Thinking

Somehow the time to post a blog is amazingly scarce. So here are a few thoughts on my journey of mommyhood thus far:

I thought babies just slept
I found out they need to be taught good habits

I thought I wanted to give Josiah a pacifier
I was wrong

I thought I would get out more
I found out nap times are important for a happy boy

I thought I would have more free time
I found out that he is active (even with all the extra hands!)

I thought pregnancy weight just went away
I realized we are not all like Angelina Jolie

I thought it would be hard to watch him grow
I found out each stage is amazingly fun

I thought I would love being a mom
I was right

Pacifier Woes

Before I had Josiah I knew I would never give him a pacifier. But then he was born and got a Soothie in the hospital, and I had been gifted a few that I held onto, so why not? He was happier with them, calmed quicker, and they are meant to reduce the risk of SIDS. So I popped it in. And again, and again, and again. He became an addict and we all got in the habit of it. Problem is, he is really good at falling asleep with it and then spitting it out. When he goes through his normal little sleep cycles and starts waking a bit, he wants his pacifier again. Therein lies the problem. It is next to him in his crib, he wants it, but is 4 months old and hasn't learned that skill yet. So...about a zillion times a night, I walk into his room with barely opened eyes and pop that thing back in. He most often calms quickly and sleeps again. Sometimes not so much ,so I bounce him and swaddle and pray he will fall asleep again. That's how we were rolling in the house until 2 nights ago. Yes, we went cold turkey with the pacifiers on him. Poor kid. Didn't know what was coming. It actually does break my heart...I wish I wouldn't have gotten him hooked on them, it's a hard habit to break. It's just not healthy for any of us anymore though. If he were sleeping more soundly and not needing it everytime he wakes up, things would be different. I've tried teaching him where his hands are so he can find them and suck on something there, but it is a process. He has done so well and I know I'll be grateful for it once he is sleeping well. I've been giving him extra cuddles and bought him that stupid "Lovey" to try and make it better. Last night he went 5 hours which was a personal record. Tonight we're going for 6!! He's decided he wanted to go 7-10 hours between feeds, but that awful little pacifier just keeps us all awake. The protest crying has now stopped after 35 minutes, so I guess that means I can breathe again and wipe away my own tears. Phew. This mommy stuff is hard. Sometimes you think you're doing the right thing and it turns out it wasn't. I get the feeling I'm in for a lifetime of these things!

Nonstop fun!

This little Josiah is getting more fun by the day! He loves to smile and laugh now, wants to stand and pretend he's a grown-up, and just today he rolled over! It's amazing how quickly he is changing, each new stage and activity is so fun and exciting. I love watching him grow and learn and doing things he couldn't do before.

Bathtime

Nothing like a big yellow duck tub to bring out some smiles for bathtime!

Dominicans in Oregon!

We celebrated the 27th of February, Dominican Republic's independence day, with a whole group of Dominicans. I'm glad there's a few Dominicans around...brings a bit of the DR a little closer to Oregon.

Snow!

We were so excited to have a few snow days here! We watched it falling and then got out a few times to go on walks. It only lasted a short while, but it was great to get a little excitement from the snow!

Iceskating

Josh and Emily went iceskating in Portland and we went along to watch. Josiah can't wait until it's his turn, although I think he has a few more months!

Rides

Ariel is so good at finding activities for the cold days when there isn't much else going on...

You are my sunshine

We don't see a lot of sunshine these days in Oregon, so when it came out for a bit the other day, I stripped Josiah down and put him on a blanket to soak it in! He loved it and just watched his bear, smiled, chewed some fingers, and got nice and warm!

2 years!!

Ariel and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary on the 14th of February. Two years went by so fast, as does all time these days. I have learned so much from Ariel and our marriage in these years. I am so blessed to have him for my husband, he is so supportive and encouraging and excited about everything. We have been through our share of "in sickness and in health" already and a good amount of trials, but are thankful we can look back on them now and see how we have grown because of them. We are hoping the years ahead are as full as these ones have been!

Learning the bottle

I know I have to go back to work eventually, so we've tried to have Josiah take a bottle every now and then. He was doing so well and then decided he didn't want to anymore. I eventually found a new bottle for him (Playtex drop-ins) and he is back on again! It's nice that others can feed him every now and then, although he still prefers his momma. I've got a good amount of milk now stored up...just waiting for the right job to come around! I mean really, I'm in no hurry to leave this little guy after all!

Happy Valentines Day

This is what happens to Josiah when Ariel and I go out! It did make a cute Valentine's surprise in a frame though...poor kid is going to hate these someday! :)

Visit to the snow

We took a trip up to Mt Hood to see some real snow! It wasn't planned so we didn't take coats or anything, but it was fun to be out in the snow for a little bit. Ariel loved seeing it and I even made him eat it!

Papi

I have loved having this transition time to watch Ariel and Josiah spend so much time together. Ariel is such a good dad to him, sometimes I just smile while I secretly watch them. Ariel has done great with his steep learning curve, meeting him and getting to know all his tricks and likes/dislikes after 6 weeks, but now it seems as if they were never apart. What a blessing it is to be together, to have each other as we raise this little guy.

Our family has truly learned the importance of waiting in God (versus waiting on God) and how just leaning on Him when we don't understand why things happen is the key to getting through hard things. It doesn't always make it easier or let us understand it...I don't think I'll ever understand why we have gone though some of the things we have, but I guess that's not important. If I was supposed to understand, I would. But in the end, we love each other more, hold each other a little more tightly, are a bit more patient with each other, and thank our God every day that we are together.

Multnomah Falls

We did some exploring around town, in and out of shops, and a trip to Multnomah Falls. It was COLD there, especially on the bridge, but we made it up! It was fun to feel that cold again with all the wind biting our noses and ears. We hustled back down and into the warmth of the car, but had a fun time seeing it all!

Back in Oregon

Josiah is doing well back in Oregon, just wondering what happened to all that noise he was starting to get used to! No more motorcycles or trucks or chickens to wake him up...now we are in the land of quiet! We have all enjoyed the cool weather, going on walks and being outside on the nice days has been a good change.

Meeting

We were met at the airport by family at midnight and headed home. All the family came over the next day to meet Ariel and I'm sure these days have just been a blur (that's why that picture made it in). He is taking all in stride and doing great, despite all the many changes he has faced!

To the U.S.

With all the snow that New York got, our flight on Thursday was cancelled. We re-booked it for Friday, still unsure that flights would be able to get through, but were willing to give it a chance. After a lot of hard good-byes and moving out of our apartment, we were officially on our way to the United States. It was an exciting flight with Ariel and Josiah and we did lots of talking and playing the whole way! Ariel got to touch the snow in New York as we had a layover for awhile. I think he was thankful he had his coat ready as it was pretty cold out! It was surreal to me as I have thought about this moment for so long. I know it is hard for him, he had to leave his fantastic job, his family, friends, church, language...everything. But we know and trust that God has opened this door for us and are looking forward to all that is ahead.

Beach, round 2

So after a failed trip to the beach with friends, we decided to give it another try. We went to a quite beach this time and Josiah did great! He got his little feet wet in the ocean and we got to spend lots of time with Ariel's family.

We ended the day with a dinner at one of our favorite little restaurants, Mr. Lunch. Lots of hamburgers and french fries for everyone!

Last days

We did a lot of visiting in our last days. We were at the neighbors, with family, eating lots of great things (and no, I didn't eat all that rice). It was a nice time to get to visit with everyone and be with them in our last days. Josiah loved the neighbors parrot and was talking and smiling at him!