Meeting Aunt D.

B's brother, L, was married in July 2011 - just days before Q joined us.  Shortly after they were married L returned to Canada to start college and D remained in Peru (her home country) while they began the visa process.  They lived apart for 15 months before her visa was finally granted.  She arrived in Canada on November 9, 2012.

We (especially Y) were so excited to meet her so we planned a trip up to Canada the following weekend.  She is truly a doll and we are so very lucky to have her join our family.  Y absolutely adores her and she can often be heard talking about her or asking to call and talk to her on Skype or even on the telephone.  She is wonderful with children, so it's really no wonder that the girls came to love her so quickly.

Having left my own family after getting married I can understand how difficult it is for her to be so far away.  But my own distance from my family is small in comparison to hers.  Not only did she leave her family, she left her entire culture to travel to a land that was totally unknown to her - it's almost a whole different world for her, literally.  I am glad that she is here and very fortunate for the opportunity to know her.

We're Almost There

Today is the day!!!  Today at 1:30pm we're going to do the final walk-through and at 2pm we are scheduled to sign all the papers.  I'm feeling quite a few emotions right now.  I'm nervous and excited and even a little sad but all-in-all we are so very ready to take this next step.

I am nervous because I fully realize that until those papers are signed, this isn't a done deal.  I'm excited because this is a huge step for us and is something we've been praying about for a very long time.  Heavenly Father has blessed us in so many ways and opened doors for us when there didn't even seem to be a door.  We know that this is what is right for us at this moment and we are so very grateful.  In all the excitement there is also a little big of sadness, a small amount because of the amount of money we're about to spend but more because I am extremely nostalgic.  Our current apartment isn't my first place (that was actually in college at VT), nor is it my first apartment as a married person, but it is the place that we brought our beautiful baby girl home to after she was born.  She crawled here, walked here, said her first words here, etc.  And honestly we have loved every minute of it but it is time to move on.  Life is about progression and constantly evolving who you are and that's just what we're doing.  We're taking steps we believe are necessary for us and our family, not to mention the strong desire to expand our family once again.  So we'll move on and yes, I can guarantee you there will be a bit of sadness in my heart for the next few months as I think of our times here or as I drive past the complex but I know that we will be having many more firsts in the hours, days, months and years to come...and I can't wait!!!

Great News...

Today we received some great news!  I told you a few weeks ago that we made an offer on a condo and were all set to close except we wanted to get the complex FHA approved which would allow us to put only 3.5% down.  The documents were sent in to HUD about a week and a half ago and today we got the news that the complex has been approved.  We were amazed at how quickly it all happened, we were told to expect at least 30 days.  To say that we're extremely happy is an understatement, we are so very grateful that things have gone so smoothly and so quickly.  Now we're just waiting on the appraisal, and seeing as we're buying it for so cheap we don't see that being an issue.  As of right now we're still scheduled to close on July 20th and honestly I don't think I've ever been so excited to pack boxes!

Working Towards A Goal

Many of you probably already know this through either an email or through Facebook, but for those of you who don't know...keep reading. And even if you do know...keep reading because I'm sure there are details that I haven't told you previously.

After many weeks of looking at houses and falling in "love" with them only to suffer the disappointment of finding out that they already had offers on them by the time we spoke with our agent about them, we finally found one and put an offer in. I guess I should clarify that it's not really a house, it's actually a condo. B and myself have gone back and forth between looking for a houses or a condo, 2 bedrooms or 3 bedrooms, this area or that area and the funny thing about it is that our answer was in front of us the entire time. Ya see, we started seriously thinking of buying a home in early-mid December and we started exploring our options. The problem was that each of us was fairly specific about what we wanted and it wasn't necessarily the same thing. B was looking at 2 bdrm condos, I was looking at 3 bdrm houses. B's logic was that we are looking to buy something now and then sell it when the market turns around and have a bunch of equity and that between now and then we could handle 2 bedrooms even if we did have a second child. My logic was a bit different. Did I think we could handle a 2 bdrm with 2 kids, sure (if I had to). But my concern was the uncertainty of not knowing just when this economy of ours is going to turn around. It could be 1 year, it could be 5 or 10 but I wanted to be prepared just in case it was later rather than sooner and we ended up with more than 2 children.

Anyways, with that said, HERE is a link to the condo that we put an offer on. The truth is that we saw this condo fairly early on in our search, in fact it may well have been the first one we ever really gave some thought to. We drove by it and decided we didn't like it - it simply wasn't for us. You're probably wondering why we would cross it off the list so quickly. And honestly, now when I look back at it the reason was a stupid one...we didn't think the street was wide enough. Now you're probably wondering if we crossed it off our list how on earth did we get to the point to putting an offer in on it and honestly I'm not 100% sure of that myself. I do know that we looked at several via the internet and saw several that we really would have loved to buy. However, it wasn't meant to be because by the time we would call the agent we would find that it already had an accepted offer or had been the price, though it had started super low, had quickly gone above and beyond what we were willing and able to pay. So about a week, out of the blue, I asked B if the condo had sold and he said no, so I called our agent to set up a viewing.

We set the viewing up for 2 days later (last Friday) and I honestly wasn't expecting too much but upon entering the condo I was really pleasantly surprised - I could see myself living there. He went on to show up 3 more condos which were all bank owned foreclosures. None of them were horrible and they all had at least one thing that I really liked about them but I was sold on the first one. Upon arriving home B and I talked about it and sent an email to the agent with a few more questions. We prayed about it throughout the weekend and we fasted about it on Sunday and after feeling good about it, we made our offer on Monday.

Needless to say we're happy but we're trying not too get too excited about it. Even though the sellers have accepted our offer, since it is a short sale it requires bank approval of the sale amount. Our agent is currently handling 15 short sales, including ours and he has informed us that typically it takes 90 days minimum before the bank will make a decision. He said, "you would think that they would be in a hurry to get rid of these properties, but they're not. They could careless whether they sell or not." The bank will either agree and sell it at our offer price or they will counteroffer. We are willing to go a bit higher if necessary but overall we believe things will work out for the best in the end. So keep your fingers crossed for us and keep us in your prayers. We'll let you know more as we know more but don't expect anything anytime soon.

The Results Are In...

So for those of you familiar with Gestational Diabetes you know that six weeks or so after a gestational diabetic delivers the baby they have to have another screening for diabetes. Well I went in for the test on Saturday, October 18th. It was a pretty stressful day because I cannot tell you how badly I didn't wanna have to deal with diabetes. Well yesterday I received the results and I'M DIABETES FREE!!!! I was soooo happy. Some might not really understand why I was so happy about it. I mean, very rarely does it not go away after the pregnancy. Well in my case, the doctor was pretty certain that I would have diabetes. Most people aren't diagnosed until 24-28 weeks of pregnancy, they typically don't even do the tests before that point. Well due to my lovely family history my doctor decided to test me early and I was diagnosed at 12 weeks. So it's kind of a big deal to me that I don't have it because I really went through my whole pregnancy thinking that I had it for sure.

Every year on our anniversary we take a picture to add to our wedding album, this is this year's picture.

So this definitely isn't the most flattering picture of me but it's pretty funny. Yanna can latch on to my top lip and she does it quite often when she's hungry. It's a mobile pacifier and it keeps her quiet until I can feed her!

She loves her bouncy chair (but not as much as she loves her swing)!

Last Minute Thoughts

Okay, I should really be in bed getting some rest right now but I wanted to make a quick post and kind of document what/how I feel right now.

I'm 3cm dilated, so that's progress I can live with! I'm very nervous, very excited, very overwhelmed, honestly the list of emotions could go on forever. In slightly over 7.5 hours I will be in the hospital preparing to have my first child. I'm going to be a mom. Me...the girl who never really wanted kids in the first place is going to have a baby and is really really happy about it. The scary part is that it will be a title I carry with me forever, throughout all the eternities. Maybe that's why I feel so overwhelmed! I'm scared of labor. I'm scared of having to provide for a child, not financially because that we are prepared for, but physically and emotionally and spiritually. I'm not sure if one could ever be prepared for that. I suppose I look at it like I did when watching all those divers during the Olympics. I couldn't help but wonder what would run through their minds as they were on the platform and about to dive head-first into a pool of water. I feel like I have to be like one of those divers and just make the jump and have faith that something is going to break my fall. I need prayers, ya'll! And lots of them! I'm going to be a mom. I'm going to be a mom? I'm going to be a mom! I'm terrified.

I've waited for what seemed like years to meet my daughter, my little baby, my angel and tomorrow the time arrives. I'm excited. I'm overwhelmed. I'm...

One Month!

Exactly one month from today our baby is due. Saying that is a bit surreal, I mean we found out relatively early on that we were expecting, right around 4 weeks. And to be frank, finding out that early probably made this whole process seem that much longer and that much more stressful. Anyway, all that aside, things have worked out great thus far and we couldn't' be more thankful for that. Now that we're in the final month, the final few weeks and everything is ready and awaiting her arrival I find myself more and more anxious. She could be here anytime within these next few weeks and knowing that I'll be a mommy to such a precious gift is a bit overwhelming at times. But at the same time, I'm ready for her to be out of me and in our arms!

Oh Happy Day..

This news is too exciting not to share and so much so that I wanted to create a separate post for it! But I gotta give you some background information first.

Every night since I first knew I was feeling Y move (about a month now) B has laid in bed with his hand on my belly waiting and trying to feel her move. Well she typically has a very precise moving schedule because it's always the same time at night when she starts to move around the most. Well unfortunately for B, he's usually sound asleep by the time that happens and on the few times he was awake he was never able to feel it...until last night. We were up pretty stinkin' late last night and after brushing my teeth and getting in bed, she started doing her early morning jumping jacks. And B, with his hand on my belly begins to ask me, "Are you doing that" to which I reply, "No, that's all her." I think he got to feel her jumping around 2 or 3 times so we both went to bed really happy "with me in my kerchief and he in his hat, we then settled down for what felt like a long winters nap" (it got pretty cold last night).

Linea Nigra

That's that dark line that runs down your belly when you're pregnant, well I've got one!!! I dunno when it appeared but it's there now and I dunno why I'm so excited about it, but I am! ttyl.

I Don't Have A Good Title to Put Here, So Lets Get Started...

One more week and we'll be half way there!!!! As you can probably tell that really excites me, but not as much as the thought of the ultrasound. Some people keep telling me not to get over excited just in case the baby doesn't wanna cooperate or they can't tell gender for whatever reason. But honestly, I just wanna see my baby move again, everything else will just be an added bonus. Last night before bed B walked in and caught me laying on the bed while holding a mirror above me and checking out my belly. At first he thought it was weird and asked what I was doing, so I explained to him that I can't "see" my belly like everyone else, so I wanted a different view of things. Then he decided that it made perfect sense.

I told you all that at my last doctor appointment on Wednesday, my doctor put me on medication to lower my blood glucose readings and well, it didn't go very well. I found that it was lowering my sugar levels TOO much. I would get readings in the mid-sixties when I would check and they're never supposed to drop below 60. Since they were falling so low they made me extremely weak, tired and cause me to get the shakes or trembles. So I called this morning and he just told me to completely stop taking the medication and that we would figure it all out at my next visit on the 25th.

Lastly, on Saturday we were finally able to meet up with our new friends Nicole, Taylor and their daughter Rosie. Nicole contacted me several months ago via MySpace, they were living in Cali at the time but her husband had just started a new job as a pilot with Northwest Airlines. So long story short she contacted me to find out more about the area and the church in the area and all that fun stuff. They actually moved here a few months ago but this was the first time we were able to get together. We went to PizzaPapalis and enjoyed some great pizza then walked around the city a bit.

All-in-all we've had an excellent week and look forward to having another awesome week in that C (B's sister) and her husband Å are flying in from Norway on Friday. So it should be another exciting week. Until next post...enjoy life!

The Most Beautiful Bean In The World!

Okay, so I am sure that all of you guys are just sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to see the picture (ultrasound) of our little bean, but unfortunately you'll have to sit on the edge of those seats a little longer. I (U) did go to the doctor today (B couldn't go due to work) and I did have the wonderful opportunity to see our little blessing. However, the doctor neglected to hit the save button to take a picture of the image, so sadly there is no picture as of yet. But I still thought that I would share some of my thoughts/feelings on getting to see our baby for the first time.

First I must say that it was a huge relief to see the baby there on the screen, especially since I still haven't truly had any pregnancy symptoms yet. I cannot tell you how many times I have doubted that I am pregnant simply because I didn't feel like I had any proof. I felt that at least if I had morning sickness, nausea, headaches, or any number of the other symptoms then at least I would feel like that were some confirmation for me. Well, so far I've had none of those methods of confirmation, but in watching that baby floating there today I got all the confirmation that I could ever want. My excitement is renewed and honestly as I watched it today I was in awe. I am a mommy, even if I can't hold my baby yet, I am a mommy because I can love him/her just the same. My heart is really overwhelmed right now from this amazing experience and aside from the day I married B I have never felt so blessed.

We have been given an official due date (well as "official as a due date can get) and it is September 7, 2008. After doing the ultrasound the doctor realized that my due date was closer to correct and the nurses due day was way off, maybe next time she'll pay attention when I tell her how many days my cycle is! The nurse said Sept. 2, I said Sept. 6 and the Dr. and ultrasound say Sept. 7, so I'm comfortable going with that. The baby is measuring 12mm and I am 7 weeks 3 days along. He/She seems to be doing well and I must say he/she is the most adorable bean that ever was or will be. We will call it our North American (U.S./Mexican/Canadian) Jumping Bean! Well I must get going, I have a busy day/night/tomorrow ahead of me and I need to get some work done and if you can't already tell I'm flying high right now and that's the best time to get things done! So I'll talk with you all later!

A Great Way to Start the New Year!

About a week ago, after visiting the blog of a friend, I decided that when we got pregnant that I was going start a blog so that our friends and family would be able to have updates on us and our baby. Well, little did I know that just a few days later we would discover that we were already pregnant. Our goal is to keep you updated about some of the general goings on in our day-to-day life. U is extremely excited, even at the threat of the onset of morning sickness, fatigue, and all the other uncontrollable 'side effects' of pregnancy. She spends a lot of time talking to the baby even though it's probably the size of a pen dot and she already refers to it as a 'she', I guess she knows something the rest of use don't. B is his usual happy self, though that will probably change with all the cravings and the mood swings, but hopefully that is at least a couple more months away, either way he was born to be a dad, he's absolutely wonderful with children. So I guess this is the start of a new and wonderful journey for us...wish us luck!