The Long and Winding Road Back

Hello Friends!

To say I haven't blogged in awhile is an understatement.  Seems I took more of a sabbatical from blogging.  To say that so much has happened since my last post is yet another understatement.  Friends and family have asked why the long period of radio...err...blog silence.  I have asked myself that over and over.  Lazy?  No.  Tired?  Maybe.  Over it?  Not at all.  I love to write, it is my outlet, the way I best express myself.  So why no blogging?  The answer is simple.  Fear.

I have been too fearful to write because some of the things that have happened in the last seven months downright scared me and to write about them is to relive them.  And to relive them is to face one of my biggest fears.  But I think I am ready.  Don't worry this won't all be painful and sad.  We have had some amazing times too but first the story behind why I went on hiatus for so long.

Nuggy got sick.  Simple right?  Kids get sick all the time.  In fact it feels like they sometimes get sick more often than they aren't sick.  We have been very fortunate because minus her first hospital stay after birth for jaundice Nuggy has been relatively healthy.  In fact she has been so healthy that I began to get scared.  I watched as my other mommy friends and their lil ones battled cold after cold, ear infection after ear infection and so on.  Minus two other small episodes Nuggy was always ok.  Until Thanksgiving 2013.  

We decided to head to Austin to watch the Longhorns play.  We rented a house and my family and Husband's family were going to meet us to spend the weekend together.  My brother and his girlfriend would also be joining us (baby sis had to stay in Denton for school).  We were so excited to travel back to a city we consider our second home.  The day before Thanksgiving Nuggy seemed a bit more cranky than usual.  She is not a cranky baby---in fact she's one of the happiest kids I've ever met (she gets that from her daddy).  I figured maybe she was teething but something was off.  The day progressed as normal and the next morning (Thanksgiving Day) Nuggy was even more cranky and not wanting to eat.  By around 4 PM she was refusing to eat or drink and just wanted me to hold her.  I felt her forehead and was certain she had a fever.  "She must be getting sick, let's give her Motrin and put her to bed early."  I tried not to let it bother me too much that she didn't seem to feel well since Husband says I worry too much.  My mom was going to watch Nuggy that night so we could all go to the football game.  At 6 PM she sent me a video of Nuggy laughing and playing, clearly feeling slightly better than earlier in the day.  My mom told me she sounded congested and I told her I would call her pedi in the morning to see if she could call something in.  We arrived home around 11:30 PM.  I walked into Nuggy's room and she was on fire and her breathing sounded very heavy.  At 5 AM the next morning (and after a VERY restless night) she woke up and seemed very uncomfortable.  Her breathing seemed labored.  I began to worry.  "Calm down, it's only a cold," I told myself.  By 7 AM she had fallen asleep on me (and I as well) on the living room couch under bright lights.  We NEVER fall asleep with bright lights on.  For whatever reason I woke up startled.  "She never falls asleep on my arms in the bright daylight" I told Husband.  We decided we should go home.  She was breathing shallow and rapid at this point.  "She's super sick," I told Husband.  We called my parents and told them we were headed home early because Nuggy was sick.  My parents said they would come by and say goodbye and help us pack.  I noticed her breathing seemed very rapid and very shallow.  Her little chest was rising and falling as if she had just run a marathon.  My stomach sank (it sinks right now just thinking of this---I am utterly sick writing this), deep down I knew something didn't seem right.  I tried not to overreact.  After all, Husband tells me I worry too much.  My parents arrived around 9:30 AM.  I handed SG to my dad.  At 10 AM we were about to walk out the door when he said, "Babe, I think you need to take her to the ER, she's not breathing well and doesn't look good."  My heart and my stomach both sank and a wave of anxiety I cannot describe took over me.  My dad had just confirmed what I was thinking and feeling.  I snatched her up and loaded her into the car.  

The 15 min drive to the hospital was the longest ever.  I struggled to maintain composure.  I fumbled for my phone and couldn't remember our pedi's name for the life of me.  I was teetering between reality and sheer panic.  Nuggy was in the back and began screaming in agony.  I looked over to Husband who I consider my calm rock.  The look on his face told me everything.  This was serious and he was worried.  There was no comfort to be found.  I finally got a hold of her pedi and she told me to rush her to the ER.  "She will likely get a breathing treatment and hopefully that will help everything."  There it was...the comfort I was looking for.  Ok for the next 10  minutes I gathered any composure I could muster and thought, "she's going to be ok, she's going to be ok."  At 11 AM we arrived.  Husband dropped me off.  I scooped Nuggy up, she was breathing so rapidly and screaming like she has never screamed before.  I walked up to the triage nurse again trying to mask my panic.  "How long has she had bronchialitis?"  "Bronchitis?  Wait, no I don't know."  "No, ma'am, bronchialitis."  After that I don't remember too much except the nurses face.  You see I used to work in the medical field and did some work in the ER.  Doctor's and medical staff are taught the fine art of composure during emergency.  Their job is to always remain calm.  But, I know the actions of an emergency, even when carried out by someone remaining calm for the sake of a frantic mother.  I saw her look and when she brought us back ahead of everyone I knew things were serious.  In an instant I was transported back to the last time we were in an ER and the last time we jumped ahead of everyone else and the last time we were told we made it by hours.  "Oh dear God, please help my baby, I can't do this again.  I can't."  

Immediately a breathing treatment was started.  By this point Nuggy was so exhausted that she sat almost lifeless in my arms.  The only sounds I heard were her shallow breaths and a loud wheeze/whimper.  Other than that she was limp...absolutely limp.  One treatment later and no improvement.  Three later and a MINOR, I mean minor improvement.  By 6 PM we were bring admitted into the CCU.  The next 12 hours were horrible.  Nuggy was placed on an IV, hooked up to a nasal cannula (small nasal tube) and all sorts of monitors.  Those monitors.  They are the worst sound ever.  It's like suddenly a human life is dictated by the beeps, blips and warning sirens of a machine.  Sounds were going off constantly and neither of us knew the difference between what was good or bad.  Unfortunately, the hospital we were at was also a teaching hospital.  I say unfortunately only because of the resident assigned to Nuggy's case.  Please don't get me wrong, teaching hospitals are great and absolutely necessary but unfortunately we were assigned a less than adequate resident.  She was likely a great student in school (very smart and clearly understood medicine and the human body) but she lacked in bedside manner and decision making (which I almost think could be worse).  Because of her we wasted 12 hours.  She did no blood work, didn't call for any tests, nothing.  I am a fixer.  You determine the problem and you FIX it.  I knew I wasn't the only one frustrated with the resident when our nurse explained that she was a bit nervous of Nuggy's condition.  "Her work of breathing is too hard, I am concerned about this.  I am going to call an RT (respiratory therapist)."  As our nurse suspected Nuggy's work of breathing was beyond where it should be.  After a few more hours both Husband and I were reaching our wits end.  I finally lost it when the resident told the RT that she thought Nuggy sounded better to which both the nurse and RT responded that they thought she was worse.  Her response, "well I guess we can wait it out."  This is when I lost it, "wait it out?!  Wait what out?!  Do you plan on actually making a decision while we are here?!"  Fast forward to very early the next morning and we were transferred to ICU.  Keep in mind we still didn't know what was wrong with our baby.

We were greeted in the ER by what we call Nuggy's guardian angel; appropriately named Paul (one of the greatest men in the Bible).  Paul was calm, serene, peaceful, serious, intense but most of all he was the comfort we so desperately sought.  Paul also had a daughter, three years old and a self proclaimed daddy's girl.  Paul calmly explained to us that Nuggy was in respiratory failure due to an unknown virus (tests for flu and RSV came back negative).  She also had bronchialitis and because of these two we needed to put her on a respirator.  Although we received this shocking news we also felt comforted to know that Paul would be by Nuggy's side for the next 12 hours.  He watched her like a hawk and was very frank with us.  "I can't tell you what's going to happen.  The next few hours will be very telling.  I cannot guarantee you that she will be ok.  All we can do is monitor her and let the virus pass and make her comfortable."  That's right, we were basically told that they weren't sure if our precious angel would survive.  I cannot begin to describe the feeling behind that type of news.  What do you do with that?  What do you grasp at?  What do you say?  Your body goes numb and feels pain at the same time.  Your mind races and you think of all the things you did wrong.  How could this be our lives?  How could God have given me a child and then possibly take her away.  I did what I always do and turned my emotions inward.  I tried so hard to keep it together but with every poke, prod, test, and poor update it seemed this was my life.  I was going to lose my daughter.  Husband and I fought so hard to keep her here the first time and it was all in vain.  We would be those parents that people look at with pity, sadness and relief that they aren't us because we lost a child.  What was worse is they had to sedate her.  Even in her desperate condition our daughter was still a fighter and tried to fight the tubes, breathing mask, IV and everything else.  She had to be restrained with tiny straps because she tried to pull off her mask and IV out.  She would wake up when the sedatives wore off and cry a sad, horrible muffled cry of "mooooommmmmmmmmaaa."  She would occasionally open her eyes and stare up at me with tears falling silently begging me with her big beautiful brown eyes to help her.  Every test that came back came back worse than the one before it.  All her levels kept declining. Paul's expressions told me that he was very worried--I could tell he so hoped to deliver good news and with each blood test he had nothing good to share with us.  Her breathing was supposed to be around 25 respiration's per minute and were in the 60s.  Her heart rate was through the roof.  Her O2 levels were low. With each passing hour our sweet girl was slipping further and further away.  She wasn't getting better, she was only getting worse.  

I could nothing.  I was helpless.  I could only hold her tiny hands and touch her forehead.  I could do ABSOLUTELY nothing to comfort my daughter.  To take away her pain and fear.  I was rendered useless, worthless, a failure.  The one thing I am supposed to do is protect my daughter and there wasn't a damn thing I could do.  Nothing.  And then I remembered.  Pray.  All I can do is pray.  I can tell  you that several times over the next few days Husband and I both fell to our knees in prayer, amongst tears of anguish.  "Dear God, please save my baby, please."  I almost lost hope.  I was sitting on the cliff of hopelessness looking down.  And then, suddenly late the 4th day a glimmer of hope.  I left for lunch with my mom.  I was so emotionally drained from watching my daughter suffer.  By this point her vein with the IV had collapsed and she needed a new IV.  The medical staff tried FOUR times to start a new IV but her veins were too weak and kept collapsing.  They even called in the PICK team (they specialize in starting IVs in difficult cases) and even they had zero luck.  I had to step out and have a break.  When I left Nuggy wasn't doing well, she was very weak and still sedated.  When I came back Husband told me that her blood work came back and for the first time showed an improvement that even Paul (he had VERY high standards for what he considered an improvement which I am thankful for because I am the same way) was happy with.  His words were, "I don't want to say we are out of the clear yet but this is a good sign."  The next few hours progressed and by the time 9 AM the next morning rolled around SG was off the respirator and back on a nasal cannula and was out of restraints!  By 12 PM that day she was in my arms for the first time in five days. And for the first time in five days I actually felt like a mother again.  I was able to comfort my baby.  By 1 PM she was cleared to eat.  Her fever had officially been gone for 12 hours.  She was cleared to drink milk and have a fruit pouch.  By 2 PM she was taken off the oxygen all together.  We were told they would move her back the CCU floor to be monitored. By 4:30 PM we were told that there were no more beds in CCU but that the attending felt she might be good enough to go home.  By 5 PM we were being discharged!  As quickly as she fell ill she recovered.  How did this happen so suddenly.

God.  The only answer I have is God.  He gave us a miracle that day.  What's so funny (funny isn't the right word, but that's the saying) is that the day before our friends had sent a pastor from a local church to meet with us and pray with us.  That same day Nuggy's caretaker held a prayer vigil at church.  That was also the day I saw Daniel fall to his knees in despair begging God to save his daughter.  And just like that, in a matter of hours God delivered a miracle to us and saved our daughter.  Maybe I sound dramatic.  Maybe I sound overindulgent.  Maybe I sound as though I am exaggerating.  But the truth is that there is no one, not a single person who healed our daughter.  It was God alone.  I am not discounting what the medical staff did---because they were amazing.  But Husband and I know it was a miracle.  My mom said to me, "Babe, this is truly a miracle, she literally was saved." 

 This is not a story intended to make others feel sorry for us.  It is a story to show God's miraculous grace.  Once again, Nuggy's middle name is a testament to Him.  We went from being told that our daughter may not live to having our smiling, happy beautiful perfect angel in our arms again.  We were reminded to TRUST Him.  "He is not surprised by what's happening," our friend told us, "trust Him."  I admit, for a moment I lost my trust, for a moment I almost abandoned the one and only.  But He held us together.  He brought Husband and I closer on a level we did not know we could achieve.  He gave us strength, he gave us hope, he gave us peace and most importantly he gave us our daughter back.

Darkness in the Valley and Light in the Future

I know, I know...I have been slacking when it comes to blogging.  Here's something someone told me before SG was born, "you are going to wonder what you did with all your free time before kids."  He was right!  Yes what where we doing for goodness sake?!  I feel like time slips away so quickly now.  SG is 10 months...TEN MONTHS!  That's almost ONE YEAR!  No!!!!  My baby girl is growing up so quickly!  My heart is sad that there are certain moments that I will never get back with her.  Time just ticks by.  I guess that's why I have been blogging less.  I have felt an overwhelming need to spend as much time with my family as possible.  It's nice, our lil family.  Just the 3 1/2 of us (Puppy Sister---Chloe is the 1/2).  Anyhoo...we've kind of got our nice lil family time together in the evenings now and it's hard not to compromise that.  We play, eat dinner (SG is such a big girl now and we all eat together), play some more, go for a swim or a walk, bath (only SG and daddy) then prayers and bedtime (that's mommy and SG time).  By the time that's all said and done it's time to clean-up, workout, prep meals for next day, bathe and hit the sack.  I was blogging in the evenings but haven't been lately because the night just slips away.  

Tonight, I wanted to devote some time to blogging again.  Plus, I owe you guys an update on my Guatemala trip which I definitely want to share (I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from everyone).  So let's continue...

Day 4 was an awesome day!!!  Day 4 we were scheduled to help another mission group from our church who was scheduled to work at a school in Guatemala City.  We had no idea what to expect.  We thought school, kids, play, be silly, sing songs, etc.  How hard could it be.  But like everything on this trip we were shocked, overwhelmed, over joyed, touched and amazed.  The school we were visiting is a school that is dedicated to giving an education to children who live in the squatter villages.  Squatter villages are essentially the shanty towns that in the center of town.  Back during the Guatemalan Civil War families who could not afford homes and property built "homes" along cliffs and valleys in the middle of the city.  These villages also back up to the city cemetery.  One thing to know is that this is not a private cemetery with manicured lawns, pretty flowers and beautiful landscapes.  No...this cemetery is like a city of it's own.  It sits behind a large wall and takes up several acres.  Once you enter the cemetery walls you step into another world full of death, sadness, poverty, heartache and loss.  Immediately you realize how different things are in the states.  Some plots are overgrown, dilapidated, faded and broken.  Stray dogs run around and street vendors sell food, candles, flowers and other items along the old cobblestone roads.  I want to make sure you are able to visualize the sadness of this place.  Now imagine living right next to it.  Makes your stomach turn doesn't it?  Now imagine 100's probably 1,000's of sweet, beautiful, innocent children being raised on the outskirts of this area in an even darker place.  No running water, no electricity.  A home the size of my daughters 12'x14' bedroom.  This is the place that the children of this school live and the school they attend is the only light many of them see, the only light many of them feel, it is their future.

The school is run by a national organization called AMG.  This organization has been helping to bring Christ to over 8,000 children and families for over 35 years.  AMG manages the school we worked with.  The organization seeks to help children of the lowest means from some of the worst conditions and give them a chance at a different life than their parents.  They use the "bridge to life" model.  Click here for a detailed description of what this is.  In short it is a model that takes children as young as 3 years old and places them in school and gives them education, protection, health, vocation, relief and sponsorship.  Many of these children live in homes where incest and sexual abuse is the norm.  By 5 years of age many of these innocent children have witnessed or experienced horrors from your worst nightmares (sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect).  I was told that many little girls are sexually abused by their fathers or grandfathers and often times fathers end up taking their daughters as their wives once their wife passes away.  The filth and disgust I felt when I heard this was inexplicable.  Being a mother and a mother to a daughter that just made me sick beyond belief.  But amongst all this darkness AMG is there to hopefully lead these children to the light.  The school will sponsor a child from 3-18 years of age.  To sponsor a child costs only $35 a month!  Yes a month!  That gives the child the basics; education, two meals and two snacks a day, a uniform and basic health care if they are sick.  For around $50 a month that also buys the child counseling and therapy which many need.  Often time  by the age of 13 many of these children fall out of the program.  Why?  Gangs.  You see this is the age that many of them come to realize the cruelties of home (abuse, neglect, etc.) and this is the age when they seek to find comfort in someone or something.  Gangs do this for many of these children.  Gangs offer these kids community, family, income and more.  I know I am making it sound like a good thing but we both know it isn't.  These children make money by stealing and even murder.  It only costs around 800Q (equivalent of $100) to put a hit on someone. To these kids money is a means out and many fall into this trap.  It is a sad truth and harsh reality that I was so heartbroken to hear.  But AMG strives to keep these kids in the program.

During our visit my dear friend Katy and I were assigned to a room of 3-5 year olds.  Wow!  Talk about a room full of beautiful lil babies.  There were about 30 sets of big dark brown eyes staring at us as we walked in.  Who were we?  What were we doing?  We didn't really know what to do so we started helping the kids with their daily art project.  This isn't an art project we are used to seeing in the states.  These lil angels were finger painting a carrot that had been decorated with tissue paper.  Here's the catch.  Their teacher had to hand draw each carrot by hand since they do not have a copy machine.  The tissue paper was toilet paper because that's less expensive than fancy colored paper.  The kids shared the tiniest bottle of tempera paint amongst them (I felt like I was watching Jesus increase the number of loaves of bread and fish as I watched the teacher make this paint stretch for all the children).  The paint holders were lids from soda bottles or bottles of water.  These babies painted con un dedo (one finger) inside the lines...all of them!  After craft was snack time.  Teacher gave the signal and all the lil kids ran to their mochilas (backpacks).  Each pulled out a plastic cup (not a dixie cup or cool plastic cup from the pool, most had beat up old looking plastic cups that we would throw away).  Then they all sat down, hands crossed on top of their heads and waited.  Yes, 30 three and four year olds sat and waited.  Katy and I passed out the snack.  Bread and rice milk.  No not fancy bread, bread that you and I might consider stale and not fancy Whole Foods rice milk--the homemade stuff (actually it's delicious, my mom used to make it for me when I was little).  Once EVERYONE was served they all bowed their heads and prayed.  That's when Katy and my eyes filled with tears.  These little babies were all praising God despite where the came from and what they did not have.  The site took my breath away!

We sang songs, played, danced and did lots of laughing and hugging with the kids.  Here is a video of worship time.

Then it was nap time and time for teacher to take a nice lunch break (she usually does not get one).  After some time and with the teacher's help we were finally able to get them down for a nap.  In America most kids nap on individual naps or cots.  In Guatemala, where we were they shared a twin mattress with a poor excuse for a sheet (a king sheet cut in three).  Five kids per mattress.  This just broke my heart again.  I spend so much time and fuss so much over making the perfect sleeping condition for SG and these children, while sharing a bed are probably sleeping on something nicer than they have at home.  Once all the kids were asleep Katy and I needed to clean the classroom.  The teacher told us she swept and mopped each day.  I asked her where the  broom and mop were.  She pointed to the broom and two rags and a bucket...the mop.  Wow, she cleaned the floor by hand on her hands and knees each day.  Once again Katy and I had no words.  We felt like spoiled Americans with all of our luxuries.  Seeing the children asleep and cleaning the floor on our hands and knees was more than humbling...it was eye opening.  

The mochilas, a hallway, student art books, cepillas de dientes (toothbrush), art time, singing with Kimmy from church, paint dispensers.

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This sweetie gave me her bag of chips from her lunch sack as a gift.  God bless her sweet heart!

Bible study time.  Time to learn about Abraham and Sarah.

Art time!!!  Every single one of them painted INSIDE the lines!

Five babies per mattress.  Heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once.

The day ended shortly after that.  The children were all so loving. Many would run up and hug us and not let go.  All they wanted was attention...love.  Their teacher was the kindest, sweetest, gentlest soul I have ever had the honor of knowing.  All the children were so obedient. They were all like little adults, learning to take care of themselves...because sadly many will have to.  We spent the rest of the day helping the men work on a wall they were building for the school.  The wall was constructed out of cinder blocks and rebar.  Again, we were shocked.  The men had the rebar but had to actually build the support structures for the wall first.  In the states most of this comes pre-manufactured.  It was amazing to see the men working with their hands and building something that would protect the sweet angels we had just spent the day with.

Building...

This work was no joke.  The men didn't have the tools needed and did most of this work by hand.

One of my favorite shots...just reminds me of the how the hands of God work in our lives.

Our day with out lil Guatemalan friends was awesome!  As a mother I really realized how much I covet material things for my daughter.  Of course I want my daughter to have the best, but all the extra hoopla that I buy isn't always necessary.  I learned that even at such a young age I can start to teach my daughter to honor God---teach her to pray and pray out loud and proud like these children.  I learned that I don't need to put so much emphasis on buying every single perfect toy, educational item, etc. for SG.  That even with toilet paper and finger paint she can fill a canvas and learn.  

One little boy stopped me and asked me what I had around my neck.  "What do you think it is my love?"  "Creo que es un cruz (I think it's a cross)."  "Si mi amor (yes my love)."  "Y porque tienes un cruz (and why do you have a cross)?"  "Porque Jesus vive en mi corazon y con esta cruz you sabe que el es conmigo siempre (because Jesus is in my heart and with this cross I know Jesus is with me)."  "Ahhh...Jesus vive en mi casa tambien...el vive donde tenemos un cruz en la sala (Ahh...Jesus lives in my house too, he lives in our living room where we have a cross)."  "Y donde vive Jesus in tu casa )and where does Jesus live in your house)?"  That was the cutest conversation I have ever had.  So innocent and so literal...yes Jesus lives in my home and in my living room too I told him.

I know this was a LONG post but there was a lot to share.  If you are interested in more information on AMG and/or sponsoring or donating please visit their website.  And of course I am always here to answer any questions at all.  

XOXO

PS...Forgive my Spanish and lack of punctuation.  ;)

To learn more about AMG follow this link

I have no words...ok maybe a few.

It’s been five days since I returned from my mission trip to Guatemala.  As soon as I arrived home life was just as crazy as before I left.  Nuggy became sick with a cold and ear infection and her second tooth had started to come in.  Needless to say this made for a very unhappy baby who was very needy.  I also had to return to work and photography and Husband had volunteered to lead a basketball group at our church’s annual week long local mission trip.  To say things have been busy is an understatement.  In fact, I still have some unpacking to do from my trip!  But that’s not why I haven’t written. 

Before I left I thought I would come back and be ready to write to all of you about my experience.  I thought I would be elated to share my story and journey.  Unfortunately that is not the case.  Amazingly, I have no words to describe the impact the trip had on my life and to explain my experience.  I also must admit that I think I am still processing everything that I witnessed, took part of and all the emotions that came along with this trip.  It seems I came back with a lot more baggage than I left with.  I don’t mean this in a bad way---what I mean to say is that I discovered so many things about myself, my faith, my walk, my weaknesses, my strengths, my fears and my courage that it seems like I brought home different parts of myself.  I know this may all sound so crazy to everyone.  Rather than try to explain how I felt, I will tell you what we did.  I am sure this will take more than one posting so I apologize now for how verbose I am about to be.

Day 1: GEU-College Ministry

As I posted while on my trip our first day…afternoon was spent meeting a group of courageous college students whose ministry is dedicated to spreading the word and studying the Bible.  I say studying because that’s what they do and that’s how they attract students.  GEU is dedicated to educating other college students on Christ.  You can imagine this is not an easy feat.  I just think of myself in college and how I thought I was invincible and didn’t need anyone or anything.  I was never a doubter but I guess you could say at times I wasn’t a true follower.  So these kids make an effort to approach Jesus and the Bible in a non-traditional way.  They teach.  They dare non-believers to question Jesus and the Bible.  They debate.  They explore.  Because they use such a non-standard Christian approach they have become successful in their mission.  I was so impressed by these students and their passion for their mission.  It made me realize how scared and weak I am when it comes to speaking out for God.  I mean God forbid I be called a “Jesus Freak” right?  I realized that being called a “Jesus Freak” is way better than being called lots of other names.  Lesson 1 learned---it’s ok to be called a “Jesus Freak,” I’ll take it!

Day 2: Church and more Church

Our second day noted that we would be attending two church services.  Church all day?!  Whoa this was going to be interesting.  Our Pastor always jokes that many of us go to church to check it off the list.  “Did my Christian thing, spoke to the big JC---check, done and done, now back to my regularly programed schedule.”  So church as I know is vastly different from church as our Guatemalan friends know it.  We are members of a large church, in fact at first I used to say I didn’t want to attend it because it was “too” large.  Dumb.  In fact, I don’t feel that way at all anymore now that we have become involved in Bible studies, groups, etc.  The first church we attended was San Raymundo.  This was a modest church to say the least.  From the front it was very unassuming.  No frills, no light show, no band, just you and God in his house.  In fact the pastor was also the sole guitar player leading worship.  We took our seats and listened to the message.  I am blessed to speak Spanish so I was able to translate for some friends but I couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like sitting there for over an hour not understanding a word.  In the middle of service three ladies walked up to the front.  They had prepared a medley of songs to sing to us (our mission group) to thank us for visiting.  So you know when you go to church and there is always that one person who sings WAY off key and WAY too loud and claps WAY off beat?  Well imagine a church full of those people.  But here’s the funny thing…those people NEVER care what they sound or look like.  These ladies weren’t exactly professional singers but they sang their hearts out to us.  In fact the entire congregation did.  No shame, just pure worship.  Then all of sudden the pastor directs the congregation to welcome us.  Again, you know that moment in church when the pastor directs you to do the dreaded, “now reach to your neighbor and welcome them and offer them peace?”  Well this was NOTHING like that.  The entire congregation came up to each and every one in our group and embraced us with the biggest hugs you could ever imagine and kisses.  They thanked us with tears in our eyes.  Thanked US?!  How could they thank us?  We had done nothing.  They showed us such unconditional hospitality on a level I have only experienced with my family from Peru.  These people were genuinely happy to have us and happy to be worshiping God.  It was so beautiful and so pure.  Lesson 2 learned---sing, sing out loud, who cares who’s listening. DO we want God to speak to us in embarrassing whispers or boldly and greatly?!  AND….embrace others with open arms and BIG hugs!

From L Top to R Bottom:
Me and my new church friend, our team leader receiving a hug from a church member, the ladies singing to our group, the Pastor preaching, our team praying for the Pastor and his wife who is suffering from cancer, a church member worshiping, more church members worshiping.  We felt so much love on this day!

The second church we attended was about an hour away.  It was founded by San Raymundo church and being led by a young pastor who had recently been married.  If we thought the first church was modest then imagine our surprise when we came to the next church situated in a very small, very poor village.  This church was called, is called, Jesus Viene (Jesus Comes).  Our van pulled up to a basic building (cinder block walls and a tin roof about the size of a small school gym).  The building was situated on some property that was a mix of grass and mud with a “storage shed” in the back.  Yes, I am using a lot of unnecessary punctuation but there is a purpose.  I say “storage shed” because that’s what a few of us thought it was…until we found out it was where the pastor and his new wife lived.  I believe the property only recently received water or electricity.  At any rate it was nothing that any of us would have wanted to call home.  As we walked onto the property we turned a corner and there sitting in about 5-8 rows were tons of children!  They were all sitting in miniature chairs singing worship songs.  Immediately my heart rose and sank.  SO many beautiful, sweet, innocent children living in such poverty.  Many of them were dirty, not from neglect, but probably because they do not have clothes to change into daily.  My daughter has an outfit, sometimes two a day and these babies may have 1 or 2 a week.  Hundreds of big dark brown eyes stared up at us with sheepish grins.  We were the visitors from America that the teacher had told them about.  I took my camera out and started walking up to groups of kids to say hello and ask if I could take a photo.  One thing about kids anywhere….they love to smile for a camera.  This quickly broke the ice.  There were kids ranging in age from newborn to 10+ years old.  I loved staring into their eyes…they reminded me of SG and I thought about how blessed she is to have a warm bed, clean clothes and a roof over her head.  So simple and yet such a huge blessing.  We brought piñatas filled with candy to share with the children.  It was a blast watching the lil ones barely tap the piñata and then run off because they were shy or embarrassed.  After the piñatas were done we visited with the children.  Now I can barely handle my daughter having sticky fingers and a sticky face covered in dirt and food but on this day it did not matter.  The lil ones came up to us to investigate us.  They reached their hands out to touch our faces, our hair, our clothes…anything.  They were filthy and sticky and it did not matter.  All that mattered was that God put us there at that very moment to meet these sweet angels.  We were told later that the pastor decided to start the church in this particular village because of the large amounts of children (there was no church here before).  As Whitney so famously put it, the children are the future, and this pastor felt strongly that he needed a ministry where these children were so that they would grow up Christians and spread the word.  Although my heart sank to see the poor living conditions of these children (one bedroom “homes”, no running water, no toys, little food) my heart was also filled with the joy in their faces when they saw us and when they played.  These children really are the future and seeing God do his work in their lil lives was an honor.  Lesson 3 learned---it’s ok to get dirty, sometimes getting dirty means you are having fun and on this day I really did!

The best surprise of our day!  Look at all those sweet faces! They even decorated for us!

So silly and they loved having their pictures taken.

I fell in love with this lil angel.  Finally, at the end of the day she sat next to me in service and gave me a smile.  Such a beautiful doll.

My new friends, hugs and smiles = my cup runneth over.

Our group was presented with a gift from the children, a handmade card to thank us.  At the bottom is the young pastor and his wife.

This young mommy toted her lil angel around everywhere.  I adore this picture.  It so reminds me of what Guatemala is.  

More sweet faces.  Dulces!

One more of this sweetie.  She reminded me so much of Nuggy.  I remember taking this photo and tears welling up in my eyes.  I wanted to take them all home!

So I think that’s where I will stop today.  I have so much more to write but I don’t want to bore you with a 50 page novel.  I did want to mention that many of you showed your support with a monetary donation.  These donations were not only used to help cover the cost of the trip but to also make monetary donations to the places, groups and people who we met.  We gave monetary donations, Bibles and other items on this trip.  I tell you this because I want you to know the impact you had on this trip.  And to put things into perspective American dollars go a LONG way in Guatemala.  In fact one American dollar equals 8 Guatemala quetzals (Guatemala currency).  So thank you to all who donated!

Next I will write about the school we visited for the children who live in the Squatter villages and the visit to the largest dump in Central America.

Until then…

We Made It-Guatemala City

Hi All!

Greetings from Guatemala City, Guatemala!  Although this blog is mostly dedicated to mommy "things" I thought I would use it as my platform to share the journey of my first mission trip.

Yesterday was a whirlwind day that started at 3:15 AM.  I could probably say that it started earlier than that because I didn't really sleep much that night.You know how the mind races.  

"Did I pack my toothbrush, my camera, enough underwear and socks? Did I pack too much?  Too little?  Did I get everything set up for SG?  Does she have enough food for while I am gone?  Did I remind Husband about emergency numbers and contacts (as if he doesn't already know these)?  Did I remember to pack my passport?  Wait....hold on, yes I did.  Wait, maybe I should check again...just in case."  

That was basically the dialogue I had with myself the night before.  Speaking of which, that didn't go exactly as planned.  As you know making the decision to come on this trip was very difficult for me.  `````` was very hard to decide to leave SG for so long.  I had imagine that the night before my trip SG and I would spend lots and lots of time together.  I imagined that she would fall asleep in my arms as I fed her the last bottle for the night.  Um no, that is not what happened at all.  Looking back I know God planned it that way.  As with any long term trip I was SWAMPED before I left.  I had tons of work to wrap up in addition to photography business, personal business and SG business.  My daughter, ths lil spunky thing that she is, decided we didn't need a sappy goodbye.  Instead during her nighttime feeding she giggled, played and wanted to just be put in her crib.  No SG snuggles.  :(  Husband and I had a "last supper" if you will to get some quality time in before I left as well (my mother in law was staying the night which allowed us to do so).  We had an amazing dinner with amazing conversation.  It was awesome!

When I came home I couldn't help myself and once again I scooped SG out of bed and rocked and snuggled her.  That's when the tears began...you know the ugly ones I had a few weeks back...those.  I sat and held her for a long time and talked to her about how much I loved her and all my wishes for her should something ever happen to me.  Oh and speaking of that, on the way home I gave Husband a long list of wishes for both of them should something happen to me.  For some reason I became very melancholy on the way home and I wanted to make sure Husband understood how much our little family meant to me.

The day started at 3:15AM. We were on the road by 4 and I arrived to the airport by 4:30 AM.  Our flight departed at 6:30 AM and by 9:30 AM we were in Mexico City for a layover.  Literally the second Husband had dropped me off I had already begun to miss my family.  This was the first time I had traveled without Husband in a long time.  It's funny because before we met I traveled alone all the time for business and never minded it and now I am so accustomed to having him with me that it just didn't feel right.  By 12 PM we had arrived in Guatemala City.

I knew I would love Guatemala City as soon as we walked out the doors of the airport.  The weather felt AMAZING...probably no more than 75 degrees.  Our group piled into our van and headed to the seminary that we would stay in for the first 3 nights.  The seminary is very basic yet has all we need (i.e. beds, blankets, towels and a light).   Simple things like having to use a community shower, not being able to flush toilet paper down the toilet, not having your own room, and more remind you that we are so very blessed at home.

Our day ended with a meeting with a group of college students by the name of GEU.  This amazing group of young adults are an organization whose mission is to minister to students in the local university.  Guatemala is a religious country, but not exactly a faithful country.  We were told that about 30% of the population claims to believe in God but less than that carry out their faith.  It was such an honor to meet this group who face a huge challenge everyday ministering to one of the toughest audiences I can think of...college students.  I was in awe of their passion, dedication and courage!

I have been taking tons of photos but will have to wait until I get home to post and share them.  Tomorrow we have a very long day ahead of us.  I am hoping to catch up soon with more updates.

Until then...

Confession from a Foodie to a Future Foodie

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

So today I thought I would write about my love for food.  Scratch that, rewind...my PASSION for food.  Yes, I am a self-proclaimed foodie.  I watch the Food Network like it's a sporting event, I've read foodie books (No Reservations), I've planned trips in different parts of the country and world just to eat, I have enough cooking supplies to fill the shelves of a Sur La Table and yes, when I eat I have been known to hum with joy.  I LOVE food.  I love cooking, I love everything about food...except the weight (someone seriously needs to invent calorieless food---we can put a man on the moon but can't invent that?!).  Being a foodie you can imagine my pure joy I experienced when I decided I wanted to make as much of SG's food as possible.  I had grand visions of gourmet baby meals on pretty lil platters and my sweets cooing at the site of the feast I had prepared.

Well my friends, God answered that prayer...sort of.  As I am sure you can see we have quite the "healthy" kid.  For those of you that don't know, healthy is code for chunky.  Yes, I gave birth to a small dinosaur weighing in at a whopping 8 lbs. 6 oz.  To put that into perspective I am 5'1" and weighed under 110 lbs. before I was pregnant...so that's a BIG kid.  My doctor attributed this to very healthy eating.  I attribute it to all the Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries I ate almost every day!  That and the PB&J sandwiches I could not get enough of.  Anyhow, needless to say our daughter is healthy and boy does she love her some food. 

I started SG on solids earlier than a lot of moms do.  At first it was a dire attempt to help her sleep through the night.  Note: that did not help us.  I also did it because she just seemed hungry and night feedings were just not getting her through the night.  We started basic with some rice cereal.  To our surprise SG took to eating immediately (as a note, a lot of babies have to "practice" eating and it sometimes takes several tries).  We were astonished that she literally just ate like she had been doing so for years.  After about a month I got antsy and wanted to try real food.  I also couldn't wait to whip out my Baby Brezza.  This is hands down one of the best gifts I received (thank you Kylee, Amanda and Sinity).  Now there are a ton of baby food makers, processors, etc. but I loved the BB because it steamed AND blended and could do so automatically on a timer.  Anything that requires less brain cells and saves a mommy time is a PLUS in my book.  Done and done.  So first up were the basics; apples, pears, bananas.  At about 6 months I decided to start mixing foods.  As a precaution it is always recommended to introduce one type of a food at a time in order to make sure your baby doesn't have an allergic reaction.  So by the time SG was 6 months old she was eating lots of mixed purees.  Now at almost 9 months we are on to the really fun stuff.  You see my husband is a picky eater (not as much now since I force him to eat all sorts of exotic, organic, healthy, crazy concoctions--and he doesn't cook so he's at my mercy) and I did not want SG to inherit his pickiness.  I am not picky at all.  I will try just about anything and I truly believe it is because as a child I was exposed to so many different types of foods.  My goal is to do the same for SG.  So I started getting creative and fun and introducing new herbs, spices and flavors.  I am including a list of some of her favorites under my "Baby Noms" tab for those interested.  Please note, I cook from instinct and rarely measure anything (this is why I cook and don't bake---I am terrible at measuring and following recipes).  So you will notice that I don't really have a lot of measurements.  But if you do try any of these just go with your gut and try a tiny amount...remember baby pallets are still developing so they don't need much of any particular spice before they taste something.  Also, please make sure you have your doctor's permission to start your baby on solids and have exposed them to all of these foods individually before you start mixing.  Lastly I am including my recommendations for fab cookware and a few tips.  I like easy, I like fast clean up and I like it delivered in a gourmet tasting package.   And for some giggs I am including two videos which are part of the video series I have dubbed "Confessions of a Future Foodie."  Keep in mind one of these was shot awhile ago but I promise you will get some laughs.

I hope you all enjoy and test out some of these fun recipes.  Bon appetit!



In the beginning...applesauce.  Pink Ladies were SG's fav.

Mixing and tastin'-Fresh Green Snap Peas, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Free Range Chicken & Parsley

My toolkit Baby Brezza Food Storage Cups, Nuk Food Masher, Baby Brezza and BB Travel n Go system

Tasty Tips That Worked for Us:

• Start simple and introduce one food every 3-5 days
• Start with a color or a food group (fruits, veggies, green foods, orange foods, etc.)
• Don't be upset if your lil one makes funky faces or rejects foods at first, it will take time and think about it, we don't always love everything we taste for the first time (SG hated avocados at first---broke my heart, only food she didn't like and one of my favs--who doesn't like guac?!)
• If your lil one turns their head at a food at first, try it again in a few weeks or mix it with something they like (I had to mix avocados with prunes to get SG to eat them---PRUNES, seriously?!)
• Spend a few hours making batches of food and freezing it (I love the lil green XOXO cups above)
• I try to pre-chop or buy already chopped foods if possible--yes they are more expensive but time is money when it comes to our lil ones and I try to free up as much time as possible to spend with her
• Use a dry erase marker to label (stickers eventually start coming off)
• Once they are older start introducing foods you are eating for breakfast or dinner that your pedi approves and mash them up (i.e. bananas, potatoes, etc.)
• I like to cook a meal for SG for dinner or breakfast if I have time so I chop up her fruits and veggies and put them in small freezer safe Ziploc bags---about an hour before dinner I pull one out let it defrost, or use the BB to steam it then blend or mash it---now baby enjoys a fresh hot meal and you didn't have to prep it
• Use as much fresh produce as possible (If budget allows I highly recommend going organic---I will leave my reasoning as to why for another post)---there are so many local stores (HEB, Whole Foods, Sprouts) and delivery services (Greenling) that offer all organic produce now making it much easier than before OR hit up your local Farmer's Market (we have one in our neighborhood we try to visit regularly for SG's produce)
• Don't be scared to experiment (my recipes are proof of that)
• Don't be afraid to try herbs and spices (I started SG on the strongest spice I could think of and am working down to more mild spices, the thought was if she liked the strong spice than the others would likely be easy, so far this has worked for us---I started her with curry, just a dash and she loved it)

For the recipes click on my recipe tab above.

Catching Up & the Ugly Truth

Hello Friends!

Wow, I have obviously been pretty busy because I have not posted in almost two months!  That is insanity and I do apologize.  It seems like summer arrived and we became busier than ever. 

So here's a quick recap.  May was absolutely INSANE.  First, my lil brother graduated from college, UT Austin---Hook 'em so we took a road trip to Austin to support him and SG her future campus (burnt orange is in the blood-daddy's alma mater).  SG also learned to crawl and pull-up in May. Then my first official mother's day was amazing.  I felt lots of love from friends and family who wrote me to wish me happiness on that day.  Husband Daddy and SG surprised me with a day at the spa, brunch on the patio of one of my fav restaurants (SG even picked up the bill) and a day together. It was perfect.  Next up we had our very first annual family vacation.  I'm not talking SG and Husband Daddy either.  I am talking BOTH sets of grandparents and us.  Insane, maybe.  Fun, yes!  It was awesome to watch SG bond with her grandparents.  We decided on Memphis, TN since it was a short flight and a place both Husband and I had been wanting to visit.  We ate BBQ, toured Graceland and enjoyed the beautiful landscape of that part of the country.  Next big event was that our pool was FINALLY finished!  You have no idea how relieved I am for this to have been completed! One thing about SG that is such a huge blessing is her love for the outdoors.  The pool couldn't have come soon enough because with the Texas summer came the heat which means no more walks during the day with her nanny (just too hot for the two of them).  Saying that SG loves the water is a HUGE understatement.  She gets excited as soon as we step outside.  We are so blessed to have a kid who enjoys the outdoors as much as we do.  I can't tell you how awesome it is to come home and take SG for a swim everyday!  Next up, I completed my first official wedding photo shoot.  This was something I have been stressing about for some time now but it went off without a hitch and I had the honor of working with an amazing bride and groom.  And last but not least, Father's day.  SG and I woke up and made daddy breakfast and surprised him with a movie I made of he and SG.  I have only seen my husband cry and handful of times in the four years we have been together and that was one of them.  He literally watched the movie over and over again (it's only 3 min long--I included a link below).  Then we took him to one of his favorite restaurants followed by frozen yogurt at Menchie's (if you haven't tried this yet you are seriously missing out---it's amaze) and family swim.  Oh wait and one more super BIG milestone in SG's life...she got her first lil toof (the cutest thing next to baby toes)!  Here are some photos and the video.

Mother's Day 2013--Nuggy picked up the check.

Baby Brother's Graduation-UT Austin 2013 Hook 'em!



Memphis 2013

Happy 1st Father's Day Daddy!!!



Family Vacation 2013

 



That's My Daughter---Father's Day Video

So ok, phew I am out of breath...that was a lot. 

But I also wanted to write today to tell you all that my heart is very heavy.  As you know I will be going on my first mission trip later this month (I leave in exactly 10 1/2 days).  I would be lying if I told you I was bubbling over with excitement and joy.  In fact it is quite the opposite.  I feel ungodly just saying that but I think it's important I be honest.  I promised that I would document and discuss the entire journey and discussing my true feelings is part of that story.  Last night was a bad night for me.  After Husband Daddy watched the video I made him three times in a row we then proceeded to look at all the photos of her on my phone.  This just made me so sad.  I went upstairs to tuck SG in and pray over her like I do every night and all of a sudden I started to cry....no bawl....big fat elephant size tears.  I began to think about leaving her and how much I would miss her.  As I was praying I told God that I just didn't want to go, that I would miss her too much.  What ifs started flooding my mind.  What if she woke up in the middle of the night and I wasn't there to cuddle her (mind you she sleeps through the night...but....what IF)?  What if she fell and hurt herself and I wasn't there to console her?  What if something happened to me and SG didn't have a mommy anymore?  What if something happened to her?  What if, what if, what if.  I scooped SG up and held her tight in my arms and sat with her for a long time in "our" chair.  The tears would not stop.  I told God I was scared to go.  Then Husband came into the room and found us together.  He prayed over us and let us have our time together.  When I felt I had cried enough (and when my sweets started to wake) I put her back.  DJ looked at me once and the tears started again except this time I was semi-hysterical.  All those times my mom told me I would never realize how much she loved me until I had my own child came back to me.  Loving SG is the  most amazing thing I have ever felt and you truly cannot describe it in words.  Until you are a parent that love doesn't exist and once it does it brings a whole new meaning to love.  I sobbed and cried, you know the ugly cry---boogers, snot, hiccups--and Husband just held me.  Well all that crying must have exhausted me because I fell asleep so hard last night---something I don't usually do. 

So friends, I am sad.  I am anxious.  I am scared.  So many what ifs.  I wish I could tell you I was excited to go.  I wish I could tell you I want to go.  But I can't---that would be a lie.  Instead what I can tell you is that this is one of the biggest tests of my faith.  While texting my mommy group last night (Papar, Lisa, Cassie---God bless you three for helping me through this) they all said the same thing.  Trust God.  You are doing His work and He will provide and protect you.  And they are right.  When has God ever let me down?  I can think of plenty of times others have let me down but never God.  I need to trust in Him and His plan.  I need to remember that I have asked him to use me and he is.  I need to remember that doing the right thing and following Him isn't always the easy thing.  And that's ok, that's what I signed up for.  His sacrifice for us is far greater than any I will ever make.  And so, I will be doing a lot of snuggling with my SG, Husband Daddy and our pup Chloe.  I will spend as much time with my family in the next 10 1/2 days as possible.  Most importantly I will pray, trust and go.

Time for a Roadtrip and a FIESTA!!!

Wow, this week flew by!  I feel like weekends fly by even faster now that SG is getting older.  I'm really loving her at this age.  It's so awesome to take her to do things and to see her try and figure things out.  I am amazed everyday by her.  It seems like each day she learns something new.  We decided last weekend to visit my family in San Antonio.  It's funny how traveling with kids changes things.  Before we were so carefree about trips and stayed in fancy hotels, planned lots of activities and ate lots of dinners out.  My how times have changed.

 

I took a half day on Friday so I could prep for our trip.  I started packing for SG the night before but by Friday I quickly realized that SG's overnight bag was just not big enough.  Thus I shifted all her things into my bag.  Since I knew space would be limited I then decided to pack my stuff in her bag.  She's already taking over my things, lol.  I packed all of SG's clothes in Ziploc bags to make thing easier and presorted all her food (i.e. bottles, cereal, baby food, etc.).  I had arranged to have a portable crib delivered to our room so all I needed to pack were her linens.  Which brings me to my next point, the hotel.  My goal was to recreate the home environment as much as possible so I booked a room at a Residence Inn which had a separate living and bedroom area.  This was a HUGE plus.  It made things so much easier!  I had planned our departure around SG's nap time.  I thought I was money because she always falls asleep in the car.  Not this day!  She decided to sleep about 45 minutes (usually she naps 1-2 hours).  Despite this I had packed extra toys and she did amazing.  She just played and talked the entire time.  It helped that our pup Chloe was also in the backseat with her to amuse her.  We stopped to feed SG a little early because she seemed a bit fussy...well that was because she had a near blowout.  This kid has only had two others and both were in public.  Why oh why does it always have to happen at the most inopportune time?  Thankfully I had an extra outfit packed but let me tell you, I under packed for her this time because she rarely gets dirty.  Thank goodness I had the extra outfit.  Once we arrived it was dinner, bath and bed routine time.  I brought her baby seat for the bathtub which was great because I also used it as a chair for her to sit in to feed her.  Warning: I HIGHLY recommend you thoroughly wash and clean the bathtub before you put your lil one in it.  Thankfully we had a kitchen in our room so I used dish soap to clean the tub.  Husband Daddy put her bed together and I brought her linens from home so she would feel and smell the comforts of home.  She fell asleep like a champ (thankfully because she hadn't napped much) with her sound machine on and all was good. 

 

The next day SG woke up sounding a bit congested.  I thought little of it because she has never gotten sick.  By breakfast time her eyes looked watery and she just didn't seem her normal happy self.  A cold front had just come in so I wondered if allergens were bothering her.  We headed to one of San Antonio's biggest events...FIESTA!  Think Rodeo for Houston, ACL for Austin, etc.  This is the big event of the year.  Fiesta is about three things; food, drinks and fun.  I hadn't been since I was a teen and Husband had never been.  SG wore her best Fiesta friendly dress and looked like a lil Senorita!  After two hours we headed home because SG seemed tired and still seemed like she wasn't feeling well.  It's a good thing we headed home (to the hotel) because after her nap she woke up sounding terrible.  I knew she was definitely sick.  We had planned to go to my parents for dinner so I packed up all her things to recreate dinner and bath time at their house.  Our poor lil girl didn't want anything to do with this.  She was so uncomfortable and unhappy so we had to leave early.  We stopped at Walgreen's on the way back to the hotel and I bought Vick's and an all natural cough suppressant (really it is just has natural herbs to help baby).  By this time SG was coughing a lot and choking on her milk to the point she would throw up.  I got her home and gave her Tylenol (which I carry in her overnight bag), put the Vick's on her and got her to bed.  She barely slept that night not able to get comfortable and coughing the entire night.  Finally, around 4 or 5 I held her in my arms and rocked her and let her sleep in my arms.  I did this until my arms were numb and finally I laid her in bed next to us.  I am deathly afraid of doing this but I felt like she was older now and since I wasn't a sleep deprived mommy of a 3 month old I felt a little more comfortable doing this.  To be honest she had begun to be very clingy to me since she starting feeling bad.  I realized at this point that the best thing to do was head home early and get her to the comforts of home.  When she woke up we packed up and headed out.  I felt terrible that we had to cancel the plans for the day with our extended family but it was best for Sofie.  Thank goodness we came home early.  Immediately she seemed happier.  I took her to the doctor Monday and found out she had an ear infection and cold.  We were given antibiotics for the infection and cough meds.  I felt terrible that she had an ear infection and I didn't even know.  I looked for the cues (tugging at the ears, red ears, etc.) but she never did any of it.  Our tough lil cookie actually never acted that bad the entire time she was sick...only when I gave her saline drops and cleared her nose did she really cry.  Needless to say our first big road trip out of town was a semi-success.  I am glad I waited until she was older for the trip because I was MUCH more relaxed than I would have been if we had gone when she was younger.  I had my rhythm down of how/what to pack, when to hit the road, how to plan around naps (now that her naps are regulated and at the same time) which all made things much easier. 

A few tips when traveling with lil one that I learned:

• Pack in Ziploc bags (clothes, bibs, socks, pacifiers, toys, etc.)-makes things so much easier when rummaging through a bag at a gas station or in the hotel and then everything isn't and explosion of baby supplies when you arrive to the hotel
• If possible try to book at suite only hotels (Residence Inn, Hampton Inn, etc.) with a separate bedroom and living area---ironically these are often less expensive than some of the nicer hotels and include free breakfast which is a PLUS for mommy and daddy (and endless coffee)
• Arrange to have a crib in your room rather than pack your Pack-N-Play (one less thing to pack and they usually have PNP as their portable cribs)
• Pack your own bed linens (we were provided some from the hotel but I knew SG would be more comfy with her own)
• Take the sound machine if your baby uses one (ours has a nightlight too which was a big plus)
• Try to recreate home as much as possible and stay on schedule as much as possible (I realize if you have an agenda staying on schedule can be hard but if you have flexibility plan activities around naps)
• Naps---I try to only let SG take one nap in the car, the other I try to keep at home or hotel...in a bed.  I do this because she doesn't sleep as soundly in the car so I want her to at least get one good nap in bed
• Plan your drives, flights, etc. around naps meaning you want to drive and fly during your lil one's nap time
• When packing diapers I pack the amount she uses each day plus an extra 30% (yes I just came up with a formula for how many diapers to take but then you don't pack too little and you don't have an overabundance of diapers)
• Always travel with certain meds (I carry Tylenol and diaper rash cream) just in case and good thing I did because although I rarely have used these with SG I used both on this trip
• Check the weather before you go and pack accordingly with a couple outfits for the opposite weather in case of a sudden change in temps
• Try to pack your lil ones things in ONE bag if possible--my good friend Lisa also told me she packs her kids things in large plastic bins--I thought this was genius because they stack on top of each other great in a car.  I will be doing this on our next road trip

 

These are just a couple things I learned and I wish I had taken photos of how we packed and what we took.  I will have to remember to do this on our next trip.  In the meantime here are a few photos from our weekend.

 

My lil Senorita!

She was dancing to the cumbia music that was playing.  This one's gonna be a dancer!  Yay for those Latin roots!

Acting coy with daddy.  So cute!

Our lil family.

Daddy's lil girl.  He loves putting her on his shoulders and she loves it just as much.