Merry Christmas

What can I say? We are so very blessed...

I think of all Christmases, this one was the best one, at least for me. I have a wonderful daughter and a wonderful husband.

When I was growing up I heard of Jesus, but He was never the center of attention on His own birthday party. I guess I cared more about Santa, who didn't even exist...

But this Christmas was different. I've been a Christian for 4 years now, but having a baby changes your world.

There was excitement, even if Libby had no idea what was going on. Looking at her all dressed up, going to church, watching her opening the presents...there was joy in my heart :)

We cooked one day before, on the 23rd. We made tamales, refried beans and cochinita pibil. I also made a cheesecake, it was a new recipe to try, and it was awesome.

Taking the family picture was challenging, but not   impossible. I was right when I told Emerson it was gonna take us like an hour, but it didn't take us that long. Libby was still all the time and she would move exactly when the timer went off. But I think we had very pretty pictures of her and of us.

She got many presents, almost everything was for her. Emerson bought us a handy cam, and I was very excited. I know she is still a baby, but it felt good not to mention Santa at all. I think we made the right decision about not doing the whole  Santa scam.

I understand if parents want to do it, but I just can't lie to her, and then have to break her heart telling her the truth, or even worse, a stupid kid breaking her heart. Although, now that I think about it, she might be one of those children that everybody hates because they go on telling others about Santa, but there is always a loving way to communicate truth, even if the truth hurts.

Oh, well, we have time to explain to her the whole thing, and teach her that everyone has the choice of believing in something, even if that something is fake. Mostly we have to teach her to share the real reason for Christmas instead of telling children that Santa is not real.

I liked the tradition that we started, mostly because she couldn't fall asleep very easily on Christmas Eve. I went into the bedroom to hug her and I whispered that she had to go to sleep because Jesus was about to be born. I said, "Tonight many years ago Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to stay because Jesus was about to be born, but they couldn't find any. When you wake up tomorrow, we will read the whole story and how it happened, and we will sing Happy Birthday, Jesus."

And so on Christmas Day, we read the story from her Bible and sang...next year there will be a cake on Christmas morning so we can sing to Jesus, maybe she will even blow a candle :)) 

On an interesting note, I'm starting a cake decorating class beginning January. I'm excited, very excited. 

San Antonio

Last weekend we went to San Antonio with Emerson's mom. She came for 3 days and we had fun. We took Libby's back pack with us and we visited The Alamo, the Spanish Governor's Palace, and basically, we just walked around :))

Watching TV...

With Grandma at the hotel room

In the garden of Governor's Palace

With Dada eating Tex Mex

Outside Restaurant Mi Tierra 

THEN...I have wisdom teeth surgery last Thursday. It was funny because I don't remember much of the procedure. Nothing actually...

The last thing I remember was that I asked the doctor how fast the IV would work, and he said, "Soon, don't worry." After that I said, "Oh, yeah, the ceiling is moving already..." And that was it :))

Emerson said he felt sorry for me, I didn't say anything on the way home. I don't even remember getting into the car. I have a vague memory of being on a wheelchair, but nothing solid. I was on drugs, literally.

It didn't hurt that much on Thursday. But yesterday I talked a lot and my face was swelled. It hurts a little bit now. Food is getting into one huge socket, and rinsing hurts. I just hope it doesn't get infected.

On a higher note, the antibiotic is safe if I get pregnant, so God willing I'll be pregnant by my birthday. Oh, and I have the best nurse at home... a nurse that is becoming mobile. She kinda launches herself into everything, and rolls, and then lifts her hips to push herself and grab things...

She is not crawling yet... but she will do it soon - oh, boy, very soon.

Libby playing with Mom after the surgery.

Faith in poop...

This might be a very silly post, but hey...it is what it is.

I've been reading Hebrews 11 for BSF, The Hall of Faith...

This morning I was reading to Libby what faith is. It means that you are sure that what you hope for is really going to happen. It is being certain that what you do not see with your eyes is there...

Poop has been a struggle for me lately, Libby's poop. And this is when you think, "This is silly."

She had this regular pattern of pooping, one day she would, then the next day she wouldn't. But now, it's more like two days in a row, and then she just doesn't go for three or four days. Like two weeks ago I think she was constipated, because the poop was kinda hard, and then I began giving her prunes everyday, and having her drink juice besides her breast milk. And she began pooping regularly.

Anyways...As I began explaining to her this morning what faith is, I said, "So, Libby, you have faith when you really believe that what you hope for is going to happen, and this might be a silly example, but look, baby...You haven't pooped in many days, and I trust that you will. I have faith that God is gonna help you poop, because He is in control of your body. You are His, not mine. He has to take care of you."

During all the time we were sitting on the living room, she was closing her fists, like pushing, and grunting. I hugged her, and kissed her, and I said, "I know you will poop. Please, God, help her poop."

So I checked on her diaper, and I saw poop. When I went to the bedroom and began changing her, all I saw was a tiny little thing of poop. It was kind of hard, like it was when she was constipated weeks ago. I said, "Oh, no...you are constipated."

I felt sad, I felt disappointed. I thought she was going to poop, but now I  was doubting it...

But then, like if she were squeezing tooth paste out of her belly, poop began coming out, not hard, but soft. A continuous stream of poop in her diaper. I felt happy, I felt relieved. I knew she would poop.

A whisper in my heart said, "Where is your faith??"

See, I don't know what God intended with this. Well, I do. It's easy to say you have faith, but you have to prove it by the way you live. I said I knew she would poop, but then, at the first sight of hard poop, I doubted...

I know God is not this bad guy who would constipate my daughter just to teach me a lesson.  But I know He uses everything that happens in my every day life to make me get closer to Him, and be more like Jesus.

Jesus said you don't have to have a huge amount of faith, just a little. He can work with that.

And I know that my God is so strong, so faithful, and so PERSONAL... He is able to teach me, and love me through poop struggles... and if He does that, when He doesn't really need to, what in this world wouldn't He do for me??

Thank you , God. Thanks again for poop :)))

Weekend of many firsts

Libby's stroller got here Thursday night. I think I was more excited than her for obvious reasons. First, she doesn't even know what's going on; and second, it's not like she runs. Most of all, I think Dori is the one that really is gonna LOVE the thing. 

FedEx Delivery guy.

Daddy putting it togehter

Dec 1st, 2011. All Libby needs now is a sibling :))

This Saturday we went together as a family, yes, the four of us, for a run. It was a wake up call. Man, pushing that thing is tiring. It is huge. Of course, Emerson says I'm overreacting. But after a year of not running due to having a baby inside of me; and then, having a new born, running two miles was kinda difficult.

Although...it wasn't that difficult. I was feeling pretty tired even before we got to the play area (before we had run 1 mile). But there was something inside of me that didn't let me quit. See, I've always been a quitter when it comes to running and giving my best effort. But after having Elizabeth and pushing her out of me...running pain is nothing, feels like nothing. 

I mean, 9 lb. 4 oz. baby, vaginally, with pitocin and NO epidural... THAT is painful, not a 2 mile-run.

"Oh, Bugs Bunny band aids!!"

So having my baby with me while I run reminds me of the goodness of God. He has blessed us more than we deserve.  

After running, Libby tried yogurt and cheerios for the first time. I think she loved yogurt; Cheerios, I'm not sure. It is difficult to chew on them, I guess. 

On Friday, we went to her 6 month check up. She is 25.75 inches long and weighs 16.8 lb!! She got 4 shots.  

Four!!!  She cried, of course, but she was over it after I hugged her and told her I was so proud of her. Mommy's hugs have this thing I can't really describe :))

Last night, we went to the Christmas Program at our church. The children were really cute. Libby got her first pictures with Santa taken. It was really neat listening to Santa reading the true Christmas Story from the Bible, and telling the children Christmas wasn't about him, or the gifts, but about the birth of Jesus, our Savior. 

Dec 4th, 2011. First Photo with Santa.

For a moment I thought about doing Santa with her, but I won't. She'll know the truth. We can pretend there is a Santa, it's fun to pretend. Like when you pretend you are a dinosaur, but you know you are not really one. Or you pretend you are a monster, but you are not one. It's fun to pretend, but she will know Santa doesn't really exist. 

Most importantly, she'll know what Christmas is really about. 

Libby loves BSF

I guess it hit me yesterday that my baby is growing up. I know she is growing, she is big and heavy...but she is a human being, independent, and she really doesn't need me all the time. It's saddening...

Nov 28th, 2011. Helping Mommy in the kitchen.

When I began breastfeeding her I felt it was a constant struggle for me being nursing her every two hours around the clock. I've heard stories of moms that have breastfed until the child is like 2 years old and more. And at the beginning I was like, "You've gotta be crazy to do that!!"

But now, when I have her in my arms I get really sad when I think that soon I'll be giving up on breastfeeding. Not because I want to, but because as much as I love her, I know that she doesn't really need my milk forever. She is eating solids and she is drinking less milk now. It will be less and less with time. But I don't want to let her go...I honestly cry at the thought of stop nursing her. I feel like she won't ever need me anymore, but I know she will, just in a different way.

Anyway...all this came to mind because yesterday we went to our Bible Study. We go to Bible Study Fellowship, that's an awesome ministry. The leaders of her class are amazing and they read Bible Stories to them, they pray for them, they play with them, and she is always so happy.

Nov 30th, 2011

Yesterday I was in my discussion group feeling very anxious about her. I knew she needed to eat and I was just expecting someone to come and let me know she was screaming or something (last week that's what it happened, but it was because she was very tired).

So I rushed out of my classroom when my discussion was over, and when I got into her classroom, she was so happy playing with toys and one of the leaders. She didn't even notice me!

Seriously, she saw me, but either she didn't recognize me (which I highly doubt at this point) or she just didn't care. She was like, "Oh... Hi, Mom, what's up?"

I love that...the fact that she is a happy baby, joyful I have to say... I prayed during all my pregnancy that she would be joyful, that she would feel the peace of God, that she would be eager to listen from and about God, and she does. I swear she calms down and listens when we are talking about God  and Jesus.

But it's bitter sweet, because I feel she is MY baby. But I know she is not, she is my gift from God, but I'm just her steward. My job is to help her be the woman God created her to be.

Nov 30th, 2011. Chilling in the bathtub.

This morning  we were talking about what God expects from her once she becomes a Christian. She is not a Christian, but if she ever chooses to follow Jesus, I explained to her what Hebrews 5 is all about. 

Jesus saves you because He loves you. That is the promise God gives you. If you make Jesus the boss of your life, you will have eternal life. God will never, ever take away your salvation from you. But the fact that you know that is just but the basics of your Christian life. 

God loves you, but He wants you to mature as a Christian. He died for you, but He also wants you to grow up spiritually. It's your choice, like everything else. But why wouldn't you want to mature and get to know Jesus in a deeper level, after all He has done for you?? Only by growing up, and eating solid food you will be able to distinguish good from evil according to Hebrews 5: 14. Solid food is the word of God.

I tried to explain this by telling her that she is now a baby and drinks my milk, but one day she will go to school and she will need to take different classes. And at the beginning of the school year her teacher will tell her what subjects she will be covering. She will have a book to study, but she needs to open that book in order to excel in the class.

She has the choice to study or not for the course, but if she decides not to study, she shouldn't be surprised if she fails the class. God gave you what you need to face life, He gave you The Book, but you have to open it, read it, and apply it for you to get the most out of life.