The Fernandez Family: Being Still!

Happy Valentines!

2012-02-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here we go

2012-02-10T08:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, I cancelled my Facebook so i should have more time now to blog...

So much has happened... as from my last post you can see i have been very busy.

I finally got the twins on a schedule. I read and studied Babywise, and after some troubleshooting i think i finally got it down!

The twins are sleeping 10-11 hours at night.

As per their last appt, on Monday, they were

weighing in at 11lbs 4oz and 10lbs 14oz. M is the

bigger one right now. N's reflux has gone down a lot! This combo of medications, feedings and sleeping has really helped him.

Both babies are great! Eating about 4oz ever 3 hours with Oatmeal.

Having twins is not as hard as its cracked up to be... It takes extra Grace, Prayer, Love, diapers and formula... and once in a while an extra pair of hands.

I love being home with all the kids. Gods grace has been sufficient. We haven't NEEDED anything that we haven't been blessed with in some way.

Jayden is adjusting great! He takes care of his siblings like such a big boy, he helps me, he understands when they are sleeping, and he tries to comfort them when they are crying.

I thought it was going to be terrible, but as long as he is entertained, playing, puzzles, coloring, the park, or Mickey, he is good. He loves kissing the twins. He approaches them so softly, then kisses them on the feet.

I have to start potty training him soon, I'm just waiting for the twins to be more than 3 months as the doctor recommended.

As per me, i might spend a little longer in the mornings in PJ's but thats part of keeping so busy.

Now ill leave you with some pics! J Being silly with daddys shoes and the Twins!

Being Still!

-M

O My!

2012-01-29T05:15:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted since before i gave birth... YES WE HAD THE TWINS! and they are 10 weeks old... I have a lot of catching up to do, but as you can see by the time and date of this entry, i have been very busy!

Here is a quick update

Maylin and Nathan were born in November

They stayed in the NICU for 2 and 3 weeks

They eat, a lot!

Nathan has reflux but is an amazing baby, very mellow and well behaved

Maylin is beautiful but she is our fire cracker. Very temperamental.

Jayden loves being a big brother and showing off his siblings.

Daddy is working hard! He is an amazing father and has really taken fatherhood to a whole different level. Especially with his oldest! He takes care of Jayden so much and they love each other dearly! (can't wait to see him with all 3 running around... melts my heart)

Mommy (me) is doing great! Some days are more tiring than others.

I have successfully put the twins on a schedule and implemented BabyWise.

I was only hesitant because i was not clear on certain aspects of the whole TWIN thing, let alone the reflux issue, however, by Gods grace, and the strength that He alone grants me every day, we are sleeping through the nights and have great organized days!

Overall, TWINS ARE NOT AS HARD AS THEY TOLD ME!!!! :)

Here is a pic of Jayden trying to do tummy time with his babies.

I love being a mom, I love staying home to raise my kids, and i love love love having God because honestly i would be so lost without Him!

Until next post (hopefully sooner)

Being still!

A Bit Overwhelming!

2011-11-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

Im gonna rant a bit... because truthfully, I'm a bit overwhelmed... its an understatement!

We have 2 infants coming... in a short while... Its slowly hitting me.

Anxiety is kicking in about the delivery.

Did i mention 2 INFANTS? (Sleepless nights, crying, feeding, visitors, new things)

Have tremendous amount of pressure and pain... no comment where.

My back is killing me almost 24 hours a day.

I can hardly move because of all the pain.

I feel bad for Jayden, he is home all day with me unless daddy or Lela come by or we have a small outing.

I want to have everything organized.

Personal things going on in our house that i don't feel comfortable mentioning...

The nursery is not ready...

Christmas is coming....

Now... ::Deep Breath::

Im putting on my big girl underpants and surrendering all to Christ knowing that things will fall into place. Whatever fixes itself, fine, whatever doesn't fine.

Im looking forward to those infants... to enjoy them, to mother them, to lead them to the love of Christ. To snuggle with them, to kiss them and to learn from them as well.

Im looking forward to no more pain... CSection recovery sounds like CAKE compared to what I'm going through right now (I've been crying because of the amount of pain I'm in... its really getting difficult)

I love being pregnant, but this has not been easy! I always tell my friends "Hold on to that baby as long as possible" and here i am 32 weeks, and I'm looking so forward to the delivery, although the sooner THAT comes, the longer they will be staying at the hospital... so sucking it up!!!!

I look forward to Jaydens reaction to a brother AND a sister.... O My! A girl! lol

Im looking forward to seeing Oliver with them... 2 babies in his big arms, Jayden on his lap... I love the image of that!

Im looking forward to Christmas... i want to decorate and have the house ready...

Im looking forward to seeing the nursery complete, whether before or after the babies are born.

As for the personal things mentioned above... You ask for Wisdom and Christ shows you things that you really did not want to know!

Im looking forward to seeing what God has for us... Keep us in prayer...

Trying to remain as still as possible! Its not easy! Its not!

-M

Happy Birthday Jayden!

2011-10-31T09:34:00.001-07:00

Jayden turned 2 this past weekend! We cannot believe that its been 2 years since we brought home that tiny little helpless peanut!

He has grown so much! He is 35lbs. and i forgot how tall... (96th percentile). He talks up a storm and asks questions like a 4 year old.

We decided to forgo the expensive, exhausting party and go to Disney! He loves Mickey and all the characters so we

had high hopes (AND our park hopper passes have been paid for 4 years so this trip was basically free). We are glad we made that decision! We All had a great time!

To say the Least, HE LOVED IT! We started with a character breakfast that he loved! He had breakfast pizza, and they brought him a cupcake with Mickey on it. He made his own concoction by adding grapes and syrup to it after he was done eating his favorite part

(the chocolate mickey).

At Magic Kingdom he was mesmerized by everything going on, the lights, the balloons, the characters. He was so happy! He loved all the rides, carousel, its a small world... he was so

worked up he fell asleep eating a turkey leg. We woke him up in time for the parade so he could see Mickey and Minnie.

After the parade, we got a train ride back to Main street where we took some pics with Mickey and Minnie, and then back to the monorail and back to the hotel. (my back could not take it anymore)

We drove back home the next day after breakfast at Cracker Barrel where we got him a mini drum set. (he played it the whole way home).

We invited the family over and had cake and some playtime with the family!

We are so blessed to have this little man in our lives! He is growing more and more each day not only physically, but in kindness, love, and love for God. Thats our goal as parents.

As for me.... all I'm gonna say is God helped me survive Disney 7 1/2 months pregnant with twins.... My legs and back! Ouch!

Being still, Thanking God, and asking God for Wisdom every day for today and whats to come!!!

-M

Here we are

2011-09-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

26 weeks and counting. We got to see the munchkins again today.

Baby girl is 2 lbs even (in the 59th percentile) and baby Boy is 2 lbs 1 oz, (61st percentile).

Baby boy decided to Flip and is now transverse (Head up in my ribs and but on the right side of my body) . He hasn't moved the entire time, and NOW he decided to flip.

The sonogram tech said that there is a 20% chance he flips back... there is hardly any room in there and for those that have seen me... understand that im huge!

Regardless we have decided to go for a C-section... more for personal reasons that im not gonna mention and because there is a 50% chance that if #1 is delivered naturally, #2 will be C-section anyways.

With that being the case... im probably going to be scheduled for the first or second week of December.

We are excited and nervous. There is alot going on in the next months, showers, weddings, holidays, TWINS....

We havent done the big move yet in the house but will probably be doing it sometime in the next week.

We are Truly in Awe of all the is going on, in our lives, with our friends, with our church, within ourselves... Its alot, but God is in control. So i leave you with this

-M

Big Sinner

2011-09-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a sinful rant: I feel huge... Im measuring 34 weeks and im only 25. My back is killing me, my pelvis hurts at all times, and im wearing a girdle (at home, its too hot to wear outside)... Its not easy being a stay at home mom of a toddler and carrying twins (especially in the summer)... I feel bad that i cant get up and do more things, but i have to think of my babies before myself!

I thank God for the opportunity to go this far in my pregnancy and im looking forward to the rest of it!

We have about 30% of our remodel complete... now if we could only sell our furniture we could do the rest of the remodel.

So besides from my rant, a good friend saw my tired face this weekend and gave me this verse...

Psalms 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

This verse put a lot of things into perspective for me... Last night as we said our prayers with Jayden I started crying, not out of emotional hormones, but out of gratitude to our Lord for this rough time that we are going through. Times like this break us and mold us for His glory... and im okay with that!

So Lord, Please Forgive me for my sinful rant! I dont deserve anything that i have and i thank you for this amazing challenge that you have given me... make me stronger through it for your glory!

Being still- and satisfied in you!

-M

Thanking God...

2011-08-30T17:57:00.001-07:00

We have a lot on our plate right now... a lot!

Some we have shared with you, other things we have not.

All i can say is that we are choosing to rejoice and Thank God through all this!

Our future is kinda up in the air... We have no idea what it holds, but we really don't want to know... we just want to follow what God has for us and be content with it.

Some great facts:

Babies are doing great and growing, Baby Girl is 1 lb and Baby Boy is 1 lb and 1 oz.

Cervix is still closed and long... Thats Great!

I'm measuring 29 weeks, although i'm only 22.

I have gained just 3 lbs over where i should be

Nausea is subsiding, Headaches are not.

Babies are wrestling in there and looking great!

I have to repeat my glucose test in 2 weeks... Gag! AND we have to go to a fetal cardiologist for the babies... also in 2 weeks.

Today we got to see our son flexing his muscles and the Girl waving at us... very cute!

As for Jayden, he looks so big... We cant believe how big he is. After flying out of his crib 2 weeks ago, and getting a temporary toddler bed, he is finally sleeping in there all on his own. We only had a couple of rough nights due to the new state of independence that he felt.

Now he just wakes up, opens the door, sneaks over to my side of the bed, and says MAMA. Yes it freaks me out every time!

We are going to be getting a twin trundle bed soon for him (thank you Lord) and reorganizing his room.

We have made alot of progress in organization with closets and rooms in prep for the twins. We are excited about what is to come.

Being still.

-M

Joy

2011-08-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

We really did not care what the outcome would be... But God still granted us the desires of our heart.... No we did not deserve it... We never will, never have... but He chose to bless us yet again.

Went in for our scheduled anatomy ultrasound at the 18 week mark (yesterday) and saw our babies. As soon as she started, she went over really quick and asked if we wanted to know what they were...

(Here is the scenario: If it was 2 boys... great! Jayden would get 2 buddies! If we had 2 girls,

fine, we already have a boy, its not like we have to go fishing for a boy... and One of each was our ideal thought and our hearts desire... but more importantly we wanted God to do with us and give us WHATEVER He thought was right!)

We said yes... and she said, "This one (baby A) is a girl, and this one (baby B) is a boy".

I stayed quiet for a couple seconds in awe of Gods wonders, Once again!

He could have given us whatever, but He gave us the desires of our heart.

Here are some stats:

They are both above average in weight, 7oz each (usually they are 7oz at 20 weeks)

Cervix is closed and long (i was worried about this because of all the pain i have been having)

THey are measuring perfect in height.

All my labs have come back perfect.

All of their body parts are measuring perfect.

The blood flow to and from each placenta is perfect

Our daughters placenta is low and our sons is up by my lungs which is good because there is no possibility of fusing.

Both babies are head down, this might and might not change, hopefully it wont.

I have gained enough weight to keep them both happy, im not posting how much... lol

Here are some pics that are NOT on facebook....

Our little Girls heart rate. AMAZING!

Our baby Boys feet! So cute

Our little Girls foot

Our little boys face! Scary but adorable!

Our little Girls profile!

Baby Boys Hand

Both babies together

Yes we are in awe, in bliss, and experiencing a joy that only God could give!

Fernandez twins will be here this December! Cant wait!

Being still!

Tennessee.Birthdays. Moving. Names?

2011-07-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

This is a very busy post (sorry alot of stuff has happend)

Last week we got back from our trip toTennessee. We really had a great time. The first two days was kinda just laying around and enjoying being on vacation with just my parents... Then the tribes came...

My sister and her husband and their 5 kids... my other sister and her daughter... and my sister-in-law, her fiance, her 3boys and his son.

We were 20 people in total in 1 house. It was alot of fun.

We went river rafting behind a church, then we went to a lazy river, then we went to Parrot park... We thought it was just going to stink... but NO! It was actually

beautiful... they let you touch all the birds and hold them and feed them!

Here are some of my favorite pics... for more you can visit my FB page.

Jayden tired of seeing birds

The birds were just all around us... these were too cute to pass up!

The sisters making dinner

Lelo reading to his grandson.... I love this pic!

My husband imitating the Michelin man

Our oldest in the river... He never passed that point! Lol!

Some of our Party in the river

My dads 66th Birthday... with ALMOST all the grandkids! He is a walking miracle!

None of us thought that he would get to this point... Not even him... No his Fibrosis and heart are not better.... but we are enjoying Gods provision of these years with him.

Moving....

Yes i feel alot of moving.... I felt the twins a while back like at 14 weeks, but it was a flutter... and it did not happen again for a while. Now, 17 weeks... i can feel them more... not alot, but more.... especially if i sneeze or cough or pee... they move around alot.

August 1st we find out their sex, no we dont care what they are... we are just excited to continue this chapter in Gods book of our lives....

Names... We have narrowed it down to some.... We have had girls names picked out since before we ever conceived a child... But the boys has always been up in the air... So i let Oliver pick... Im happy with whatever...

For girls: Maylin Joy and/or Madelyn Grace

For boys: Obed ? and/or Devin or Rylan or Timothy, or Darien. Clueless on the middle names.

Here are some meanings:

Obed: Obedience

Devin: The Divine

Timothy: To honor God

Rylan: (we really like how this one sounds more than what it means)

Darien: Great

Let me know what you think!

Until August 1st: Being still!

Brag 777!!! Update, Genders, and Names

2011-07-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

Today is our 4 year Anniversary! July 7, 2007 marked the day that our two lives became one!

I am so blessed with such an amazing man. Oliver is such a hard worker, sacrificial, loves God above all else, and pastors our home.

He has been such a blessing in my life and has been the perfect fit to my uncomplete-self puzzle.

He has strengths where i have weaknesses and i have strengths where he has weaknesses. We function as the well oiled machine that God intended! Something that could only happen because Christ IS the center of our marriage!

Yes we fight, not that much, but we do! The best part of it is that through out fights, we still would never choose to be without each other and actually learn to love each other MORE!

He has been so helpful through this pregnancy!

He helps me so much with Jayden, lifting him, Bringing me my vitamins, preggie pops and snacks.

Sometimes, before he leaves to work at 6am he fixes me a Breakfast in bed!

As far as the pregnancy goes... 14 WEEKS!!!!! the Nausea is terrible! Yes i'm rejoicing through it because it means that the babies are kicking and moving around! I have read a lot of multiples pregnancy and with all of the complications and negative things that can happen, i am trusting their creator first!!!!

They are on loan to me and i have no control over them! God placed them there, and I trust Him completely!

Back to the Nausea... I throw up daily! At least 1 x a day! I have only gained 4 lbs since my last appointment a month ago so i am at a total of 13 lbs in 14 weeks! Right on schedule!

I am sleeping A bit better and thats a SMALL bit! I still get up to pee and drink some milk or have a yogurt, then it takes me a good hour to an hour and a half to fall asleep again!

August 1st we find out what the twins are! Boy or Girl would be great, Girl Girl would be great and Boy Boy would be great, each for their own individual reasons!

We have discussed some names and are pretty concrete on the girls names, but are Stumped on the boys. We decided that we are not going to stress over it until after we know the genders and closer to delivery. Thats what happened with Jayden.

We leave on Vacation in a few days so we will have alot of updating and pictures then!

As for now... Being still! -M

Oops! and O my Goodness!

2011-06-20T10:29:00.001-07:00

So I was supposed to post last Tuesday after my high risk appointment ... and i forgot! So here it is... several days late.

Ive hit the 12 week mark! A milestone in the life of our fetuses! This week the hormones in my body slow down and the placenta takes over (THANK GOD because this mean nausea should go away).

The babies are the size of a Peach Each (lol) and my Uterus is well... huge... about the size of a cantaloupe. They have all their essential parts and now just GROW GROW GROW!

We did have a scare this week, i woke up, peed, and saw blood, Just a little, but enough to scare me... it was gone in less than an hour, and when i saw the doctor, she checked the heartbeats and everything was fine! The next day i had mucus... of course I freaked and called the doctor again and its apparently normal... Not my plug! Phew!

I havent gained any more weight, ive actually lost 2 lbs... my doctor was not happy about that...

Other than that, my only complain is a pain... not going into details about where it is... TMI... but it hurts and is only gonna get worse from what i hear! Its part of carrying twins!

Im still not sleeping! I've tried the couch, Oliver's side of the bed, and even the carpet of our living room... Nothing helps! Im exhausted!

We thank God for all that is going on right now... our babies are healthy, Jayden is such a great kid, so smart, and we got a minivan! Yes a minivan! Never thought i would drive a van... Until we found out we were having twins and Jayden started kicking us in the CRV... So we got it!

Its the Nissan Quest and its FANTASTIC! We are so happy! Oliver and I were talking about it yesterday and were in awe! God has allowed us this blessing on top of all that He is already doing for us! We got a great deal and ended up getting more than what we wanted!

Oliver is comfy, im comfy, and Jayden is no longer kicking us!

Until next post! Being still!

TWINS 10 week update.

2011-06-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

So we had our 10 week OB appointment today!

I got to hear both heartbeats again! It was awesome because around this week with my 1st pregnancy, they could not find the heart beat on the doppler and told me that everything was fine when in reality it was a missed miscarriage!

I have gained 10lbs. Which is fine for twins. Im supposed to gain 1 lb a week... not exciting at all!

AND i have been throwing up EVERY SINGLE DAY! If there is a day i dont throw up, i actually kinda freak out... Its gross... not exciting at all!

Jayden has seen me hurl so often that he starts coughing to make fun of me when he sees me run to the trash or bathroom! His daddy taught him! How cute right! NOT!

Everything is right on track with the babies. I had to do that nasty glucose test and right after they took my blood i ran outside and puked! Hey i held it for an hour!

We have a high risk appointment on Tuesday and get to see the munchkins again!

I have not been sleeping well at all! Even my 10 minute naps im snoring and just not comfortable. Oliver wakes up randomly in the middle of the night and im ALWAYS awake...

Im not an emotional wreck, and really have been alright other than the puking and the sleep!

Not swollen, no headaches, no other pains!

Thank the Lord that everything is going great! In reality im rejoicing through the few symptoms that i do have because it means everything is okay!

God is in control!

Until Tuesday...

High Risk

2011-05-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

So we visited the high risk doctor yesterday. I was a bit nervous (as always), more because i did not know what to expect. I hate ultrasounds... I love seeing the babies but ultrasounds remind me of the past 2 times that i got them and had no heartbeat... so its a little nerve wrecking!

Anyways, We were so impressed with the customized attention that they gave us at the high risk office.

There was hardly anyone there, they have a personalized system that is tailored to your specific situation, and best part, you stay with the same person the entire time...

The person that took my BP had her own office, when i looked at her computer, she had my ID picture and all of my stats there LIVE... I have never seen this.

Then we were taken to an ultrasound room, the technician was SUPER nice, she sat there and talked about how cute the babies were and how amazing to see all their little parts and heartbeats... I was like "doesn't she do this all day long everyday?", but she truly was happy for OUR situation!

She spent like 30 minutes just looking around with the ultrasound asking questions, sharing personal experiences, and ultimately making me and Oliver very comfortable with everything!

She then stepped out for a couple of seconds, and returned with the Dr. He was a funny guy, answered all of our questions, put me on a diet-gain plan, recommended a couple of books, and really spent time tailoring our future treatments to my specific pregnancy.

He told us that we are going to be seeing him and his staff very often, but that i will always have the same technician, and see him only! I thought that was awesome!

I have to go back every 3 weeks for different things, measuring my cervix, doing screenings, etc. and see my regular OB as well.

They explained everything in such detail that Oliver and I left AMAZED! We felt SOOOOOO comfortable and happy and satisfied!

We felt that God really allowed us to have this experience to put our worries to rest!

As soon as we got into the car, we sat there in awe, and prayed again, Thanking God for everything!

Our babies are doing great! Measuring 8wks and a couple days each. Their HR was 165 and 169, and one was slightly bigger than the other by a day.

As soon as i figure out our scanner i will scan some pictures in... until then! Being still!

Seeing Double!

2011-05-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

Where do i start... As I said in my previous post, we are amazed and humbled at Gods grace with us.

We found out that we were expecting on Easter Sunday. We decided to wait it out a bit until we got blood checked since I have high risk pregnancies.

We noticed the levels came back slightly high, but we thought that the pregnancy was just more advanced than what we had calculated. We told the family on Mothers Day.

Since i Am high risk, my OB told me to come in for an appointment after the 6 week (May 13).

I hardly slept at all the night before the appointment just praying and asking for peace.

Oliver noticed that i was a bit shaken up in the morning so he said "ill take you".

He stayed outside with Jayden while I went up to the appointment.

When i got in there, i saw the ultrasound machine, and asked the nurse about it. I had never had an ultrasound in the office before so this was a bit weird.

Well the Doctor started the ultrasound and the first thing out of her mouth was: "Is your husband here?". I said no and immediately started to shake thinking something was wrong, i started praying again, and all of a sudden i heard a heart beat. The sound filled the room, and made my eyes well up with tears. I looked at the Doctor that has been with me through 4 pregnancies, 2 miscarriages and an ovary removal, and said "Thank you"... she smiled, and said "But there is something".

In my head i thought a million things, but never thought of what she said next...

"THERE IS TWO"

I said what??????? She said "hold on" and looked for the second heart beat! Apparently Baby B was a little shy... but she got it! I lost it crying and thanking God, Even the Doctor and the nurse in the room got excited and started crying with me... They know my history... they know my story!

We finished up the ultrasound and she told me to call my husband and have him come to her office.

I called Oliver and made it seem serious... i told him "the Doctor wants to see us in her office, please come up".

Well he finally got there, i was shaking, and i took him to her office, He sat down, and she asked him how he was etc. Then she handed him a picture. She said "Here is one baby"... He still did not click...

Then she handed him another picture and said

"Here is the second baby"... After a moment of silence, he said "WHAT?"... his eyes filled with tears immediately... he looked at me and i got that feeling that i got when i saw him for the first time on our wedding day... It was like we knew from that moment, our lives would change forever for the better!

The doctor kept talking to me about all the risks, my weight gain plan, possible outcomes, etc, and when i look over to see how he is doing, he is still staring at the pictures with welled up eyes!

I have only seen this man cry about 4 times before this... When he proposed, when we said our vows, when we had our first baby, and when his dad came back into our lives... so this was huge!!!

So here we are, 7 weeks and ??? Days into our pregnancy with Twins!

We have already thought of SOOOOOO many things... car seats, new car, where are we going to put them, what are we going to name them... sooooo many changes that are going to happen...

We are extremely excited and blessed! So humbled by Gods grace...

For a while we thought we could not get pregnant, my thyroid messed up after i lost 40lbs and my hormones were all over the place because i had an ovary removed last September... so this was just Gods way of reassuring what He says in His word "Trust in me, and i will show you great things that you could never even fathom".

So being still and knowing HE is God.... we are in awe!

Wow!

2011-05-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

All i can say is WOW! We are in awe! Completely and totally humbled!

...To be continued!

18 months

2011-04-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Although there is alot of things going on with us right now, i want to focus on ONE at a time.

We cant believe our big boy is 18months old!

He is Huge and SOOOOOO smart! The pediatrician was amazed at how many words he knew and how interactive he was.

Here are some stats:

He is 29.5 lbs

36 inches long

He is speaking 100+ words

He is interacting amazingly!

He questions stuff, points at stuff, and is just a happy camper all around

He is napping 11 hours at night and 2 good naps during the day.

He got 2 shots today, i almost cried... he was so hurt (emotionally of course)! lol!

On a more personal note:

He loves Jesus, Drums, Daddy, puzzles, bubbles, trains, trucks, balls, reading 9more like picture gazing), Playing by himself, playing with Nala, cuddling with me, Veggie Tales, Elmo,

EIEIO apps, playing with the computer mouse, and riding his motorcycle outside. !

He does not need 100+ toys to stay entertained, he is satisfied with his collection of things and loves to play with them!

As for drumming, He IS OBSESSED! We can hardly take him away from the drums at ALL! Not even to change a diaper of feed him, he just wants to drum all day!

We are so blessed with this little man! He makes us smile!! We love him like crazy and thank God for every moment we have with him!

Happy Birthday!

2011-04-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today is my brothers birthday... I cant stop crying. I thought about this day and saw myself perfectly normal, encouraging everyone around me... yet i cant even speak on the phone with my family...

I miss him! Its been almost 9 months that he passed...

I understand that he is so much better off than we are and he was here with a purpose...

Its just so hard....

I love lamp!

2011-04-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

Since i have been home more, i started to notice things around my house that could use some updating (BTW thanks to Priscilla that put HGTV on in my house one day) Although my sinful nature wants to remodel my entire house, I must realize that we are not in a financial situation to do that... and more importantly God has called me to be Satisfied with what i have so im learning to deal with a rainbow colored kitchen and no landscaping.When its time to remodel other things, then i will do them as the opportunity presents itself. But for now... i started with our lamps and went for a very inexpensive route.

I have had these lamps since i was 12. I moved out with them into our home when i got married and never really realized how outdated they were until i started watching HGTV and looking around.

SO I went to Target and got basic white lamp shades for 12 bucks.

They do not match our decor AT ALL! So i was stuck with white lamp shades... Or

maybe not... I started researching

and found HUNDREDS of projects to do with white lamp shades. Etsy had a bunch of stencils and appliques to do but i wanted to do more of a crafty look so off to the craft store i went.

I was going to just cover them in fabric (which i can still do if i decide i really dont like my new design) But my creative juices started flowing...

I started by painting them the same color as the couch...

Then i put a brown ring around both ends with the help of some painters tape. (to match our sofas and rug)

Then i put on a stencil and blotted it with green (the same color as my walls).

The final product:

So im really happy with our new lamps and if Oliver does not like them... Guess what... I can cover them or paint them all over again!

As for the old shades:

Next project: Painting curtains. (New ones are way to pricey!)

Love -M

Potty Training

2011-04-05T07:07:00.001-07:00

Jaydens Pediatrician told me at 16 months that he was ready to be trained because he recognized Peepee and Caca... Well i thought it was way too soon so i did not try it. Then on Sunday, He said PiPi and ran to the bathroom, i took him, pulled his diaper off and sat him on the toilet....

HE PEED!!!!

I could not believe it! Our 17 month old is peeing in the toilet. I ran to target and bought a potty right away.

Since I am a rookie at this i thought he could poop in the potty as well! O Lord! Little did i know...

He told me Caca, i sat him down, he looked at me and stood up (I dont want him to be intimidated by it)... then he pooped on the carpet in the bathroom. :( I grabbed him and sat him on the toilet again, and he did what looked like a REMNANT of the turd (sorry for the graphics, i just thought it was hilarious).

LOL! It was pretty funny because he did not give me any hints that he was pooping, he just did.

So here we are... on a mission to potty train... Lord Help Us!!!!

Camping

2011-03-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

We went camping as a family this weekend for the first time. Last time i went camping i was 7 weeks pregnant with Jayden so this was going to be a whole new experience with a toddler. We went with 2 other families and a great friend and truly

had a wonderful time.

Oliver suffered an injury to his back and is still injured now, so i had to help with all the lifting and packing. was crazy, i had to think of EVERYTHING!!! Feeding, sleeping, dressing, changing, showering etc.

The weather was very nice. Nice and warm during the day 70-75 and 50-60 at night!

Jayden behaved pretty well! He napped in the playpen in side the tent. At night he would wake up cold and strange so i would bring him to my bed so that we both could get some rest.

We wet hiking a couple of times on some flat trails and saw some cool stuff. of all, i had time to pray, reflect, read my bible, and read a book.

Although our trip was exhausting with all the packing, cooking, chasing after a toddler etc, we had a great time.

We cant wait until the next trip... but until then,

here are some pics for your enjoyment!

Keeping Him busy!

2011-03-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

This series that we just finished in church was really amazing! It dealt with all of the things that we really need to focus on in life to live life according to Gods will. It dealt with the Husbands Role, the Wife's Role, the Parents Role, and lastly the Relationship role. All from a biblical perspective, What God expects from us.

I am so blessed to be able to hear the webcast during the week since i was working in the nursery, AND was able to attend these past 2 services. I have received so much and really realized that i cant just sit back and say that i'm a good wife, great parent or awesome friend.

God is constantly working in me... Im keeping Him busy!

Since i have been blessed to be able to stay home, i've kept a prayer journal, and every day i write at least one prayer in it (might sound stupid, but i go back and see what God has done, what He has chosen not to do, and be thankful for all). Well over the past month, i have used up a whole notebook. I have prayed for my husband, our finances, his job, my family, my son, our future kids, our pastors, my friends in detail, my dad, my husbands family, our ministry, the church, the praise team, our friends kids, all the kids we know, the mothers, the fathers, the single people...

I have such a burden to really genuinely not just say "im praying for you" but to actually go ahead and do it, put them before Gods feet.

All may look peaceful on the outside, but the storm that is brewing inside my heart is genuine. I keep seeking Gods word to find answers, i keep bugging Him a million times a day praying for the individuals that He has burdened me with... all people that i love very much!

As for my new "job" I would not have it any other way! Not having breaks, dealing with other personal stuff and family, lack of sleep, its all worth it if its brining glory to God!

So far

2011-02-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

Being a SAHM has been pretty great!

Since we got back from TN I have pretty much stuck to my guns! Everyone says "o you have so much time now"... Umm, all i can think is "They have never spent a day with Jayden". Yes i have time, but i use it, I schedule myself daily! I make sure to do my Quiet time as soon as Jayden is napping his first nap. I get to do laundry in 1 day, unlike when i was working it was from Mon-Thursday and stinky humid clothes.

I clean toilets! I never did that before, i would wipe them down with lysol wipes every so often, but i never got to CLEAN them! Same for the shower and tub, i used to spray them with Scrubbing bubbles, but now i am in there scrubbing away.

One of the biggest things that i have right now is baby fever. I was putting away Jaydens baby clothes and was thinking to myself.... My Baby is not a baby anymore. No more bottles, no more baby clothes, no more baby blankets. And whats with EVERYONE asking me and Oliver when the next one is coming???

With my ups and downs of carrying a pregnancy, all i have right now is hope in God and we really dont want to make this a huge priority right now and focus all of our time and energy in thinking about this. If it happens, it happens. Its Gods will. We are having fun... lots of fun... but most importantly, we are BEING STILL and waiting to see what God has for us, whether its another 3 naturally born kids or whether its adoption.

As for my new job! I love being home! I am able to work from home as i want, i just select the hours i want to work and Oliver takes over Jayden for a half hour to an hour (he is usually napping anyways) and I work. The first day was really hard because alot of the calls were in spanish, but i have gotten really used to it and have gotten more calls in English and am more familiar with the system.

We thank God for all that is going on and Praise Him for being so amazing in our lives and giving us the opportunity to accomplish everything that is going on...

Until next time... Still Being still!

Words

2011-01-24T07:29:00.001-08:00

I wanted to document all the words that Jayden is saying now at 15 months and what better way to do that than to blog about it.

*remember that most of these are in spanish

Mama

Dada

Tete (binky)

Mime (his blanket)

Nala (our dog)

Sit

Good Girl (all dogs)

Awa (water)

Wawa (Lelo) Dont ask!

Lela

Titi (cousin)

Yaya (grandma)

Tio

Tia

Pipo (cousin)

Papo (shoes)

Media (socks)

Bye

Papa (food)

Shhh (fish)

Wheeeoo (Whale) his bathroom is a whale theme

Uck (ducky)

Ehan (Ethan)

Peas (Please)

UhOh (In context... Its sooo cute)

Pao pao (when he does something wrong)

Pampa (pamper)

Pipi

Poopi

Iya (other cousin)

Mima (cremita for the butt)

Pssss (wipes)

Dan (down)

Ap (up)

dakar (doctor)

Ou (ouch)

Pizza

Ssss (cheese)

If i remember any more i will post!

Im Officially...

2011-01-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

A SAHM! Thats Right! A Stay At Home Mom! I stopped working this past Friday, and im Nervous and excited to the point where i did not sleep last night!

God has blessed us with the opportunity for me to stay home.

With this new opportunity, i plan to:

1. Bring Glory to God through my time with him, my marriage, my parenting, and my life!

2. Focus on spending time reading and learning about God and listening to what He wants to tell me, and being able to bless others. Its hard to do that while your working 40+ hours a week, and then still coming home to another 2 full time jobs of house chores and parenting!

3. Spending more time with Oliver, He has 4 days off a week, so this is going to be great, less stressful arguing and more enjoying and growing with each other in the Lord!

4. Raising our kids. Jayden is the first, but not the last, we want more kids... soon. ALthough its great to have my mom around, and i would not choose anyone else to watch my son, we dont have kids for someone else to raise, AND we cant afford daycare... (never liked that idea anyways).

5. Get my home organized. This past year of work has done NOTHING for our home. Its a mess and caused alot of stress. We have little piles everywhere, Nala (our dog) is lonely, and our closets and rooms need up keeping. Not to mention the bathrooms. I was only able to kinda-clean on the weekends, and who wants to do that on their day off?

I joined this site that a good friend recommended, Flylady.net, and she gives you tips on staying organized and cleaning your house THOROUGHLY!!!

6. Cooking more. A while back i blogged about recipes and this is the reason why, because as part of saving money, i want to cook more, and NO pasta every night is not cooking!

7. This goes back to #6, although i found a part time job from home, we still took a big paycut to be able to do this, so SAVING MONEY is a big deal! I always loved coupons, but now its time to actually SAVE!

8. Catch up with my family and friends! 2010 was hard for our family, I lost a pregnancy, and my brother in the same week. Through that hard time, God has really showed us that we need to appreciate things more, especially the quantity of memories that we create by spending time with family and friends because you never know which moment could be your last!

9. Blog more! yup! I want to not blog once every month or so, i want to blog "frequently". why?, because not only do i learn from others, but i'm able to teach others what God is doing in my life and what he could be doing in someone else's life as well.

10. I will let God decide what he wants to do with this one!

Love, M

My list!

2010-11-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

I did not realize how much time had passed since my last entry.
Jayden is now 1 and he walks (wobbling) and talks (mama, dada, nana "nala", nene, titi, tete, Tia, Lela, awa "water", and mime). He has an attitude, you cant tell him NO because he will start crying as if you just hit him. He loves music and starts to "sing" when we have band practice in the house.

Its been 4 months since my brother passed. Its not gotten any easier. I find myself crying more now than i did when it happened. I guess its hitting home.
I know tomorrow (Thanksgiving) will not be easy for my family. My prayer is that I may be strong for them.

Regardless, i am very thankful and i wanted to share these things with you.
Here is MY LIST>
I am thankful to God for:
1. My salvation and my relationship with my savior. I am so blessed to be able to live for Him. Grace has truly overwhelmed me!
2. My husband. He is an amazing man through the good and the bad. I cannot imagine a day without him.
3. Our son! Jayden is amazing! He brings us so much happiness and we are extremely blessed to have him in our lives.
4. Our families! Both of our families are great, they make us who we are and we are honored to have them in our lives.
5. Our friends! Each and every one of our friends are more than friends or church buds, they are family!
6. Our church! Providence Road Church has been a blessing from the moment it was conceived. Through it and our awesome pastors, God has worked and shown us amazing things! We are excited to see what is to come.
7. Our home, our situations and our burdens. Without these things, we would not be able to rely on God as we do. God has allowed us to undergo certain difficulties to bring Him glory! So be it!
8. My brother, the 25 years that i got to spend with him and the 33 years that he was on this earth! I truly THank God for his life and his death and the purpose that is being fullfilled for Gods glory!

I hope that you all have a fantastic time with your families as you celebrate all the things that you are thankful for! Remember that you owe it all to the one that created you!

XOXO
M

a new VERB!

2010-09-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

A situation happened to me this past weekend that made me realize a lot. Although i don't want to go into detail about the situation, i will tell you this, it indirectly involved me, and it was at church.
After the incident occurred, i was approached by someone that i respected very much and i was told, "you need to be more graceful". I took it straight to heart and started thinking of everything over and over again to figure out how i was UNgraceful.
It bugged me so much that i started to cry. I was the whole day thinking about it. Later that night, i could not let my uneasiness take over any more and i decided to call the person that told me that comment.
Turns out that i never was UNgraceful, she was just reminding me to continue being GRACEFUL in all that i do!
This situation humbled me, because even though i did not do or say anything wrong, it made me remember that i am like the moon. Just a ball of dust that its only job is to reflect the light (the light of Christ).
In all i do, in every situation, in all that i say, i must reflect Christ's Grace. Even to Jayden, when i am at my witts end after a long day of work, and he has a fit, i need to show Christs love to him. With Oliver, When we are at each others throats for petty things, i need to reflect Compassion, Understanding and Kindness, and have more Grace.

GRACE... I plan to make it more of a VERB in my life!

Better Notes...

2010-08-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

So i decided to stay home this week, not because i wanted to but because i was not in the best condition to go out. Monday night, i started throwing up at around 1 am and did not stop until 6pm the next day. I NEVER THROW UP so this was bad!!! I felt terrible and on top of that, i had Jayden by myself. i felt so bad for the poor little guy. However, i did get to spend time with him.
So i went back to work on Thursday feeling great. That night at group, Jayden got it! Here i am, at home, on Friday. Ive missed 3 days this week! OUCH!
I love being home, i got to do so much! I picked up our room, clipped some coupons, cleaned the kitchen, played with Jayden, fed him, mopped the floor, and look, im blogging. Most importantly, ive separated time to spend with God, just me and Him! I cant wait for the day where i can stay home with my kids and be able to HAVE TIME to do everything!
Excited that tomorrow i get to spend the day with Oliver too! AND
My parents are finally heading back with my sisters from their 2 week vacation in Tennessee! Cant wait to see them tomorrow!

Bitter and Sweet

2010-08-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weeks have passed by since my brother passed away. It has been a rollercoaster. It is not easy to say whether its easier, or whether we are just getting used to it. The biggest thing that affects me for some reason is not thinking about him, but about the pain that my parents must be going through and seeing them and my sisters suffer. My parents tried justifying his death and that is just unbearable. I cant imagine losing a child, and mine is only 9 months old!

I was close to Juanqui, more in earlier years than now, but we would still always see each other and talk at least once a week. I keep seeing pictures of him and realize that he impacted alot of people.
I miss him like crazy and it really stinks to know that we will never see him again, not his smile, not his jokes, not his focused face, not his silly laugh, we can never get mad at him again, or try talking him out of a bad relationship, or try to make him stop bugging mom and dad. In less than a blink of an eye he disappeard.

I am glad however that all this has changed me so much. I appreciate things so differently now and I recognize things that were important to me in the past really dont matter anymore.
One thing that i enjoy alot more of now is just talking to Oliver, about anything, or just spending a day together (which is very rare for us), and playing with Jayden, making him laugh, and teaching him new things.
He is learning to crawl and says a couple of things "Papa" "Dada" "Tete", "ByeBye", "Lela" and on occasion, "Mama". He is also very boyish! He loves remote controls, anything that rolls, and staring at the wheels of cars, Oh and Fans!!! All this facinates him so easily! His laugh lights up even my parents lives. I let them take care of him more often so that they have a better distraction from my brothers things.
We cant believe that he is 9 months already!!!!
TIme to start planning that Birthday!!!!!

-M

Pain

2010-07-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

Im in so much pain. EMotionally. My only brother, Juan Carlos, passed away on Friday. No words can describe the pain that i feel and how much i miss him. I wake up and go to sleep crying every day. I am trying to be strong in front of Jayden so i run to the bathroom and just cry.

It is incredible how someone can disappear in seconds. He was at the gym working out, and he had a heart attack and collapsed... He died instantly. For an hour and a half they tried to revive him. I stood there, by the doctors and nurses as they tried to for the last few seconds to bring this young man back to his 3 boys... He was pronounced dead in front of my sisters, his ex wife, and myself. It was the most unbearable thing in the world to experience.

My heart aches as i miss my brother so much. He was so stubborn, yet he had a passion for life. He never took anything seriously. He loved his children beyond all else. HE loved ATVs, guns, working out, paint ball, camping, tennessee, joking around, playing on his iphone, fixing up cars, mustangs, and loving his kids. He tried so hard to please everyone, yet he could not find it in his heart to ever say no.
He loved us so much. Nothing is permanent, not our marriages, not our children, not our lives, nothing.... The only thing permanent on this earth is our salvation.

God has had tremendous grace on us and i praise him for giving us Juanqui for 33 years. His children are destroyed... His ex wife is destroyed, our parents are destroyed, our lives are changed forever However i know that this is part of a much bigger plan.

i love you Juanqui! Lord give us strength and peace during this terrible time!

7 months

2010-06-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

I soooo want to upload an awesome video of Jayden clapping however i don't know how to shrink them... any suggestions?

Anyways, for those of you that don't know, we started out the month of June SICK! Oliver came home with a cough, which got passed on to Jayden, which resulted in Pneumonia, which made us spend 4 days in Baptist Children's Hospital, which caused me to get a sinus infection...

Long story short, we are all well! Finally! Thank you Lord! It was a rough 2 weeks.
With that said, i wanted to share Jays new accomplishments.
-He sits for longer periods of time without toppling over
-When on Tummy Time, he flips all ways and tries to crawl
-We are praying that he does not inherit my "asthma" gene as it usually comes through the mothers side
-He was left ALONE in the nursery at church... It was harder on me than on him.
-He laughs and claps at everything... its hysterical.

Here are a couple of fun pics so you can see the above...

With Love,
M

Sit and Eat

2010-05-04T19:46:00.001-07:00

Two things that we take for granted! Sitting and Eating!
Here are some pics of Jayden eating meats for the first time and another of him Sitting for the first time! Enjoy!

6 months

2010-05-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

There is so much going on right now and we are so humbled by the calling of God, that i do not even know where to start!
Well here we are, 6 months of Jaydens life and what an amazing 6 months it has been!
Our little man is amazing! He is weighing in at 20lbs and 6oz. Even though my back is killing me, it is great to see him thrive and grow the way he is. He is eating meats now and is doing great! He is sleeping through the night and taking 3-4 naps during the day. He loves the car and loves music! He smiles at almost everyone that crosses in front of him, but he especially loves his daddy and little kids.

On the other hand, we have our calling. God has called this Fernandez family to follow Him and help plant a church. We are excited to start this adventure and to see what God has for us, yet we are sad to go from the church where we grew up in and have so many ties to.

Also, this week, i found out that my Dads fibrosis has gotten worse. It is now showing up on the other lung, something that he had seemed to have avoided is now making its grand appearance.

It is hard to let go and blindly trust in our creator, yet to be good parents, good disciples, and good children, we have to know that we can trust and rely on the Will of God, whatever it may be.
Oliver and I are committed to straightening out our lives! Not the physical things around us, but our lives with Christ. We have realized how important it truly is to seek and thirst to KNOW Gods word and through that to Seek His will. How are we to know His will if we do not KNOW what he wants from us? We need to become fully enveloped in what is most important in this world, and that is our walk with our father in heaven.

I hope that you can pray for us to truly be his disciples and truly get to know HIM above all things.

We are being still and knowing that He is God!
Love always, -M

Please help!

2010-04-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

This week at work, i had one of the managers ask me to help her with a mothers day gift for her daughter(Since i am so ingenious and creative :). She was getting all of the old family recipes and making an album for her daughter with the pictures of that family member on the recipe. It was coming out beautiful!
I was enjoying it so much that i got inspired to make my own recipe book.

The thought of collecting all of our friends and families recipes and being able to pass that down to my daughter, daughter in law, or grandchildren just sounds awesome.

I know that i am not a good cook, and i hardly have time to put anything together that is not a sandwich,arroz con salchicha or eggs, quesadilla, or Bertoli, but if its Gods will, my prayer is to some day be able to be a stay-at-home mom and cook great homemade meals for my family! What better way to do that than to cook recipes that our family and friends have passed on to us? and what better time to start than now.
I can see it now, "mom this is great", me "well your great grandmother showed me how to make it" or "your titi Priscilla gave me that recipe!"

I googled recipe cards and got a bunch of super cute recipe cards printed out on 4X6 card stock and i am passing them around to family and friends.

PLEASE let me know if you have any good recipes and i can copy paste them onto one of the cards or just hand write them in!

Here are some examples of the cards:

I am very excited and would love it if you could help out!

Thanks!

Love
-M

JAYDEN IS ON SOLIDS!!!

2010-03-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

Jayden just turned 4 months on the 28th of February and all of a sudden, he STOPPED sleeping 8 hours, he was sleeping like 5 and then would just be hungry all day long no matter what i gave him, and i could NOT increase his milk anymore. I knew that we had a pediatrician appointment coming up and that it was time for him to start solids so i waited.

Finally yesterday (Saturday) he went to the ped and HALLELUJAH! She put him on oatmeal (which he was already doing) fruits and vegetables. We are starting one new food every 4 days, so vegetables actually come in some time next week.

Here are also some Stats from the appointment:

Jayden weighs 16lbs 10oz and is 25 inches long. HES HUGE!
He got all his 4 month shots.
She also told me that i need to start putting him in his room to sleep at night! O LORD!

He is such a happy baby! He is smiling at everyone and loves music, he tries to sing when people sing to him.

We are so grateful to have such a beautiful, healthy, big baby boy!

3 months

2010-01-29T12:05:00.001-08:00

January was a pretty weird month. God definitely showed us what His desires are for us.
It was so hard for me but I decided to finally go back to work. We had been praying for God to reveal to us what he wanted for us and for me to be okay with leaving Jayden at home. I was actually very comfortable with it.
When i finally started, i realized that i was not welcomed tat my workplace and resigned. I could no longer deal with the empty promises and lies. I was so hurt by my co-workers and by people whom i invested trust and love in that i had to leave.

Gladly, not even 2 weeks later, i was able to find a better job. Its so much closer to home and i can work more hours and still make it home to be with Jayden for longer than just a couple of hours. ALSO, this new work environment seems great! Just the fact that people are actually honest with each other and that everyone truly works as a team, and not for themselves, is awesome. I have had several interviews and orientations already and officially start on Monday. God definatly revealed his desire to us here. Oliver has also been a great support in all this, it was SOOOOOO hard for me in the beginning, but we prayed, ALOT! and its a huge blessing now!

On a happier note, Jayden began turning by himself! He gets lazy sometimes, but on good days, he turns several times in just a few minutes. He loves for people to talk to him. He sits there and actually tries talking back. He Loves to watch TV which i am not too happy about, and earlier this month he began to sleep through the whole night, not just 4-5 hours but more like 6-8 hours. He loves to sleep. All i do is put him in his bed with his pacifier and he is out! Until 6-7am the next day. He also finally enjoys bath time, he loves it when i sing to him and he is in that warm soapy lavender water.
This boy is getting so big so fast! it is amazing to see him grow day by day!

I am definitely looking forward to the next couple of months, I am super excited about our friends Naty and Bryan having her baby! I cant wait for Ethan to finally be here and to be able to carry him! Taxes are also rolling around and that means we get to pay off some credit cards with our return! THANK GOD!

Jayden playing by himself...

and all smiles one morning in our bed..

Love always... _M

2 months and christmas.

2009-12-31T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here we are December, almost 2010! It is incredible how this year has brought new things. Jayden just turned 2 official months on the 28th while we were in Tennessee.

First we spent a nice pre-christmas with our friends, then on the 23rd we packed up and left at 5am. It was beautiful up there spending those cool days with family and friends, and our baby!

A year ago i never saw this day here, when i would carry my baby by the christmas tree, but God definitely heard our prayers.

Tennessee was amazing! Although we did not "do" much, we always have an amazing time up there! It was anywhere from 20-50 degrees the whole time. Although it did not snow in he cabin, we had the chance to go up the mountain to see snow and watch our nieces and nephews sledding down the mountain!

Our biggest thing this month was seeing our son smile. Jayden lights up a room with his toothless grin! What a blessing he is in our lives.

I am NOT looking forward to going back to work in a couple of weeks. PLease pray for me as i know that this will be one of the most difficult things that i am going to do; I know God is calling me to do this.

Here are some pics from our trip!

1 month

2009-11-30T16:13:00.001-08:00

Here is a 1 month picture update of our son!

He is sleeping a bit better and eating and growing like crazy! he has to be somewhere in the 8 or 9 pound range because he is getting heavy. He holds his own bottle and flips on the floor by himself while doing tummy time. He loves to lift his head and see where the party is at...

We are glad that he is finally sleeping like he should (cross our fingers) and he is drinking 4.5 - 5 oz of breast milk every 3-4 hours. We really want to try cereal, but the Dr says not yet.

We are excited to be the parents of such a miracle.

Some of his characteristics we have already noticed:

He loves his swing

He loves music and noise

He loves his giraffe *thank you titi Prisci

He loves the boppy pillow for sleep and play

He hates tummy time

He hates being hot

He hates the car seat but falls asleep as soon as you put him in.

He loves daddys smell

He hates his pacifier and spits it out but then cant be without it.

He loves mommys smell and being on my chest

He does not like Nala to lick him.

He likes the vacuum cleaner noise.

He prefers the hard nipples from the hospital over his good playtex ones.

He hates being changed.

He hates for me to cut his nails.

He is getting around to bathtime, he used to hate it.

He farts and burps like a 30 year old man.

He smiles in his sleep

He loves to stretch.

When we do something that he does not like he pushes us away with his hands,

He is very strong.

It is amazing to see him develop characteristics and learn what he likes and does not. I thank God that it is getting easier for us to manage his sleeping habits.

I continue to ask God to give us Wisdom and patience to be the best parents that we can be.

Here are some more pics of Thanksgiving and him holding his bottle for the first time.

Special Day

2009-11-26T04:40:00.001-08:00

On this special day i want to share the things that i am thankful for!

1. My salvation. The opportunity to have a savior and to have Gods grace and love in my life is astounding. He has done so many things for me that i fall so short of deserving! I am here because of Him! He saved my life physically and spiritually and has made me a woman after His image. He has given and shown me so much, that I live in Awe of Him!

2. My Husband. Oliver is amazing! He is an awesome husband and he completes me. He has brought out the better part of me and has shown me love that i never knew. He is an awesome father to our son, a hard worker, a loyal husband, a servant to our Father, and so much more than i could have ever imagined in a man!

3. Jayden, our son. Jayden is a miracle. Only God knows what we have been through. THis kind of goes back to #1 and God answering our prayers in a way that we never expected! Jayden is growing steadily and brings a smile to our face every day!

4. My family. From my awesome parents, to my crazy siblings, to my 12 nieces and nephews, to my husbands family, to Nala our dog, God has blessed us with people that have helped us become who we are today.

5. My friends. The Crivas', the Rodriguez's, the Torres', the Del Pinos, our church family, all those people that surround us that we love, you have all impacted our lives in a great way and we Thank God for you!

There is so much more that i am thankful for, our jobs, our home etc, they kind of fall short of everything listed above, so to not spend the rest of 2009 typing...

Thank you Lord for all you have done!

Happy Thanksgiving!

growing

2009-11-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

This week marks Jaydens 3 weeks here on planet earth (outside my belly). He is growing so quick! He does not fit into any preemie clothes anymore. I am also finally getting out more. On Monday, while Oliver went to work, i was able to go to dolphin mall to get him stuff for his bday. It is difficult because i have to be looking at the clock constantly and make sure that i feed him and run home and pump... (i should invest in a car pump), but i think i got a good system going.

Jayden usually sleeps throughout the night, however for 2 nights, he has been keeping us awake. He YELLS! and screeches, and whines, all night. After i failed all attempts, Dad tries, and he falls right to sleep (i think he drugs him... j/k). He then thinks that it is funny to sleep all day. No matter what, he loves his swing and will sleep like an angel until night time, then its "keep mommy awake time".

Regardless of these minute challenges, We are crazy about our little man. He is awesome! He bring us joy no matter what and does funny little noises and gestures that we are in awe of.

God has truly blessed us with our little-in-size, but growing, miracle. Here he is sleeping on top of me...

Jayden Oliver Fernandez

2009-11-03T16:23:00.001-08:00

We proudly introduce the arrival of our son Jayden Oliver Fernandez. Jayden was born last wednesday at 5:19am. Although he was full term, He weighed only 5lbs and 6oz.

I blog because i want to emphasize what an incredible miracle he is. Although we expected a huge baby, due to Dads size, Jayden was born small. He had a knot in his umbilical cord since he was about 17 weeks old. When there is a knot in the umbilical cord, the baby does not receive the nutrients as he should. Jayden also suffered because of my wonderful hypertension.

Since Thursday the 22nd of October, i ended up in the hospital because of my high blood pressure. I had eclampsia and the doctor wanted me on total bed rest. Eclampsia affects the moms organs and causes the blood pressure to go up. it also causes the swelling that i had and the extra weight gain!.

On the night of October 27th, at about 6pm, my eclampsia took a turn for the worse. I began seeing spots and had a huge pain in the epigastric area (under the breast). When i told the nurse, she immediately notified the doctor and they decided to induce me that night.

When i was admitted to the labor room, i was already 2cm dilated. They put me on cervadil to soften the cervix. I began contracting on my own with no pitocin and no pain killers. then they drew labs, and discovered that my white blood cells were low. I had to have the epidural right away because if i had to have an emergency c-section, then they would not be able to give it to me later.

With the epidural, my blood pressure and heart rate were affected and they had to give me meds for my heart! It was pretty scary feeling the blood leaving your face and body! Luckily i had a good nurse and the doctor was watching the monitors outside and rushed in.

Then they started me on Pitocin. After a few hours of labor and rest, she wanted to "practice push". on the 2nd practice push, you could see Jaydens head. The doctor freaked out, and still doubting my pushing abilities, told me to push again. Jaydens whole head was almost out, and the doctor hardly had time to get dressed. with one glove on, she cought Jayden. 3 pushes and 9 minutes, thats all it took!

After the delivery, i was put on Magnesium to stabilize my blood pressure and it made me feel horrible! I felt high the entire 24 hours after the delivery. Also, they did not let me see the baby for more than 15 minutes that day because of the medication.

Now almost a week later, i reflect on what an amazing delivery we had. It was so peaceful! It was only Oliver the Doctor and I. In my head was "You are my joy" by David Crowder and i was able to praise God through the entire thing.

Jayden is steadily growing. It it weird to see him so small, but we love it! He has been such an impact in our lives and we are delighted to be parents.

He really is a great baby. At night, if i don't wake him, he wont eat. Although he is not big enough to latch on, i have been pumping milk and am able to breastfeed like that! It is going great so far.

We pray daily that we be Godly parents and fulfill Gods purpose in our life for him.

HEre are some pics for your enjoyment! (please note: the swelling is completely gone! I actually think that i look normal now!)

This appt

2009-10-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

So we went in for this weeks appointment and the Dr told us basically that everything was fine. She took me of bedrest (bittersweet) and she told me that i can go back to work part time as long as i do not overwork myself.

Another change: she does not want me to have a c-section. Apparently, Jayden is perfect in size and weight and she thinks that i can push him out, only time will tell! ANOTHER BITTERSWEET! (i wanted the Cesarean to get rid of my cyst)

So last night was a tough night, tossing and turning, and praying that God relax me and give me patience and strength. I know that things will be fine, i just need alot of prayer to go along these next few weeks!

Bored Blog

2009-10-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

Now i see why people blog so much when they are not working...

Here is an update...

Last Thursday, when i went to the Dr, my legs looked like elephant trunks. You could not even see my ankle bone and my blood pressure was 140/90, i was also seeing spots. The Dr freaked out and sent me straight to the hospital.

After 24 hours of monitoring the baby, and my urine, and my swelling, they concluded that what i needed was to be on bedrest.

Conclusion:

I am on bedrest. Yes i Know, i hear everyone telling me "I told you so". I never "didn't" listen, i was just committed to going back to work. Then i woke up with a headache on monday and said NO MORE!

My child is more important, and honestly, i am enjoying the very boring time at home. Luckily my mom has been able to come over and help out some. she loves organizing the baby room so she really has been able to do that (huge help because i had no idea where to even start) and she has washed things that i would probably not ever gotten around to until after the baby was born.

As for Jayden, i feel him so much now. Its pretty cool how i can see him move his legs (now that i know that he has his head down), and how he o so wonderfully kicks my intestines and ribs in the middle of the night. I am getting a bit anxious to meet him and i cant wait to carry him and kiss him. I REALLY want to see Oliver with him, that is going to be huge for me. God has truly blessed us with a miracle.

So for now, goodnight... hopefully i will have more news this thursday when i speak to the OB again.

From the couch: M

Stuff you asked for!

2009-09-12T15:16:00.001-07:00

I finally got the thingy that goes with the MAC to put in a chip, so here are some pictures that you asked for! Jaydens Room (SO FAR) and the Belly at 31 weeks!

Not in Labor People!

2009-09-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

So i have definitely grown in the past 6 weeks, my belly is huge and i can feel soooooo much movement!

We had another scare yesterday (Sunday) as i woke up with an extremely sharp pain on my lower left side, i though my wonderful ovary burst or twisted since i have that stupid cyst on it.

Oliver called the doctor and she said to go to the hospital. At the hospital, they strapped me to a bed with monitors and both Oliver and I though the worst. We thought they were going to have to operate and Jayden was coming that day! Of course, everyone started calling and freaking out and somehow our family and friends all thought that i was in labor! PEOPLE THE DEPARTMENT IS CALLED LABOR AND DELIVERY! so when we said that we were in labor and delivery it just means that we were in that department, not that i was in labor!

They first took me to do a sonogram, which kind of melted the pain away as we saw our sons face, his feet, his yawning, his pi-pi (its definitely a boy), and his heart again! I had not seen it in soooo long that i missed it! The pain did begin to subside a bit, then my actual doctor came to see me (very surprising) and told me he wanted to make sure that all the arteries and veins leading to the ovary were intact, so back to the sonogram room! they did a doppler sonogram and showed me that the baby is breeched and actually sitting on whatever is causing the pain.

We are so blessed that it was nothing serious! We did however get a good idea of what was going to happen when i DO go into labor! The latin people next to us were in labor and they guy almost fainted 3x's! It was great, Oliver and i were secretly cracking up!! Another girl went in for a c-section and ended up in labor about to drop her baby in 2 hours! My parents got to experience the sonogram with us, so that was cool for my dad to have seen the baby!

Here is a picture of my belly at 30 weeks. it actually does not look as big here as it really is...

I promise that when i DO go into labor, you will all hear about it! Be expecting it in the next 8-10 weeks!

Up-Date

2009-08-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! Unbelievable! We are 6.5 months pregnant. God is amazing!

Time has flown by and here is an update of what we have accomplished to bring our little boy into this world!

He has a name!

He has a bedroom set!

We were able to paint the room and the grandparents bought all of the bedding and closet materials so his room is basically completed!

Our Baby registry is done! YAY! (www.babiesrus.com for all of you who have been asking!)

He has some clothes already!

He has a backup car-seat that was passed down to us.

He has a toilet seat that rings, his nephews never used it!

We got a new family car, a Honda CRV, sold the Colorado, kept the corolla for everyday low-gas use, and got an old F150 that runs like new! Yes 3 cars! Don't ask!

We were able to pay off alot of debt! BIG YAY!

Basically we are ready to have him (but want him to stay in there as long as possible)! We are so incredibly blessed as parents to have received all that we have! We never thought this could all play out so great, but yet again, God showed us His love and grace!

Some people say that i am small for 6.5 months, some say i am huge... All that i know is that its amazing to feel that little boy moving inside, and even more amazing to have Oliver feel him move and talk to him!! I think he knows that i smile every time he moves. We continue to ask God to mold us as parents. We know that the coming months will be bittersweet, a blessed, yet challenging time! We are so looking forward to it!!!!

I am truly grateful for having such a great pregnancy that many mothers are actually jealous of! No Morning sickness, mood swings, or aches and pains! A little swelling here and there in my feet and a some sciatic pain, but other than that, this has been a walk in the park! I do however feel this HEAT in the summer!

Dear friends, remind me next time to get pregnant in the summer, so that when i am big, it will be cooler outside! The heat is dreadful and does not help my swelling feet! LOTS OF WATER!!!!

I thank you all for your prayers and I publicly thank our Creator for doing such marvelous works in our life!

Love always!

-M

Half way there!

2009-07-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

I am blogging from the state of Tennessee! It is day 2 on our vacation and we miss Nala so much she is probably running around like a crazy dog wondering why mommy and daddy have not come home.
Today Oliver went out on the ATV's with Jeovanny and little Geo del Pino. Alexandrea stayed home with me and my parents. We went to go see their amazing new house that is almost ready!
We are expecting Jennifer del Pino in tomorrow in Knoxville at 9:30am.
I slept the enitre day today, a short nap after breakfast and a much longer nap in the afternoon. It was soooo needed. Since i got pregnant, i have not been able to take naps because of work, but finally I get to enjoy those amazing pregnancy naps.
Baby boy is moving alot! I am ecstatic that Oliver felt him the other night. Today, i guess because of how relaxed i am, he has been moving around alot, or at least i feel him much more.
it is such an amazing feeling that brings a smile to my face EVERYTIME!

I thank God for this amazing blessing that he has let us have and we pray that he continues to mold us as parents.

Will talk to YA'LL when we get back! Much love!

Oh Boy!

2009-06-12T05:23:00.000-07:00

We are so excited!

We went for our 17 week sonogram yesterday and of course, i was a nervous wreck, went to the bathroom like 5x's before and 3x's after the appointment (sorry, had to share).

We waited while i almost peed my pants, for about 30 minutes, then we went in. Everything looked great! 2 arms, 2 legs, huge head, 4 fluttering chambers of the heart! Baby was doing great, just did not want to show its parts!

Finally after 20 minutes, the very patient tech told me to go pee. As soon as i came back and we tried again, there HE was, and now all he wanted to do was flash the tech! We were delighted! Although we were expecting to have a girl, we both in our hearts secretly preferred a boy! We left it up to God to choose, and he blessed us.

As soon as the tech left the room, me and Oliver were all smiles! The first thing he tells me is, I DONT LIKE OWEN AS A NAME! WHATTT! We had talked about this numerous times!

Whatever! so now we are on the search for a name! God Help Us!

Here are some pictures of our baby boy!

First one is His Profile

Then we have him looking at us face to face

Last but not least! His PeePee!

2009-05-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

I cant believe it! God has blessed us so tremendously! We are already 4 months pregnant with only 5 to go! This pregnancy has been awesome and thankfully, i have not had any other symptoms besides back pain and tiredness. June 11th we find out what we are having!

Stay Tuned! Madowen will become...

this week

2009-04-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

This week has been very adventurous for me at least.

We started the week like any other but then ended it like no other. Wednesday at Awana, i had a big problem wit 2 of the kids beating each other up. This is not supposed to happen in Church! One girl got mad that the other called her a cheater and she punched the girl in the face, they wrestled to the floor.
I had to run and pull them apart and my sciatic nerve was really acting up so i had a really hard time. Then i had to sit there and explain to both mothers why one had a bruise on her head and the other was missing a chunck of hair.

Thursday we went to the doctor and we heard the babys heart beat. (Yay) She also told me that i should get physical therapy for my sciatic nerve and my back hurting so much. We were relieved to hear the heart beat and be able to leave the office thanking God.

Friday, Nala got spayed, and i had one of the busiest days at work that i have ever had.

When i got home, Nala broke my heart. She looked as high as a kite then would just lay down. All of a sudden she would get up and run to a corner and throw up.... Yellow gross water. EVERYWHERE! she did that more than 10 times. she is our little baby and seeing her like that was really sad, she was not herself at all!

Saturday, my mom showed up with croquetas and decided to help me clean! WOW! I had so much to do and so little time that it was a releif to have her there. Nala would just walk around, drink lots of water and sleep. So she is definatley feeling better.

Here is a picture of Nala feeling slighlty better but just bumming around.

entering #10

2009-04-16T16:25:00.001-07:00

This Sunday i will be entering my 10th week of pregnancy. I will also be going to the Drs on the 23rd.

During my last pregnancy, the baby did not make it to the 10th week. At my visit, she checked for heart beat and there was none... she said it was the machine that did not work right. That weekend was when i found out that i had lost the baby.

God has done miracles in my life before and this pregnancy definately is different from my first. I am completly reliant on God to carry me through this. Thank you for your prayers.
Oliver is also more in tune with everything that is going on and prays for the baby all the time!

I am feeling generally good! Morning sickness is more like all day sickness but thank the Lord that i dont puke, just get really grossed out.

The only bad part has been my sciatic nerve that is getting pretty serious.

Every time i lay or sit, it shoots up and down my leg and i cant move. Lastly, i am EXHAUSTED all the time and i have caught my self falling asleep driving... (hey its a whole HOUR drive) at red lights. then i get home, lay down and nothing, cant even close my eyes! Very frustrating.

Although all these things are uncomfortable, i really do appreciate them because it allows me to stop and thank God for my little Grape growing inside of me.

The other night i had my first dream that i was carrying and feeding the baby, i never had that with my last pregnancy. another reassuring thing.

Although i am already showing a bit, i cant wait to be big enough to feel the baby moving.

I continue to rely on God as He glorifies Himself in this creation.

xoxo: M

Guess Who...

2009-04-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

So we finally went today for our long awaited u/s... lets just say i almost cried... The lady was there making faces and not saying a word, I was praying SO HARD with my eyes closed the entire time, she went up and down my abdomen, to the side, up and down my intestines, I had NO idea what she was looking for up there, I just waited with my eyes closed as she experimented with the sonogram machine... then she all of a sudden for about 3 seconds i heard the most beautiful thing in the world, a very low steady thump thump thump!

It was the babies heart! I was so happy! Then 5 minutes more of silence and she said, "OK! I will be right back" i jumped up and said, was everything okay? SHe said yes and walked out!

Oliver felt the same way when he heard the heartbeat! Tears came to both of our eyes!

I was so scared! Please realize that because of past experiences, i was shaking since i left work today! The ugly teratoma has not grown in size, i actually think that it shrunk! the Babies heart beat was a strong 143 , the sonographer just had the speakers really low!

Here is a very weird first glance at our love...

Yes our love... Our biggest blessing is about the size of a kidney bean! THank God that everything went well! We praise and glorify our Lord for the amazing gift and the joy that he has brought us!

More to come! XOXO -M

Thursday... Negative News...

2009-03-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

So i went to the doctor and got some negative news... I cant ride ATV's.... I feel so bummed because Oliver bought me a really cool seat for the ATV and I CANT RIDE IT!

Now that i scared you...On a better note... Everything with bebe is perfect! I got to the Dr's office and i was SOOOOOO nervous, almost jumping out of my seat... i laughed with Oliver, then i fought with him, then i laughed again, then i just got quiet. It was nerve wrecking waiting in the room for the Dr.
I am going in next week to get an U/S and to see the status of the ugly cyst. I am truly excited about all this and Trusting in God.

This weekend I am looking foward to little Geo's bday and having my 13000 neices and nephews there... Lol!

Love always! -M

3rd time!

2009-03-24T15:47:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it... 3rd time in march that i blog... wow...
Its no longer a Once a month ordeal.

I am blogging more because my perspective on things have changed a bit.
I am very blessed with my job and very blessed with my ministry in church however God has brought me to my knees on both occasions.

First time was at work, and i really do not want to go into detail. 2nd Time was in Awana. I have been so hurt and so humbled by the situations that have occured that i have to step back and really see what it is that God wants from me.

On both occasion, i found myself reflecting on me.... how I thought that I was such a superior person at what i did. Those of you that know me know that i am not one to glorify myself... or at least i really do not mean to (please let me know if i do), however, i knew that i was good at what i did.
At work, God revealed to me that i really do not belong there... that "organic-tree hugging New-Age" thing is not the REALISTIC place God wants me to focus my life on. There is more important things right now for me.
At church, I realized that although i am a leader and I am in charge of many things, i still need to submit to those above me.

I pray for wisdom daily, i pray that God reveal himself to me and show me how He wants me to be, but i never realized that it was going to cause me to come to terms with myself.

THe following was what i have learned.... I am not perfect!!! I am a work in Progress. God has a plan for me that i am not aware of.... He is in control and I am okay with that.

I AM NOTHING BUT A SPEC OF DIRT ON THIS EARTH!

For those that understand where i am coming from, please encourage me to be a better person as i encourage you to look within yourself and find what Gods plan for your life is.... all selfishness aside...

Ask yourself this:
Am i pleasing to God in my daily actions?
Am i making myself better than anybody else?
Do i think that i am superior to anyone else?
Am I seeking God in a way that HE can use me HIS way, not mine?

if any of those quesitons really strike a cord, i hope that it brings you to your knees as it did to me.

With that said, for those of you that know my current mission, please pray for me... i am going to go to the Doctor on Thursday and although i have surrendered my worries.......................................................................................................Phew! Deep Breath.............................................. God has still alot to do with me.....

Love you all!

Not giving in... MARCH 09

2009-03-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

So i am reading through every bodies blog and realize, every one is on wordpress! WhATEVER!
I am still the only Non-Cheater on Phase 10.

We are finally going camping! Okala FL on April 3-6! I am excited... Real camping! No toilets or running water... and TENTS!

We are excited about our new gift! Those of you that know... KNOW and those of you that dont, Will eventually know! We cannot believe how awesome God's Grace is. Although i am still a bit scared, i have learned through my past experiences to give my worries to God. I feel good about this and really have recieved peace above all other things.

COntinue to Pray for us as all this unfolds.

As for our baby Nala, she just turned 10 months! I cannot believe how big she is. She is finally back to normal behaviorwise. Her newest habit is making friends with the birds and letting them eat her food.
Mom comes home to a yard full of disgusting bird poop EVERYWHERE! If anyone knows of a trick so that they do not eat her food, PLEASE let us know! I dont want her to get sick.

Scarrrry!

2009-03-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

This week has been crazy!
My father was in the ER 3 times in 1 week. THe last time he was in, we thought for a minute that we were never going to see him again. As i got the call from Oliver, i was in the middle of AWANA teaching, and the call dropped right after he said, "your dad might have an anurism, he is in the ER". Of course i panicked...
I had to drop everything and leave my class stunned, i caught up with my sister, found her 15 kids (j.K) and left to the hospital.

The best thing is that as i drove 90mph down 87th avenue, my bible fell from my passenger seat because i had to slam on the breaks. It opened up to a bookmark that i have that said "Gods plans for you are bigger than you can imagine! Place your fears at his feet" and it was a picture of a ducky looking at his reflection in a huge pond that he was scared to get into.

When i got to the ER i was amazed to see that my dad was okay! Like if nothing ever happened.

His CT scan came back negative.... Praise God they found nothing. WHatever it was was instantly dissolved.
Only GOd knows all that we have been through with this man.

I want to thank Keren for worrying so much and helping me and my sister with the kids. I also would like to thank everyone for their prayers and concerns.

On a final note... Tennessee seems to be in the backburner for now. We placed our plans in Gods hands and obviously, right now is not the time for us to move... He made that very clear to us.
We will continue to deal with Miami and rejoice in what God has for us here.

February

2009-02-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

I know. its been a while.
So much has happened this month that i honestly have not given time to our blog.

Here is an update:
I have been super stressed out at work as we have a new employee that "no speake Inglis". So many things are going on at work that I am getting home exhausted!

Luckily we had the opportunity to go to our fav state. We went to Tennessee with Priscilla, Chris, Keren, Ian and my parents. Unfortunatley, our other friends Naty and Bryan could not make it, and they were truely missed. We had such a fun time. Even the days where we just drove around the town was awesome. There was so much to do all the time, and really all I wanted to do was SLEEP!
Honestly, the highlights of the trip were Priscillas singing, riding horses up and down the mountain, WALMART, making smores, Valentines dinner, WALMART, introducing our friends to our new possible hometown, WALMART, and eating, we never stopped eating, it seemed as if we ate every 3 hours, kinda like baby Ian.

We did go look at houses and Oliver got up early one of the days to see how it would be to drive to work everyday. Honestly, we love it. We are aware of how hard it would be to leave our comforts of friends and family and TARGET, but we know that this is a sacrifice that we need to make with Gods help.

This month, i have to have surgery to get my lovely teratoma removed. I am not to thrilled about it because i will have to miss work ANOTHER week. I honestly could care less if i had the cyst or not, however, if left unattended, i could loose an ovary. (ouch). and then it could cause further complications with my fertility. On that note, i will follow up on Monday, I promise, with my doctor as they were supposed to call me last week to schedule me for surgery.

It has also been 3 months since we lost the baby. We cannot believe how time has passed and how much has happened in that time. when it happened, I felt like time stood still, and all that we prayed for was time to pass... it definately did.

In these 3 months, Ian was born, we decided to move out of Miami, 2009 happened, our friends in Cape Coral had their 2nd baby girl, we went on vacation, Oliver transferred his nursing licence to Tennessee, Nala went crazy (when we left her to go on vacation), our nephew Benjamin is turning 3, my sisters kids grew imensly, Priscillas Bday past, and God has truly revealed himself to us in openeing doors for us to move.

Nala is soooo big. She was such a good girl before we left to Tennessee and now she has just gone crazy. She still sits and knows who mommy and daddy are, but she thinks that we are leaving her again. she does not want to "go mimi" in her crate and she actually attacks the vaccuum cleaner when she used to be terrified of it. Also, she is jumping on everyone that walks in through the door. she is out of control. she needs prayer!

Hopefully if i get my camera card to work on my computer i can post some pics soon from the trip and of Nala.

xoxo

January

2009-01-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

So far this month, there has been a few new things. My best freends are celebrating their 1 year anniversary! YAY! Our other friends are celebrating their first babies 1 month old bday, and Oliver and I are praying for the Lord to lead us where He wants.

This year we are looking foward to:
WHATEVER GOD HAS IN STORE FOR US!!!!

We dont know what it is or when it will happen but we are excited to know that plans mean nothing! The more plans we make, the more we are thrown on our knees. Who are we to be in control of our lives? We are here by God's grace... not our own...

For now... we are excited to go to Tennessee with our friends and excited that Nala is growing so fast! She no longer fits in our lap and she is ONLY 8 MONTHS OLD!

Dont worry, whenever something does happen... We will let ya'll know! (yes ya'll)! Love you!

From Scratch

2009-01-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

As you all can see, I have deleted all previous posts. I feel as if 2009 is going to bring great things. Oliver and I have nothing to complain about. 2008 was great. Some rough spot during the end, but it was all in Gods plan, so it was okay.

God has carried us this far, already, we are looking into plans that God has layed out for us. Although we do not know what the future holds, we know who holds our future.

Oliver and I were pleased to have brought in the new year with our friends. If it wasnt for this small gang of Phase 10 playing, brownie making, giraffe loving, baby carrying, picture taking, converse wearing friends, we would be extrememly lonely.

I thank God for all of you, some of us have known each other for many years, and others have a friendship that started off rough, but ultimately, all of you guys are amazing. It brings so much joy to us to know that we think about you all everyday and we truly have people that we care about and love.

As I close, i pray that God not only takes us where he wants to but continues to guide you all where he wants you...

We love you!