Testing, testing, one, two, three ...

The dust bunnies have taken over.

I'm doing some warm-ups and stretches ... gearing up to jump back onto the blogging saddle.

We are preparing for a new journey and it only seems fitting to bring "the expat's wife" back to life.

Stay tuned ...

i'm still here ...

hi blogger buddies ... i'm still here ... we're still here ... but i'm oh-so tired.

two kids are tough.

two kids, selling our house, moving into a rental house and buying a new property to build upon has been tough.

it's been a rough couple of weeks, months ... friends tell us that things will get better eventually ... like 18 months eventually ...

i miss you, dear blogger. but, i hope to be back soon.

please send me patience, sleep and good vibes!

No foolin' ... he's here!

Callum James Scott is here!

After 2.5 hours of labor, Mr. Callum James Scott decided to be born at home, in our bed, surrounded by his loving family.

It was the most amazing birth -- one that I could have never planned.

We are all doing so well. So relaxed. So at peace.

Here are the vital stats:

Callum James Scott
April 1, 2008
Time: 6:50 am
Weight: 7lbs, 9oz.
Length: 21.5 inches

It's also daddy's birthday today! Can you believe we have two April Fool's in the family!?!

All our love,
Laila, Jordan & big brother Cole

40 wks +2 days overdue

not sure when it's appropriate to call the day over as far as labor goes ... but i think it's probably safe to say that i won't give birth on march 31st. maybe, maybe, maybe i'll still go into labor today, but at this point, i'm thinking the actual push wouldn't happen for a good 6+ hours. so, there you have it. i'm officially having an april baby.

love you, mean it.

feliz cumpleanos, lindsey

remembering a dear, dear friend,
a wife, a sister, a daughter, a mother.

feliz cumpleanos, lindsey.

besos.

until we meet again.

40 wks +1 day overdue

I'm actually in pretty good spirits -- still shocked that I made it to 40 weeks. I'm not feeling much progress -- just a few random Braxton Hicks contractions and some discomfort. He has definitely moved down and there is a lot more room in my upper belly to breathe.

I woke up with a lot of energy this morning and made a yummy Sunday breakfast. We almost made it to church, but pregnancy brain got the best of me and I missed the start time by 1/2 hour. So, we decided to take a good walk through the neighborhood and ended up having lunch at Doc's on South Congress. We all came home and took nice naps while watching the UT-Memphis basketball game. We then spent the afternoon playing outside, relaxing and making a yummy dinner.

I'm gearing up mentally for what could be another week of waiting. On Wednesday, I have my next doctor's appointment where they are giving me an ultrasound and test to see how the baby is doing. My doctor has already suggested inducing me on April 7th ... we'll see. Our doula (did I tell you that I decided to use a doula with this birth?) is coming over this week to see if she can help us get things going naturally -- I'd like to avoid induction.

Tomorrow is the last day of March -- are you waiting to be an April Fool's baby like your daddy???

40 weeks!

39 weeks ... still waiting

I'm on the mend ... just fighting a lingering, nasty cough. I developed weird lower back pains last night and just feel overall heavy. Tomorrow is the actual date. And, I think we're all actually ready -- both mentally and physically -- for his arrival. Bags are packed. Car seats are loaded. Most of my "To-Do" list is crossed off. Hope to see you tomorrow little guy!

Cole: 12-15 months

Since I'm still waiting to pop baby #2, I'm tackling those final items on my never-ending "To-Do" list.

*UPDATE BLOG* has been on there for months! But, I'm finally getting close.

Here's a look at Cole's 12-15 month stage ... from his first birthday, first steps, Halloween, Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Christmas season ... it has been such a joy to watch him tranform on a daily basis.

Album - Cole: 12-15 months
(click above for pics!)

We really love this age -- as trying and challenging as it can be. Cole is so interactive, engaging, stubborn, funny, particular and cute.

He speaks quite a few words -- mainly in Spanish. Never stops exploring and running. Sleeps really well, both day and night. And is as picky an eater as ever.

It really does get *better* everyday.

very sick, very pregnant

I'm falling apart. Cole passed on some virus to J last week, who then promptly passed it on to me. Every since Sunday, I have been fighting a fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, fatigue -- and, oh yeah, 39 weeks of pregnancy aches and pains. I'm trying my hardest to mend before labor kicks in. I'm going to the doctor's tomorrow for my 40-week appointment, hopefully I'll have better news. So, yeah, I'm STILL pregnant and now I'm battling Virus 2008.

Final countdown ... Journey of the Bump!

Album: Journey of the Bump
(click above for pics!)

I'm officially 38 weeks pregnant now -- definitely in the final countdown of pregnancy #2!

Looking back, it has been a really easy journey. Like my pregnancy with Cole, I have battled heartburn from day one. Otherwise, this second little guy has been wonderful. I've had very, very few restless nights -- he just curls up and usually let's me sleep through the night (Cole was very uncomfortable in the womb and wouldn't let me settle down at night). Baby #2 usually does a little gym work in the womb around 3pm, and again in the evenings when we watch a little TV after putting Cole to sleep.

I have to admit, we haven't documented every week with a proper bump picture, but I guess that happens when you're busy running after a toddler! However, I've put together a little gallery of the bump's journey over the past 9 months. He's already part of the family and we can't wait to see his precious little face soon!

Looking back at Cole's first steps

During his 11th month, Cole was standing strong and began taking 2 or 3 wobbly steps at a time. Nearing his first birthday, he could take about 6 consecutive steps. On his actual birthday, we were able to catch a long stretch of steps as he headed towards a beloved balloon -- or "globo" as he calls them in Spanish. Two days after his first birthday party, Cole started walking and hasn't stopped since. Now he runs, gallops, walks backwards, semi-jumps, runs -- did I already say that?!?

Here's a proud momma watching her son take his first steps ...

Album: Cole's First Steps
(click above to see pics!)

Cole: 9-12 months

June to September 2007 was a crazy time in our household. After finding out that we were going to have another baby, we had to move out of our house for 6 weeks while the intense kitchen remodel was taking place. There was just too much dust, fumes and madness for a crawling Cole and a pregnant mommy. Plus, there was no working sink, fridge or stove. But, you can see from the pictures below that we had a great time watching our little guy grow leaps and bounds.

Album: Cole: 9-12 months

(click above for pics!)

(Cole at 9 months on 4th of July 2007)

100th Post! Long Overdue.

I have a million excuses ... it's a pain to download pics from my Mac to any photo website (it literally takes me hours!), holiday madness took over, pregnancy made me tired, running after Cole keeps me busy ...

And the more time passed, the easier it became to ignore the blog and listen to all the excuses.

But, it's time to catch up on things before Baby #2 arrives. Shoot -- we technically have 12 days left until birth day.

As I logged into Blogger for the first time in months, I realized that my last post was #99. Wow.

Happy 100th post. Are you ready for a serious download???

it's another boy!

i'm officially 20 weeks pregnant today and we found out yesterday that we're having ANOTHER boy!

at first i was in complete shock. this pregnancy has been so different and i had visions of a frilly pink nursery in my head -- i (we) had convinced myself that it was going to be a baby girl.

but, there was no mistaking those "boy parts" again.

we're having another boy. a brother. a buddy. a best friend for cole.

hee ... can't wait to meet you little man.

love, your mommy, daddy and BIG brother

I'm Number One

Our little numero uno is such a rock star. He's 13 months old now and walking like a champ. It seems like he has become a little boy overnight, but he's still my baby-baby. He started walking perfectly just 2 days after his birthday. It's a cute swagger, too. He stands very tall and leads with his chest.

Don't let me forget to mention all the "talking". From the moment he wakes up, he is jibber jabbering all day long. We can make out quite a few words -- mainly in Spanish, like pelota (ball) and lavadora (washing machine -- he's obsessed with it!). But, even though most of his sounds are jibberish, he somehow clearly communicates his wants and dislikes. He gestures like mad, shakes his head, points, leads, pushes, yells.

Oh, and he has the sweetest voice when he talks to his stuffed animals or any live animal, like a cat, dog or fish. He sort of speaks with a lilt in his voice and just sounds so sweet.

As far as eating, our little guy is still extremely picky. He loves to feed himself and still prefers cheese, pizza, grapes, beans, bread, bananas ... and, well, that pretty much wraps up everything he'll eat these days. Oh, we try everything and sometimes he digs in, we get excited, buy carton loads of the new food and then watch it spoil in the fridge. Ugh. But, he's happy and healthy and so just so darn active.

He is still taking two naps a day -- phew for me! And must be in bed by 7:45pm or a meltdown commences.

We moved into a serious shoe buying phase -- love the pedi peds. He has a pair in camo and a snazzy white/burnt orange dress shoe for later days. He has some adorable chunky sneaks and an awesome pair of slightly tacky outdoor/swim shoes. After his breakfast, he insists on heading out to the backyard and now sits by the door waiting for his lovely pair of outdoor/swim "zapatos". It is so hilarious to see this sweet, skinny boy in his stretched out PJs, banana on his chin, clunking around the yard in these huge shoes (he's got big feet, what can I say??).

I'm afraid to say that Cole is over Gymboree class. He pretty much refuses to participate in the actual class and prefers exploring all the slides or watching from afar. He is a big fan of his Saturday music class though -- and always helps his teacher "play" the piano during quiet time.

As his personality emerges more and more, and those big buck teeth flash me huge grins, I can't help but wonder how I can ever love the next baby as much or how we'll all manage with the transition. But, we've got a little over 5 months to figure that out!

feliz cumpleanos, my baby boy

my baby boy turned one today. it really hit me as i was wrapping his presents. at that moment, i had an overwhelming sense of attachment, realizing that my little boy was growing up so fast and that i would be wrapping birthday gifts for years and years to come. that may sound so strange, but it was the first time i had actually wrapped a gift for him. and, i love wrapping presents, so it was pure joy for me to be doing it for him on such a special occasion.

we had a family party this evening ... ordered pizza and i made a small chocolate cake. he opened tons of gifts from us, granny naj, great ronya, tia adri, tio stephen, frank, abuelita ... he was spoiled. and, he truly enjoyed each gift as he helped me unwrap them. it was adorable. he also devoured his pizza (one of his fav foods) and literally dug into his cake. so cute.

he's been taking tentative steps for a few weeks now, but today he debuted some serious walking. i put a helium balloon in front of him and he took at least 15 steps to reach it. he's still really cautious -- and crawling is really so much faster -- but i think he'll be solely walking soon. eek!

tomorrow is his big birthday party with all his friends at gymboree. we are so excited! but, it was really, really, really nice to have an intimate family party first. i think we'll have to make that a tradition.

we also bought ourselves a "birthday" gift -- a phat new video camera. it's so purty. i'm looking forward to sharing some clips (as if i'm good at sharing pictures -- hah! -- but i promise to try!).

oh, lovely boy. mama and dada love you very much. happy birthday to you.