Christmas Eve with Mary and baby Jesus

**Editor's Note: I'm going to skip ahead to Christmas Eve and will post about Jenna's birthday later.

Christmas was a VERY busy time for us this year (especially with having Jenna' birthday party right in the middle of the holiday festivities). We had a fun day celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve with Wes and Ashley. Then we dashed out to make it to church for a children's service. I really wanted to go because this was the first year they were doing this kind of service and I thought it would be perfect for Jenna. It started out with Pastor Kevin inviting all the kids to come up front. We sat in the 3rd row in hopes that Jenna might get the courage to join them. As predicted she stood next to Jeff at the end of our row watching and sucking her thumb with curiousness. Pastor and explained the the kids could chose from the many costumes and dress up as Mary, Joseph, the Shepards, the Angels or the Star and each child could then take a picture with baby Jesus (doll). As the kids began to try on costumes etc, Jenna decided it was the perfect time to go and take a closer look at baby Jesus in the manager. 
**I only had my cell phone to take pictures and videos.

We laughed and told her that she needed to return baby Jesus before the other kids noticed and she did...by dropping him in the manager! 
She then decided that maybe she wanted to try on a costume. She picked out a specific costume and with our help put it on. She is usually not this adventurous so we were a little surprised. We asked her if she wanted to hold Jesus like the other kids had. Of course she wanted to hold a baby.

 As the other kids took off their costumes and headed back to their seats Jenna decided she wanted to keep hers on. So we went back to our seat in preparation for the next song. Then Jenna decided she wasn't done holding Jesus..

We told her to return Jesus to the manager.

I thought she was done and wasn't sure what she was doing so I stopped the video. She went to get a "blanket" to cover Jesus (wish I would have caught it all on video).

At this point Jeff, Myrene, Glenn and I were all laughing so hard. We kind of waved to her to come back to sit with us but she decided she wanted to sit right up front on the stairs.

The people around us also started laughing and the woman in front of me turned around to say I have a movie star on my hands. I shook my head in disbelief and said I usually have a girl that doesn't like being the center of attention. So there she was at the front of the church and sat there through part of the song.

She evenutally came back to her seat. When we left church Pastor Kevin told her that she was the best Mary ever. We thought she was dressed as a Shepard! This is one of the best Christmas memories and I will cherish it forever!

 

 

Oh Boy!

Never thought I would be a mother to a boy and it looks like I get that chance. Baby #2 is a BOY!! 

Our doctor offered to do an early ultrasound at 15 weeks (11/14/12) to check on gender. Jeff couldn't be there so I had her put the gender in an envelope. I gave it to my friend Lindsay and she made a cake indicating either blue or pink. We cut into and it was pink! Yay, another girl!! I knew in my gut it was a girl. Everything felt just the same as when I was pregnant with Jenna. I had no doubts. We even put it on our Christmas card. Plus my doctor said she was 99% sure and she would be really embarrassed if she was wrong.  

I had my 20 week ultrasound on Wednesday. I was going to be there alone. Jeff thought he couldn't get away from work. But at the last minute he showed up (thank goodness). The ultrasound tech asked if we wanted to know gender and I said yes but we already knew. A little while later she said "now what did the doctor tell you?" I said, "girl, why?" She then told us that we are clearly having a BOY!! I was shocked. I knew in my heart that it was a girl...how could my instinct be so wrong. Although the last few weeks I was thinking about a baby boy and how maybe I was missing out on something. Was feeling off and then felt bad for thinking that way. Guess that was my instinct trying to tell me something!

It's a BOY

And then we saw that it was a BOY :) At first I was so shocked I didn't know what to think. I was also a little emotional. I think it was because I had told some people and put it on our christmas card and now I was going to have to re-tell people. I felt embarrassed but on the other hand my doctor told me she was 99% sure. When we told our family it was really funny to hear how many people thought we were kidding. When we told Jenna she didn't really get it...she will in a few months!

He was curled up in a ball and had his hands and feet up by his face

It was hard to focus on the rest of the ultrasound after that news but we did get to see the baby opening his mouth and resting his head on the placenta. We were lucky to see a few 3D images (see above). If you look below the ear you can see the umbilical cord...how cool is that! He was a mover and they had me go the bathroom twice hoping that he would calm down. It reminded me of a few ultrasounds with Jenna. She acted the same way. When I went to my doctor appointment afterwards, she felt bad and said she was sorry. She wondered if she should have took an early look. I am guessing for now on she won't!

19 weeks pregnant--on left (blue) with Jenna and right with baby boy

This pregnancy I have been pretty emotional (just ask Jeff) and even writing this I am tearing up. I can't believe how lucky I am to have a healthy little girl and now a little boy. Especially when at one point I never thought I could have children without spending thousands of dollars. We are truly blessed and I can't wait to meet my new love.

 

That's Life

Last weekend at my brother's amazing wedding I was approached by my mom's good friend Sharilyn who mentioned that I had not written in months. I had to think about it and then realized she was right. 
Life is busy and has gotten in the way. First off I was out of town 3 out of 4 weekends in September...I hosted a bridal shower up north, went to San Francisco, went up north again for WSU game then flew to AZ for a week. 
In October I was hardly home, as mentioned traveled to AZ with my mom to visit my grandparents. Then I went to Vegas for my future sister-in-law's bachelorette party. Then we went home for a week before the wedding! I have not had to time to sit down and post and have forgotten about the blog. 

In other news....we are pregnant again!! 14 weeks today and feeling great. I have had 2 ultrasounds and all looks good. Due date is May 3rd (Jeff's grandma's birthday). 

12 week thumb sucker (just like sister)

We have been trying to explain to Jenna how there is a new baby coming and she gets to be a big sister and help us. I don't think she understands but figured we can keep talking about it. Especially as my belly has started to pop. I am a little worried about have 2 kiddos but I know I can do it and we will make it work. 

All is well here and I will try to be better. Jenna is doing great and can't believe she is almost two! She is learning her ABC's and counting to 10. Is talking up a storm. It is so fun to finally be able to communicate with her. She is a joy!
 

Loving the Babies

As mentioned before Jenna loves babies...real ones and the dolls. We went to the children's museum today to beat the heat and when we found the babies she was in heaven!

You will notice that these babies are anatomically correct and Jenna noticed the boy baby part (the reason for my giggle).

This is the best age. She makes me laugh every day!

Where have we been?

After a friendly reminder message last night from a fellow blogger and probably my only reader...Hannah; I realized that I haven't posted in a while. So here we go...

Life has been busy. I remember when Jenna was 7 months old this time last year and how I thought "oh boy our life is busy." I was kidding myself. Life with a 19 month old is REALLY busy. I can't imagine what this time next year will be. 

Jenna is a delight as always and has really grown into her personality. She is talking up a storm and really starting to communicate. She is obsessed with her baby doll and looking at pictures of "babies" aka herself either on our phones or on the computer. Lately we have been watching videos of her as a newborn and she is loving it. Not sure if this is a sign that she is ready for a sibling or just a phase. I am not sure if we are ready for that sibling yet so she will have to wait. 

Here is a recap from the last few months:

JUNE

The month of June consisted of a visit from cousin Kailey, Brian and Krissa. Grandma Myrene also came down. We celebrated Jeff's graduation from residency. I am so proud of him and so happy that everyone was here to celebrate with us.

JULY

Over the 4th of July, Jenna and I headed north to spend the week with family while Jeff flew back east for Red Chris' bachelor party. We had fun at G.G.'s and Grandma Myrene's houses and spending time with Grammy, Papa, Nana, and Grandpa-pa.

 We had a fun play date with Jenna's friend Timothy. 

At the end of the month I was lucky enough to go on a girl's weekend to Lake Chelan. There were 14 of us and we spent the weekend laying in the sun, wine tasting and most of all relaxing!

Sisters!

Me and my good friend Anna

wine tasting

Enjoying the pool in our backyard.

Have a Seat

We decided it was time to buy Jenna a potty. In the last month she has started to show interest in the potty (especially while we are in there...that is another story). She has even started patting her bottom and saying diaper sometimes after she goes. There are a few toddlers in my mom's group that have used the potty, so we figured why not get one and have it present in the bathroom. She has shown some interest, but mostly wants to lift the lid up and look inside. We really have no plans to start potty training soon, but we figured we would have one just in case. Until then she can use it to sit down on when she decides to visit us while we are in there!

Finally!

Sorry for the delay of blog posts. I was taking a blog break.
A major milestone occurred while on a break....Jenna started walking on her own on 5/14/12! She had been taking steps on her own but wouldn't walk by herself. She is still toddling around and will fall occasionally. She would rather walk indoors where she knows she can grab onto something but will walk outdoors as long as we are close by. Here is a video from my cell phone when the first steps were taken:

 She also has been talking a lot lately and says several words or they sound like words: Up, Oh, Whoa, Oskar--"ah-kar" (my parent's dog), Mama, Dada, Tuse (my sister's nickname), Yes, Bird, Diaper--"da-per" and then pats her bottom, Papa, Hi, Woof, GG, Cracker--"ka-ker", Apple, and Yah. This stage has been so fun and I love how she is trying to communicate with us now. She still gets frustrated if I can't figure it out but I'm trying :)
Here is a video from the end of April talking to my mom:

And another video taken a few weeks ago saying "Oskar" (his picture is on the fridge):

She is a full blown toddler now (9 teeth), around 23 lbs, likes to chat with us, "talks" on the phone, snuggle, read books, play with her new kitchen, listen and watch music being played, playing with friends, loves her baby doll, loves wearing sunglasses and eats basically anything we give her! Love her more everyday, such a joy!!

Guatemala--Day 9

Guatemala Day 9

I woke up at 5:30am to see the group off.  It was bittersweet as I made a bunch of new friends and hope I am able to stay in contact with them in the future.  They headed off on the to bus Guatemala City and I went back to bed.  The 3 of us remaining left Santiago at 10am for another winding trip back towards the city. We stopped in a town called Antigua, which is a beautiful little place and very touristy.  The city has strong Spanish architectural  influence and gorgeous buildings with cobblestone streets and a central city park.  The area was ruined by an earthquake, so there are many buildings partially destroyed, some restored. We just spent the day seeing the city and eating great food, and we are heading to bed early as we head out on an early flight to Tikal.

Here are some more pictures:

 

Guatemala--Day 8

Guatemala Day 8

Today was our final day operating, we took care of six kiddos and hopefully made a big change in their life.  They all have been so cute and fun to take care of , I wish we had a good way to see follow-up pictures of them once they heal from surgery.  The hospital has been very gracious and friendly to us, and today they cooked us lunch (although my stomach wasn't feeling up to eating...maybe Come Tacos is coming back to haunt me).  

After the last case we cleaned up the OR and it looked like our team had never even been there.  We headed out to a fancy restaurant for dinner and drinks, and got the medical student  shot of tequila to celebrate the fact that with the completion of the last kiddo his medical school was done ( he officially graduates next month).  

From a team standpoint I couldn't have been more fortunate to work with a great bunch of people.  We got along great as a team and had an enjoyable time both working together and spending our evenings together outside of the hospital.  I have made new friends that I will hopefully remain in close contact with, and maybe even travel on a mission trip again with in the future.  It was great to get to spend a little extra time with them before we parted ways.  In the morning most will leave back to Guatemala, while a handful of us will stay and do some tourism first.

Guatemala--Day 7

Guatemala Day 7

Today I got out of the hospital a little earlier, we did 6 kiddos and the 71 year old man I previously mentioned.  On arrival to the hospital this morning the first person I saw was the older gentleman, who had a bright smile on his face as we walked up to the front door.  He was waiting outside for us to arrive and it was obvious he was very excited for this opportunity.  He did great with his surgery, and from what I understand he was a joy in the recovery room.  He apparently found red Gatorade to be amazing...he had never experienced Gatorade before so he wouldn't stop drinking.  

Being the fourth day of surgery it was obvious that the team was starting to slow down after so many long days.  People have started to feel the ill effects of the change in their normal dietary intake and I even had to put an IV in one of our team members to give her IV fluids because she wasn't feeling well.  But overall the morale of the team is high after seeing how great these kids are looking and how happy the families are for our help.

Outside of doing the cleft lips and palates, I also had the opportunity to watch the local docs try their best to help a patient who had a bad infection of her c-section incision.  They needed to clean the wound, but did not have anyone to provide anesthesia so the physicians (ob and family practice) used some mild sedation and numbing medication.  It was a very eye opening experience, as I realized the years of training I have received have definitely provided me with a skill that is very unique and not common to all physicians,  and that there is an inherent level of safety that I am able to provide my patients that is lost when we are not available.  There were so many things about the situation that made me uncomfortable, and to realize that this is the level of care that significant portions of the world receives is amazing.   I hope it turned out well for the patient, and that the procedure was able to be completed safely without her having pain, but from what I witnessed I am afraid that neither of these two things were accomplished.

After dinner we again went out to find some local food besides the hotel restaurant.  We ended up at a place called Come Tacos, which was similar to a Portland food cart with a few tables.  We had fresh guacamole made before our eyes and excellent tacos.  One could say that it may not have been the safest choice of places to eat to keep from getting sick, but the food was too good to pass up....I'll hope for the best.

So I'm off to bed now, tomorrow is our last day of surgery for this trip.  On Saturday morning the team leaves for home except for those of us from Portland. We are staying in Guatemala until Tuesday, spending a few days in Antigua with a trip to the Mayan Ruins at Tikal.  Pictures will come at some point.

**Editor's Note (aka Jill): 

Jenna and I have heard from Jeff daily, although the internet connection is poor at the hotel so usually we have to talk as fast as possible before it freezes and shuts down. Yesterday, Jeff was able to call us from the hospital, where the internet was better. It was nice to have a full conversation and Jenna got really excited and kept saying "Da-da-da" and pointing to the screen. Jeff mentioned that he wished that he would have brought some of Jenna's used clothes with him on this trip. I can't believe we didn't think of that! I wondered if we could mail to the person that from Guatemala that is helping out, but he said they live too far away. Maybe he will think of something and we can still get some clothes to those kids.