Post Bath Fun

A Whisper of a Smile

The Bug Bite Blues

"Mini-Bum" gum anyone???

Mmmmm - Root Beer!

What I've Been Up To...

Acadia will be 8 weeks old tomorrow and life is feeling a new kind of normal:) She's such a sweet baby and is less demanding than Blaise was/is. Blaise has been fighting his nap and bedtimes like a little wild animal, saying "Blaise - wake" when we tell him it's time to get ready for bed. The poor little guy has a bit of a runny nose and has been getting up with a few more bug bites each morning so he's looking pretty rough. I'm still enjoying that there are no teams from Canada right now, Zaak is around more which means more help for me. After lunch when the kids are napping I get a chance to either run errands, nap, or go for a walk. I'm already looking forward to visits from 2 of my sisters this winter - Alanna plans to be here for my birthday in November and April for Christmas. So that's exciting to the utmost! I will have been here 2 years in this September with no visits yet from my family. Alright I better get myself to bed, Acadia will need to eat in a few hours.

A Few of My Favorite Things

I'm finally blogging again after a shameless week of Facebook addiction. A question people often ask us here is "What do you miss about Canada?" Besides family and friends, this is my list of things I miss most (in no particular order):
1. Grocery stores like Safeway and Superstore 2. Libraries 3. Laws about sound pollution and the use of air brakes in urban areas. 4. Baths and Showers with proper water pressure and steady temperature. 5. Ethnic Restaurants. So to my North American friends and family out there, I hope you enjoy and appreciate that you have all these things at your fingertips:) And if you were living in a foreign country, what do you thin you'd miss?

Congrats April!

A big congrats to my sister April who not only is a mean lemon meringue pie maker, but just landed her first "real" job! She will be starting a teaching job in the fall in the lovely city of Montreal. She must have made quite an impression because she hasn't even graduated yet and they hired her! Way to go SIs!

A Marvelous Mothers Day

Here are some shots from Mothers Day. I've enjoyed reading other people's blogs about what they did on Mothers Day, it's neat we have a day to appreciate moms and all they do. I got to chat with my own Mom a bit too, which was nice but made me miss her a lot. So I awoke to rustlings and bangings out in the kitchen which is a very unusual sound. Then Blaise brought me a card Zaak had made, and he told me "Happy Day, Mama" at Zaak's prompting - very sweet. The card included the gift of a massage at a place on the way to Coban with babysitting provided by Papa. I then got up to 3 beautiful bouquets of flowers and some treats from the market for breakfast. After that we watched the home movie DVD Zaak had just finished of our first few months in Guatemala. Blaise loves watching "Baby Blaise" on TV:) Even better than Baby Eistein (his current favorite). Later Zaak asked "So do you want to go out for lunch?" Of course I did, and ended up having brunch. We played outside afterwards and then went home for naps. At church that evening we were blessed by having Acadia dedicated. It was a full and wonderful day, I'm already looking forward to next years!

Sleeping Beauty

For the Love of Tea...

This is what I look forward to every morning. I have a nice hot cup of Mildred Tea (the closest thing to Earl Grey that I can get here), and a "Pan Mexicana" which is a cinnamon-y sweet bread from our local bakery. I used to be a bit into coffee for awhile, but I've returned to my first love; tea. Also I have a special mug that I like my morning tea in, the red gardenia one in the photo. I have particular mugs for hot chocolate and herbal tea as well. Does that make me eccentric I wonder? Nah:)

Diaper Daze

We were hoping to have Blaise out of diapers by the time the baby came, but unfortunately he has a mind of his own and is not ready to bid the diaper farewell. So here we are, two kids in diapers. I'm sure glad Zaak and I are a team, because changing two kids' bums on my own would be rather taxing. I'm not sure who's easier to change, because Blaise fights getting changed but Acadia often pees just when I'm switching from the dirty diaper to the clean one (hence wetting her clothes).

Sweet Pea

I grew this sweet pea from a seed, so I'm happy to see it finally bloom. I bought a bunch of seeds from a little store in town that sells all kinds of random things. Lots of the seed packets had an expiration date of 2003, so I risked them anyway and planted a bunch. About half of what I planted came up, unfortuantely none of the poppies made it. I think my favorite flowers are sweet peas, sunflowers, poppies, and hollyhocks, but I love all flowers.

Cabbage Head:)

Here's Blaise "helping" me make borcsht for supper last night. He wants up on the cupboard every time I'm cooking something, and he's pretty good about not touching/tasting things he shouldn't. He did try to sample some raw eggs the other day though, yuck!

Big Brother and Little Sister

Acadia's Tummy Troubles

This is a shot of Acadia 2 nights ago, just before she kept me up past midnight with stomach pains. I don't think it's anything I'm eating that's causing her discomfort, because I cut out caffeine and chocolate and still she was fussy. So maybe it's just her digestive system learning how things work. Last night started to look like a repeat of the one before, so Zaak suggested we bring her to bed with us. We all slept much better, so maybe she was just lonely and we mistook it for gas. Parenting, whew!

Hania & Blaise

This is one of Blaise's favorite little friends. Her name as well as Sam and Kathe's (he says them Yam and Kay-kee:) are the only other names he says so far, besides Mama and Papa.

Mama y Nena

Nena means baby girl, everyone asks when we go out with Acadia "Nena or Nene (baby boy)?" The Guatemalan women traditionally spend 40 days in bed after giving birth so I'm causing quite a stir by being out and about. Yesterday in the market the women were amazed at me - "You can walk!? You're not in pain?" they asked me:) Funny.
So life is resuming some sort of normalacy now as Acadia turns 2 weeks old tomorrow. I usually nap when Blaise does every afternoon so that makes up for getting up about every 3 hours in the night to nurse Acadia. Also Zaak gets up with Blaise in the mornings so I can get a few more minutes of sleep. It was a bit scary at first having 2 children to care for, but now it's getting better. They do have an uncanny ability though to both need me at once when I am home alone. Thanks again to all of you out there for your well wishes and prayers. We are truly blessed.

Welcome Daughter

Ironic that my last post was of Blaise and "baby" when the real baby arrived that same day! So yes, our family is one little person richer now, and her name is Acadia Juliette. Zaak did a marvelous write-up of the birth on his blog so I won't repeat all the details. We're so happy to have Acadia here with us, and that she is healthy and beautiful. She sleeps A LOT so the photo of her with her eyes open is a rare moment that I captured tonight. We appreciate SO much all the well wishes and congrats that friends and family have been sending us, it warms my heart to see how loved we are:) I'm a bit bemused at how so many people are impressed with my child-birthing capabilities. I really don't feel like I am especially gifted at bearing children, I just go with what my body tells me and look forward to the baby at the end of the pain. And oh is there ever pain! I'm sure I sound like some sort of wild animal when I am in labor. But I'm okay with that:) And I appreciate the compliments, so thanks!

Blaise & Baby

Okay, okay I know, bad joke. But I couldn't resist:)

39 Weeks (and a bit) Prego

Our due date is just 5 days away now! Of course very few babies are born on their actual due date, but we know the baby has to come out sooner than later:) I've actually been having some false labor today, 2 hours of it this morning at intervals of ten minutes - but then it died down to just a few Braxton Hicks contractions every hour. So my body's getting ready! Can't wait to meet this new little person:)

Zoila, Zaak & Mariah with Their Eggs

"Ready to Hatch:)"

Blaise & Easter Egg Hunting Pals

The Photos For the Last Post:

Kids enjoying tamales

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday I was up at 5 to get to the Easter Sunrise Service. I've always been gung-ho to go to these sunrise service type things but sleepiness has always managed to win when my alarm rings. I made it to this one in part because I don't sleep as much or as hard as normal being in the final weeks of my pregnancy, and maybe in part because I am a mature adult now:) Zaak and Blaise stayed home and slept because that's WAY too early to wake up Blaise.
So the first photo is of the kids at the service enjoying their tamales. It was a slightly cloudy morning but neat to be outside and watch the sun peak out from behind the clouds during the service.
After a nap and shower at home we got ready for some egg-coloring and hunt. Blaise had 4 little buddies over and they had a fun time finding the eggs I hid. With the bigger kids (like Zaak, Mariah, and Zoila:) we painted eggs. All the easter stuff came from Canada thanks to Saison and Luana, there is nothing in the stores here for Easter. It's called Holy Week and everyone gets time off work/school, and there are these somber proccesionals through town. It's a huge holiday for the Catholic Church but it's strange to me how Jesus' death seems more important that His Resurrection.

Playdate at The Granja

This morning Blaise and I took our friends Priscila and Miguel out for breakfast. Priscila watched Blaise for me the 3 mornings I helped out with the medical clinic last week so I wanted to say thanks. The Granja (The Farm) is a great little restaurant just 1 km away from us, it has pretty tasty food and a great playground. Miguel is 4 months younger than Blaise and so they play alongside each other quite well. Priscila is a stay at home Mom like me and we always have lots to talk about, in spanish no less. It was a fun time, but I think I need a nap now:)

Just 2 Weeks Left...

...Until the baby's due! Incredible that this time next month we will be a family of 4. I'm still feeling really well, just can't sit/stand/lay down for too long. This baby seems more active then Blaise was, it's constantly kicking and stretching, so much that I sometimes involuntarily gasp in shock at it's strength. We're pretty much ready for the baby's arrival, I've got it's bed set up and all it's cute little clothes in a dresser. We still need to blow up the kiddie pool we bought (as I plan to labor in water again.) Blaise will go over to our neighbors if we go into labor during the day. The only thing I can think of that we are lacking is a final decision on a boys name. Zaak will be home tomorrow so we'll have to sit down and slug it out:) He was saying we should decide before he had to go away these two nights, but we didn't. I think the least of my worries would have been the baby's name if I started going into labor with Zaak a 6 hour drive away. He will be home tomorrow so I'm glad. Blaise took only 5 hours to birth so I'm thinking this one could be even quicker. What a special time of life we are at right now! I'm so happy to be me:)

Yahoo!

We have internet again after almost two weeks! All of you out there that have consistent, reliable, fast internet should thank your lucky stars. So poor Zaak is too tired to blog, he's been going full tilt as we have 2 teams here from Canada right now. I was helping out with a medical clinic but was home all afternoon so that was nice. Here's a shot of Blaise "stuck" in his chair. Stuck seems to be his favorite word lately, and he tries to get himself in funny places so he can say to me "stuck-stuck!" What a goose:)

The Littlest Leprachaun

Happy Birthday to Zaak

It was Zaak's 31st birthday on Friday. He worked all day but then we celebrated with a nice supper and a surprise night away from home.

Snuggle Bug

Blaise is so snuggly after his bath - I love getting him out and how he clings to me, all clean and fresh smelling:) One of the many perks of parenthood:)

Adventures in Potty Training

This past week Blaise started using his potty - I was shocked and thrilled:) But he only used it two days in a row, and then peed on the floor for the next three days! So we'll keep encouraging him, but today is rainy and cool so not very condusive to Blaise running around with no diaper. We'd LOVE to have him out of diapers in time for baby #2 but time is ticking...

Baking with Blaise

I love how this little guy has such a sense of wonder for everything. Mama's stirring a bowl full of interesting gloop? Let me see! I got him a chair so he could stir the dry ingredients for the muffins I was making, and he did really well. Only spilled maybe a tablespoon and tasted even less than that:) What fun.

Valentines Banquet

Last night we enjoyed the Valentines Banquet at our church. The inviation said 6 so we left around 6:20, and still things didn't get started until around 7. It was Blaise's first time being put to bed by someone other than Zaak or I, but he was in the able hands of Mariah and went right to sleep. So we had a fun time listening to musical numbers, laughing at the couples who played the "blow up your balloon and pop it hugging" game, eating a delicious meal, and hearing an encouraging talk about loving and appreciating your spouse. It was really nice to get out and remember what it's like to just be us, and why we fell in love in the first place:) In the photo the drink in our glasses is Grapette - a grape flavored pop. We had a good chuckle over being served grape pop at this romantic event.

Love Day

We celebrated Valentines Day as a family which was nice. Zaak only arrived home at almost 6 so he wasn't keen on going out again which I could understand. Plus we get to go to a Valentines Dinner on Friday night, so I'm content with that. And Zaak brought me flowers, donuts and some lovely posters to frame. Donuts from the capital are a big deal because they are actually good and sweet, unlike the ones you can buy here in town that look sweet but are barely sweeter than bread. This Valentines Day definitely beats last years as I was sick with a sinus infection and felt like my face was bruised, yeesh. I hope everyone else had an enjoyble Love Day:)

Mucho Calor!

I just have to gloat a little that we are enjoying 28 degrees weather and clear blue skies here today. So before you get green with envy, just buy yourself a plane ticket and come on over for a visit! I've got cold watermelon and horchata (a sweet rice drink) in the fridge too. This is perfect weather for letting Blaise run around the house with no diaper on, as I have great aspirations of having him potty trained before baby # 2 arrives. I'm not really holding my breath though, I don't think he's quite made the connection that he needs to pee on the potty. He will be happily playing away and then I hear him say "Pee! Pee!" and he's pointing to a puddle at his feet. Oh well, all in good time hey:)

Medical Clinic Adventures

Monday and Tuesday afternoon of this week I translated for the Canadian doctor here doing a medical clinic. It was a great experience and I now have a knowledge of spanish words for constipation, rash, dizzyness and the like. Most of the patients complaints are a result of them working so hard - I would have pain all over my body too if I washed clothes by hand or worked in a field all day! A few people said how they had pain in different parts of their body when they were angry:) Also there were some who complained of pain when they would eat fatty foods:) There were lots of Moms with little kids and babies, and one Mom's breastmilk had quit so she'd been giving her little boy coffee. He was 3 months younger than Blaise and as I translated to the doctor what she said about feeding her little boy coffee, I started to choke up. Milk and formula are too expensive here, so she gave him coffee. The doctor told her she needed to stop giving him coffee, that it has no nutritional value, but I wonder if she believed him or not. If it's coffee or nothing, what can you do?

Blaise is Better!

Blaise's fever finally started to go down at about 3 a.m. so I put him, and then myself, to bed. He cried again shortly thereafter so Zaak got up and took a shift. I was prepared to let him cry himself to sleep as I was starting to feel delirious from my lack of sleep. I think at around 6 Blaise went to sleep again, this time for 3 1/2 hours which was the most he had slept at once all night. He's back to normal now and I'm so thankful to have my energetic, talkative little boy back. The only good thing when he's sick is that he's snuggly:) When he's healthy he's just constantly on the go and too busy for cuddling.

2 a.m. Troubles

It's 2 a.m. and Blaise is sitting in the armchair across from me watching a Baby Einstein DVD. This is not a normal middle of the night activity for him, in case you are questioning my parenting skills. The thing is he's had a fever since late this morning and hasn't been able to sleep as a result! He drifts off fine and then jerks/twitches awake and starts crying. So him and I are both totally sleep deprived. We are mercifully letting Papa Zaak sleep as he has to be out with a team all day tomorrow. I'm hoping Mariah will watch Blaise for the afternoon and then I can snooze. Unless his fever finally breaks and he wants to sleep all morning, that's cool too. I'd appreciate your prayers that Blaise will be better soon and life will get back to normal. At least he's sick now, while there's a Canadian doctor here with the team AND before his new little sibling arrives and wreaks havoc of his or her own on our sleep. Hope this all makes sense as I am getting a bit fuzzy around the edges.

Mama's Little Helper

We FINALLY went and got some soil so I could plant my seeds that I bought months ago. It's spring here, with lots of trees blossoming, so in the spirit of spring I immensely enjoyed planting all my flowers and herbs. Now if only they would sprout overnight:) Blaise was very into the whole process and especially liked helping me shovel the dirt into the planters. I'm not sure now how to keep him from digging now that there's more than soil in my planters, but he's still pretty easily distracted so it should work out okay.