Back in Honduras

We have been back in Honduras since April 4th! It has been challenging to settle back into things and to adapt with the new baby and establish a routine. We're still working on a routine...

After Lucas was born, we spent a week more in Dallas before heading to Stillwater, OK to my sister's. Then we skipped back to Edmond to stay with Joni and Terry before heading to my grandfather's in Arkansas. After spending a few days with them we completed the trip to Nashville! It was a whirlwind time trying to pack, unpack, pack....nurse, feed bottles, and see everyone we wanted to see. We had a health scare also to deal with - Lucas's newborn screening test came back abnormal and we had to leave my Granddad's early to take him to the ER in Little Rock where they did additional blood tests and assured us that these tests have a high false positive rate. Of course the results came back within normal ranges and we were told to follow up once we got to Nashville just to be sure. In the end everything was fine, but we were scared out of our minds and exhausted from all the rushing.

It has been nice to finally be back in my own space and not living out of a suitcase! When we got back, however, the house was a mess! It was so dirty and dusty but luckily my sister in law had come to clean the day before. Still it was messy. And we had mice. Again. There weren't any when we left...but the people "taking care of" the house never cleaned I guess, so that was definitely not a fun realization. We killed THREE!

We also had to delay unpacking somewhat because we had so much junk to get rid of. I think we cleared 5 boxes of stuff to throw or give away! Then we had to buy a few things - a water dispenser, a bouncy chair for the baby, and just recently a new fan! Marcos found a good deal on a portable AC/fan that holds 7 gallons of water and has an ice chamber; so the fan blows cold air like an AC. It's pretty nice, and blows cold even without the ice! He also bought Leyla a swimming pool since she LOVES water and it's so hot anyway.

The other issue was whether or not to hire a maid. I have been so stressed trying to clean, take care of Leyla, take care of the baby, cook, and have some time for myself in there somewhere! It has been especially difficult with Lucas not wanting to nurse. We have had issues from the beginning and I have been trying desperately for about 3 weeks now to wean him from the bottles and get him back to exclusively breastfeeding. He is doing a lot better latching on correctly and my milk supply seems to have increased somewhat, but we are still not all the way there! He is down from 25 ounces of formula a day to 12 ounces, and is seemingly still gaining weight and doing fine so we will keep on trucking. :)

Anyway, we finally found someone to come twice a week and clean. So far she is great! She comes and starts right in and leaves everything clean when she leaves. She does a very thorough job and it takes the stress off of me for the rest of the week - I can do dishes and light sweeping, knowing that deep cleaning is done. Before I pretty much always lightly cleaned what was visible, but the dust and the corners never got cleaned...and that drives you crazy but there was just no time to deep clean!

Trying to nurse, pump, and feed bottles - and cook, and clean, and answer Leyla's every request, and rest, was NOT working!! Plus no rest and all the stress wasn't helping my milk production. I was doing so much to increase my supply and felt like it was taking way too long and not doing anything - so I've realized that stress and rest really do affect it. Just in this last week I have really noticed a difference so I am a lot more hopeful and positive about it now.

Lucas is 10 weeks old now and weighs around 12 pounds (he's a chunker!!). Leyla is doing better but still not speaking any Spanish. I think she is understanding a little more now though and at least participating (in Church) and having fun. She plays in the water all day long and changes clothes 3 times a day, almost always choosing a "beautiful" dress. She has really liked having her mantequilla and beans back!

 Before leaving TN, we went on a walk at my dad's - Lucas slept the whole way, thanks to this sling from Tia Fide!!

 Leyla and Lucas with Mama-Dena before leaving!

 Lucas at Mommy-Me's in Nashville - this outfit doesn't fit him anymore! He was probably a month old or so in this picture.

 Lucas asleep in his cute crib in Honduras!!! He actually won't sleep there for more than 5 minutes. I have GOT to sleep train him - but with all the stress from nursing I don't want to add anymore. Once he gets a good feeding routine going, we'll work on the sleeping.

 The two of them asleep on the couch! I love this picture! They look so much alike!

 Smiles!

 Swimming at Iguana's water park - Leyla had so much fun!

Lucas had a lot of fun :) Kidding! He slept the whole time.

Still Pregnant

So I was 36 weeks two days ago and had my first doctor's appointment her in the USA. My dad drove us to Dallas Wednesday and we moved into Paula's house. I met Paula while I was working at Predisan and we have had lots of fun staying with her. The appointment was Thursday morning and unfortunately, the ultrasound technician was sick so I was unable to have an ultrasound still. I did see my doctor which was most important!

Dr. Salter is wonderful. I met him at Predisan also, during one of the brigades. I translated for his surgeries and observed a couple of them. He was super nice and offered to attend me in my next pregnancy, after I told him my story. So he gave me his information and when I found out I was pregnant in June, I let him know! It was great to see him and have some questions answered. He has a very calming effect! My blood pressure was still low and they tested my urine for protein too (there was none). So that is GREAT. He did not do an exam, so I don't know if I've started effacing or dilating yet, but he did measure the height of my uterus and said I was measuring small. It could be though that the baby is already low, dropped, or just sitting low. At every other appointment I was right on track so it doesn't worry me. His heartbeat was 160!

Now I just have to figure out last minute details, where the hospital is, maybe tour it, and figure out the whole insurance business. Since I delivered Leyla in Honduras I really do not know the processes here in the US at all so some of it is a bit overwhelming. But I am confident things will go well and I couldn't have a better doctor!

I have felt a few things that I didn't feel with Leyla, like hip and general pelvic pain or soreness. It makes me wonder if he has dropped, is in the process, and if that means I may have started dilating OR will dilate on my own. I don't know what to expect since I was induced with Leyla before I had started dilating on my own! I am excited though to find out, I have my next appointment WITH ultrasound on Wednesday. :)

I told her to "smile for Daddy" in order to get her to smile, and it worked! So, this was for you Marcos!

Last day in Roatan

We are back in Catacamas! It was a fun, quick trip and I would have loved to stay longer but we always have to get back to reality. Here are a few last pictures of our stay.

 

 We went to a refuge for iguanas, apparently iguanas are eaten (guess they taste like crocodile meat?) so this place is to keep them safe. There were a TON.

 Family photo! I wanted to get the ocean in the background but there was too much sun. Anyway I like it cause we are all smiling!

Group picture of all the Predisan staff right before boarding the bus to go to the airport!

Time for a change!

I decided to change up my blog tonight! I wanted to see what new layouts there were and then got to thinking, I might as well change the title too! I started thinking how I've been here 3 years now and my life has changed but this blog isn't all about those changes anymore. It's been 3 years since we moved here, got married, and had a baby. I wanted to change it to something more current.

I never really liked the length of the other title either! So I changed the address to themadridsinhonduras. Something simple and easy to remember that describes who the blog is about. It took me awhile to come up with a new title, though. I decided, what I want to convey, is that God has given me a life that I never would have planned for myself, one that I never could have even imagined, but one that brings me so much joy! It is amazing how his plans can be so perfect for you - when you don't plan them yourself! I think God knows our hearts better than we ourselves know them.

Thus, "Greatful for God's Beautiful Gifts." I am greatful for the gift of life, of love, of motherhood, of learning, of culture....God has given me so much to be thankful for and has blessed me abundantly. This blog is all about my life, my family, my friends, and my experiences - all of which are beautiful gifts from God!

May Showers

It has been raining and raining and raining here. The weather is so nice and cool but the torrential rains are causing just a little mud and a little flooding. I prefer it over the heat any day though!

I haven't posted in awhile, since I got back from Oklahoma, so here are a few updated pictures!

 

Ropes Course!

We had a lot of fun this morning at the Ropes Course at CEREPA. A youth group from a local congregation went, and we joined up with them. Leyla enjoyed it too! The ropes course is a great tool in learning communication, developing leaders, and working as a team. We had a lot of fumbles and frustrations but we accomplished a lot too!

 

 Everyone had to do each challenge. In this one, the team lifts you up all the way above their heads!

 The "islands" were difficult. You have to figure out how to get across without touching the "infected" area around the islands (the ground).

 

 Leyla was having lots of fun but it was getting hot and her little cheeks were so red!

 Climbing the 12 ft wall!

Marcos was the last one up and he had to figure out how to get up without help!! Of course, he did it though! The men at the top lowered a boy down, and Marcos ran and jumped and grabbed onto the boy's ankles, then climbed up the rest of the way!

January News

Well, January has flown by!

This is my third week on the new job. We had our first visiting group this weekend and it went very well. I am *starting* to get into the swing of things! Although my eyes hurt from staring at a computer all day, I wouldn't go back to teaching!

I wouldn't say I'm "addicted" to Pinterest now, but I would say that I use it a lot and have found lots of helpful things on it. It's a great place for ideas. This month I have used it for 5 recipes already, and several sewing/crochet projects. I'll post my favorite recipes in another post...

Leyla is growing up SO much! She is really becoming quite the singer. I have a video on that for a later post. She sings whenever I'm singing, whenever there's a music video or a movie on or if her toy is making music, or even outside just running around - she's always singing! I love it. I can't wait to see how she develops her singing voice as she grows!

I took these pictures of her one day when I did her hair in pigtails. She was waving to the camera and unfortunately in some of them her hand is in front of her face!

 

 

 

This month we've also been working on planting a garden. It's been a slow process, and we're still not finished. We didn't calculate the dirt right so we still can't plant. Marcos has brought dirt from the mountains every time he goes but the raised bed is still not full! My tomatoes and broccoli are still alive but they're definitely ready to be in the ground. I have carrots, spinach, peppers, and onions in a bed too but they haven't sprouted yet. We also need to buy fencing materials.

 Leyla was a big help :) She wanted to help do everything! We dug up a bunch of worms too and it was so much fun to watch her with the worms, getting excited, but scared to touch them, and then wanting to play with them!

Love my little girl!

Video Update

I haven't uploaded videos in awhile, so today I decided to get it done.
#1 - Leyla singing and dancing out front. I have no idea what she's saying, but it's hilarious.

#2 - Christmas morning, Leyla watching "Toddler Tunes" and singing along to her favorite, "Wheels on the Bus." She normally dances a bit more, but she was distracted with her new toys. She also likes to sing along to the ABC song, and at the end, they kind of pose, so she tries to pose as well - but her pose is a little overexaggerated and super cute :)

#3 - Marcos and dad in the mountains trying to vaccinate the bulls. I took a video because it's funny to watch!

Play Time

Some friends of ours gave us this swing for Leyla when she was a baby, borrowed it back, and then returned it last week. Surprisingly, as a two-year-old, she is really enjoying it! She sits there and swings and eats oranges!

 

 Attack! Leyla loves to wrestle with Daddy.

 Playing with her grocery kart! I put her inside to take a picture reminiscent of one I have of me at her age. Except, I was crying. Leyla is having a blast!