I'm going to London, I'm not going to London, I'm going to London?!

Someone call a Producer!  I'm ready to film my romantic movie!  You know all those movies where a couple is separated across the world and then one day one of them surprises the other and they see each other at the baggage claim and run towards each other only to be spun around in the air with a passionate kiss?  Well that is going to be me!  Jesus is training all over the world this month (literally in three different countries) and me and Joaquin have got to see him!  Those of you that know Jesus and I will know that our romance film will turn out to be more of a romantic comedy.  The minute Jesus sees me at the baggage claim with even the slightest cheesy grin, he will know what's coming and I'm sure turn the other way pretending not to know me as I begin heading towards him.  The other part of my "romantic movie" is this won't be a surprise to meet Jesus while he's training in London since we're planning this extravaganza together.

Now is it really going to happen?  Will Joaquin and I get to meet our husband and father in London who will at that point likely have been gone over three weeks?  Let me fill you in on the last few week's events.  After our whirlwind of accepting a job in the Dominican Republic, Jesus was going to train in London for two weeks and then return home to Minnesota for two weeks to help me pack and then our family would depart to the DR together.  Well Jesus made it to his layover in Washington DC when they sent him back to MN to apply for a visa to enter London.  This is because he has a Dominican passport and not a US passport.  While Jesus had to wait for a visa, his work could not wait to start his training.  So instead they sent him to Texas for all of last week, the DR this week and London the following two weeks.  This means Joaquin and I are fending for ourselves missing him and packing/selling everything on our own.  I sure do appreciate those that have helped me out so far!  

With all of this commotion, we all decided Joaquin and I should take a vacation to meet Jesus in London! Then of course we found out that I too need a residence visa for the DR and will need to send in my passport for that meaning I can't get to London. (Initially we thought I could do this once I got there).  I have spent the last four days gathering health records, police records, getting things notarized and apostilled.  Have you heard of apostilled?  I sure haven't and I had to go all the way to the stinking secretary of state's office to do it.  Just as I was ready to send everything in and let the consulate translate it into Spanish, I found out it was $70 per document to translate and that is a huge rip off!  So luckily today a friend came by and began translating for me because she can do it as long as I notarize and apostille it all over again!  Then this afternoon I got a call from Jesus.  He begins by saying "You are going to hate me..."

Turns out a lawyer in the DR said I can enter the country on a tourist visa and take care of residency when I get there even though both the Chicago and DC consulates told me I had to begin the process here.  So at this point we have decided to trust the lawyer in the DR and put a halt on the paperwork so I can keep my passport and go to London!  Now this has been an ever changing scenario so I guess you'll find out if I made it to London in a future post...

Here's a photo showing that Joaquin was ready for London's Paparazzi before he was born, just like Pippa Middleton!

We're moving to the Dominican Republic!

I’ve had (and will likely continue to have) a flood of emotions the past couple weeks and am not sure how to dictate any of it but I will try!  A few weeks ago, Jesus casually told me that he found a competitor company to his with an office in the Dominican Republic that just so happened to be in the town he was born.  He told me he emailed HR about the company and initially I was a little shocked because that’s the first step to applying and we never talked about moving internationally.  They quickly replied that they needed someone to manage the office in the DR and they wanted his resume.  He sent his resume and was asked to interview the next day!  Well the first interview went well and then they asked him to interview with the Vice President of the company the following day!  Then the VP was too busy and had to cancel.  She rescheduled and then had to cancel again.  At this point Jesus was ready to call it quits since he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to move there anyway.  I was still living in oblivion and believed this whole thing wasn’t real.   However for some reason, I told Jesus that he should just continue to interview.  An interview doesn’t mean we’d accept the job but for some reason I wanted him to try.  I knew that this might be something he really wanted and I didn’t want to see him not follow through and be left wondering “what if?”  That was my first red flag!  I could have easily said, yes, let’s not interview because I wasn’t excited about leaving family and friends, not to mention we own a brand new home!  But I didn’t, I said he should interview.  Am I a supportive wife or what?! 

Although for the first couple weeks I didn’t think we would actually move, I still knew that Jesus was going to get the offer.  Two or three interviews later, sure enough the offer came.  So Jesus replied with his demands of salary and moving expenses, etc. and then we went forward with prayer and fasting.  Should we actually go if they meet our “demands?”  Obviously this is a major adventure and you might be thinking, who would pass this up?  Well I sure would simply out of fear...and this is why I married Jesus.  I knew that I was going to have trouble hearing an answer to prayer because in my mind I didn’t want to go.  For as long as I’ve known Jesus, one thing he has been amazing at has been listening to the Spirit.  He has always known that things would work out when I’ve been afraid whether the decision was about marriage, health, or our careers.  He’s also the kind of person that won’t do something if it doesn’t feel right.  So I knew at this time that I would need to trust Jesus because I couldn’t trust myself since fear would over run logic.  Luckily the Lord knew about my internal struggles too and that’s when things started falling into place.  I have to give a shout out to one of my friends, Katy, who reminded me that the spirit doesn’t work through fear so feelings of fear probably weren’t coming from the Lord.  The Lord has other ways of telling me something isn’t right if that were the case.  To my surprise the list of things making this move feel “meant to be” commenced.  

I told a friend, Yvette, from church that we could potentially move and I was telling her all of my fears, one of them being we would need to rent our sell our house in a matter of weeks.  Later that night, I received a text message from her letting me know her family was interested in renting out home as they had been wanting more space!  Then when Jesus quit his job, they could have walked him to the door, but they said he was welcome back anytime.  My Principal too told me the most wonderful thing when she said they will miss me but family comes first.  I don’t think just any boss would say that especially since I quit a week before I was supposed to come back from maternity leave.  In addition to all of this, Joaquin and I were waiting for our passports for an upcoming vacation to the DR before we knew we were moving and then they came in the mail early at the same time of this big decision!  With everything beginning to work out, enough of my fear subsided to know that we couldn’t pass up this opportunity!  It will benefit Jesus’ career path and teach Joaquin and I more about Jesus’s language and culture.  Have I mentioned I won’t be working and can be a stay at home mom with Joaquin while we’re here too?  Things can’t get much more exciting than that!  The other thing that puts me at ease is the fact that Jesus told me we can go to the DR to give back to the community and I like the thought of us taking a mini “mission.”

It’s funny how a flood of emotions can make me even more cheesy than I already am.  We are driving to Chicago now to show Joaquin to the great grandmas on my side and I was finding all this strength for my adventure listening to Moriah Carey sing “Hero” on the radio.  Really?!  I know I have exciting things to look forward to like warm weather, beans and rice and plantains, being less than an hour from the beach, living in a beautiful apartment or maybe a traditional home, hopefully having a pool and two of my friends Melinda and Christina have already started planning their trips to visit me! 

When we return from Chicago, it's back to packing and trying to sell the bigger pieces of furniture and our cars so we have less to store at my mom’s and it would all be much too expensive to ship.  We will be going to the DR with clothes and that’s about it!  Oh and Jesus’s 3-D TV of course!  I am sad to leave my family but we will Skype often.  I will so miss my friends and am hoping to not miss the birth of a few upcoming babies as I don’t know my departure date yet.  Jesus leaves for London in about a week for training and then should be able to come back to help me move.  So if you’re free and want to watch Joaquin while I pack, give me a ring! 

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far and know that I’ll miss you!  But I have to embrace this the best I can and there’s no doubt you’ll be getting facebook and blog updates and photos!

I will just imagine my life is going to be like this...at least it might be on the weekends!

Turns out I have a miracle baby!

So I think I have a miracle baby!

A few weeks ago I went to the doctor for my 6 week postpartum visit.  That's when the doctor said "Something doesn't look right to tell you the truth."  In 29 years and through a pregnancy and c-section, I had never heard that!  She continued to tell me that she saw some kind of septum (piece of tissue) blocking my cervix.  Upon further examination she found that I have two cervixes and a septum in between the two.  The next step was to see if this septum went all the way up my uterus and this could only be determined by an MRI.  Now not only was this getting scary but it was getting pricey!  I received my MRI results today and I indeed have a uterine septum completely up my uterus and two cervixes!  I swear I'm not a freak!  

So what does this all mean?  First of all it explains why Joaquin was breech,  He didn't have enough room to turn around with a septum blocking much of the area he was growing inside.  How grateful I am that I didn't listen to everyone telling me to let the doctors try and turn the baby to avoid the c-section!  Also Joaquin was basically created within one cervix which is why he grew all over that one side of my body.  I'm sure many of you remember seeing my crooked belly with a baby clearly on the right.  The next question is what does this discovery mean for my future?  Most women with a uterine septum have miscarriages and/or pre-term labor.  I didn't have either thus why I believe I have a miracle baby!  As of today my doctor is still referring to specialists about the next step.  She is speaking to a doctor who specializes in uterine surgery as well as a high risk pregnancy doctor.  Turns out my pregnancy was high risk and I didn't even know it.  I confessed to the doctor that I climbed a rock wall and went on water slides which are things I shouldn't have done in a normal pregnancy let alone high risk!  So if I had had complications the doctor would have strongly suggested I remove this septum from my uterus.  However since I miraculously had no complications other than Joaquin being breech, she is unsure of what to do.  She would hate to have my uterus get worked on if it were unnecessary and caused more complications. So for now I play the waiting game and I'm sure I'll post again when I have more information.

On the up side I couldn't be more grateful for Joaquin in my life.  He makes me smile every day and I truly feel blessed that he is here.  I always envisioned having my first child before the age of 29 and I guess the Lord knew I couldn't wait any longer so he brought us Joaquin and bypassed the complications. Some call it coincidence, I call it a miracle!

There would not be an appropriate picture to correspond with this post so here is Joaquin wearing one of daddy's baby shirts!

Digital Documenting

I sure do love the idea of having a baby book but I am so not a scrapbooker.  I am however enjoying blogging and I also have been organizing Joaquin's pictures in monthly folders on my computer.  I thought of making a digital baby book but I think the blog will suffice. Here are some of the things I'd like to digitally document:

The pretend birth certificate from the hospital 

with the footprints!

    Passing the newborn hearing screening

 The card the hospital placed on Joaquin's bassinet

   
 A lovely piece of cord blood. disgusting.

Our hospital bracelets

Joaquin's first bath in the kitchen sink (just like when I was a baby using the kitchen sink!)

Joaquin in the same bassinet used for me as a baby,

he graduated to his crib at just 2 months old!

 

Certificate of his baby Blessing

Milestone moment: At 10 weeks and 5 days old, Joaquin learned to roll from his front to his back.  I've read that babies will learn to do this as early as  4 months but I'm guessing since Joaquin is the size of a 4 month old he can do it now!  

Newborn session!

Just a few photos from Joaquin's newborn session even if he's two months by the time I'm posting these...

 

Yoga, crib sleeping and the holidays, oh my!

So much to write about so little time!  The first encounter I'd like to share is the beginning of my mom and baby yoga class.  I was skeptical at first knowing about the mothers who hang their babies upside down and swing them by their ankles and other poses that sound too dangerous for me but who am I to judge, right?  Anyway I figured the stories I've heard were extreme cases and I just wanted time to bond with my baby!  If you have been reading my blog, you'll know that my first experience of having bonding time to breast feed didn't go so well so I have been yearning for something that could be for just me and baby and I think I've found it.  I am taking the yoga class through community education.  I really adore community ed classes, so affordable with great teachers.  Upon arrival to yoga there were about 4 moms already there who all knew each other from a new mothers class and I just hoped I would fit in and it wouldn't feel so clicky.  Luckily they were all so welcoming and there ended up being about 8 moms and babies in the class total, all of which seemed very nice.  The instructor is young with a two year old and has taken the class before teaching it.  Most of the babies were around 4 months but Joaquin was two months and there was even a six week old. We began with baby massage and that was my favorite part as Joaquin just laughed the whole time! I was in love with his giggles and couldn't stop giggling myself!  Then we began doing yoga poses over and around the baby and taking them in our arms for some other poses.  This part lasted all of five minutes when Joaquin decided he was hungry and had a meltdown in the what could have been a relaxing class...maybe (It is full of babies).  The instructor assured us that it takes most babies 3-4 classes before they make it the whole way through and my baby was only one of three or four other baby meltdowns so it really didn't seem that bad.  However I sure hope it doesn't happen every week!  I am looking forward to continuing the class.  It really was so fun to play with Joaquin and to get some stretching done for myself.  I also look forward to finding new mom friends in my neighborhood.  My aunt is a former yoga instructor and the author of "The Idiots Guide to Yoga."  She too took a baby yoga class and if the topic interests you, you can read her about her experience in the Yoga Chicago article here. http://www.yogachicago.com/mar08/yogastory.shtml

The next big even to report on happened last night!  Well really it began in the day for our two month visit with shots at the pediatrician.  Surprisingly Joaquin had the quickest recovery the lady administering the shots had ever seen as he barely cried!  However he did cry a little more than normal throughout the day so maybe the pain finally kicked in.  Anyhow at our visit with the pediatrician we talked more about Joaquin's sleep habits.  We thought he was doing good getting 3-5 hour stretches at night but the pediatrician said we can expect him to sleep for a 6 hour stretch by two months old. We liked the sound of that and told her he has been sleeping in his bassinet by our bed in our room.  She encouraged us to put him in his own room in his crib at this point and to not even have the monitor on.  Her goal is for us to only wake up when Joaquin is all out crying and not just whining.  I love this pediatrician because she is so good at assuring us we never have to feel guilty if we let him whine or really we never have to feel guilty with anything as we are trying our best as parents.  So immediately we listed to her!  Last night Joaquin slept in his room in his crib for the first time and only woke up once in the night! It wasn't a six hour stretch but it was progress. It was hard for me to have him be alone but I didn't even cry! We originally thought we would make the switch at about three months but I'm so glad we're starting now.  I'm even looking forward to have our room back without the bassinet or baby things taking up space.  I think it's best Joaquin get used to his own room now, the earlier the better in my mind as hard as it may be.  

The last reflection I need to catch up on is the holidays.  I won't write much about this but I'll just say there is nothing better than having a newborn at the holidays!  We have had visitors from both sides of the family and have enjoyed showing off our new love.  Here are some photos meeting the family!

Jesus and Joaquin with the nieces and nephews of my brother and sister in law on Christmas!

My brother and sister in law with their newest little nephew!

The Proud grandparents on my side! Joaquin is looking a little gassy...

My cousin Benny just five years old, adorable!

 My Aunt Joan (mom's sister) who I mentioned in the above yoga article.  She couldn't get enough of little Joaquin!

A very happy aunt, Jesus's sister Martina holding Joaquin at just one week old.  She loves him!

And our little family on New Years!

A Parent's Initiation

Is there a crowning moment that makes you realize you really are a parent?  Maybe it's when your child says your name for the first time.  Maybe it's when your child learns to walk and you realize their independence has arrived and there's no stopping them. For me so far It's been amazing watching Joaquin pick up his head and turn it on his own.  It's been great to hear him talk (or babble) more and more.

Here's a picture of Joaquin sitting up just like a little grown up!

The real defining moments of parenthood that I'm thinking of are the ones that let you know there's no turning back.  They make you wonder "what have you really gotten yourself into?" Could it be the first time you got spit up on?  Maybe your child's first "blow out" or even the unprecedented frontal blow out as seen in the graphic photo below!

 Maybe it's that moment when you're sitting in church realizing that you have the screaming baby and have to spend the majority of the meeting in the hall as happened for the first time today.  My crowning moment I'm about to tell you is one I would have never predicted and one I hope never happens again...

I had just jumped into bed around midnight and was so comfy and so happy my wonderful husband (Jesus) was changing the baby and putting him down for the night so I could get some rest.  (On a cheesy side note, Jesus really is wonderful and has made parenthood so much easier than it could be as we truly have a 50-50 partnership in the responsibilities of raising Joaquin).  Anyway as I laid in bed I heard a shriek from the nursery.  Before you worry, I'll tell you this shriek was my husband's as he had just gotten peed on.  Not only was he peed on but Joaquin managed to pee all over himself, up his back and into his hair.  FYI this is nothing yet... At this point of course I was asked to get out of bed and hold the wet baby while Jesus jumped in the shower and prepared the water temperature for Joaquin. Joaquin likes showering with daddy more than his little bathtub.  I sat there on the toilet seat next to the tub waiting for Jesus to get in and hold his arms out to take the baby.  That's when the two of us heard the loudest farting sound imaginable.  To our surprise, my naked baby had just pooped all over me.  It was like projectile diarrhea almost completely covering my underwear and half of my shirt.  Jesus would have most definitely taken a picture for Facebook had I not been in my underwear!  He of course broke out in laughter and I couldn't help but laugh too and then quickly screamed for him to grab the baby.  Jesus took the baby in the shower as I stripped my underwear, threw them in the trash and began bleaching the toilet seat, floor and any areas tainted by this crowning parenthood experience.  So reflect on your crowning moments and ask yourself if you can beat that?!  The story cannot even do justice to the real thing...