Guatemala Part 1

I am writing from Guatemala and we are over half way through our trip here. We left on the 23rd of February and will be heading home on the 11th of March. We have already done so much here and there is much left to do.  The main purpose of our trip down was to introduce Liam to the other half of his family and heritage. The last half of the trip will be dedicated to the business. 

We spent the first few days in Guatemala City visiting with family.  The 26th was Evie's birthday. For those of you who don't know, that is Edwin's mom. The day before we had a big family fiesta at the house. On her birthday we went out to a beautiful restaurant and then toured a part of the city. Friday, a bunch of us went out to a pool on the coast for a BBQ and some swimming. 

Saturday, Edwin's parents came with us to Antigua to spend a few days relaxing.  We stayed in Edwin's uncle Luis' house, which is beautiful, and did some touring around from there. All in all we have had a great time and have really enjoyed the family.  

Liam has been a big hit here. He has acquired several new nicknames and is working on a lot of new tricks.  Everyone down here thinks he's huge! And they are very taken with his white skin and blue eyes. He has not suffered for love in the least! He started rolling over from his back to his stomach, but then he gets stuck and can't get back, which is very upsetting for him. He also started moaning while he falls asleep, which I love.  It is the sweetest sound!  He is such a happy, content little guy.  He has traveled really well, is content in anyone's arms and smiles all of the time. 

Now we are out in Huehuetenango for the rest of our time in Guatemala.  Sunday we will head up to the plantation for a night, which should prove to be interesting with a baby.  We'll let you know how that goes. But for now, here are some pictures of the last week and a half.  I am not on my own computer so I couldn't do much, but at least you can see a little of what is going on down here!  You'll have to wait until we get home to see the rest...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Tank

The moms group that I go to every Wednesday is growing in number and in physical size!  Most of the babies are from our childbirth class (you probably saw the pictures I posted in December of our reunion) but there are two sweet little girls that are older that came this last week.  One is the second on the right in the little red dress and one is the second on the left with the little pink shirt.  They are quite a bit older than the rest of the babies who were all born around the same time.  But you will notice that my little Liam, dead center, is just as big as they are! Yep, my son is a tank. He is tall and sturdy and I am guessing he will grow up to be a good sized man! And along with his size he's got a big personality...life of the party.  I don't know if that is good, or a little scary!

Liam's New Trick

This one is for all the grandparents, honorary grandparents and other people who love my child almost as much as me.  Because you pretty much have to love a kid like a parent does to think that this is cool.  Liam has found his tongue.

Liam's Cute Noggin

As most of you probably already know, we had our appointment with the craniofacial specialist at Children's Hospital in Seattle yesterday and everything is fine. Liam's soft spot is practically non-existent, which is rare, but not a problem in this case. All of the sutures, or areas between the plates of the skull, are fully open and those are what matters. So, NO SURGERY!!!  We felt such a tremendous sense of relief all day.  He also has a flat spot from sleeping and the doc thinks it will work itself out so that he will not need to wear the helmet.  Though, if he does have to wear it, we figured we would just use that time to teach him how to ride a bike and kill two birds with one stone.  Do you think 7 months is too early for bike riding?  I don't know, I am a first time mom, but it seems like they learn how to do things so fast!

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit for the weekend so that they could go to the appointment with us and keep us distracted for a few days beforehand.  We had a great time, even though poor grandpa had to get the last 10 minutes of the superbowl on his Blackberry in 20 second updates of who had the ball and where on the field they were.  We don't have cable, so no game here. We also got to see Dan, Mikki and Ellie for the day on Saturday for some good food and stiff competition at the card table.  All in all, it was a great end to January and Beginning of February.

Here are some pictures of Liam.  He is getting big so fast!

Ellie feeding her little cousin.  It was a pretty good first attempt.

Liam is a very happy little baby.  I love that about him! (I say little, but he is actually a pretty solid, hearty baby)

We could kiss the cheeks right off of this kid...

Here are a few pictures of Liam starting to push up on his arms during tummy time. Babies are so amazing.  I worked with him for about three days and he refused to do it, and then one day I rolled him over and he held his little head up and looked at me like, "Is this what you wanted? I mean, I don't know what the big deal is." But you can see for yourself what a cute, healthy little noggin he has. And just look at those baby blues!  Ugh, he is going to get away with so much with those big, innocent eyes.

Liam is Making Noise

Liam is starting to recognize his voice and use it a little more. I am sure he likes the way it sounds, I know I do.  I love to listen to him! Here is a little video of him talking to himself while he plays.

He is also laughing more and more.  We haven't been able to catch him on camera really cracking up, but here is video Edwin got of him giving out some giggles. He is very ticklish, and that is how we can usually get him to laugh. I can't wait to see him when he starts to find things comical.  I wonder, sometimes, what will he will think is funny.

What's up in January

January seems to be flying by for us!  We have been busy and so has Liam.  He is growing so fast already.  We went to the doctor for his four month check up today and things look good. Liam is 14 1/2 lbs. and 25 1/4 inches long.  That puts him at the 50% for his age, for both height and weight. Perfectly proportionate! Our only worry is that his soft spot seems to be too small, which means it is closing prematurely, so we will be going down to Children's Hospital in Seattle to see if he will need surgery or not.  Please pray for all of us regarding that situation.

Liam is smiling all the time and has started laughing too.  We love to hear him laugh!  He is grabbing for toys and starting to put things in his mouth more.  He holds his head up pretty well and is starting to stand on his legs a little longer.  Liam is no longer addicted to being swaddled and is sleeping from about 9:00 PM to 8:00 AM, praise the Lord! Nina and Edwin are pretty much the same developmentally, in case your wondering.  Well, if I'm being honest we're slowly declining, but that's another story.

For some reason Liam thinks it is really funny to have his shirt on top of his head...

But then again, we do too, so I guess it can be genetically explained.

Another thing we love about our little one is that he is always pointing his fingers. We are trying to figure out what this will mean for his personality.  Will he be bossy, or just really profound?  He does it when he stretches, when he is drinking his bottle, or just playing around. Check out this double point...

The problem is that he also points his finger when he is trying to eat his fist which means that he keeps gagging himself.  We are hoping he will catch on soon, but it doesn't seem to bother him.

This last weekend Edwin's aunt Delmi, uncle Carlos, and their kids and kids kids came to visit us in Bellingham.  We had a great time. Ceci and her husband Julio have a three and a half year old son, Sebastian.  And Pablo and Mady have a son, Alek, that was born three days before Liam.  Pablo and Edwin grew up together and are only about a five weeks apart in age, so it was really fun to see our boys together.   We went up to see the snow on Mt. Baker and spent some time in Seattle as well.  I put together a quick little video with a bunch of clips from the trip.  I am going to make more of a movie out of it later, but that will take a lot of time and I wanted to get this blog done!

Here are some pictures of our time as well...

Liam and Alek

Julio, Sebastian, Ceci, Nina, Liam, Edwin, Alek, Pablo and Mady

Carlos and Delmi (It was Carlos' first time in the snow!)

That is all for now, but we still have a lot to do in January, so we will keep you posted!

Home Videos

Her are some of our latest videos.  They are both a little long, but this is what we have been up to. I wasn't able to post them to the blog the typical way because they have music and there are some copyright issues so you will have to click the links that I have added below. And because of the size of the file they take awhile to upload, especially if you have a slower internet connection, so you will have to be patient!  Just click the pause button (ll) in the lower left hand corner of the video, wait for it to fully upload (maybe get a cup of coffee or something). There is a black bar next to the pause button with a white dot. Until that bar has turned completely grey the video is not fully loaded. And then play it when it has loaded.  Otherwise you will be watching it in 5 to 10 second intervals and then waiting in between, and that would annoy anyone!  Sorry for all of the instructions but the videos are worth it, I promise!  Soon I should be starting my own website that will eliminate all of the problems, so stay tuned!

This first one is for those of you who love our little Liam and never get to see him in person.  He is growing so fast and we are loving every minute!  We love his series of stretches as he wakes up and the way he panics for his bottle.  And we are eating up every little smile the he will give up.

http://gallery.me.com/ninamartinez#100003

This is a video showing the snow we got in Spokane over Christmas. 

http://gallery.me.com/ninamartinez#100000

Little Cutie

These are just some of the latest pictures of Liam. He has started smiling and responding more and it is so much fun! People are starting to say that he is looking more and more like me. Lucky guy, I guess!

Childbirth Class Reunion

Last weekend we got together with some of the people who were in our childbirth class this summer. Only about half of us showed up, but it was a full house with all the babies. We had a really great time and all of the babies are so adorable! I am also meeting with the moms once a week just to hang out. I really hope that it continues so that the kids can grow up together. But life moves along quickly, so we will see what happens.

Liam was the first one to be set on the couch. It looks to me like he knew what was about to happen and wasn't all that thrilled about it.



Here are the four babies who made it to the party. From left to Right: Liam Richard, Jacob, Jacklyn and Liam Thomas

In her sleep, Jacklyn got a little cozy with Liam and he didn't like it very much.

That made Liam start to cry and this was the immediate result!

Bath Time

Liam is actually starting to enjoy his baths! Either that or he is really into cleanliness, and I don't think that's it or he would be potty trained by now. Here are a few videos for proof.

Different cries for different times

Nina has identified that Liam has 3 different cries.

This is the angry cry.

He also has a cry for pain and one for hunger.

-edwin

Liam Is Finally Zero!

Happy Due Date and first Halloween to Liam! We have been waiting to celebrate the day that Liam is no longer considered a negative age. So, we will feast tonight with friends and family in honor of Mommy's Little Monster turning zero! Grrrarrr!!!

God of Wonders

 

 

 

Tonight I sat with my husband in our cozy, clean home, with a plate full of amazing cheeses and fruits and a glass of red wine. I was holding my freshly bathed baby in his blue and brown striped snuggly fleece sleeper and he was wide eyed and staring at my face with a look of pure contentment. I started to cry. It wasn't a sob, but that hot, choked up feeling. You know the one...that thick lump in your throat followed by a stream of silent, salty tears. I cried because I felt more full than I ever have. I cried because I am so humbled that my God would trust us with such a precious gift. I cried because he saw fit to give us such a beautiful miracle despite our state of being. I cried in awe and wonder of this gracious God of mine and the answer to thousands of prayers perfectly knit together in my womb and now safely snuggled in my arms.

Liam's Grand Entrance

If nothing else, Liam sure knows how to make an entrance! The last two and a half weeks have been a whirlwind. I feel like I have aged 10 years already, but I am sure that my youth will return as we settle in.

I am posting a slide show of Liam's first two weeks. It is a little long, but so much happened. My water broke Monday the 22nd and he was born and airlifted the 23rd. The 24th through the 2nd or 3rd (I can't remember) he spent fighting and growing his little lungs. Then the 3rd through the 5th He learned how to suck, swallow and breathe at the same time. We were discharged from Everett Providence NICU on Sunday the 5th of October at 3:30 in the afternoon. The nurse rolled Liam out to the car in a big red wagon with much celebrating and fanfare. And by the 6th of October the three of us were relaxing at home, thanking God for the speed of Liam's growth. Now we are finally settled and learning how to be a family of three.

Thank you all for all of your prayers, gifts, encouragement, and support. We would have felt very alone with out it. Let us know if you would like to visit!

Showered With Blessings

I know that this blog comes a little bit out of order, but I had intended to write about my last two showers before Liam came! September was a month of blessings for me. I had a family shower on the 13th and a shower with my close friends a week later. Both were beautiful, fun and full of great baby gifts!

Thanks to my beautiful aunts, Mikki and Nancy and my beautiful mom, Shirley, the family shower was amazing. I posted a slide show to prove it! I am so grateful to have such a wonderful family and so many of them close to home. I am sure you will all by dying to babysit, so don't worry, I will post a sign up sheet later!



A few days later my two best friends, Kristen and Renee, put on a very fun girls night out shower. I was so blessed by how much love and effort they put into it. I am so humbled by these two women and how they have blessed and served us through this whole ordeal. I could never do enough to thank them in return. My good friend Diana took pictures at this shower and I have yet to see them, but when I do you will be sure to see them too!

Thoughts From a New Mom

It has been 5 days and 12 hours since our precious Liam was born and I still can't seem to wrap my mind around it. I am sitting here in his very first nursery, full of machines and wires, strange lights and computer screens and the constant hum of the technologies that are keeping him alive.  But I am filled with an indescribable peace (if only for a moment) that God is in complete control and has a really great reason for all of this.

We had so much that we were going to accomplish in the last five weeks of my pregnancy!   We were going to set up the nursery, take a breast feeding class, touch up the paint in the living room, complete our registries and have everything we needed, get a pedicure, wash all of his little clothes and blankets and have them organized by size and age.  And that is not half of it!  I guess God knows that I am a little obsessive compulsive and He likes to change the plans a bit sometimes.  He has shown me that no amount of preparation, cleanliness and organization can compare with holding the little miracle that He has blessed us with the very moment He chose for us to hold him. Despite all of his tiny little wires and fragile little body, there is nothing in the world that can compare to holding my Liam, smelling him, watching him breathe. 

So far, we have only been able to hold him once or twice a day, but I got to put him to my breast while the nurse fed him through a tube for the very first time.  Hopefully he will be able to associate the fullness in his belly with me.  I thank God for every little moment like this one.  

God has also reminded me of the enormous gift He has given me in Edwin. Edwin has been my rock, and super hero.  I know that you might disagree but I think that he deserves to be named "World's Greatest Dad".  He is tender, gracious, strong, tireless, and unconditionally devoted and in love with both Liam and myself. He sits in on the doctor's rounds every day and has come to understand the meaning of every medical word, machine and physical condition associated with our son. Some of the staff have even asked him if he has medical training! 

I can't wait for you to meet our little bundle.  I can't wait to take him home.  I can't wait to hold him and snuggle him whenever I want to.  But I am certain, for this moment, that God has just the right time for all of that.  And I know that he will be strong and fully grown before I finish processing all of this!  So for now, I will savour every moment, hospital machinery and all.

Liam Thomas Martinez

Born: 8:04 a.m. September 23, 2008

6lbs 10 oz, 20' long

Liam is a gift from God who we have been praying for, for many years.  He was born almost 6 

weeks early in Bellingham, WA and his lungs are not fully developed.  So he took his first helicopter trip later the same day to Everett where he has 

the option for further care, should he need it.  So far he has done well and is stable, but needs to continue developing so he can begin feeding on his own and not an IV.

He is a beautiful boy and I'm speechless as I look at him wondering what he will be like.  Right now all I know is he likes it when I put my hand on his head as it often stops his crying.  And he has a pretty good grip when he wraps his little hand around my finger.

My beautiful wife had done an amazing job carrying him and delivering him.  I am so proud of how strong she is and am glad she is now with me in Everett with our son.  Nina will post more soon, but today was my boys second day of life and I had to post something so those of you who are further away can see a picture.