Giving Thanks

Happy belated Thanksgiving!  With the recent birth of Christina, I have never had so much to be thankful for.  I have thought of that often this month, and hope to stay in the thankful spirit all year round.   There's really no excuse not to.  We've really been blessed in so many ways.

We had a quiet and very nice Thanksgiving.  Ita was here from Tuesday until this afternoon and got to spend lots of quality time with the  grand kids.  Dominic organized an Einstein's date for all of us, and Christina spent many a happy afternoon napping on Ita's lap.   This was the first time in many years that we didn't go to Dallas.   I really missed the rest of the Arazozas and I know Marcos and Ita did to.  We can't wait to see everyone at Christmas.

Here are some pics from the week:

Dominic playing with the book Ita brought him.

He brought this hat home from school. I'm not sure if he's a turkey or an Indian.

Ita with both kids and one cat.

 Marcos did a beautiful job cooking.

Mashed red potatoes with cheddar cheese.

Prime rib roast.  We decided not to do a turkey.

Dressing.

Good ole Pillsbury crescent rolls.

And jellied cranberry sauce.  I made the obligatory Simpsons references when I slid it onto the plate.

Green bean casserole.

Baked apples as a side.  This was added to the menu for Dominic.  He loves these.

Here's an overview.

I made a little sampler for Dominic.  He didn't eat much besides apples.  We had some ham too, which I forgot to photograph.

Christina slept through the whole meal!  She continues to be a sleepy baby.

It really felt like a small crowd when we sat down to eat.

Apple pie. Dominic talked about this all week.

And then he had a bite and didn't like it. He told me today he was too little.  I asked if he would like it when he's older and he said yes.

On another note, something kind of scary happened the first time I tried to upload these photos.  Blogger told me I had reached my 1GB free storage limit and I would have to buy more space.  I used Picasa to export/save compressed versions of all the photos, which uploaded without a problem.  I think they still look perfectly fine, so it's too bad I have not been doing this all along.  I usually upload huge files from my dslr camera.  I'm not sure what this means for the future of my blog!

 

What we've been up to

Modeling new outfits

A first bath

Plenty of lounging

Hanging blinds in the living room. We've been talking about this for years.

Special delivery

Building

Sharing pumpkins

Watching football

Siblings

It's crazy to think I have been the Mom of two kids for a week now.  Dominic has been such a sweet and loving brother to Christina. We left him in the care of my Mom and Emmy and went to the hospital before he got up on the morning of 11/1.  They told him that Mama and Dada went to the hospital because it was time for Sister to come out of Mama's belly.  I think he got it because he seems to understand that she is his sister, and he doesn't say anything about me having a baby in my belly anymore.  He met her about 3-4 hours after her birth, and has not shown any signs of jealousy to date.  He is constantly trying to kiss her, and it's pretty cute that he always wants to get his face lined up with hers and kiss her right on the lips.  He pronounces her name something like "Chris-Nina" and now that we are home, often brings her offerings of clean diapers or "blankets" (usually burp cloths or changing pad covers, but it's the thought that counts).  We talk about how Christina is too little to do things like eat a piece of Halloween candy or sit with us at dinner, so I hope that makes him feel like he's big and important, even if she gets a lot of attention and Mom-time.  It was also a huge help having my Mom here for the first few days after we came home.  She entertained him a lot and gave him lots of attention.

Dominic and Christina pictures:

Dominic loved the hospital and still talks about going back.  But he didn't want to be in our room.  He preferred to roam the hallways, stairs and elevators if he could get someone to take him. 

I think this is the first up close meeting of brother and sister.

Dominic made note that Christina has two eyes and a nose.

Lots of sweet kisses.

He liked to take her hat off and see her hair, but always made sure to put it back on.

Once home, there was plenty of baby furniture for both kids.  Dominic went and got his blanket so he could be like Christina.

Dominic giving Christina a head hug on YiaYia's lap.

Introducing Baby Christina

Christina Eloisa Morales was born at 1:44pm on November 1, 2012.  She was a dainty 6 pounds 10 ounces and measured 20 inches in length.  I was blessed with a very easy delivery after having a very easy and uneventful pregnancy.  Just like last time, we had wonderful nurses and a great experience at North Austin Medical Center.

Here are some pictures of Baby Christina during our stay in the hospital:

I love this picture, taken within minutes of her birth.

She reminds me of Dominic here.

We were surprised by her small size, especially since she got extra time in the womb.

Finally meeting her Mama.

And not long after, she met her YiaYia and Aunt Emmy.

This was taken in our postpartum room.

Bonding with Dada.

And she met her Ita shortly before we got discharged on Saturday.

Adjustment to life at home has been so easy. Christina has been very sleepy and rarely cries. She has already had her first doctor's appointment and a photo session with a photographer.  I'll blog soon about her relationship with big brother Dominic.  He has been great!