It's a miracle! He can now see

We noticed that Nathan was standing really close to the TV and squinting all the time. We took him to the eye doctor to get him checked out. Obviously he couldn't see very well and now he has glasses. When the glasses came the earpieces were too long and the glasses kept slipping down his face. I didn't want him to take them home if they weren't going to stay on his face but he wanted to take them home anyway because he could see things he hasn't been able to before. The receptionist at the eye doctor was able to clip the ear pieces shorter so they now fit his face. He got home and said "Wow, I can see Regan's (his friend) house and it isn't blurry." I think he likes them.

Family Get together

I am excited about the whole family getting together at the end of June. I am trying to come up with a good, inexpensive menu that will feed lots and lots of people. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions I am way open to them.

I think as far as sleeping arrangements go we will have room for everyone, but I'm not sure about pillows or towels. If there is room in your packing, these might be good items to bring. We have one portable crib for a baby. Several sleeping bags for cousins/kids to sleep in the family room.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all.

Love,
Connie

Kitchen with new backsplash.
Erin with "crazy hair day" at school.
Isaac with whip cream on his face.

Gaius Michael Anguiano

There are more pictures that I need to collect from the family, but here are a couple...

Nothing much to report

So, no baby yet. Looking over the dates picked by everybody, I feel like I'm no where near the finish line. However, I have been informed that no pregnancy has ever gone on forever, so eventually it will end, one way or another.

After my doctor's visit yesterday, I can report that I have made a little progress. Half a centimeter dilated. Not much, but it's something. We will be sure to let everyone know when we go to the hospital for the big event.

Lilia's Birthday

Lilia had a great birthday and party.  She got some clothes from Laura's mom; Play-Doh, sidewalk chalk, swimsuit, and bouncy balls; but her favorite gifts were the $6 worth of balloons we got her.  She apparently really loves balloons.

We had some of her friends over and ate hot dogs and chips.  Laura made some cupcakes that were really delicious and shaped as a character from Yo Gabba Gabba (Lilia's favorite TV show).  We decorated with streamers and balloons while she was taking her nap.  She woke up just as her best friend was showing up and was really surprised when she saw the decorations and her friend.

We had a good time and I think Lilia did too.  She is getting really big and talking a lot.  Her vocabulary is increasing super fast and she surprises us every day.

This is cupcake Brobee	This is what Brobee looks like
Lilia licked all the frosting off first	The mess looked worse in real life
Thrilled about her balloons	This the classic Happy Birthday banner Laura had the same one growing up
Opening a box of clothes from Grandma Zacharias	She got some really cute dresses and these sandals that are too big (for now).
She's too cute with her beloved dog	I just wanted you to see how cute Eleanor is too

1- We have another double digit midget. Erin turned 10 on April 5th.
2- Isaac got a fake mustache from the "prize box" at school. He wouldn't take it off. He loves it.
3- Entry way light
4- Family room light/ceiling fan
5- Dining room light, Family room light/ceiling fan and kitchen upper cabinets.
6- Master bath cabinets- doors were coming later
7- Main bath cabinets
8- Downstairs cabinets
9-10- Kitchen cabinets
11- Wood floor

Here are some belly pictures. The first two are from Dec 30, 2011 (24 weeks pregnant) and the third is from a couple of days ago, just before 37 weeks.

*the house looks really bright red in the pictures. It doesn't look that red in real life.
*Lockers in the mud room
*tile tub surround in the main bath

What's the date?

I'm almost 37 weeks (which is when Dante was born) and so I thought it would be fun to have a little guessing game. When do you think the baby will come? No complications like we were having with Dante, so we are going for a "natural" delivery this time, no scheduling.

Here are a few informational dates to help guide the guesses:
Apr 2, 37 weeks (lungs fully developed for most babies and ok for baby to be born);
Apr 23, 40 weeks (current "due date");
Apr 30, 41 weeks (I've gone far enough and since I am a "higher risk" delivery, the doc doesn't want me going past 41 weeks because the risk of still birth increases)

The rules:
1. Anyone in the family can guess
2. Pick up to two dates
3. It's ok to pick the same date as someone else

(I'll update the dates as people guess.)

Current Guesses:
April 5 - Erin's birthday
April 8 - Chris' birthday
April 10 - Lilia's birthday
April 18 - Sarah, Adam (thanks to the full moon of April 17)
April 19 - Chris
April 20 - Stephen
April 21 -
April 22 -
April 23 - Laura, Connie
April 24 - Jennifer
April 25 - Connie, LeAnn (Sarah's mom)
April 26 -
...
April 27 -
April 28 - Sarah, Stephen, Adam, Jarom
April 29 - Laura

Phew...

The quarter is over and I managed to turn everything in.  I feel so much better. My next quarter should be my last and I won't have to go to class anymore. My celebration is a bit premature, but I'm happy nonetheless. I will be working on my comprehensive exams for the next few months. The trick will be to prepare now so that once I actually have the questions the writing will be much easier. Once I've been given the questions I usually have only two weeks to write 50 plus pages of graduate level analysis. It will be interesting to do that and try and work full-time. I'm not too worried though because I know it can be done.

I love all of you very much. Thank you for all your support.

Latest updates. We have interior doors now