others who have enjoyed this trial as I have. I was happy to find that my hair started to grown back a few months later and by the time Levi was about 15mo the hair was about 3in long. I had endured the weird spiky stage while the hair was only about 1/2in and stuck straight up and was happy to have these new hairs somewhat in line with the rest of my mane.
Well, baby #2, Isaac, came along just after Levi turned 15mo. I knew that there was a good chance of this happening again and so I tried to take my vitamins and do whatever it is you're supposed to do to keep your hair from falling out. The main problem is that I don't know what you're supposed to do to prevent hair loss after birth! Obviously, my hormones are on a roller coaster and during this dip all my hair (at least a lot of it) wants to fall out! And despite my blind efforts all my hair that had grown to a nice approximate 4in has fallen out again. If you know the solutions to this problem please share! If you are a victim then I'm sorry and it gets better.
Hoping that my hair returns again soon and glad I still have most of it!
Well, baby #2, Isaac, came along just after Levi turned 15mo. I knew that there was a good chance of this happening again and so I tried to take my vitamins and do whatever it is you're supposed to do to keep your hair from falling out. The main problem is that I don't know what you're supposed to do to prevent hair loss after birth! Obviously, my hormones are on a roller coaster and during this dip all my hair (at least a lot of it) wants to fall out! And despite my blind efforts all my hair that had grown to a nice approximate 4in has fallen out again. If you know the solutions to this problem please share! If you are a victim then I'm sorry and it gets better.
Hoping that my hair returns again soon and glad I still have most of it!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Likes, Dislikes and other events
We are still in Brownsville and enjoying it more and more. I have a great group of friends and enjoy sharing life with them! And regardless of where we live Levi continues to be himself....
Levi- full of passion is always on the move- doing the best and sometimes the worst of things. We went shopping, looking for some casual dress shoes. We let him try on some brown Sperry's. He loved them! But at $30 we thought that a little pricey for a 19mo old. Levi disagreed and began crying and screaming- he wanted the shoes. We didn't get them, he got over it but he loves shoes and really all apparel.
Baseball- went to a t-ball game. Levi was very interested. Tried to join the team on the field. Clapped and danced with the crowd as people scored. He's ready to play!
Naps- Levi can be hit or miss with naps these days. Today he chose not to nap but remained quiet most of the time he was 'resting'. However, as I watched him through the video monitor I saw him reach and take out a bunch of clothes from his drawer. He danced around with the clothes, attempted to try them on and made pajama pants into a scarf. The best part was that went to cried out to let me know he was done with this nap I went in expecting a mess. But he had put all the clothes back in the drawer! I pretended to not know his secret but was laughing inside! Love that kid!
Levi continues to show signs that he might want to be potty trained- do I want to start down this road, I don't know, eventually but not sure how soon.
Levi- full of passion is always on the move- doing the best and sometimes the worst of things. We went shopping, looking for some casual dress shoes. We let him try on some brown Sperry's. He loved them! But at $30 we thought that a little pricey for a 19mo old. Levi disagreed and began crying and screaming- he wanted the shoes. We didn't get them, he got over it but he loves shoes and really all apparel.
Baseball- went to a t-ball game. Levi was very interested. Tried to join the team on the field. Clapped and danced with the crowd as people scored. He's ready to play!
Naps- Levi can be hit or miss with naps these days. Today he chose not to nap but remained quiet most of the time he was 'resting'. However, as I watched him through the video monitor I saw him reach and take out a bunch of clothes from his drawer. He danced around with the clothes, attempted to try them on and made pajama pants into a scarf. The best part was that went to cried out to let me know he was done with this nap I went in expecting a mess. But he had put all the clothes back in the drawer! I pretended to not know his secret but was laughing inside! Love that kid!
Levi continues to show signs that he might want to be potty trained- do I want to start down this road, I don't know, eventually but not sure how soon.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Isaac in Action!
Never blogged a video before but I think this should work.....below is Isaac showing off his new skill set :) Hope to get some video of Levi and his 'words' soon!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Isaac the Hero
For Mother's Day or really the day before Isaac decides to roll over (from back to stomach). It was a sweet gift for him to give. He brings his chubby little legs up, turns to the side and then twists. He acts a little surprised when he ends up on his stomach too. It's great!
Levi continues to love his brother- sharing his toys by putting them right in Isaac's face, so kind. Isaac has also become a much much better car rider, so glad for this!! Instead of screaming every second he is able to be happy during most if not the entire ride, let's hope this continues!
Levi continues to battle his naps. Today he sleeps but who know what will happen tomorrow. He is all around a better sweeter boy when he naps. He continues to add more and more words to his vocabulary and is getting easier to understand. Excited to hear more of what he has to say!
Levi continues to love his brother- sharing his toys by putting them right in Isaac's face, so kind. Isaac has also become a much much better car rider, so glad for this!! Instead of screaming every second he is able to be happy during most if not the entire ride, let's hope this continues!
Levi continues to battle his naps. Today he sleeps but who know what will happen tomorrow. He is all around a better sweeter boy when he naps. He continues to add more and more words to his vocabulary and is getting easier to understand. Excited to hear more of what he has to say!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)